Five years ago, i started playing this nice little game called Hattrick. Not little in a sense, it was alraedy the world’s largest online football simulation game and with increasing player base and much more room for growth. Watching the game progress, from the transition from cash player value to the TSI system, from the old ratings (which had reached it’s limit) to the new ratings, and from the celebratorial fact that Hattrick reached a player base of close to one million. Some progress took hard time to accept but nevertheless, it was all for the better. Then, there was this time where i played a friendly cup and found Alltid Hattrick, with it’s beautiful site and the ever-welcoming community. Flip over, and Alltid became enthwine into my Hattrick life. Always opening both sites at the same time whenever i get online, scheming to win my first Alltid Visitors Cup (of which became Alltid Plus Cup when i got supporter). I had yet to do it.
That was the Hattrick i knew and loved. A while later, Hattrick started introducing advertisements to it’s site. A colourful banner on the top, and then an annoying Google bar on the right. My heart sank. All of a sudden, browsing my beloved Hattrick site was an eyesore. Part of that or something else, i no longer spend hours on the Hattrick site looking to improve my team, no more waiting on transfers, and no more searching for the perfect country to visit for a friendly.
The Hattrick i knew and loved was a Hattrick without banners on top and definitely without the annoying Google ads on the right.
Hattrick needs a community site.
On September 1 2008, Hattrick announced that Alltid will be integrated into Hattrick. Waves of congratulations landed on the Alltid site as the article was published. I added in mine too. Under the shadows of those pretty words, this was probably the biggest blow to me in my entire Hattrick life, and also for those others who had hold the community so dear. A site where i had my life of Hattrick, a site where i had my first Hattrick friends, a site whose community at certain times became the sole reason i continue playing Hattrick, a site where… …
Is it progress? To those who had put their heart and soul into the Alltid site (to which i salute), it is progress in a sense. Then, there are rumours that the Alltid stats is supposed to be a tool to pull more people to pay for Hattrick… umm… Supporter? What did this word ’supporter’ meant in the beginning anyway?
Sometimes in life we take things for granted. Days ago i was still grunting about having to write another Alltid cup report. Never did i know i won’t be writing reports for Alltid anymore, nor win my long-awaited Alltid cup, nor even, in a few months time, have a glimsp of Alltid’s warmth anymore.
I know that i’m in no position to change something, and definitely not deserving the world to change for me. And with all i can, i guess writing this would be my sole contribution at least.
I know how you feel, man. But cheer up, we are still here and we will find something else to do.