Hello there and welcome to the community!
The first time everything was literary pink and errors, that was my first time but after looking more into it and buying HL 1 & 2, portal and fixing all needed files (yes back in the day you needed to have those files) I felt overwhelmed. There was so much to take in and people to meet. things to learn and skills to master and it was not always easy but at the end of the day, you always learned something new.
I started out growing drugs like many people before and after me, I was raided many many times and mugged even more, I ran into issues with server regulations and was just enjoying the times as they came. But then when I started to get more involved with the community, by chatting meeting friends and joining organisations my interest in the city quickly grew and it felt like a place that I would make permanent. I quickly started playing as PD and getting my act together to not risk losing what I now had found and got more involved with the police side of things, met the people and had many good interactions and fun scenes throughout my first few years.
The community started to grow and people came, and people left. Many good people left which resulted in my energy dipping a little but, the organisations grew stronger and it was active shoot-outs all of the time. I then in 2019 decided to take a break, focus outside of the city and joined once or twice a month just to keep myself in the loop. After I had gained new energy I came back and all I can say to easily summon my first time in the community and the server. It is a great place with even greater people and there are so many memories to be made and so many laughs to be had.
You will not become a pro overnight but if you give it time, meet people with respect and hear them out there are friends for years to be found here.
Kind regards
Heikki Smith