I'm Leaving...

[Initiate 1,306]

Topic idea proposed by Adriel.RB

Tankers! You may have played this game for years, and the Tanki Online community may have been very important in your life. However, like all good things, your tenure as a player of this game must come to an end at some point. Rather than slipping out quietly, make sure you leave with a bang - that is, a nice, juicy leaving topic on the forum (bonus points if you manage to write multiple of these). 
As this is clearly the most important part of your TO career (yes, even more important than that time you got the coveted Russia paint), it can be quite a daunting task to start to write one of these potentially incredible forum topics. Well, never fear; I’m here to initiate you into the secrets of writing a good leaving article! Let’s jump right into it with the first portion of your leaving topic: the introduction.

~  ~  ~

Part I: The Introduction

While opinions differ on the exact placement, experts agree that your introduction is absolutely among the top three most important portions of your leaving topic. Thus, it is important that you execute this piece flawlessly.

The first thing to do when writing the introduction for your leaving topic is to establish precisely who you are. Nobody will care when they see that an unknown tanker is leaving the game, and so whether or not it was truly the case, you have to make your readers think that you were influential. The easiest way to do this is to quickly summarize your Tanki journey, and scatter subtle references to famous events and players, to indicate that you were somehow involved in the events or were instrumental in the tanker’s rise to fame. Implying that you helped with certain Tanki Helper programs is also quite useful, as it makes readers feel indebted to you for your selfless service (which, if it actually happened, was probably not entirely selfless, as you were no doubt amply rewarded with crystals… but we helpers don’t talk about that...).

For inspiration, check out the sample introduction below: 

 

Spoiler

 

Hello, tankers! I’m Initiate: an avid forum aficionado, the declared King of Shaft, and former game helper. I first joined Tanki in December of 2018, and my time in this game has been quite a wild ride. I’ve enjoyed my time immensely, and indeed, I’m not sure what I may have done over the years without this incredible game. I spent my time here doing stuff such as working on establishing the first official OMP club with a well-known competitive Tanki parkourist, founding an elite and exclusive Shaft/Hornet club, becoming an eSports Reporter, and serving as the first-ever News Show proofreader (a position still dear to my heart, though the mantle has since been passed on to others). 

 

Part II: The Thank Yous

Writing your “thank yous” is certainly tied for the position of the most important part of your leaving topic. This is the section in which your emotional pleading really wrenches the hearts of your readers and makes them feel crushed that you - glorious, magnanimous, brilliant you! - are leaving the game. For the sake of being nice, if there is anyone who has truly played a big part in your Tanki journey, do include them. However, regardless of who they are, never thank someone with a cheesy name, as it makes you seem undignified (so, for instance, no one with a rip-off of a YouTuber’s name, and no Xx[name]xX!).

Once you thank the people who really played a role in your experience with TO, make sure to also thank some random helpers or famous players. This makes your readers think that those helpers/players are your buddies, which is another crushing blow to any claims of obscurity that people may throw at you. This is very important - no leaving topic is complete without thanking Kaisdf and Maf for something or other. And now, having thanked specific players for either real or slightly exaggerated reasons, you can move on to thanking the TO community as a whole for all of the various ways in which they have assisted you. All really important players relied on Tanki at one point to help them through a rough time (at least, I get that sense from the many leaving topics here on the forum), and so it is imperative to mention that time in 2013 when you lost your favourite mug and Tanki helped you through the ensuing grief. Try to write at least 300 words in this part; don’t worry, we’ll bear with some hyperbole here for the sake of the emotional aspect of your topic.

Once again, if you need some inspiration, check out the spoiler below for a great sample of some good thank yous!

 

Spoiler

 

Now, I could never have done any of that without a lot of help from my various good friends, and so I'd like to mention a small few who made major impacts on my Tanki career. First of all, I’d like to thank lnspiration for getting me into my first clan, and therefore introducing me to a wide range of good friends such as herself, Vantablack, concretehill, and others. I’d also like to thank Devon (Mr.Nibbles) for encouraging me to join the TO helpers team as an eSports Reporter. Paul (Tidebreaker), you’ve always been a great friend to me, and I am forever indebted to you for getting me started on Shaft and assisting me in creating the amazing, elite, incredible, and exclusive club we own together. Maf, you are an amazing forum administrator, and I appreciate how you took the Compliment Book topic that I started (the one in the Developer’s Information section on the forum) under your wing. Fran (a.k.a Kaisdf), I’d like to thank you for being an amazing administrator in eSports and including me when we created the eSports News Show together. Aadil (a.k.a Adab), thanks for being a great Team Leader and listening to my suggested overhaul of the article-writing system. Person_Random (or Randy), thank you for your friendship - I’ll never regret being the person to bring you into the eSports Helper Team! Finally, I’d like to thank the entire Tanki community! I went through some rough times emotionally back in 2019, and you all really helped me get through them and come out stronger on the other side, and for that reason I am very grateful. To all the various helpers, YouTubers, and influential players who were my buddies but didn’t get mentioned here: life is short, as is this leaving topic - I don’t have time to thank all of you, but know that you are in my heart as I journey on in my life.

 

Part III: The Conclusion

The conclusion is where your topic gets real. Having discussed the past, it’s time for you and your extremely important future. Of course, leaving a video game is really not that amazing, but the goal in your conclusion is to make it seem like a very noble deed. The trick here is to mysteriously and ambiguously refer to difficulties you are experiencing in the real world and indicate that you have moved on from trivial things like games (even though we all know that you will simply post the topic and immediately sign-in on CS:GO). Perhaps you could indicate that you are very busy with school and you need to focus on that; perhaps you can discuss how you need more time for work because you spent all your savings buying 400 ultra containers; you could also discuss how a vine keeps growing over your window every year and you need to focus more on cutting it back. Regardless of the reason, stress the selflessness of the decision to leave this game and focus on more important things.

Once you establish that you are an amazing, noble person and that leaving this game is really an incredible thing to do, you have to recap what you said previously - by this time, you should be well over 2,000 words (I apologize, my sample came up a bit short), and it’ll be hard for readers to remember what you wrote at the start. And so, once again, reference your most significant achievement as well as the tanker that helped you the most (similar to before, make this portion as emotional as possible). Feel free to add in a little part here about how deeply you will miss the game, the friends, and everything you have worked towards in the Tankiverse. If your reader isn’t crying at this point, you’ve done something wrong!
Finally, to wrap up the topic, finish off with a TO classic: “That’s all for today, tankers - see you all next time!” Because of course, you’ll officially come back to the game in a week or less, and so you’ll get the joy of writing, once more, an entirely new, original leaving topic at some point in the future!

You know the drill - see the spoiler below for a good example conclusion!

 

Spoiler

 

Video games have always been a great way for me to escape from the real world. However, as I grow older and gain more responsibility, I’m finding that it is impossible to stay here. There are various reasons behind my leaving, but life hasn’t been easy for me recently, and so I’m hoping to overcome all the various difficulties which I face right now, and head into a successful future. With my free time, I can now engage in all of the philanthropy which I have planned, as well as care for my elderly palm tree. Furthermore, I’ll have time to decide between the various offers I have for prestigious jobs at companies that you probably buy from on a daily or weekly basis. I’m now leaving my position as a Game Helper, but I will definitely try to stay in contact with my best friend Tidebreaker, who really has played a massive role in my life and in the person that I am. Leaving this game and the wonderful, wonderful community is a tough blow for me, and I’ll definitely get lonely in my new Tanki-less world, but I know that it is all for the best. To all those who can, I request that you ensure my legacies - OMP club, eSports News Show & Newspaper, Mobile Snipers - remain intact so that the next generation of 2-year-olds joining this game can learn about me, Initiate = one of the brightest stars to ever shine in the Tankiverse.

And now, that’s all for today, Tankers! See you all next time I leave this game!

Stay brass,
Initiate

 

 

~  ~  ~

And now, that’s all for today, Tankers; I hope to see some good leaving topics from you all soon! Let me know in the comments below: Which of the many leaving topics that you’ve written and posted is your favourite?

 

[Venerable 2,967]

Right before leaving the Tanki community, most avid Forumers face the daunting prospect of concocting a leaving topic - a text wall of gratitude and tear-filled farewells. Some players keep it short and succinct, while others use their leaving topic show off their achievements, connections, and proficiency in English.

Well, our newest Guest Writer, Initiate, has penned a comprehensive guide on how to create the perfect leaving topic (and then return to write a few more such topics). Get reading!

[Blutaar 1,904]

subtle hint that you are leaving?

Edited May 21, 2021 by BloodPressure

[Lose 881]

On 5/21/2021 at 6:58 AM, BloodPressure said:

subtle hint that you are leaving?

Quite a short Guest Writer career then

[Venerable 2,967]

11 hours ago, Lose said:

Quite a short Guest Writer career then

Encore!

[Sabry 1,072]

Great guide, awesome 

[cosmic666 1,055]

Why would anyone want to create such a topic?

@Initiate you no something we don't.

Is this guide a prelude to the demise of a greed infested, unbalanced game.

Tell you what, why don't you make a list of all the updates/changes the devs have done over the years and give them a rating out of 10.

Now that would be a topic worth reading.

 

[Lose 881]

1 minute ago, cosmic666 said:

Why would anyone want to create such a topic?

Humor purposes

[alkyng 3,080]

The time I will leave is the time where I lose my passion and interesting in the forum. Been playing the game for many years, entered the forum in past year, and it been the only reason for me to continue playing. The community

Edited May 24, 2021 by asem.harbi

[Devoid 2,601]

Very well written and informational guide; maybe I'll use the advice sometime soon 

Spoiler

On 5/12/2021 at 1:18 AM, Initiate said:

Rather than slipping out quietly, make sure you leave with a bang - that is, a nice, juicy leaving topic on the forum (bonus points if you manage to write multiple of these). 

I think becoming the most controversial Player in the Helpers' eyes and becoming an international celebratory for "mp4ing" some administrators is a bigger bang, but you do you 

For the record, I don't condone other people to do something like this stunt; it can only end poorly.

[Initiate 1,306]

8 hours ago, cosmic666 said:

Why would anyone want to create such a topic?

Ironically, you were the one that inspired it.

[Iron_Man 2,376]

Simple reason behind this article- Farming Reputation points

Lol Just kidding I wasn't kidding, it's true!

Nice Article.

[alkyng 3,080]

1 hour ago, Ironmantonystark said:

Simple reason behind this article- Farming Reputation points

Lol Just kidding I wasn't kidding, it's true!

Nice Article.

The only place for farming points is here

Post a picture for you in the last place of LOSER TEAM and see how the amount of Likes you're welcomed

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

On 5/23/2021 at 5:42 PM, cosmic666 said:

Why would anyone want to create such a topic?

@Initiate you no something we don't.

Is this guide a prelude to the demise of a greed infested, unbalanced game.

Tell you what, why don't you make a list of all the updates/changes the devs have done over the years and give them a rating out of 10.

Now that would be a topic worth reading.

 

I'm sure if you'd like to make a list of the 647 patch updates that have been added to the game and review/rate each one we would be interested to read it!

[Lose 881]

11 hours ago, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

I'm sure if you'd like to make a list of the 647 patch updates that have been added to the game and review/rate each one we would be interested to read it!

Might be a fun challenge

[Tanker-Arthur 2,971]

13 hours ago, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

I'm sure if you'd like to make a list of the 647 patch updates that have been added to the game and review/rate each one we would be interested to read it!

Sure

[a1653 77]

On 5/12/2021 at 11:48 AM, Initiate said:

 

Why on earth would someone want to leave? The thing is, for many on the forum, it's - that is, the forum - like an online extended family. People stay here because they enjoy it, right? So, if someone came on here and was like, 'this is not my cup of tea', then surely that person would never be seen again on forum, right? Do you see where I'm coming from?