UnrealSP.org: Development hiatus

Post **Posted:** 27 Jul 2019, 23:00

Update 2

Enough donations have flown in for couple more years of the domain, so I am changing the name of the thread from "End of service". Whatever the results of this discussion, the site will not be shutting down.

Update

I have posted an update on my thoughts further down in the thread. Link

After the community has voiced its wish for the website to remain standing even with a lack of updates - so long as existing information can be preserved - I've added a donation link to keep the hosting and domain going. Further info can be seen in the above link.

Original post

Hello friends,

after many years of indefinite hiatus and very sporadic development on a new site, I have come to the conclusion that my plans and wishes to revitalize the site will not come to pass, and so it is time to make it official.

The question of "why" is simple: I am no longer invested in the game and have not been so for a long time. My attempts to work on the site revival have become increasingly 'phoned in' out of a sense of obligation, rather than the true passion which a video game fansite needs. I have treated continued work on UnrealSP as practice for coding, web development & server hosting, but every attempt to work on the site some more has continuously become more and more of a slog, and so I am forced to come to this conclusion.

What does this mean for UnrealSP?

The current state of the website and forums will remain "as-is".
Existing technical problems in the forums and website will not be addressed.
User registration will remain closed.
The legacy site will remain the go-to for old written content; there will not be a re-development to update to modern standards.
Newer review content etc. will remain on the existing "temporary" forums.
Further down the line - on January 29th, 2020 - the domain will expire, and the site will no longer be accessible.

I will keep a minimal backup of the website's current state once it goes offline for good, meaning that there will be options for someone dedicated and trustworthy to continue the community if they wish to. However, as the website data contains a lot of sensitive information (including plain-text direct messages, private development forums of teams like Red Nemesis, etc.), it is unlikely that someone both trustworthy and tech-savvy enough will appear, considering they haven't in all these prior years.

The Discord server remains open for casual chatter, as it does not cost any effort or money to maintain, and it is where the bulk of community interactions have happened recently.

I would like to thank Hellscrag and all the other UnrealSP.org staff that have founded, helped build up, and maintained the site & community in all those years. Life in the UnrealSP community has been crucial in developing my interest in the English language & creative processes in my formative years, and have contributed greatly to the person I am today. Similarly, I would like to thank all the current users & staff for sticking with UnrealSP.org for as long as you have.

With all that being said, Unreal and its community are by no means dead; other communities like OldUnreal, and other archive/article websites like UnrealArchives remain viable, and more 'alive', homes for the faithful. With Krull0r's Unreal Redux on the horizon, I also expect a large surge of interest and popularity for the game in a few years, as I'm convinced it will be picked up by larger game media when it's ready.

I will be available for questions and comments. Thank you, everyone.

papercoffee · Post **Posted:** 27 Jul 2019, 23:04

Sad to read this.
But also understandable.

Dr.Flay · Post **Posted:** 28 Jul 2019, 06:59

Ouch !
This site compares to Old Unreal for the scope and quality of projects that have happened here.
Many I think are only hosted here

It is understandable when the reward is not there. Unless you can hand it over to trusted people it isn't worth the trouble.

It would be worth asking the Web Archive if they can harvest the site.
You may have to allow their bot to grab any uploaded files.

radios · Post **Posted:** 28 Jul 2019, 20:15

I saw this coming, not enough good new map packs finished to keep everyone interested, a real shame!.. maybe mappers can post what content they do have before this site goes down?..

Nalisavior · Post **Posted:** 29 Jul 2019, 07:14

This is very sad to hear. I have gotten many hours of fun from all the custom created maps from this community over the past 10 years. SO grateful for all the time and effort put in to create some truly impressive maps.

Thanks to the community for everything. It has been an absolute blast. It is truly impressive the community for this game has lasted over 20 YEARS since inception. Truly a testament to how great a game Unreal is. Unreal will always live on in our collective memories as more modern games take the stage. It has been a pleasure everyone.

UNREAL FOREVER!!!! -Nalisavior

UTNerd24 · Post **Posted:** 29 Jul 2019, 07:27

To be honest. I saw this coming miles away. I’m not surprised by the announcement but nonetheless still saddened. Thank you so much for the years of help, mods and overall service. It was a wild ride and I enjoyed every moment, even if I developed a unsanitary reputation.
Once again, it was a great pleasure knowing you all and I hope you all endeavour to make the most out of whatever goals you may have in future!

We will persevere.
-UTNerd24. Aka: That EXU2 fanboy

Post **Posted:** 29 Jul 2019, 15:14

The domain unrealsp.org will expire on January 29, 2020.

Post **Posted:** 29 Jul 2019, 15:56

Plenty of time to consider the options then.

As I said on Discord I'm in the position to learn some Web Design/hosting skills myself, so I might be able to volunteer for something after I've got some experience.

watcher_of_the_skies · Post **Posted:** 29 Jul 2019, 16:32

How much does the hosting cost? (Pro year)

UTNerd24 · Post **Posted:** 01 Aug 2019, 04:58

On a side note, how will we know about the progress of any projects that were hosted here? Any chance of a migration?

Post **Posted:** 02 Aug 2019, 21:23

I wish I could help, but my attempts to run web sites for other groups I have been involved with have not been that successful since I became a parent.

Ivan, I totally understand your position. Thank you for all you have done to keep some kind of service running here since I left.

EDIT: But I'd better do some spamming to make sure my post count gets over 4,000 first!

editor Dave · Post **Posted:** 02 Aug 2019, 23:16

This is such a pity, but understandable, even more so since Discord has slowly taken over the discussion. unrealsp.org was my go-to site for quality reviews of maps I might enjoy and a thoroughly friendly place to talk about aspects of (SP) level design. I will miss checking in once a day, but I hope I will meet you every now and then on the other sites and Discord servers dedicated to UE 1 Unreal games!

Post **Posted:** 04 Aug 2019, 12:00

Hellscrag wrote:EDIT: But I'd better do some spamming to make sure my post count gets over 4,000 first!

Play my junk yo

AlCapowned · Post **Posted:** 04 Aug 2019, 15:41

Damn, wish I had seen this sooner.

Thank you for all you did in getting the site this far, ividyon and Hellscrag. Thank you to everyone who contributed reviews, maps, and mods. This place has given me so much, I wish I gave more back.

Teridax · Post **Posted:** 04 Aug 2019, 15:47

I knew it was going to happen eventually, but damn, this hurts.

I'm so grateful for all the hard work you guys have done over the years.