Yes; I remember watching the
Screen Savers host a lan party with the beta version (back in 2005), but waited like 2 weeks before finally deciding to check it out. I still remember my first server too - it was on the slopes and I was trying to figure out how everything worked.
Later on, I joined someone's server and saw them moving the windows in the bedroom map. We discovered the mission editor and figured out that we could leave the map, later discovering a sword, spear and bow weapons floating next to the map, which we used to annoy other players, lol. Someone also ported the Torque "buggy" vehicle into the game, and there was such excitement over finally getting to use vehicles. Thanks to the mission editor, we eventually discovered the spawn spheres and made spawn traps; I began making maps out of stretched bricks, since they were handled as static shapes back then. After someone recommended for me to learn how to make interiors, I starting incorporating them and terrain into my maps, eventually getting them to look like
this.
When retail came out, I also waited awhile before deciding to buy the game (mainly using the demo to port my old maps to work with retail). After finally purchasing it, my ID was so high, compared to others, that I was often mistaken as an imposter. :/ Good times...
