Dr.Flay

Zunnie invited me into his community as either a representative of Chaos or the old UT world (I have no idea). At times like this, the word "Community" seems like an understatement. The love and respect Zunnie showed for his community is mirrored and amplified here from the shining light that he was. Though I only had a few conversations with him, mostly about UT and game design, they were always fun and and focused of team play. I regret not picking his mind more often, as now his thoughts will remain his alone. I had hoped he would get the opportunity to join the Chaos team for some beta testing fun, and help us with the team play balancing it will need. The general feedback seen in this thread shows that it was not just a matter of being a nice guy, he was valuable. Valuable as a community leader Valuable as a modder Valuable as a technical resource Valuable as a friend Valuable as an inspiration but most of all, he was valuable as a Human being In the older parts of the gaming world we have given a final salute to many that had their last respawn. When it is a a Clan or Community leader it hurts in a different way. It often leads to feelings of confusion of what to do next. That is easy, you continue to enjoy what you have, and tell the stories of all those fun times. You can't bring him back but you can weave him into your maps and mods, and continue making him be part of gaming history. You can find Clans over 20 years old that still keep the memory of their fallen comrades alive every day. At the NewbiesPlayground for the old Unreal game, the DOG clan have a tough house bot with the name of their original leader "Old Sparky" They have one of the servers always show his name, and on the clan site his wise old face still welcomes you every time you arrive. Importantly, every year on the anniversary of his last respawn, the server is setup for a more fun gathering of old friends. The event is posted in the most prominent places for the various Unreal communities to see. Often this is a time when some of his family join to share in what he created with his friends. Perhaps this helps give a sense of "even though he is gone, it is not over yet". Not many of us leave a genuine legacy behind us, but Zunnie is one of the few (even less gain status as an Ambassador). To Lien Rolvink, I know it is the worst possible thing to outlive your children, but your little boy has created a legacy you can be proud of. You gave the world something very special in your son. He was a true leader, and people don't forget that. On behalf of the Unreal Tournament world, thank you for lending your son to us, even for such a short time. To Zunnies close friends and family; On my weekly radio show I tend to start with a tribute to someone that just left us. This Friday I would like to dedicate the show to Zunnie and play his favourite tracks. If you could select his top 5 (or as close as you can guess) I would be very grateful. You can use any of the contact methods in my profile you prefer.