I'm done.

[RyokoTK]

Last month I had to reformat my computer. While I didn't lose anything vital, when faced with the task of reinstalling and restoring all my Marathon stuff, I realized that I just don't care anymore about the game. It's been fun, but I should really move on.

Part of it is that many of my old friends from this community have moved on, and the new people are too... different. They look at the game in a different light. Which is fine for them, I guess, but I don't really identify. The other thing is that the community is so lethargic that it's hard to get enthusiastic about anything anymore.

And maybe I just grew up. I have been playing since I was, like, 6.

For TGI:BX, I have absolutely no energy anymore to work on it. I figured out long ago that scenario design is long, tedious, and pretty thankless. If there's anyone I can entrust to continue the project, then I might pass it along. I'll figure out what to do with what I have eventually.

If there are any other loose ends I am responsible for, let me know.

[patrick]

Best of luck to you in the future, Dr. Bolton.


Loching and loching 'midst scattering CLIQUE
Hotmodal cannot hear his modaler;
Mararthon falls apart; pfhorums' server cannot hold;
Mere unknowing is loosed upon the world,
The 4GETful tide is loosed, and everywhere
Hot sisters find the one way to paradise is lost;
The best lack all inclination, while the worst
Are full of bump-mapped mediocrity.

[Cyber Controller]

Good luck with whatever you turn your hand to after Marathon, somehow I don't doubt that it will be a success.

?They who go feel not the pain of parting; it is they who stay behind that suffer.?

[The Thug]

Well done, Ryoko. Well done indeed.

[Windbreaker]

I left about a month ago. I think Marathon has finally died out in the past few months. Sure, people have posted random shit to random topics, but even since I arrived in late 2006, I have seen a drastic change in the enthusiasm of this community. Who knows, maybe it'll come back, probably not.

Good luck in the future.

[$lave]

Yeah, the marathon community is basically dead. I might continue sporadic work on Nova, even if only for myself, but I'm not really sure anyone (or at least very few) people plan on actively contributing to the community anymore outside of the occasional post; I don't even see myself making anymore netmaps.

Bye.

[megabyte]

same kind of thing happened to me ryoko.
i stopped coming to the pfhorums regularly a while ago.
i stopped playing because i have no time and when i do i find more important things to do.
i hope i regain interest.
its a great game with a great story line.
there are just more important things out there.

[irons]

[attachment=2379:explosion.jpg]

Final report of the Eight Foot Tall Burtons. Third Officer reporting. The other members of Just Found Out?Ryoko, W'rk, Thermo, Ray, Patrick, and Treellama?are loch, the Pfhorums and ESB destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Irons, last survivor of CLIQUE, signing off.

[attachment=2380:sleep.jpg]

[Zott]

Don't forget to drop by every now and then and enjoy the scenery.

Its not too hard to just reinstall plan ol' Marathon/Aleph One if you ever feel like you'd like to play a game in the future. It fits on a flashdrive for those on the go gaming needs. Better than Runescape I'd say...

In the meantime, have fun and keep it cool.

[Drictelt]

If there are any other loose ends I am responsible for, let me know.

Responsible is a big word, but you had offered to do the terminals for Winter. If necessary, we could find another solution though.
Anyway, good luck with the rest of your life I hadn't expected it so suddenly from you, but I perfectly understand what you feel. The world has moved on...
So who's going to single-handedly ruin the community now?

[CryoS]

moppy?

seriously though, i think the comunity will miss you alex.

as for nova and marathon, i feel like most here do, that the whole thing is slowly dying, ill probably keep up 3D modelling for other games and such. but i harldy never play marathon anymore and its been a long while since i worked on nova stuff.

[treellama]

Can you give epstein his 7777 before you delete your account?

[JohannesG]

moppy?

seriously though, i think the comunity will miss you alex.

as for nova and marathon, i feel like most here do, that the whole thing is slowly dying, ill probably keep up 3D modelling for other games and such. but i harldy never play marathon anymore and its been a long while since i worked on nova stuff.

the community isn't dying. the current generation is. I've seen this happen before, and i will probably see it again. There is no doubt though that the community is in somewhat decline, just like everything else withers and dies eventually, these are the times of change. But I highly doubt that the community will die completely any time soon. We are just waiting for the next generation to take over, and I am already seeing some worthy candidates that have the skills to create the new generation.

[CryoS]

"stands corrected"

[ukimalefu]

Marathon is forever! It will never die!

Marathon is an art form. All the 3rd party Scenarios and Maps, so much better than the great originals. Inspiration to create.

Aleph One! Extended the fun way beyond infinity, and gave us the most fun, and decent, online gaming community.

There were worst times in the past, when really nothing happened. And Marathon always came back

[goran]

Good luck to your future endevours Alex. Kick ass.

the community isn't dying. the current generation is. I've seen this happen before, and i will probably see it again. There is no doubt though that the community is in somewhat decline, just like everything else withers and dies eventually, these are the times of change. But I highly doubt that the community will die completely any time soon. We are just waiting for the next generation to take over, and I am already seeing some worthy candidates that have the skills to create the new generation.

Do you mean the twoheaded ogre? Yes, I have faith in it too.

[epstein]

Can you give epstein his 7777 before you delete your account?

Seriously, dude.

Anyway, cut it out with all the heavy-handedness, people. This isn't the final episode of Star Trek or anything.

[Winter_Wolf]

Sorry to see you go, Ryoko, but I understand your decision. I had considered a similar decision as well but I am still too attached to Marathon to give MaraPiD up yet.

Congrats on all of your fine work for Marathon and hopefully you'll stop by this community in the future!

[$lave]

Seriously, dude.

Anyway, cut it out with all the heavy-handedness, people. This isn't the final episode of Star Trek or anything.

Marathon is serious business.

Anyway, Johannes, I hope so, and I'll stick around just in case. But I do have to admit that my own interest has been waning, in part because it's so slow around here now.

[sweatervest]

Marathon is serious business.

Anyway, Johannes, I hope so, and I'll stick around just in case. But I do have to admit that my own interest has been waning, in part because it's so slow around here now.

Yeah I've seen the Marathon community declining even in the few months I have been reading here. Some things keep me excited though. Loren has expressed interest in updating the renderer, which could really pump some new energy into the Marathon community (as silly and garnishing as some fancy graphical features are, I think they tend to attract people who aren't already into old old FPS games). Also A1 is open source so anyone else could pick it up if they desire. I've poked around the source code a little bit, particularly the renderer, and if things go well for me in the near future I would love to try and develop A1 further, but I need some more programming experience under my belt before I can attempt that. Either way, this can serve as an opportunity for the Pfhorums to grow and mature, especially in its overall atmosphere... I was largely turned off by this place because it was kind of two-faced... some people wanted to maintain a certain discipline here and tended to attack posters for doing the wrong things or even attempting to participate in technical conversations, while others (who have openly admitted this) used this place purely as a source of entertainment by trying to start flame wars, and them presenting them proudly in a "legends" section. I have thought for a while, and still think, that most people who discover Marathon and then the Pfhorums wouldn't join the community in fear of being harassed, sometimes for the very purpose of being harassed. This seems to have really chilled out recently, and I hope for the sake of Marathon and Aleph One that the Pfhorums will continue to become a warm and welcoming place, at least to new members.

[JohannesG]

Marathon is serious business.

Anyway, Johannes, I hope so, and I'll stick around just in case. But I do have to admit that my own interest has been waning, in part because it's so slow around here now.

just think about Marathon/Aleph One as a tool for you to use and express your ideas with. An actual game engine, not just an age old game to mod and fuck around with. Don't let Marathon, and the community control you. That's why my old project died back in the days. Think about Nova or any other of your projects as actual projects. not just a scenario or a mod. This is how I boost my interest in my own project at least.

[RyokoTK]

Can you give epstein his 7777 before you delete your account?

Its irons' account, ask him. And I don't intend to delete my account, though I should probably find another administrator for the Pfhorums.

the community isn't dying. the current generation is. I've seen this happen before, and i will probably see it again. There is no doubt though that the community is in somewhat decline, just like everything else withers and dies eventually, these are the times of change. But I highly doubt that the community will die completely any time soon. We are just waiting for the next generation to take over, and I am already seeing some worthy candidates that have the skills to create the new generation.

I can believe this, considering that my "generation" (i.e. most of the CLIQUE) isn't the first either. However I also don't think future generations will be as dedicated or as large, mostly because, well, this game is just old. And it didn't age that well, given how popular Marathon: Durandal isn't.

Anyway, cut it out with all the heavy-handedness, people. This isn't the final episode of Star Trek or anything.

This. It's not the end of the world.

[StoneClench]

I can't say that I don't agree with you. I'm sure that there are many out there (as well as myself) who lack the motivation to finish any thing started. When it comes down to it, I don't really know who I was mapping for, be-it for my self or the community, it's not really that satisfying. This is how my collection of unfinished maps came to pile up over the years. I only drop in now and again but even I've noticed a decline, until something can generate enough buzz I don't see the current community as something long lasting. The people here have changed, and many members have moved on, to be honest with you I feel more like a stranger here than I did day 1.

Although may I ask, if I were ever to (at some stage) need testing/input on something marathon related. Would you be willing to lend a hand/have a play through?

[Iritscen]

I've personally always been a half-hearted, mostly-distracted member of the community because any creative energy I could have used for Marathon is taken up by some other Bungie game *cough*Oni*cough*, but I guess I've come to feel vaguely familiar enough with you to want to say "See ya, and thanks for the stuff you did".

Also, there's no question that generations of fans come and go, but I think Marathon's level of interaction between its remaining players is probably going to decline to basically a few monosyllabic grunts on the meta between the occasional game -- probably no activity to speak of on the Pfhorums after another year or two.

But, um, who's going to run this forum until its gradual, depressing descent into total silence is complete?

[ukimalefu]

Sorry to see you go, Ryoko, but I understand your decision. I had considered a similar decision as well but I am still too attached to Marathon to give MaraPiD up yet.

Congrats on all of your fine work for Marathon and hopefully you'll stop by this community in the future!

Please please please finish MaraPiD.

Please?