Welcome to Picture Perfect, a column examining important elements of army history. This week’s edition will cover how army-specific Club Penguin Private Servers changed over time.
Designed by Cassie
USE OF Private Servers PRE-2017 – oldcp & Cpps.me
Firstly, Club Penguin‘s armies experienced a crackdown on their activities, which made recruiting difficult. These crackdowns included recruiting bans and a stricter filter. At the same time, Club Penguin Private Servers accommodated armies in ways that Club Penguin did not. For example, many of these private servers had free memberships, easier access to army uniforms, and other features that excited armies. In OldCP‘s case, the game’s design and its staff team created questions about a possible move of armies there. Moreover, the CPPS allowed armies to have snowball fights with one another. These fights often took place in the early days of armies before battles became much more complex. Unlike in the past, battles finally had clear winners on OldCP that eliminated the indecisive results of wars.
Despite these advantages, few armies used CPPSes other than Rebel Penguin Federation and Light Troops. Some reasons given consisted of hostilities towards armies, easier multilogging, and not enough servers. Additionally, the safety of these servers often came into question due to their security measures. Regardless, LT grew immensely from OldCP, thanks to Roberto‘s administrator status. Simultaneously, many armies used OldCP in 2015 before a planned tournament on the server failed. Nonetheless, Ice Warriors, Doritos of Club Penguin, and LT faced off on April 12, 2015, on the CPPS. Furthermore, RPF’s utilization of CPPS.me also influenced how armies viewed CPPSes moving forward. The move also separated the army from other entities that refused to remain open post-Club Penguin. Finally, RPF finished first in the last Club Penguin Army Central Top Ten. Ultimately, RPF and LT jump-started the process of switching to CPPSes to continue armies past Club Penguin’s closure.
RPF Event on CPPS.me – February 2017
rise of PRIVATE SERVERS post-2017 – CLUB PENGUIN ONLINE & CLUB PENGUIN REWRITTEn
Formation of CPR Army Community & Conflicts
Even with this event, the majority of armies stayed on Club Penguin until its shutdown in 2017. Besides RPF’s stint on CPPS.me, few armies ventured outside Club Penguin. With its shutdown, the community revived on Club Penguin Rewritten, a new CPPS. Subsequently, the CPPS featured armies like RPF, Underground Mafias Army, Elite Guardians of Club Penguin, United Republic of Penguins, Club Penguin Crew, Dark Knight Empire, Tubas, and Romans. Of these armies, only RPF maxed over 40 penguins that year, with EGCP close behind. On the other hand, internal tensions with former leader, Elmikey, culminated in the formation of Rebel Penguin Marines after his removal. Meanwhile, the War of Roman Subjugation and the Great Tuba War erupted as two of the most substantial wars of the year. While the first war had no official winner, the latter ended in an RPF victory as the Tubas lost steam afterwards.
War of Roman Subjugation – Romans’ Invasion of UMA’s Deep Freeze
CPOAL’s Beginnings & Success of Specific Armies
Over the next year, armies changed dramatically as Club Penguin Online opened in January 2018. Two short wars occurred in the form of the War against EGCP Imperialism and the UMA-Romans war. While the latter ended in the return of land, EGCP achieved victory over UMA and the Romans. Months later, the Club Penguin Online Army League opened after CPR started banning armies. During this time, RPF moved to CPO and finished off RPM. Furthermore, the army won Legends Cup IX against Elite Trackers & Activities. Ultimately, RPF dominated the first year of CPPS armies.
Legends Cup IX – Rebel Penguin Federation vs. Elite Trackers & Activities
Meanwhile, World War VII commenced between the Red Dawn Alliance and the United Armies of CPO. The RDA included EGCP, Templars, Club Penguin Socialist Movement, Pizza Federation, Dancing Shark Squad, Water Ninjas, and Omegas. In the end, RDA came out victorious but soon saw many of their members banned. Moreover, the Pirates‘ return challenged RPF with similar sizes. Soon after, the two fought an intense war that ended in a Pirates victory. Not long after, RPF received a ban from CPO as well.
With their ban, the army quickly declined while Pirates continued their dominance, winning the Christmas Chaos tournament that year. From then on, CPO had a significant army presence until it shut down in May 2020. CPO’s run was marked by its coin rewards for attending events, administrative influence over armies, and bans of those who did not fall in line.
Invasion of RPF by RDA
First Army CPPS – Club Penguin Armies: The Game
Founding of CPA & Early History of CPATG
After several armies’ bans, many returned to CPR in early 2019 after the CPPS came back in April of the previous year. As a result, a smaller CPR-based community formed that opposed CPOAL. Following these events, Club Penguin Armies: The Game launched with the league’s official map. Moreover, CPATG used the older version of Club Penguin. The game also started with 27 servers, where only twenty-five could be invaded. However, the total server count came to over 50 servers after August 2019. The extra servers added to the community’s enjoyment since many CPPSes had fewer servers. The map marked which army owned what servers. While most armies invaded CPATG’s servers, others invaded servers on a variety of CPPSes that represented different periods of Club Penguin. At the same time, commands gave troops their uniforms and allowed armies to check their sizes. CPATG had features that let troops equip army uniforms and check sizes, which separated it from other CPPSes.
Outbreak of Influential Wars & Summer Circuit
The early days of the map saw significant activity. Consequently, the War of Smoke and Sour brewed between Lime Green Army and Recon Federation of Club Penguin. In the following weeks, LGA fought against RFCP and the New Viking Alliance to a standstill. Despite no official winner, the NVA finished ahead in the war score. Meanwhile, the Summer Circuit tournament finished with an RPF victory over EGCP. Afterwards, the Army of Club Penguin‘s return altered the army landscape as the army re-created the New Dawn Alliance with RPF, LGA, and UMA. The army quickly had wars with both RFCP and People’s Imperial Confederation. By late 2019, the army CPPS scene experienced significant change.
Summer Circuit Finals – RPF vs. EGCP
Additionally, tensions came to a head between the Crimson Night Alliance and NDA. CNA mainly consisted of smaller armies that opposed RPF’s alliance with ACP. A leak of CNA’s war plans resulted in the alliance’s end after ACP’s war with PIC. At the same time, the November To Remember tournament led to another RPF victory, this time over ACP. On the other hand, CPO’s army community witnessed the departures of both Help Force and TCP due to conflicts with the administration. With these new armies on CPR and CPATG, the Holiday Championships tournament began as another single-elimination competition. Finally, the tournament ended in January 2020 with ACP’s first tournament win of its new generation. Consequently, the strain of the game’s servers led to improvements for future community-wide events. Ultimately, CPATG became a relatively stable home for non-CPO armies.
First CPATG Christmas Tournament Final – ACP vs. RPF
Second Army CPPS – CPArmies.net
Shutdown and Opening of Several Private Servers
While CPA collapsed as a league, CPATG continued its operations until Disney’s DMCA claim shut it down. Simultaneously, RPF remained dominant with its win in the Premier League Tournament, held on CPR. During this time, the foundation of Club Penguin Army Media influenced which CPPSes armies used. Additionally, CPO’s closure culminated in the merger of CPOAL and CPAM. Before the merger, ACP and RPF fought one another in World War Rewritten after a breakdown of relations.
Moreover, DMCA claims shut down many CPPSes in May 2020. For instance, CPATG’s shutdown affected the Legends Cup X tournament, as it ended on a temporary CPPS. This temporary CPPS was CPArmies.net, which lasted until Flash lost support in December 2020. Besides the Legends Cup final, the game saw the finals of the Fright or Fight, Aces of Ausia, and Christmas Chaos tournaments. At the same time, many conflicts, such as the Eagre Foray War between Special Weapons & Tactics and Water Vikings, indicated great turbulence among armies.
Fright or Fight Finals – RPF vs. ACP
New Elements of CPArmies.net & Shutdown
In essence, the site embodied the spirit of CPATG but had custom rooms done by Zuke that were bigger than the usual rooms. After some drama, the rooms disappeared from the game, even though there were still custom rooms made by other people. Many of these rooms referenced specific armies and were added for parties such as the final party of 2020. Another new feature consisted of army-specific items, such as backgrounds for each army. Finally, the Flash Nemesis War between ACP and SWAT finished off CPArmies’ run. Throughout the game’s duration, RPF solidified their dominance with four straight tournament wins in a row. Ultimately, CPArmies’ closure eliminated army-specific CPPSes for the time being.
RETURN TO CLUB PENGUIN REWRITTEN AS AN ARMY CPPS
By early 2021, most armies relied on CPR, as no alternative existed besides downloadable clients like New Club Penguin. These games had a reputation as unsafe, as they were viewed as easy to hack, even if the armies that did use them had no problems. At the same time, Club Penguin Chapter 2 existed as another option but lagged too much for frequent use. However, CPR had its issues as well due to the increased lag and administrative hostilities toward armies. Throughout the year, the site further cracked down on armies and implemented strict rules.
Regardless, armies survived on CPR and participated in the annual tournaments held by Club Penguin Army Headquarters, a new organization. Of these tournaments, IW won March Madness, while RPF earned the Legends Cup and Christmas Chaos titles. Finally, wars proceeded as usual with the community-wide war of World War Eight. For the entirety of 2021, CPR received the most use of the CPPSes.
CPR World War – Vengeance Alliance vs. Western Bloc
THIRD ARMY CPPS – CLUB PENGUIN ARMY BATTLEGROUND
Launch of CPAB & Continuation of Old Traditions
In April 2022, CPR was permanently shut down. Following the closure, armies used CPPSes like Club Penguin Legacy and NewCP, but none of them specifically favored armies. On the other hand, a project for another CPPS began in April 2021 and resumed development two months before CPR’s closure. Despite fears of continued Disney involvement, Club Penguin Army Battleground launched without any real problems. During its opening party, exclusive items became available for users to obtain. Additionally, users had to be verified by moderators manually, which created a different registration process. Moreover, CPAB partnered with the newly created league, Club Penguin Armies, for the regulation of armies.
The new game also continued the tradition of granting an army-specific emote to the winners of tournaments. Consequently, TCP received the first one thanks to their win in Legends Cup XII. Another continuation involved the presence of army-specific backgrounds for every army. Over the first year, the addition of custom rooms for parties, tournaments, and regular use added to the user experience. Scavenger hunts also occurred as the game progressed in its development.
Legends Cup XII Custom Room
Addition of New Servers & Occurrence of Multiple Tournaments/Wars
Simultaneously, the game grew as more servers were added in May 2024. In the meantime, interesting tournaments ran their course, such as Around The World Cup, Trick or Treat Trials, Candy Crusher Brawl, and Project Conquest: Blood Bowl. These provided a change of pace from the usual tournaments. Finally, the CPPS has seen some of the most exciting wars, like World War IX, the Centenary Solstice War, and the Sluttpådawn War. Essentially, CPAB has been the main home of armies over the past three years.
Conclusion
In the beginning, many armies did not spend much time on CPPSes due to a variety of factors. While some armies promoted CPPSes, others waited until Club Penguin’s closure to use new versions of the game they loved. Following Club Penguin’s shutdown, a well-developed community formed by 2020 that had sizes which rivalled those of their original CPPS generations. Given Club Penguin’s opposition to armies, the advent of army CPPSes allowed armies to also finally have a space where they would not be banned for their activities. Moreover, these games kept the community alive even in times where there was not a lot of hope for its future. Overall, armies benefited greatly from the use of army CPPSes. What do YOU think of army CPPSes? Are there any changes YOU would make to them? What was the most exciting CPPS tournament final?
Aurora
Senior Reporter