Where`s m0ds?

[[delete}]

Where's m0ds?

He has been here like forever. Achieved a lot, like leading Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth (at least the first 15? years). Also directing Ben Jordan movie at Mittens, Kinky Island kickstarter, initiating AdventureX, hosting the AGS radio show, running AGS Bake Sale charity, publishing commercial adventures at Screen7... What a list!
And now he seems to have only guest status, after stepping back as a moderator some time ago?

Mark, thank you for your commitment!

[Hobbes]

I was actually wondering the same thing as well. Mark has done so much for the AGS Community (still bummed I couldn't make it to the Amsterdam Mittens so, so many years ago!)

There's more people who're absent, but Mark does stick out with his m0ds Guest account that shows up sporadically. Hope everything's all right!

[ManicMatt]

I'm no longer friends with him on Facebook (Might have been for a strong difference in political views, but that's irrelevant) but looking up his profile, the last public post on it was 2016.Hmm, maybe he escaped from the shackles of the internet, ha.

[Stupot]

Yeah, it's weird not to see m0ds around here these days. To me he's one of the AGS All-Stars. I'm sure there are several good reasons (moving away from AGS for his games for one). Plus, the community has evolved and maybe he just doesn't feel like this is his place any more. I know some of the political trumpybrexy threads got a little bit nasty and some of Mark's views seemed less popular than others'. I don't want to put words in his mouth though. Maybe he has totally different reasons.

We can still follow him and Screen7 on Twitter, Facebook etc. Mark, if you're lurking: all the best, dude

[Andail]

Mark is definitely one of the founding fathers of AGS, so it's sad that he's decided to leave. I consider him a good friend too - we (and other mitteneers at the time) met IRL for the first time way back in 2002.

I also owe him a lot for publishing TSP for me, it definitely wouldn't have made it to Steam as effortlessly as it did, nor sold half as well.

With Mods gone I can only think of Gilbert who's been here longer than me of all (more or less) active members, which is making me a bit nostalgic.

[ManicMatt]

Ooh I joined 3 years later than you Andail! I remember learning about AGS through a short lived magazine about making games, and it had a big feature on AGS and a tutorial, and I was extremely excited to get my hands on it. It's possible I didn't even have the internet, or even a PC, to use it yet.. wow was that why I bought a PC, gosh I think it was.

[Gilbert]

Ooh I joined 3 years later than you Andail!

Not really. July 2002 was the time where the community moved from Ezboard to the current forums, so members who have been here for a while "joined" here during that time. I think Andail was at least here since the Ezboard era.
Too bad Ezboard used robot.txt for protection so these old boards wouldn't show up in archived form and are lost forever.

Aaaand... before Ezboard there're actually even older ones.

[Joseph DiPerla]

Yep, I remember those boards. I was such an annoying little twerp back then.(yeah now too i suppose)

I thought m0ds was still around, just with a different screen name. I also assumed that FOY was cancelled a ling time ago.

[ManicMatt]

Oh I see, blimey, just how old is AGS!?

[Click'd]

21, according to wikipedia.

[kconan]

  He occasionally posts Kinky Island updates on Indiegogo.  I backed it way back when, and to his credit the few times I've asked for an update he responded quickly and thoughtfully.

[SinSin]

I spoke to M0ds not long ago. As far as I can tell he's doing fine. As a lurker of this forum I've seen many many people simply just vanish, some simply don't have the time to return (busy lives). Others go on to use other engines and simply don't return. I too have met him IRL he's a top top fella and for me one of my fav people around here. Who knows maybe he will return one day.

[AGA]

Mods is fine.  He wants to step away from AGS to concentrate on other stuff, and asked me to delete his account to allow a clean break.

[Snarky]

Those of you who were asking may find this post (and others in that thread) interesting: https://adventuregamers.com/forums/viewreply/151112/

[Jack]

Nice to see m0ds applying his powers of rage to the betterment of humanity.

[Scavenger]

Those of you who were asking may find this post (and others in that thread) interesting: https://adventuregamers.com/forums/viewreply/151112/

Jesus Christ... I've seen those talking points and stock phrases before... m0ds has not gone to a good place.

[Gurok]

Those of you who were asking may find this post (and others in that thread) interesting: https://adventuregamers.com/forums/viewreply/151112/

Jesus Christ... I've seen those talking points and stock phrases before... m0ds has not gone to a good place.

I agree. The Adventure Gamers forum is terrible.

[markymint]

woop woop thought police!

I hope you're well Amelie!

m0ds left because people like Snarky would rather pull up someone's rant than ever say anything positive... and that muppet runs this place! (Not forgetting that he started editing/removing my posts and then had me kicked from the AGS team). Operating on an unproductive logic level I can't work with anymore. No more apparent than here, where a rant is supposedly akin to need-to-know info for "people who were wondering about m0ds". Were people wondering if I was having an angry rant somewhere? No, but that's what this muppet wants you to be alerted to, before anything else. Snark has never had anything good or positive to say about m0ds and m0ds grew tired of always having a constant force to battle against. He could spend his time more effectively elsewhere... Uh-oh, ranting again...

I was going to write up in full why I left for your info, Amelie, but is it worth it? I can sum it up pretty quickly: Snarky, Azure - key reasons I left this community and the wider community. Stagnant AGS forums/site, laziness and stubbornness of the team (mostly Snarky*) to ever improve, refresh things, another big reason. Sometimes defending members behind the scenes (including yourself) where others wanted them/you removed or ignored, the point however that community member issues were effectively being papered over.

In fact, all behind-the-scenes issues generally led to the same conclusion: "Do nothing", seemingly because it's the easiest/laziest option - strange considering you'd think hobbyists would be enthusiastic for change, growth and their community. Criticisms (of games or people) considered dissent, therefore no diverse opinion flows. No more joy for point & click adventures / 2D art (I imagine hell is a 2D landscape or side of buildings). And a bunch of other things.

I may not have gone to a good place, but it is a better place, for me I will extend an apology to Dave though, as I did go off the rails at Adventure Gamers. Kinda funny they will leave my rant but have banned any kind of reply to it, lol.

If I'm here then I'm a hypocrit for leaving? I'm trying to fix a few links and beyond a few bad apples there are great people here in the fray, you are welcome to get in touch if need be. But yeah I can't be getting engaged in this stuff/place again. I find facebook terrible so have removed all adventure game contacts but that isn't personal, it's hard enough to engage with "local" friends on that platform so am just trying to find a "decent experience" there (somewhat tired of people promoting their games all over the place), but I'm an open book on Twitter and emails if need be. So wish you folks the best! It's quite alright if you agree, disagree, like or dislike me. A bit of heat, a bit of passion, that's what this place used to be about in its heyday

* online Snarky. Gunnar Harboe is a nice enough guy but online Snarky can suck my balls.

[Darth Mandarb]

I still love ya m0ds!

Don't stop speakin' your mind!!

Be well, I think our paths will cross again...

[Danvzare]

I still love ya m0ds!

Don't stop speakin' your mind!!

Be well, I think our paths will cross again...

Same here.
And just know that if you ever decide to return, you'll be met with open arms. At least by the majority of us. I never knew about any of that behind-the-scenes stuff.

[Snarky]

Hi Mark.

people like Snarky would rather pull up someone's rant than ever say anything positive...

Snark has never had anything good or positive to say about m0ds

I'm sure I have had good things to say about you many times, but if I've somehow neglected to, let me do so now: I've had my issues with you, but I have always admired your many talents. We watched your Ben Jordan films again at Mittens a couple of weeks ago and were laughing our heads off (in a good way) and admiring your technique. (And yeah, also moaning about shortcomings and other gripes, as you do.)

And did I say a word against you now? You know, people have been asking after you (including at Mittens), but because you'd seen fit to keep the details quiet, the moderators decided not to go into what precipitated your exit. Since you touch on the topic in that post, it seemed like a good way to sate people's curiosity without breaking any confidentiality.

It's not hard to guess what I think of a lot of the other stuff you put there, but hey, you wrote it. If you stand by it, I don't see the problem with linking to it. (Oh, I see you edited your post, and do not stand by it.)

and that muppet runs this place!

As much as some people have that idea (probably because I'm one of the moderators who's most active on the forums, and because I tend to favor transparency, so I've ended up posting on behalf of the moderators on a number of occasions â€" plus I just rub some people the wrong way), you of all people should know that's not true. AGA holds the key to the castle, and practically every significant moderator action is discussed and agreed on by the team as a whole (if not always in complete consensus) behind the scenes.

Since I'm argumentative by nature, it's tempting to try to "set the record straight" about various incidents you bring up (and then partially edited out), but I doubt it will lead to anything positive or will change anybody's mind. So I'll just say welcome back to the forums, whether it's as a regular or just for a single post. You did seem increasingly unhappy here in the time before you left, so I hope you've found a venue that you find more rewarding and more receptive to putting your ideas into practice.

[LimpingFish]

I like you, Mark, you know that. I have fond memories of the times we met IRL, and I admire and am grateful for the work you put into AGS over the years.

But for some time before you left, things changed. "m0ds" became more and more passive aggressive (less of the passive as time wore on) in tone, more and more hostile towards users who didn't agree with his way of thinking. On those times you had posts deleted, it happened because you crossed a line; be it a forum rule, or a personal insult. You weren't "targeted" for speaking your mind, you were reprimanded for behaving like a dick. It's all there on the moderators board, and I can assure you it contains no discussions of "getting" you, no behind-the-scenes machinations...nothing, except a rather sad realization that you had become determined to burn as many bridges as you could.

And none of it was discussed in public, or even hinted at. Out of respect for you, and not as some sort of cover-up.

Snarky is being rather diplomatic in his post, despite your insults, so good for him.

Allow me to be less so; stow that shit. If you can't be civil, don't be here.

[Jack]

You weren't "targeted" for speaking your mind, you were reprimanded for behaving like a dick.

Never forget.

[[delete}]

Hello Mark,

thanks for your reply! And keep on swimming against the stream, Stickman on Fire (which a good thing in my book). And also for defending me against them, very kind! Will bookmark your Twitter, and E-mail is also a good way to stay loosely in contact. Nothing else to say on this public forum from my side.

Only one thing: Snarky, hereby I give you my second warning, and this will be my last.

[ManicMatt]

Only one thing: Snarky, hereby I give you my second warning, and this will be my last.

I'm sure he's trembling in his boots. Well, I'm giving you my second warning, and this will be my first.

[LimpingFish]

And keep on swimming against the stream...

Is this the "Not Being a Dick" stream? Because that's what I've mostly taken from m0ds' recent behavior. Beyond railing at people and lamenting his general situation, he seems to be expending a lot of energy for very little gain.

It's not something I would celebrate.

[Snarky]

Moderator hat:

Is m0ds a dick? Am I a dick? Let's leave that as questions each member gets to make up their own mind about, and off this thread. If anyone wants to complain about the behavior of any member, flagging a post or contacting a moderator over PM is the right way to go about it.

[Andail]

Stay on topic, please.
This thread is about Mark's (Mods) current whereabouts.

[Grim]

Stay on topic, please.
This thread is about Mark's (Mods) current whereabouts.

I thought it was Mark's roast? Who can be most horrible to him?

But I think we have a clear winner already!

[theSynapse]

 ....

[markymint]

This community needs its dicks. It makes it more real, more down to earth, more natural. The constant and persistent incubation of thought and expression here unless it's about love for 2D games or Winzip/Winrar (and that's on a good week) is frankly sickening to me at this point. If it works for you that is great but to me it does not and tastes bad so I spit that shit out, not pretend it's warm and succulent on my tongue. And there are wider geo-political things that are affecting this hobby, this industry and such, that you can see manifesting on smaller scales with people here and in places similar. It's true, this is a place for and about adventure games, but that is made up of people. People who can, are, and will be dicks, idiots, morons, lazy, authoritative, who might just cripple it for the next decent person.

Never Forget. Well it's funny you mention that, because the forum itself won't let you forget "Most Online Ever: 559 (15 Jan 2012, 02:01)". That was when the community cast a vote for a new community leader and I believe I won that or came very close with Crimson Wizard. And that didn't happen. The community didn't get what it voted for. I can only apologize for you most online ever for that, because I was ready and wanted to move this community into the fucking future, but the decision by the owners was that it should just stay stagnant for another 6+ years. And that's what ya got, and that's also considerably what drove me away, and also why I now feel there's really not a lot to lose by being a vocal dick around here.

At least I'm a dick you can see coming. Not like the folks here who are nice on the surface, but actually herald quite dickish qualities underneath. Who in most circumstances you would probably consider either not very nice or just worth no special note - given a free pass and held up on high only because "adventure game". The thing that ties and bonds us all together. The almost superfluous thing that ties it all together at this point.

EDIT BY AGA: ADVENTUREX RELATED CONSPIRACY THEORIES BELOW

Spoiler

I wasn't going to bring up AdventureX but as Tom popped by to post for the first time in 2 years with a wonderful reply, I think I will. This is where I got truly fucked in the ass by people I had tried to respect and trust over the years. People who were not even as close as "family" to me as members of this community. theSynapse and Azure are outsiders as far as I'm concerned. See for yourself, Tom has posted only when my name is mentioned for the first time in 2 years or so. I was STUPID enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Now don't get me wrong, I do not take issue with you Tom (theSynapse) because ultimately you are the white-knight in this. The one that rallies to the females side in their time of need. We can all be accountable for white-knighting at some point in our lives.

But what Azure did to "push" me out of AdventureX (something I created for this community and the wider community, compared to her creation of nothing for anyone, except some bad voice acting) is only clear in recent times, where we understand more about what makes up the DNA of an SJW and professional victims. I didn't know it at the time. And stupidly I was sympathetic to it at the time. And before I knew it, I was screwed out of my own creation and thing I had worked tirelessly for a number of years. And I will never forgive Azure for that, not until she leaves AdventureX, which she never will, because to her that is a seat of power. A bit like the voice acting website she screeched at the owners to hand back to her when it had gotten successful. She is the kind of person that feel they deserve things they didn't earn for themselves. And to get those things she will use the, what is now bog standard, professional victim method to gain it.

Here's what happened there in a nutshell. The money raised for charity at 2015 AdventureX took a while to reach the charity. This caused "depression" in Azure and the only fix (to keep the event running) seemed to be if I stood down from running AdventureX. That was the fucking fix. Now here's the kicker. At no point did Rebecca say "hey, this is getting me down", despite having personal contact details, despite there being a PRIVATE ADVENTUREX FORUM on this website where we often discussed issues openly, despite the explanation that as the EU had made new changes I had to be sure about the payment to charity which delayed its payment, despite anything really. Here's where I made the mistake. I should then have said "Thanks for your help, goodbye" and carried on. But as I say back in 2016 very few of us knew what "pro victims" and "SJW's" really were, so weren't alert to this kind of behaviour and in many cases acted sympathetic to it thinking that is the best solution. It's not. When someone tries to tear down something you built up, for whatever reason, heed my advice - tell them to kindly sod off.

The part that really annoyed me though, and possibly set "dickhead m0ds" in motion... Was how she used her "depression" to have me effectively removed from the team. The fucking gaule. As you know, one of your members here recently comit suicide. Whilst it may not be possible to fathom what they were going through, I think we can agree at this point that there was something that needed investigation to perhaps avoid that outcome. Much is the case here, where Azure could have easily ASKED why there was a delay, instead just waiting til the last minute to hold the event hostage until her demand was met. Without even a slither of inclination or consideration as to why the event existed in the first place, too much effort to ask or whatnot, but I very much continued to run AdventureX to work through my own depression and anxiety issues, of which it was actually doing wonders to help. And that EDIT BY AGA took that away without even a moment of consideration beyond anything other than her own needs. People should not be depressed, but being depressed cos a charity payment was delayed? To oust someone who was in it to overcome a life-time of depression? Go fuck yourself.

Now, it was only as I came to realize just how insidious what she did was, that I started to realize as soon as these traits appear in other people, to call them out. To make sure me and hopefully no-one else gets caught in the same traps. And there are so many youtube channels out there about this, giving the same advice. And then you start to notice where else these other insidious, or at least, unpleasant traits are infecting. How other people are just one or two clicks away from being the same kind of assholes, putting good people out of their hobbies, their goals and for all they know their depression, anxiety, loneliness, whatever cycles.

[close]

I'm not saying a community like this should be looking for and defusing situations like this, no, that's silly. I'm saying that you have to understand that at some point, conflict of interests come into play, and they can get quite ugly. That some folks are going to get burned in ways that can't be explained and tweeted away in 150 characters. That under the jolly happy surface, there are some real asshats, masquerading as "adventure game fans" when at best they just moderate a forum, or just help run an event, and are about as "fan" as I am president of the USA.

In Scouts we had a saying "always do your best". Outside of individual game developers, it's hard to see where a modicum of doing ones best is being applied around here anymore. This isn't Scouts, but whatever it is, the similar mantra seems to be "always do next to nothing". Write a reply on a forum. Well, unless it's about asking why a charity payment is delayed, in which case don't write anything, (always do next to nothing) until it's too late. But this isn't the wider communities fault, because I know if they were given the opportunity, they would rise to the challenge of doing their best. But that challenge is lost on some of the people that run this place and therefore it never trickles down.

Some people don't know when they are actually a detriment to a project, or a community, or a thing. They don't know when to step down and let other, fresher ideas and talent take their place. And that's what this place sorely needs, from my perspective, as someone who saw it behind the scenes as much as on the surface for what, 18 years. The age of CJ is over but this place continues on in a bubble like it never ended. The problem is, my hobby and enthusiasm didn't die in 2011 or whenever CJ left - even if yours did. I didn't realize this place would just become a preservation project over a thriving community. I pushed for numerous things for 18 years, 18 fucking years, to the same tune of "no" and "not needed". Why WOULD I or anyone for that matter stick around in a community like that? There are other avenues for folks like me to travel to be able to find the flow that comes as part of the passion and enthusiasm. Granted, I think it may have dried up almost completely at this point lol but still ... gas trapped in a chamber is going to do whatever it can to escape that chamber.

You will not see a simple "Yes." from Snarky. There is always a following essay that bogs everything down. The other moderators when it comes to community issues are pretty clear cut. Andail is generally pro-community, he'll tend to agree in favour of ideas and innovations. LimpingFish is generally in the middle but usually also sides in favor. Snarky may be favourable occasionally, but it always comes with a "but", an essay and like your mother telling you to "think before you act!" to the point you think about it so much you just can't be bothered in the end! And then anything that might happen gets put to AGA who whilst neutral, clearly prefers the easy options, perhaps because he works 9-5 and has no energy after that, at which point it becomes clear he should hand the server and tech side over to people with time and enthusiasm.

I'm past the point of no return with this community, sorry. (Side note: Had many great years here, great experiences, don't get me wrong, through til about 2015 things were generally always good). But as time went on and as nothing ever happened (and other undesirable things happening indirectly but still with some connection) it seemed apparent that the "team" needed a major restructuring for this place to be interesting and effective, (to someone like myself) but that would never happen because people get proud in their positions and as I said - this place feeling like a preservation project nowadays and not a lot else. And as I discussed some people aren't able to make the inner criticisms of themselves to the point they can accept they might be hindering any kind of progress. And time and time again folks say "but a forum where I can say two words to Anas Abdin's latest background and talk about Winzip and WinRar is ALL I'm looking for!". Good for you, you are an NPC. NPC's like you don't build communities. You don't help others succeed. You don't contribute much critical thinking. You don't innovate. You latch onto the group think, you latch onto the baseline requirements of being a part of a community/hobby, you simply stagnate progress thinking your words are all that's ever needed.

Do you know why I decided to be a dick to Radiant? Because frankly, he's a dick to everyone else. He just hides that behind a shade of politeness. Do you not SEE the way he talks to Crimson Wizard? He just barks orders at him. And you LET him. You let him exclude any basic courtesies like "Excuse me" or "please" or "thank you". You let him just BARK at CW, on a regular basis. "This needs fixing." or "A player said this is broken, please fix it." ... these are NOT nice traits! Exceptionally so when it takes no more than an extra second to say "Hello CW" or "if you have a moment" or ANY BASIC FREAKING COURTESY. So whilst that's part the problem, the other part is that no-one else will call it out. Ooh lets not offend Radiant! Even though he barks at the guy creating the engine... No-one will say it like it is. But nowadays, I will. If you're shit in the way you talk to people online, I'll call that out, as you should rightly call it out when I do it. And as I said near the beginning, simply being polite doesn't mean you're not still a twat underneath. Anyone can be polite without much effort, but to be a decent human being? Clearly that's lost on some nowadays. Anyway, his rebuttal to that was to ban me from his Steam forum about 2 months later... testament to his fragile nature. But you know, he got me! I am devastated I can't read Heroine's Quest technical issues anymore, absolutely.

I think I'm done for now, but I can keep going if you want me to. You don't need to worry about me like I very much don't need to worry about you. I'll worry about the people who have shown a lick of being human like Amelié in the 18 years I resided here. But that's about it. I can do what I do perfectly fine with or without this community nowadays, much like this community can do without me in its current state of affairs.

It feels good to be able to talk about these things, rather than covering it up for the "best interests" of AGS or AdventureX. I had to step outside this community and AdventureX to be able to talk about these things freely. I don't want to see the demise of either, but I don't want to be tied to a burden of secrecy for "their" prosperity where my own (and other peoples perhaps) suffers in silence. No-one should stand for that, and none of you either. When people can't speak up, important details get missed or overlooked, and the next thing you know you've got a sad instance of suicide or (the less sad) instance of a meltdown like mine

One final thing though, after I wrote in my post on AG "Dave I do not hate you" and he then tweeted about "hatred" toward him. I do not hate on people. I may be vocal and I may call you a hack or a fraud but if I hated you, I would do more than just reply on a forum thread, trust me. I may have strong opinions on Snarky having almost ownership status over this community, but again that isn't pure hatred. It is absolute dissatisfaction, yes, but you can call it hate when I rally people against you or tell you to literally f* off etc. I try not to be hateful about the Azure thing either, but that was an actual burn on my goals and reputation. I am far more hateful about that, than any of this, but even then, I'm not trying to go after Azure or anything like it. So if you want to call my forum reply as "hate" then that's okay, you can. Other people are clearly seeing it for what it really is, and for that matter, what it isn't. When was the last time you praised a company because you were dissatisfied with their service?

[Dave Gilbert]

One final thing though, after I wrote in my post on AG "Dave I do not hate you" and he then tweeted about "hatred" toward him. I do not hate on people.

Just to be clear, that was not about you.

[Scavenger]

There's a lot of /pol/ rhetoric in there, sjws, professional victims, white knights, and now, bizarrely, calling real people NPCs, which is something that they're doing now because they love dehumanizing people. Come on, dude, it's super transparent language.

The constant and persistent incubation of thought and expression here unless it's about love for 2D games or Winzip/Winrar (and that's on a good week) is frankly sickening to me at this point.

Can you give a few examples? You keep bringing up how people are suppressing dissenting thought without actually, you know, being specific. What exactly are the thoughts being suppressed here?

[Calin Leafshade]

m0ds, I'm disappointed.

This is pure cookie-cutter stuff.

"I didn't get my deserved fame and glory because the evil SJWs took it away from me with their professional victim hood."

This is like bigotry fuel 101.

Dude, you *scammed* this community out of a couple of grand to make a game *years ago* that you didn't. How can you possibly expect to have any good will left?
And you expect people to believe that the charity money "took a little time" to get there. How long does it take to write a cheque my good fellow?

You're grasping at straws, pal.

[Ben X]

That's a really gross post in many different ways. Sad to see that you've gone full Notch.

[Snarky]

Never Forget. Well it's funny you mention that, because the forum itself won't let you forget "Most Online Ever: 559 (15 Jan 2012, 02:01)". That was when the community cast a vote for a new community leader and I believe I won that or came very close with Crimson Wizard. And that didn't happen. The community didn't get what it voted for. I can only apologize for you most online ever for that, because I was ready and wanted to move this community into the fucking future, but the decision by the owners was that it should just stay stagnant for another 6+ years. And that's what ya got

There was no actual vote. There was a call to nominate possible candidates (and yes, you did receive the most nominations, 13 to Dave Gilbert's 12). We agreed that the four leading candidates should present their plans/vision for the community, and then we'd hold a runoff vote to pick the winner:

Sure, I started writing a "charter" as it were for the future direction I have in mind and I'll finish it up for next week. Bici is thinking about it, btw.

AFAICR you never did finish that charter, and the whole thing petered out.

At least I'm a dick you can see coming. Not like the folks here who are nice on the surface, but actually herald quite dickish qualities underneath.

If you're thinking of me, it might be the first time someone has ever accused me of not being sufficiently confrontational.

You will not see a simple "Yes." from Snarky. There is always a following essay that bogs everything down. The other moderators when it comes to community issues are pretty clear cut. Andail is generally pro-community, he'll tend to agree in favour of ideas and innovations. LimpingFish is generally in the middle but usually also sides in favor. Snarky may be favourable occasionally, but it always comes with a "but", an essay and like your mother telling you to "think before you act!" to the point you think about it so much you just can't be bothered in the end!

You say a lot of heinous things about other people, but as for me, I think that's absolutely fair. Yeah, I'm a glass-half-empty kind of person, and I'll look for the flaws in any proposal. If you don't think that's useful, you are free to ignore me.

I may have strong opinions on Snarky having almost ownership status over this community

I'm one guy with an opinion, just like you. (I don't use mod powers to get my way in debates.) If I'm able to convince others to see things my way, fine. Often I am not. That's hardly "ownership". And I am not the reason your various proposals for AGS over the years never gained traction.

(Edit: Fixed quote attributions.)

[[delete}]

"I don't use mod powers to get my way in debates."

Why was I blocked from any forum action like replying or articulating my own view here then?

[Snarky]

"I don't use mod powers to get my way in debates."

Why was I blocked from any forum action like replying or articulating my own view here then?

Because you asked to be blocked. Insisted on it, even.

[[delete}]

No, I said to AGA to rather remove me than block me yesterday in the #ags irc. Also my question if you personally are a qualified mod was a question, not a "question".

[Snarky]

Oh, I thought you were talking about that time you were actually banned, on your own request.

The mod note I put on this thread was because it was starting to descend into personal abuse, which is against the forum rules. Greater-than-usual latitude is being given on that score precisely because the moderators want to avoid stifling any element of legitimate criticism.

[Jack]

I don't know your vision for it m0ds, but AGS has matured into a sweet little 2D engine. Sure, there are still things that would be nice to have, but you can do a lot with it. As for the community, yes there is a troubling amount of waaambulances dispatched. One was just sent for your post I think, considering what indie games and games in general has been going through, this is something we all have to deal with for the time being.

I do think you're taking all this a bit too seriously. If you're a creator, the power is with you to make improvements, or build something better. Followers aren't NPCs, but they are stupid. And if you're a creator, and you're trying to wrangle followers when you should be building, you will always run into frustration.

Yes the mosquitoes will come after you when they smell blood. I don't know what your new community is like, but do you really think it doesn't have its share of people trying to take it over for their own gain? The only difference is, you don't yet know who they are.

[ddq]

Just to be clear, the part in m0ds' rant that says EDIT BY AGA originally said "slimey little bitch". Just so we're clear that the only punishment here for one community member calling another member a "slimey little bitch" is to cover up the fact that they called someone a "slimey little bitch".

[Jack]

And what punishment wouldst thou like?

[ddq]

The perfect punishment would be leaving his post unedited and damning himself publicly with his own words.

[AGA]

The perfect punishment would be leaving his post unedited and damning himself publicly with his own words.

What happens to Mods is a separate issue.  Until then I edited out the part people have explicitly complained about, and that is most likely to cause immediate offense and upset.

[Ben X]

And what punishment wouldst thou like?

In every other forum I go on, it would be an immediate ban. I think that would be reasonable here and I'm glad to hear that editing out the worst of many nasty parts of that post won't be the only action considered.

[Stupot]

Dude, you *scammed* this community out of a couple of grand to make a game *years ago* that you didn't. How can you possibly expect to have any good will left?

If you're talking about the Kinky Island, it should be pointed out that Mark has recently repaid the money back to Indiegogo backers, which was beyond my expectation. A lot of crowdfunded projects never come to fruition and the backers never see that money again. So to be given that money back without asking for it, and be told that I'd still get a copy of Kinky Island if/when it's ever completed, AND be told I should put that money towards backing another more deserving project doesn't make me feel like I've been scammed.

I don't know about the AdventureX stuff so I won't comment except to say it would be nice to hear another side of the story.

I didn't enjoy being called an NPC, though. Some of us just have other things to do and we don't have time to be fully engaged pillars of the community. I try doing my bit when I can but often (especially lately) real life take precedence over a blue page on the Internet. I do look up to the moderators and the admins who are able to find the time to keep on top of this stuff while also having kids and jobs and presumably some other interests and housework and shopping to do.

[[delete}]

There's also Mark Lovegrove's 'Screen7 TV' stream on Youtube, featuring the latest information and previews of his game studio. Foremost Lorelai by Grim.

[Dualnames]

I love you all, maybe not Calin, but I love you all.

[qptain Nemo]

I love even Calin.