In all seriousness, hello everyone! I'd like to announce my departure from the SRB2 staff team where I've functioned as an admin and moderator.
I joined the SRB2 community in 2010, and it was the first online community I truly fell in love with. I learned a lot of really good things from people in the community, and it helped me become a well-rounded person in more ways than one.
When COVID hit in 2020, I was stuck inside with not a whole lot to do besides work on my hobbies. Considering where the community was at that point in time, I jumped at an opportunity to help man the vessel here. Frankly, I'm quite proud of everything I've been able to do, and how far the community has come.
Most notably, I'm really proud of this community for becoming such a welcoming place to budding artists. There used to be this weird uptight attitude when new folks came around and uploaded their first works; people would whip themselves into a worried frenzy about how much worse it was going to make the community for all the artists who have greater skill. I worked really hard to change people's perspective on that, and I'd call it a success. I haven't seen hardly a glimmer of that old mania, and everyone is thriving.
Even still, I'd encourage everyone going forward to remember what the point of a community like this really is: A place for people to figure out how to make things and make them real good. Always remember that, when you're playing through a level pack or trying out some new characters, or what have you. Art can be subversive, art can be individualized, art can be experimental. Cultivate that experimentation and the fun that emerges! Don't let it devolve into popularity contests! Understanding people's subjective goals is the first step in figuring out how to objectively get there.
Also, I'm really proud of the better standards I was able to contribute to for better archival & modernization of old mods.
There's a lot of stuff on the back end that was pretty significant, as well. I actually spent a whole day this past week MASSIVELY decluttering forum permissions (old artifacts left over from when we switched to the new forum software), and making some documentation for future staff. That hopefully saves a lot of people's time in the future and makes it easier for them to figure out.
My main regret is not getting to actually play more SRB2 lately, and not being able to talk about my experiences with people's levels and such.
But that's partly because I was busy with my own projects -- and wow, speaking of that, I'm really proud I was able to finish and publish Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers. As my pet project, I'm still elated that my friends and I were able to create something so big and so filled to the brim with our own personal passions. Even as I move on to new gamedev endeavors in the future, I don't expect commercial projects will ever be a place where I get quite that level of freedom -- freedom to make something exactly to my personal tastes.
But yeah, that's what I plan on doing from here on out. Going to say goodbye to Sonic (GOODBYE SONIC!!!
I'll be around a few times now and then, of course ~ and anyone who wants to talk to me knows how to reach me. Thanks for the good times, anyone and everyone who was a part of them over the past 14 years I've been here! Being tuned in and engaging here has helped keep my mind fresh and sharp, even through some pretty rough years in the world beyond, and I'm very thankful for that.
