SUBSIM: 20 years on the web & still no gold watch!

[Leandros]

Congratulations on the twenty, Neal.

It's rather awkward but I have actually very little recollection of what happened to me in 1997. Strange, because they say that near-time memory goes first. Mine certainly has. Every time I forget (often) the names of Jimi Hendrix and CCR, my favourite musical artist (well, apart from Elvis, of course - but him I remember - heard him first in 1955), I twist my brains for a few days before I give up and go to the CD shelf to look them up by the titles. Then I remember.

Let me see now, I was back in my old job after a stint with the UN in Former Yugoslavia. Took up the NG service again, too, even took an Intelligence course at the NG school at Dombås in central Norway - my tenth course there. Always nice to be there - sort of paid vacation. Had to look in my service book to remember this. Well, I don't actually remember it, just accept the information in the book.

What did I play at the time? Gettysburg? Oh, yes that nuclear sub thing - 688? And, that was my second fatherly period, the youngest girl in ballet classes and the boy playing football. Driving back and forth. My working premises were still at Fornebu Airport, Oslo. Everything moved to Gardermoen the year after, giving everybody in the business a bad taste. I get sick thinking about it. Bought a new Toyota Carina estate wagon. Oh, boy, that was a GOOD car. I mean good in the reliability sense. 220.000 clicks later and still the original shock absorbers and clutch - even if driven a lot by the wife...

Well, this is a lot of load on the brain so I shall just have to excuse myself for not being active here for the last couple of years as I have been busy with a book project on the Pacific War. That has included another game that I shall also recommend - the WITP.

Continued good health to y all.

Fred

[Rippersport]

I turned 11 that year, didn't know what love was yet but thanks to my father and uncle (In particular, who introduced me to simulators and Silent Hunter), I was already an experienced gamer by then.

Don't think I stumbled upon Subsim until I was deep inside Sh3 and discovered something strange called GWX

Anyway, Happy birthday Subsim, and may you and Onkel Neal lurk in the deep for another 20 years!

[Aktungbby]

AnimeHair!

[Schöneboom]

Tempus fugit, as they say! In '97 I was temping & living in one of San Francisco's last cheap flats (later sold & demolished). At the time I was a Jane's man, playing Advanced Tactical Fighters, Longbow 2, then 688(i), my first subsim, on a Toshiba laptop aka "The Slab". Good times.

Happy Birthday, Subsim.com!

[raymond6751]

Congrats Oncle Neal! Thank you for doing what you do.

In 1997 I was out of work, my wife was battling Cancer, and I had a two year old boy to look after. My wife lost her battle in 99.

My how time flies! Anyway, it was a good year for some.

[44m44m]

I was born on 07/04/1997, and when I was 3 years I watched "Run Silent Run Deep", " Grey Lady Down" and " The Enemy Down Below" with my dad, instead of watching "Ice Age" and "Toy Story" like my other peers. I have always had a fascination with the Navy or anything Submarine.
When I was in first grade in 2002 I saw "Das Boot" and " U-571" and fell in love with German U-Boats and that's when I got hooked with the " Silent Hunter" series starting off with "Silent Hunter II" and when I got the game I needed some help with navigation in the career mode of the game. I went on my parents Dell Computer with Windows 99 operating system and a very slow dial up internet and found this website called " Subsim " that gave me advice throughout the years, and made me feel that I was not the only one who had the same love and passion for submarines.
I still browse the forums and the mods that I browsed 15 years ago and hopefully my children will to. I just want to say thank you "Subsim" for being their then and being here today.

Happy anniversary

[bstanko6]

I was a junior in high school. I was addicted to the worst sub game "SSN" only because I am
A huge Tom Clancy fan.

I was watching "the hunt for Red October" when I decided to join the navy to work on submarines 2 years later.

[U-5]

SUBSIM !
1997...I was a Baby.. CongratulationsThanks for all Neal !

[Chisum]

Hi Oncle Neal, long time no see.

Time flees like the sand of the hand...
You have created an incredible and amazing community, to which I am proud to belong (or to have belonged because I don't play any more ...). It is therefore with warmth that I wish you a happy birthday. Live long and prosper.



I burst out laughing as I read this: "Internet Explorer version 4 released"!
What a shame it was, but it made our happiness so many time with the f#@@... Windows 98.

[Nuppie]

688(I) Hunter Killer, Silent Hunter & Silent Service II. I also met my future wife and am now retired from the US Navy. I still enjoy Sub Sims as well as other Naval Sims. Thanks for the web site.

What's the best part about the Navy.....being in the Navy.

[Onkel Neal]

Man, these are great stories!

[ABBAFAN]

Well done. Excellent website. I've been here since 2001. It's funny how new the site was then. Yet twenty years later it seems no time at all has passed. In 1997 I had my first PC. I was playing command: Aces of the Deep, Sid Meier's Gettysburg, and still had the Amiga 500 with Bob's Magic Garden and The Night Breed . I got put on report on my thirteenth birthday, was a bit of a pyromaniac, and had flirted with Satanism. Only briefly, mind. Ah yes, Brass Eye was on telly and I went to the Titanic exhibition in Hamburg aboard Father's container ship. I was surrounded by arseh**es and scoundrels. No internet. No dress sense. This was before I discovered flares, flowers and corduroy.

[STEED]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

Man, these are great stories!

Until now...

To be honest Neal I can not remember that far back. Anyway congratulations on 20 years on the Net. If you ask this question again in 20 years and we are all still here I probably give you the same answer.

[Aktungbby]

Nuppie! & 44m44m!

[bsachems]

Ahoy Mates,
20 years ago I just got my first computer. It didn't take long and I was hooked on Silent Service. Later it was Silent Hunter 1,2,3,and 4. Can't get into Silent Hunter 5 although I have had it for 3 years now. I never modded any of my games until I found SUBSIM. I want to thank all of you as I have downloaded just about every mod I could find for Silent Hunter I4 Wolves Of The Pacific. Speacial thanks to the creators of TMO and RSRD I have played them together for years.
Your web site is awesome!
Bsachems