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Dear diary! This my first entry and those following will try to rollup my
previous (mud)life. I started playing Bat in the first half of 1995. A friend
of mine, already studying, had me to pick him up at the computerlab.

As I arrived, some text was scrolling very fast across my friends screen and
he was typing weird things like: 'ki digger' 'pss' 'pss' 'p say FLEE NORTH'.
What the hell are you doing? He explained me that he was playing some sort of
roleplaying game in the internet. I was fascinated. I always had loved RPG and
so was eager to learn more. That day and the one following I stayed at the
complab and played from early in the morning (7:00) to closing time (22:00).

The same year in early summer I would have my exam which decided about whether
I would be allowed to study or not. I don't know how I did it, but although I
had missed 273.5h during my last school year, I somehow succeeded.

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Bat was cool! I loved that crude and hard world. I learned very fast bowing to
high players or not to look at anyone without permission. This avoided me
hell! I was around lvl20 as something weird happened: - You won experience
lottery - somehighbie has summoned you - You are in hell

Wow what the hell just happened? Here I should explain all newer players, that
in old day's explotto drained exp from every player online - so highbies got
very pissed. Originally I must have won much more than 30M exp (but don't
know). After player killing me and reinc I had about 15M left :-)

This win was a curse to me! Why? Well before lotto I might have had about 100k
totals. I didn't know much about the mud and you learn most during newbiehood.
Now I had too many exp for my old friends and for our old places. I was
somewhat lost!

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I started studying technical chemistry October 1995. At the beginning of
December I realized that my mudage had increased by more than one month! I
couldn't continue this way. I had to admit my total addiction. I didn't want
to waste my life, risk my career and relationship to a stupid game. I found  a
solution which worked for me: I went 8 month to the army (1.1.1996 -
1.9.1996).

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I forgot to mention that I donated some cash in 1995. I received more than
1100 tps (I guess). As a total newbie I sold many many tps until I had 990
left. I bought some real cool axes (state of the art that time) and borrowed
rest of the money to people. Well those people don't exist anymore and I never
got paid back. And the axes of course got dested after conversion ,)

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At the army I had plenty of time to rethink my future. I found an university
(FH) which suited me very well. Almost all lessons were predetermined and
students were forced to visit them or else fear to be kicked out and repay
education costs. I loved this university-school as they forced me to do
something and prevented me from get totally addicted again. I even would get a
good informatics education with lot of practical training in only 4 years!

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During conversion I had a force break from bat. But don't think this prevented
me from mudding! :b Some colleagues coded on a new german mud called
Silberland. I played where and after few months I maxed my player (well german
mud was much easier for me and we were very few players at that time).  So
next I wizzed and coded too for some time, but I missed the adventures and the
thrill.

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Must have been last half of 1997 then I played a little Bat again. I realized
that all my eq was lost and all my old german friends didn't play anymore. I
now mostly chatted. Eventually I didn't chat anymore because I started a
private project and hosted several gameservers (mostly quake and TF).

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Autumn 2000 I made my exam. But I already worked since summer 1999 as
practical part of my education. Due to job and the fact that my GF lived in my
apartment for one year, I didn't login at all. For all who's interested: My
GF's name is Marion. I know her from school where we were best friends for
more than two years. 1994 we engaged which we still are. We mostly lived in
different cities because of our educations (the reason I could mud ,-). Since
September 2002 we share a common live in a nice apartment in Salzburg.

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April 2001 my best friend founded a company with partners and asked me to
build up the IT-department which I gladly did. That company was an ASP which
provided most Austrian GSM provider with SMS and WAP applications. I worked
really hard in the beginning (almost 16-18h /day), but after few month
everything was running smooth and automated. Now I had very much time! As long
everything ran I had not much to do. Time to time I added few things, but rest
of the day I mudded with permission of the bosses. This was my 2nd active
playtime. During this time I met all my today mudfriends :-)

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After 9 month (I had been 1 year in this company) I got extremely bored! Not
because of Batmud, but due to lack of challenges at work. So I went back to my
old company in April 2002. I totally stopped playing Bat and focused all my
energy on working projects. I know that many of you would never have given up
that DREAM job :b

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Juli 2003 I had some spare free time again and just logged in for fun. WOW! I
was welcomed back very warmly by my now highbie friends Demicore, Lighthouse,
Parsin, Nomiculious and of course Tarquin. So I was kind of 'forced' to play
again :-)

I loved to chat with my friends and have part in there life. Unfortunately it
was very hard to party with them as I was a 19M n00b. So I decided to work
hard on my character and donate again. Now that I write this, I enjoy the game
again as a 45M n00b with 3740 TPs.

Thanks to all wizzes for this wonderful game! And many thanks to my friends
for being friends!! - I love you!

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