The history of Half Life 2 Roleplay
The Half-Life 2 roleplaying community officially began one year following the release of Garry’s Mod and the introduction of Taco and Banana’s TacoScript. Initially, Taco and Banana’s servers were the only notable options for serious roleplaying within the Half-Life 2 community. However, the subsequent launch of DarkRP, which had a more casual player base, and the emergence of frameworks such as Cider and Prototype, led to a significant expansion of the community. These frameworks were also sold to various communities, including DivineCircles, which was initially launched on Cider but eventually transitioned to Neuxs/Novus. Notably, during the time of DivineCircles’ existence, several other prominent communities were also active within the Half-Life 2 roleplaying community.
Other communities around DivineCircles
- Taco N Banana (EST 2007)
- Relentless Gaming (EST 2009)
- Gmod.BiZ (EST 2009)
- Hearbit (EST 2011)
- ShockCore Gaming (2013)
- LemonPunch (2013)
A divine circle is formed
DivineCircles was a reputable Half-Life 2 roleplaying community on Garry’s Mod, active between late 2009 and late 2012. The community was founded by Asytile alongside Wolvius, Cryptic, Phoenix and Powley who were all Superadmins at some stage in the beginning, a Norwegian individual who aimed to establish a dedicated roleplaying community. Asytile initially began on DarkRP servers, but sought a more serious roleplaying experience and subsequently established DivineCircles in August 2009.
At the time, there were a few other Half-Life 2 roleplaying communities such as Taco & Banana, Open Aurora, and Nexu, but many of these communities did not endure for a significant period. Alongside DivineCircles, there were also several other active communities including Gmod.Biz. Despite rumors circulating on the internet, it has been reported that the creation of DivineCircles was not a response to dissatisfaction with Gmod.Biz, but rather a coincidence.
DivineCircles initially launched as a 45 player roleplaying community on the iconic City 17 map, starting with a small group of 20 members and gradually growing over the next several years. Prior to the widespread use of Discord, the community centered around a website which hosted an IPB forum. Most of the community’s communication and discussions took place on the forum, including shared memories and occasional conflicts.
The Growth
During the latter half of 2010, DivineCircles witnessed a surge in popularity, resulting in fully-populated servers on a regular basis. These evenings were among the most cherished moments of the Half-Life 2 roleplaying community, fostering many enduring friendships. The community reached its peak in 2012, with some of the most memorable experiences occurring during this period. What differentiated DivineCircles from other communities at the time was the management philosophy of its founder, Asytile. Rather than emphasizing commercial success or high player counts, the community prioritized a welcoming and familial atmosphere in which all members were known and respected by one another. This fostered a close-knit community that greatly enjoyed roleplaying in Half-Life 2.
Need to continue with more context about the TTT, PERP server and other memories…
Time to say goodbye
Here will contain the tell of DiCi’s demise. :(
Other noteable communities after DivineCircles
- LemonPunch (2013 - 2016)
- Nebulous (2016 - Now)