Is it time?

[Marked 197]

It's been 8 long years... see:

 

I grew up with GDU, or should I say RMXPU? I can't really imagine visiting the domain and seeing a blank screen.. it's been my daily routine for 8 years. I guess it will fade into my memories eventually.

 

It's apparently that time is running away from us and the day when it finally goes out seems to be in sight. I really put a lot into the site, but I really screwed it up with visions I couldn't achieve. I had developed our joomla CMS website since 2008 and in 2012 I killed all those sections that had accumulated huge traffic rank, but they had to go as part of the transition to this GDU concept, which involved superior member and design integration. So, we changed to GDU with just a forum and topics. A few months later, the host we were own decided to shut us down coz the database was too large. At that time I wasn't in control and it 14 days to get a hold of the copy and migrate to a new host. That was out of my control, but I really screwed things up. Not just that, my constant indecision and altering existing functionality rather than building new things.

 

Anyway, focusing my time here will achieve nothing for me. Making games was fun but I'm 23 now and I gotta get on with things. Unfortunately human life is limited by time, so I have to force myself to make the decision to stop.

 

So what do you guys think?

[Bob423 52]

Just work on getting someone to take over. I don't want this place to be gone :(

[Marked 197]

I tried that at one stage, remember? That honestly won't work. I got on a bit of rant there as I do on occasion, and I left out the reasons that aren't my fault for the site's demise, mainly that RMXP has been dying for years and there's an official website now which makes us pretty not useful. We're in a dying market and now that I don't have time left we definitely can't expect to get into others.

 

But I'm not closed to the idea of someone taking over. There's still like 9 months to go on the domain by the way, so this is an anticipatory topic unless we decide to go out with a bang.

[zahraa 26]

Idk. Do whatever you want O.o I'll finish my game soon and then I'll move to a new engine and probably a new site... Anyway I'll never forget you guys because I learned many things from you :ehh:

Good luck Mark. This site was amazing, You did a great job.

Edited May 16, 2014 by zahraa

[Polraudio 122]

With all the official sites for stuff its hard to keep going since everyone is mainly visiting the official sites and overlooking this site.

Im on both sides for this one. Only problem i have is trying to find another place to go.

[Chief 30]

Marked, I've always been pro-your-health/sanity, lol. This site should have been closed a ways back, but you're stubborn. RPG Maker is dying. Enterbrain had great products back when the internet was still in the dot-com boom, and everyone wanted quick and easy solutions.

 

These days, more people want to work harder, and with better tools. The market for RPG maker-anything just isn't existent enough to justify losing more brain cells over.

 

I have your skype, I will always check in with you every once in a while. Maybe we can do something together in the future!

 

I know exactly where you're at. I just got an amazing job, with an amazing salary, and I moved across the US to do it (keep in mind that I'm only 21). Sometimes letting side projects go is healthy. I've had a few things recently that could have been a hit, but you've got to prioritize. Do what's best for you; we'll back you up on it.

[FranklinX 37]

I think you should have started GDU has a brand new site with new forums and advertised it as the new place for indie developers. I really wanted you to push it because I believed it had so much potential. There aren't many good indie developmental forums. 

 

I will be sad to see this place go. I won't have a place to go. 

[ShinGamix 1]

I just started liking this place with the new games section. 

How about since it is no longer named RMU or anything specific in the name about RPG Maker, this site could move up to the world of just being a GAME Site not just an RPG Maker site. I know this place grew up or RPG Maker Xp but I do not want to see this place close. I think the site would benefit greatly by heading in the direction of NewGrounds or MMO site. Additional Marked rather than close the doors stay the owner and main villain ( I was kidding here btw)  of this place and let someone else take over and just the site and make inputs and complain about them not being you. I know it's hard to let you child grow up but sooner or later parents let go or have to let go. Are you still focused on HOW many people visit? What about the people who live here and stay here?

 

basically DONT CLOSE THE SITE!! 

[Bob423 52]

"I will do it! I will take The Ring to Mordor! ...but I do not know the way. Mark can be Gandalf and just show up to help with the really big problems, Pol can be Sam or something, Omar can be Aragorn maybe." Is what I'd like to say, but I don't have money and don't know enough about web design. Pol (I think) and I would like to take over the site for you (Will most likely mainly be him though if we do), but we're both in similar boats it seems.

 

Maybe we could get 3 or 4 people running the site instead of just 1 with a few moderators. There's enough people here who still want the site to be around for at least 1 person to at least learn how to use PHP and Javascript and stuff and there has to be a few people here who can afford to keep the site up for a few more years (with donations maybe?) I literally have like $15 or $20 probably so...

 

You started this site knowing hardly anything about web design, right? So I would never expect it to be very popular, and I'm okay with that.

[Chief 30]

You guys aren't thinking full-picture. Marked has no issue with making GDU about all game development--in fact, that's what GDU 3 was supposed to be.

 

The issue is our current member-base. It's you guys that do nothing but muck around in RPG maker, creating more and more RM content, and nothing more. If we had active game developers that created real, non-rm games, then we'd be having a different discussion.

[Bob423 52]

Then should I leave? I don't have the money or skills to use anything except rpg maker and I don't plan on leaving at all.

[Rajaat99 3]

I enjoy this site, because it's the only RPG maker site that's every actually helped me. I'll be sad to see it go, but I understand. I don't have a lot of time either.

[Marked 197]

Chief, your first post is hits the nail on the head and its hard to argue with any of it, not that I want to. That is how it is. I would definitely enjoy working on a joint project at some point! :)

 

Pol (I think) and I would like to take over the site for you (Will most likely mainly be him though if we do), but we're both in similar boats it seems.

He just said he's 50/50 on keeping the site alive, perhaps slightly "for", given the difficulty in finding another website.

 

Maybe we could get 3 or 4 people running the site instead of just 1 with a few moderators. There's enough people here who still want the site to be around for at least 1 person to at least learn how to use PHP and Javascript and stuff and there has to be a few people here who can afford to keep the site up for a few more years (with donations maybe?) I literally have like $15 or $20 probably so...

I did start without any website knowledge, and how I did it was start with a CMS, which is basically point, click and type. It was very simple to make stuff. You just use third party plugins, etc. It's possible to set that up. I can also continue to cover the costs of the website, I did not mention passing on the burden. But this discussion isn't really about replacing me, its about whether its viable to continue. No one here could possibly continue developing from my code (it's probably not good enough :P ). It just isn't worth it. Having my time over, I would have built extensions within a CMS rather than write the website 100% myself. It took too long, and time is out, and it failed.

[FranklinX 37]

You guys aren't thinking full-picture. Marked has no issue with making GDU about all game development--in fact, that's what GDU 3 was supposed to be.

 

The issue is our current member-base. It's you guys that do nothing but muck around in RPG maker, creating more and more RM content, and nothing more. If we had active game developers that created real, non-rm games, then we'd be having a different discussion.

 

I'm getting sick of your rude comments. The RM users are not the problem. We are developing games. The problem is Marked has not marketed or advertised the site to more developers. I told Marked to restart the site because the current set up appears to be a RM site when it is not. There is nothing wrong with having RM users here. The site needs to appear to be for all developers. 

[Marked 197]

You both have points there - this site always struggled to attract developers. It was only Leon / Lizzie, foreverzer0, evilcabbage etc. who were developers. There is or was a lot of people doing things, making things, but they hardly shared anything. Everyone wants to get recognised, theirs a perception that there's no point because no one will see, I guess recognisation has been more important than helping the masses of visitors.

 

Moving away from RPG Maker 100% is too hard for me. The reason is, once you strip away RPG Maker, what is there? I am now a web developer, not a game developer. Being unspecific to any engine is however more easy, but its a risk. It's either it works, if you're straight into the ground.

 

The games section was my biggest attempt at bringing in non-engine specific content. I still think it has potential if I were to develop it. It's pretty average right now, but the concept is there. The polish is not.

 

The problem is Marked has not marketed or advertised the site to more developers.

That's debatable. But I'm currently too tired to argue :exhausted: I accept responsibility for failure :cry: It's hard not to regret lost time but we've got members here with 5+ years experience, we succeeded in being a community.

 

Also, its not the first time I have contemplated the site's demise...

Lol, i was such a girl back then. That was a looooong time ago.