Kreedz.com Turns One – A Look Back, and Ahead
Hey everyone,
It’s hard to believe, but it’s already been one year since we officially launched Kreedz.com. For those of you who have been with the community for years—or even just the past few months—you know how much this site means. This anniversary isn’t just a milestone—it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come. I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on everything that led to this point—from the loss of Xtreme-Jumps.eu, to how we rebuilt it from scratch, to where we are today and what lies ahead.
The Collapse of XJ
The story really starts back in April 2023, when the old Xtreme-Jumps.eu server suddenly became inaccessible. Our hosting provider, Kimsufi, was doing routine maintenance, and we got logged out of our account. No big deal at first—until we couldn’t log back in.
faker was the one managing the server and handling its payment. We tried everything: account recovery, contacting support, even asking them to disable 2FA, which was bugged and wouldn’t send valid tokens. The only way to talk to support was through a ticket system that required access to the account we were locked out of. We tried calling. We emailed. We begged. But we were met with silence or robotic replies that led nowhere. At one point, we got a short response—but even then, they refused to admit fault or offer any real help.
On the technical side, things were already fragile. After battling massive DDoS attacks for weeks, our server went into maintenance mode. When it came back, basic services like nginx and MariaDB weren’t responding. Even fundamental Linux commands were timing out. We couldn’t even reboot the server—it was that broken. Eventually, we got locked out completely. SSH access was gone. The server was dead, and that was it.
PeKz^ worked hard on dealing with the DDoS and all the later attempts at restarting the server. Meanwhile, hoLy, faker, and I tried to communicate with Kimsufi support at some point, hoping to break through the wall of automated responses and get actual help.
Restoring a backup on a new server wasn’t an option either. The entire software stack was ancient—e107, PHP, MySQL, nginx—all outdated and incompatible with modern OS environments. We tried Docker, even attempted pulling legacy packages manually, but nothing worked. Without that old server booting up again, XJ and its data were effectively gone.
A History of Attempts
This wasn’t the first time people tried to bring XJ back.
In fact, there have been multiple serious attempts going back as far as 2013. One of the more notable ones was around 2018–2019. It actually looked promising for a while—there was a semi-organized effort with a decent tech stack: PHP (Symfony), Docker, React. The team included names like beavis, memek, sparkEE, lxr, JackForKz, Chuckles, sn00p, Malle, voX, and others. I was even asked to join at one point, but declined due to disagreements on the technical direction.
They did manage to get something built—a frontend, basic structure, a few working pages—but the backend never really came together. Part of the problem was that too many people came and went. The project got rebooted several times under different leads, and by the end of it, things had gotten messy. Different developers worked on different parts, with no real coordination or continuity. Eventually, the motivation just died out.
Design from one of the failed attempts - 2019
To be fair, there was genuine effort. People like hoLy was involved in ideation and general planning. p0ker also joined at some point, bringing energy and ideas. But at the end of the day, it was all down to the programmers and designers—and that’s where it stalled. At one point, memek was literally the only one still pushing code, occasionally helped by voX. When money isn’t involved, and life gets in the way, motivation becomes rare currency. Burnout and real-life responsibilities hit hard. Some contributors disappeared due to lack of time. Others just quietly faded out.
Add to that the technical debt from the old XJ infrastructure and you have a perfect storm. The server it ran on before the final crash was running Debian 8—an ancient OS by today’s standards. It couldn’t even enable TLSv1.3, and the PHP version required to run the site wasn’t supported by any modern package manager. Updating it meant compiling legacy libraries manually, which may not even work on newer systems due to broken dependencies. The site was held together with duct tape and sheer willpower.
The core codebase was another nightmare. Over the years, it had been hacked together and heavily modified, making any attempt at upgrading it close to impossible. Even experienced developers described it as “a big piece of unique garb-code.” Updating it would’ve required an ungodly amount of work. Realistically, people estimated it would cost anywhere between 5,000 to 8,000 euros to rebuild everything properly. And doing that for free? That’s a dream few can afford.
So yes, it’s safe to say that project was dead. Some people held out hope ( PeKz^ wanted to do something again at some point), but nothing ever materialized. COVID didn’t help either—it disrupted lives, added stress, and drained whatever was left of the energy behind it. Looking back, I understand the frustration, especially from people like OddYsseus who stayed involved until the bitter end. But we were at a complete impasse. The website couldn’t evolve, the infrastructure was unmaintainable, and the team was running on fumes.
This history isn’t just a series of failed projects—it’s a reminder of how hard it is to keep something alive in the long run. But it also shows how much people care. That passion is still out there. And with the right structure, we can finally give it a place to thrive.
The Start of Something Real
In early 2023, a new project was started by a small group— sitka, PeKz^, voX, and R3AL. I joined a little later, not initially to develop the site, but to work on a demo analysis tool and give input where I could. PeKz^ had started building the backend using Go and PostgreSQL and had made progress—token handling, model definitions, etc. Meanwhile, GoldenNinja joined to help with the frontend.
At that time, the original XJ site was still barely alive. Somehow, PeKz^ managed to create a backup of the database (647MB), but unfortunately, we later discovered it was corrupted. Activity on the project faded for a while, and by June, after the crash and the unsuccessful attempts at bringing the previous server up, things were quiet. That’s when I decided to step up and fully take over the backend development.
Early development of Kreedz.com
Since I wasn’t comfortable with Go, I started a brand-new backend in Kotlin using Spring. My goal was to make something reliable, modern, and easy to deploy. I set everything up on a PaaS service, so I could just push code and it would be live automatically. Frontend development had stalled a bit, so in the meantime, I also started working on the frontend myself, just to keep things moving.
The Rebuild
Over the following months, I kept adding features: demo upload, user accounts, map checking, tops, and more. But one of the biggest challenges was data migration. Thanks to OddYsseus, we had a backup from mid-2021, but the schema was a mess—tons of redundancy, bad structure, unoptimized relationships, which was the result of more than 15 years of hacky fixes. I redesigned the entire database to be cleaner and more efficient. The migration process involved writing a huge Kotlin script—over 2,000 lines—that parsed the old data and rewrote it into the new schema. That task is still not fully complete even today.
Early development of Kreedz.com - July 2023
By November, I started working on the proper infrastructure. The site now runs on a cheap VPS (€5/month), fully Dockerized, with containers for backend, frontend, database, and Traefik. There’s also S3-compatible storage for files, and we have daily backups. Setting this all up securely and reliably took time, but it was worth it.
Early development of Kreedz.com - October 2023
Towards the end of November, I decided to move away from the original one-page layout and go back to something more traditional, closer to the old XJ look. A clean design is nice, but the site also has to be usable—and that’s not easy when there’s this much information to present. Switching to this new design allowed me to develop new features faster.
Early development of Kreedz.com - November 2023
We were already discussing a public launch around Christmas. By early January, I made a static landing page to announce the return of XJ under the new name Kreedz.com. Feature after feature kept rolling out—mail server, cloud storage, content tools—and by the end of February, I had finished the core data migration: demos, maps, routes, users, and news. By April 2024, we were finally ready. We launched Kreedz.com, basic but fully functional. After a year without a proper site, the community had a home again.
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the following individuals who played a role—each in their own way—in helping build this website:
ShoCk, p0ker, phayzeeVW, voX, R3AL, GameChaos, sitka, r0byN, GoldenNinja, Icery, khanghugo, 8ball1
Your time, ideas, support, and contributions—big or small—have all been part of shaping what Kreedz.com is today. This project wouldn’t exist without the effort and passion of people like you. And of course, thank you to everyone who’s involved in this community. So many others are helping behind the scenes, day in and day out. Your dedication means everything.
Where We Are Now
Since the launch, the site hasn’t stopped evolving. At first, ShoCk was leading the team. He did a tremendous job at coordinating everyone, keeping spirits high, and keeping the community alive during a time when many thought things were over. His ability to rally people and build momentum was a huge reason why anything got off the ground in the first place. Later on, due to personal constraints, ShoCk had to take a step back. That’s when p0ker stepped in and took over the lead. The amount of work and dedication he’s poured into the project since then has been nothing short of incredible—he’s touched every part of the site and the community, pushing both forward with tireless energy.
A few months after the launch, we managed to fully migrate to the kreedz.com domain name—something that felt symbolic and deeply satisfying. That wouldn’t have been possible without Kreedz himself, who kept the domain safe all these years. At the same time, xtreme-jumps.eu is still alive and maintained, thanks to OddYsseus, who owns the domain and continues to support the legacy of XJ.
Behind the scenes, there’s a full admin section of the site designed to help staff manage the site, review content, process submissions, and more. It’s one of those things users never see, but it’s a huge and ongoing effort—always being improved, extended, and refined. It’s been key in helping us scale the work and stay organized as the project grows.
Map of the Day has been one of the highlights. Originally started by sitka and GameChaos, the project had been in the works for a long time, and we finally got it live thanks to KZ BG, who hosted the server. The idea is to give players a daily reason to log in, challenge themselves, and keep the game fresh. It also brings visibility to underplayed maps and adds structure to casual play. Down the line, we’re planning to expand this with features like a daily leaderboard, rewards, and maybe even seasonal challenges.
The short news section was another great idea pushed by ShoCk and p0ker. It gives us a way to keep a constant flow of updates going—whether it’s showcasing community videos, sharing updates from other KZ scenes, or posting quick tips. Not everything needs a front-page newspost, and this space helps us stay connected with the players in a lightweight way.
We’ve also delivered a full game server list page, which helps shine a light on all the active communities still supporting Kreedz across the globe. It’s a small thing with a big impact—one more way to bring visibility to people still keeping the scene alive.
The rule pages are now back with accurate, up-to-date information. We’ve restored historical data wherever possible, including old chatbox comments—a small detail, but one that meant a lot to those who remembered them. We brought back achievements tied to past tournaments on XJ, and even restored the birthdays page, a light-hearted feature that many people surprisingly missed. It’s all part of preserving what made the old site feel personal and connected.
We also launched KzGuessr, a fun minigame where players try to guess maps based on images or segments. It’s still early, but we have plans to expand it with different modes, seasons, and ranking systems. The idea is to create more interactive, playful experiences that celebrate map knowledge and the game's history.
On the tech side, the foundation we’ve built is modern, reliable, and flexible. The stack powering Kreedz.com includes Kotlin + Spring for the backend, TypeScript + React + TailwindCSS for the frontend, and PostgreSQL as the database. Everything runs in containers via Docker, with Traefik as the reverse proxy and S3-compatible storage for all uploaded files. It’s scalable, secure, and easy to maintain—which means more time can go into building features and improving the player experience.
There’s still a lot to do. We’re always reviewing feedback, planning improvements, and trying to balance nostalgia with progress. But the community has shown again and again that it’s worth it. Every time someone logs in, submits a run, plays a daily map, or just drops a message on Discord, it reinforces why we’re doing this.
What’s Next
There’s still so much more we want to build. The roadmap is long, but everything we’re working on is driven by one goal: bringing more value to the community and future-proofing the Kreedz experience.
One major addition will be a fully functional forum, with support for the original backup data. This means old threads, guides, discussions, and community archives will be brought back to life. It’s not just about nostalgia—it’s about making sure years of knowledge and community contribution aren’t lost. This will also serve as the central place for structured feedback, discussion, and announcements—something we’ve missed for a while.
A better UX/UI is always a priority. While a lot of that depends on feedback from the community, we’re not afraid to take on big changes—even if they require major refactors behind the scenes. If it makes the site feel better, we’ll do it.
The upcoming stats page will be a big one. We’re aiming to include detailed breakdowns: record history, player stats, leaderboard info, even some fun or quirky stats pulled from the database. We also want to deeply integrate the analysis tool so that each record could eventually have its own breakdown—helping players understand their runs in more detail than ever before.
We’re rebuilding the downloads section to reflect what we had on the old site—and more. This includes plugins for servers, assets for mappers, tools for runners, and guides for newcomers. We want the site to be a hub where anyone can get what they need to build, run, or play Kreedz.
Twitch integration is another exciting feature. We’ll be able to automatically detect and display who’s streaming Kreedz at any given time—right on the homepage or in a dedicated section. It gives streamers more visibility, encourages new players to discover live content, and helps showcase the game in real-time. We want to make the scene feel more alive and interconnected.
We’re also working on Steam integration, which brings a lot of convenience and possibilities. You’ll be able to log in with your Steam account or link it to an existing profile. It’ll also allow for server-level linking, meaning MOTD stats can be tied to you without any manual linking. This lays the groundwork for all kinds of future features.
We also want to bring back the old tutorial, but that one’s still under wraps for now—stay tuned.
We also recently restored more community-focused features from the past, like the chatbox history, achievements from past XJ tournaments, and even the birthdays page. These kinds of touches bring warmth and identity back to the site, and we’ll continue adding more as we go.
And finally, we have a handful of major projects in progress—some are technical, others are related to content or partnerships—but they’re not ready to be announced just yet. Rest assured: we’re not short on ideas. The number of projects we have is endless. It all comes down to prioritization, community feedback, and focusing on what truly brings long-term value to Kreedz and its players.
My Vision for Kreedz
KZ has been a huge part of my life since 2008, and my vision with Kreedz.com has always been simple: to preserve its history and keep the community alive. That’s why I’ve put so much effort into recovering old data, making it usable again, and ensuring that the legacy of this game doesn’t fade away.
But more than that, I want this site to be a place people genuinely enjoy coming back to—not just to check their records, but to feel part of something bigger. That’s the reason behind features like KZGuessr, the demo analysis tool, or the Map of the Day. They’re all built with one goal in mind: to keep people engaged, inspired, and connected.
Another key part of this project is freedom and flexibility for the community. Admins can run their own events—tournaments, map releases, whatever they dream up—and the site is designed to support that. It’s not about controlling the scene; it’s about empowering it.
Ultimately, my goal is for Kreedz.com to be fully autonomous. The platform should be able to run, grow, and thrive without needing me to be present. Everything we’re building is with that in mind—tools, systems, and workflows that ensure the community can take the reins, organize, create, and keep things moving forward on their own terms.
Thanks for reading this far—and more importantly, thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve been here since the early XJ days or you just discovered us recently, this community wouldn’t exist without you.
— g-Lp
As a little bonus, here are a few snapshots from the different versions of the website throughout the years—a small nostalgic trip through time.
A draft for a potential new design - 2006
