[usp] ...and it's goodbye from me!

[Hellscrag]

And so it came to pass that UnrealSP.Org found its way onto a new host, cared for by a new admin team, leaving its founder free to move on to other things.

Over the last nine and a half years, I have been proud to carry the torch for single player Unreal in all its forms. It's been a long life for such a small online community, and it's a period of time that has seen some very notable successes (such as 7 Bullets) and some equally notable failures (such as Unreal: Battle for Na Pali, the eventual fate of which remains my main regret from my time as UnrealSP.Org's commander in chief). It's also a period that has seen a lot of great content produced by our site writers. But what has really kept things going is the contribution of our forumers: a constantly self-renewing group of dedicated fans, revolving around a core group of long-term regulars and a steady stream of exciting new mapping projects. This one's for you, guys...

Now, however, it's time for me to go. But I can't leave without sharing a few specific thanks: firstly to zynthetic and our long-lost comrades Techno_JF and Naveed, whose enthusiasm was so key to this site first being set up in 2001, and to Drevlin, without whom UnrealSP.Org may never have existed in the first place; also to MMAN, who has been with us almost since the beginning; and, latterly, to UBerserker, who has produced a lot of rich content for the site in recent years. From time to time we have also been graced by the articulate writings of Mister Prophet, and of course any number of other willing guest writers. My thanks are also due to those members of the community who have helped to moderate the forums and run the weekly Map of the Week threads over the years. My final, and biggest, thanks, however, must go to sana and his new team, who will be keeping the UnrealSP.Org fires burning after I have departed... not to mention all of those whose generous donations in recent weeks have helped to secure the financial future of this site for the years to come.

I may pop back in from time to time to mark the odd anniversary or share my thoughts on some of the landmark single player releases that are yet to come... but, basically, I'm gone. Thirteen years after its original release, Unreal in its various forms is finally getting old for me, and I've decided to leave the gaming scene to chase my "real life" goals. I'm afraid I still can't really tell you what they are, but if I'm successful then maybe I'll report back to you to explain what it was all about. In the mean time... you take care of yourselves, and remember, life really is what you make of it.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's been an honour.

[Buff Skeleton]

Godspeed o/

[Edit] Is it more than coincidence if Journey.umx was playing in Winamp when I saw this? :p

And thank YOU for keeping this site alive as long as you did, on your own time and dime. It's definitely appreciated.

[UBerserker]

Thank you Sir. It has been a honor \:-

Good luck for your RL.

[ividyon]

The top-notch writing of the articles, unique design and the years of dedication and work you have poured into it have shaped an amazing community. Hell, the importance of USP extends beyond some old video game; the articles and forums have incredibly strengthened my grasp on the English language and the incredibly creative modding community directed my eyes toward graphical/digital design as a career choice - both of these things are bound to influence my future somehow. USP CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!

Needless to say, this is quite a cool site you've got there! I can't thank you enough for creating what has been my favorite internet place-to-be for a long time. And while the drought of Unreal activity and outdated nature of the matter at hand are working against it, I hope that I will be able to fulfill my administrating duties remotely as well as you have done all these years.

,o7

Good luck with all those important things you've got cooking!

[AlCapowned]

USP CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!

I completely agree. If I never saw UnrealSP, I wouldn't be getting an IT major.

Thank you so much for making this site. Best of luck, Hellscrag!

[Teridax]

I don't know what to say that hasn't been said already. Thank you so much for taking care of this great site, without which I would probably have no motivation to map.

Thank you, and good luck.

[Mister_Prophet]

There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

Mike, it was a pleasure to be in your company. Hope to hear from you soon.

[Shivaxi]

Good luck Scrag! And as we say in the DnB world, massive big ups for making this wicked site!

[Smirftsch]

Another one of the real old folks gone. Somehow feeling a bit lonely now. I considered UnrealSP always some kind of sister page and I'm really happy that Sana is taking over. Still its somehow sad, although surely understandable. Good Luck m8.

[editor Dave]

Good luck for your future life! Thanks for having offered this unique website. It's always a pleasure to read the discussions.

I hope you won't forget the time in which you lead this site.

[Frieza]

Thanks for all your years of dedication towards the site and the community. My life wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't stumbled upon it all these years ago. I've met a lot of great people through this site, and even though I've been absent from the community at times I can still say it's the forum I've most felt at home. Thanks for everything Mike! Don't be a stranger!

[Loke]

If it weren't for this site I would've had never even seen half of the quality maps and mods that came out of here. A big thank you for this site and keeping Unreal alive for so many years; I salute you and wish you good luck on your future endeavors.

[Semfry]

Good luck. Hopefully you'll still be around sometimes.

[salsaSkaarj]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Thanks for this site, Hellscrag, and for allowing it to continue in good hands.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
And do pop in once in a while, damn it, even as a lurker

[Darkon]

Thank you Sir. It has been a honor

The top-notch writing of the articles, unique design and the years of dedication and work you have poured into it have shaped an amazing community. Hell, the importance of USP extends beyond some old video game; ...
Needless to say, this is quite a cool site you've got there! I can't thank you enough for creating what has been my favorite internet place-to-be for a long time.

Mike, it was a pleasure to be in your company. Hope to hear from you soon.

Another one of the real old folks gone. Somehow feeling a bit lonely now.

Thanks for all your years of dedication towards the site and the community. ... I've met a lot of great people through this site, and even though I've been absent from the community at times I can still say it's the forum I've most felt at home. Thanks for everything Mike! Don't be a stranger!

These quotes pretty much reflect what I want to say, so I won't do it in my own words...
However... Good luck with what you're doing and hop in every now and then. (More often than you were planning to, preferably) We'll miss you!
Keep us updated!