Simguild

Simguild was once a collection of friends who had common interests in programming and client-server gaming. They are known by the SG prefix on their callsigns.

SG_Scummy had already written a WWII game –  DOS program, 16 planes, 1 player in 1991.

When SG_PolarBear wanted a WWI sim, they gathered their good buddies SG_Nobody, SG_RocketMan, SG_RedBaron, and SG_DECula. They made up the nucleus of the “guild”. They’d get together at night to code and play. Sometimes they played more than they coded but given the addicting quality of the game, who could blame them?

The result of their work was ‘Flying Circus’ (FC).  The first interactive version [client/server] was running in April of 1997.  Simguild, the collection of good friends and squadron mates, became SimGuild Inc.

They found office space above that of an Internet Service Provider – Sirinet (Sirius Systems Group-Lawton, Oklahoma). The ‘SG’s’ had a lot of fun with their game. They filled the building with uproarious laughter during work hours.  Thus, a kindly gentleman that we all know as Bones, aka Doc, now AKDoc  (David Maury), went up the stairs to see what the fuss was about. He was shown the game and accepted an offer to let him play.

Arabian Knights in Aces High

The year 1997 was a busy one in the world of on-line gaming.  War Birds and Air Warrior development teams were working hard to bring their products to the greater internet as well as upgrading flight models, graphics, and sound.  The competition was springing up as Microsoft began beta testing it’s Game Zone which had a large variety of massively-multiplayer online games, which included two air combat titles – Fighter Ace and Combat Flight Simulator. 

Ubisoft was getting ready to beta test Confirmed Kill.  In Russia, Maddox 1C began concept development for IL2: Sturmovik.  HiTech and Pyro were discussing the idea of leap-frogging Air Warrior and War Birds with a totally new game (the germination of the Aces High concept).  Another group of programmers were story-boarding what eventually became World War II: Online.

Aces High went into beta at the end of 1999.  Several future Arabian Knights we involved in the beta- AKWxman, AKCurly, AKRaider, AKCasca, AKSundog, AKWrong1, AKNimitz, AKIron.  Because the Arabian Knights Brigade structure provided a safe basis for exploration,  AKCurly formed Arabian Knights 2AH in Aces High in 2000 when the game went live

Coat of Arms 

The Arabian Knights Coat-of-Arms is not simply something “cool” that we threw together to look like the other squads. The shield has a meaning… a story, that explains who we are. It offers one more piece of the puzzle that is the Arabian Knights.

The “A” in the upper left quadrant, not to state the obvious, is the first letter in our name… “Arabian”. Likewise, the “K” in the lower right quadrant stand for the rest of our name… “Knights”. The letters are orange, representing the orange sand of Arabia (and yes, I’m certain the sand in Arabia is orange… in the correct light :P).

In the lower-left quadrant, you find the Order of the Red Eagle, an honor bestowed upon only an elite few in Germany at the time of the Great War. The Order of the Red Eagle is a white cross, edged in gold, with a red eagle in the center. The eagle is carrying in its claws an olive branch. It has two golden rapiers crossed behind it, and a gold crown at the top.