169, aka X3, is finally out

Misty · Post by **Misty** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:18 am

Eh. I'm more than willing to help, but I've been looking for who I'm supposed to coordinate with. Because, you know, these things have been coordinated in the past rather than being thrown out in a free for all fix-it-yourself sort of fashion.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:23 am

KMJ, with all due respect, I was very clear in the nomination thread my first term that my focus would be on NWN2. I never made a secret of that fact, and I believe NWN2 rightfully took priority. The number of projects we had and still have for NWN2 far and away exceeded our resources, and I knew that going in when Ronan resigned.

I also believe it's unreasonable to expect equal focus from TA when 90% of the effort to be expended is going to be on one platform. We have two distinct platforms with distinct technical needs at completely different phases of development. Never before in ALFA's existence have we ever had to deal with this scenario, so lecturing me on what I should be doing on the basis of what has previously been done isn't even a sensible argument. We are in unchartered territory.

So short of dividing responsibilities by platform, something which I have advocated and pitched a number of times unsuccessfully to our HDMs, or altering our organizational structure entirely, the focus isn't going to change.

Or wouldn't if I were to remain TA. Fortunately, I'm happy to resign myself to some much needed R&R and let you guys run the show. Clearly you know what you're doing. Now it's time to put your money where your mouth is. I wasn't planning to step down for another few months, but it may as well be here and now. All good things come to an end.

And KMJ, you clearly don't know the reasons behind Zelknolf's dismissal from the tech team nor the circumstances leading up to it. It was hardly about head models. That you think I acted so capriciously is sorely disappointing, but at least you're consistent; you've judged me all the way around without knowing the facts. I never made a public issue out of the dismissal, mostly because I felt that would have been unnecessarily disrespectful to Z, but it's hardly surprising to see myself knifed in the back with good intentions. Ever did this community harbor ill will.

And Electryc; Et tu, Brute?

Best of luck, folks. It's time to recharge my Zen.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:31 am

There this community goes, doing it all over again. Kicking the contributors until they walk.

Marklos · Post by **Marklos** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:35 am

I'm going to agree with MK here. I can;t see a total rebuild of an existing NWN1 server coming. Anyone who has built a server knows what a huge timesink it is, even for a small module. A rebuild is virtually unthinkable at this point. The community may be larger than NWN2, but the stigma of the old horse sent out to pasture is there.

It kind of reminds me of the most advanced MUDs. Some absolutely AMAZING content and coding (like actual front row, middle row and rear-row combat formations) went into them, but...they are still just text-based adventures. Only the most hardcore remained last time I played.

Anyway, I see your point Mulu, that something should have been addressed, but don't think that because something didn't happen, that they were just sitting on their hands. Admin in a volunteer project is not an easy job and has many, many issues needing to be dealt with. Delegation is key to that job, but noone is perfect.

A small amount of grace here would go a long way, but I suppose now it's too late, since Cipher has stepped down. Perhaps a show for the new tech admin, if we even get someone to step up would be in order.

I hate to see such derision.

Vendrin · Post by **Vendrin** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:57 am

Thanks folks.

Kest · Post by **Kest** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:29 pm

are we purposefully trying to deepen the schism between the two camps or what

really can't tell after reading this

Hialmar · Post by **Hialmar** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:09 pm

If you guys are so stupid as to make the greatest contributor we had in years quit then maybe it's time I think about going as well.

Maybe this project just deserves to die.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:48 pm

I think cool heads need to reign here. I'm very unhappy with the manner in which this issue was handled, by all participants, but i think if we can put away our baggage, we can come to some productive resolution.

Those who have the skills to handle the NWN1 update, please get together and work it out. If you need some "notepad" grunt work, i'll provide some of my time and i hope others will provide it too. Those who wish to learn how to perform updates, this is your opportunity, so step up and let's get it done.

Cipher is and was a good TA. He had a lot on his plate and not much assistance, but he did a good amount of work over the years. I hope he recharges in peace. Leave him alone (no bothersome PMs, or public discussions) and we'll see him back when he's recovered. Maybe he'll play ingame for a healthy change.

Hialmar as well has been a great contributor. Seeing the negativity brought up about our admins not having a thousand hands to do all the work is a bit disconcerting, so i full understand his perspective. I hope all of you do too. After all, this is a project oriented on the idea of having fun. Everyone is a volunteer, nobody get's paid, and the major contributors here actually pull money out of their pocket to host these servers.

All this considered, we, as a community, need to remind ourselves of the end goal here. We want to make a great utility for entertainment, not for profit, and not for bragging rights.

So, those who are not playing in any of the servers, not contributing in some fashion, please leave. If you don't like what is going on, and are not providing productive, respectful discourse, then you have inadvertently turned into a negative influence within this community.

If you are productive, are playing ingame, and/or are contributing in some way, please remember to be respectful at all times. Nobody here is receiving a paycheck and volunteers don't stay volunteers for long if they are treated with disrespect or hostility.

That said, please lock this thread.

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:15 pm

Let's everyone step back and cool down a bit, OK?

Cipher was pretty clear that his focus was going to be on NWN2; NWN2 is what most of our new membership is joining to play, and at best assessment is at least being played regularly by about the same number of ALFA members as NWN1, if not more. NWN2 also had (and has) a lot more urgent work that needed to be done for the Live transition, and setting up systems to allow expansion into additional servers. Cipher set up staff members with fairly broad authority to investigate and roll out fixes and additions to the NWN1 ALFA haks. That said, the 1.69 update is a much larger enterprise than just adding a tileset, or a set of new monsters to NWN1.

With regard to 1.69, it's been on Tech's collective radar since October 2007. It's been a periodic subject of discussion there, though the actual release of it as a non-Beta update was something that was silent for so long, it certainly didn't seem like a pressing issue. I'd even wondered if it had stalled out completely. Several Tech team members downloaded the beta haks to test out, no feedback on them was reported to our support forums. So, it's not like Tech was totally blindsided by the 1.69 patch or anything. We've historically never jumped on new version patches right as they happen, because NWN1-ALFA's haks are a tangled mess of undocumented customized content from 6 or so years of tinkering. When the game's base resources change, it has potential to break a stunning variety of things. I suspect a 1.69 adaption for NWN1-ALFA is going to be a very big job indeed.

Does being at 1.68 make NWN1 ALFA obselete? I don't see why it would- there is a 1.69->1.68 revert patch available, and old-time NWN players should be pretty familiar with the process from past updates (even if a bit out of practice since 1.68 ). Sure, there is new content to be had in the 1.69 patch; but there is a significant balance and tradeoff involved in the near-term. The fact that a 1.69 patch exists should not significantly erode the playing or DMing satisfaction of anyone active on the NWN1 servers.

I expect NWN1-ALFA will migrate to 1.69 eventually, but throwing accusations around and attacking the people who are in a position to help out with such an effort is no way to go about aiding that cause. Work on orchestrating haks and fixing things for game updates has always been work that's gone on behind the scenes, so it's easy for those who haven't done it to assume that it's an easy and simple thing that just requires some complaining on the forums before it magically appears ready to use. From an outside perspective, I'm sure that's how it seems.

If Cipher has formally resigned, then this community has suffered a very serious loss indeed. Let's cut the vitriol and attacks, they certainly aren't helping anything. Those who have a strong interest in seeing 1.69 be realized for ALFA should start reading through the documentation and looking for lists of changed 2das, identifying potential conflicts with existing ALFA systems. That is all necessary legwork before any work with 1.69 haks can even get started. I'd suggest we ask Hialmar to open a new forum with open post and read access for that coordination, but the counterproductive flames may be keeping him at arm's length for a while.

I only hope this kind of behavior doesn't drive off Hialmar as well, because I can think of no one person so integral to the smooth running of ALFA. What would we be as a community, without the vault, the forums, the FTPs? Have a serious thought to that- it's the quiet contributors like Hialmar (and Cipher) who keep this place afloat.

Misty · Post by **Misty** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:02 pm

Let me clarify here, because it sure looks like there are a lot of assumptions going around, sparked by one small sentence.

I do not expect the TA to do the work.

I expected delegation of work and coordination of said effort. At the very least, naming one person that the volunteers can pester with questions of 'how can I help?' I've spent a couple years building and tinkering and thought maybe I could try to aid in moving things along.

That it got blown way out of proportion while I was off counting other people's money is, quite frankly, ludicrous.

Wynna · Post by **Wynna** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:53 pm

Please don't go, Cipher. While fully recognizing that you have done your time and given so much already, being driven off by criticism before the end of your term is an unfair result for you and for ALFA. You should be lauded as you have been in the past, not castigated for any reason. The tempers of this place shift so dramatically and quickly that this will pass and it is my hope that the correct condition will return soon. Let me add that the workload of this place is so immense that it sometimes seemed to me an invitation to failure, as there is always something a critic can point to as a 'problem'. What should be pointed to are all the successes. Your technical knowledge and management contributions have been necessary to our survival. Not everybody can see all parts of that, and some disinformation has been let loose. Tempers have flared. That is all. Everybody take a few days off and calm down.

Thread locked. Any new thread must remain free of insults.

ç i p h é r · Post by **ç i p h é r** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:13 pm

Well I really don't want to start another thread, so I think I'll just make a final post here now that KMJ has formally announced my resignation.

Yes, it's true; I would have much preferred to step down on a high note than on a low note. Who wouldn't? If it were a choice, I would have chosen to part with a pat on the back for my contributions over the years than to be chastised in the end for my judgments. But criticism comes with the territory here as well as the real world, sometimes harsh or even unfair. What's important is that I contributed to ALFA in all the various ways that I did because I enjoyed doing those things, not because I expected to receive any accolades. How others feel about what I accomplished can never replace my own sense of gratification over those achievements.

Yes, to a small extent, I feel a sense of betrayal from some of the things I read in this thread, but you know, I also appreciate the honesty. People appear to be genuinely dissatisfied at the moment on the NWN1 side of things, but now there is a chance to address grievances. And let's face it, my resignation was inevitable, so regardless of the circumstances, this day would have arrived. The silver lining here is that this is the perfect opportunity for someone new to step into these old shoes and shape ALFA's technical priorities for the future. And I hope they do a better job than me.

So with that, I sincerely wish my successor the best. It was a privilege to have served as TA for as long as I did.

Thank you ALFA.