Myhrginoc's Update 01/07/2009

[Myhrginoc]

It has been my privilege to have been a member of the Phrozen Keep and its staff for seven years; I first came by in December 2001. There have been many interesting projects and a lot of eye-opening discoveries, some of which I had a hand in. But the wheel continues to turn. Those of you who remember me from when know I have been unusually quiet since mid-2007. My role in family affairs was greatly expanded then and continues to increase, and I see no end in sight. I cannot devote the time and energy that I had in the past. I didn't think it would come to this, and refused to admit it to myself for far too long. With the new year I know it is time to make it official, and hand the keys to onyx whose labors have kept this site alive to now.

The Keep itself is in for an uncertain year. The lifeblood of any community comes from its volunteers; this place is no different. Active members keep the discussions lively. Dedicated and talented individuals have crafted the mods and tools that make our customized entertainment possible. And I cannot praise enough the many people who have gone the extra mile and helped keep this site on track, from our Fearless Leader Phrozen Heart to the moderators and hosted forum moderators who have stayed on top of a wide variety of subjects and topics. But many of these people have passed on to other things, as I myself am now doing. And new blood isn't coming forth. A site this complex needs a full crew, something we haven't had for quite some time. Which means there may be a day in the future when coming to the Keep will return "Page cannot be found." While that has happened in the past, our opportunities for recovery are increasingly scarce. Those of you who have provided downloads or are working on projects should have a backup plan in case we do go off line. It's ironic that we have come to this with Diablo III on the horizon, but c'est la guerre.

I wish the Keep and its members all possible successes for 2009.

[CorniI]

This are really bad news and i'm sad. Yeah, I, too, noticed that you nearly disappeared, but making this official is something completly different...
And also for the Keep, it got slower, less posts are made, less mods are released, because there's so much released and it's hard to attract new players for a mod, simply because there are already lots of mods and testing all of them is very time-consuming. On the other hand, it's sad to see the number of promising, but nearly abandoned projects. But really, I don't think the Keep will go offline before we got our hands on Diablo III and investigated it's modding possibillities (or the one's of later patches...) as long as one admin (I guess onyx) has a recent backup of the forum software and the database. Some other stuff, like upgrading the forum to phpBB3 will probably never come when there's no ressurection of the modding scene (which *can* just come with the release of D3) because of the lack of staff Also, I'm not the only one backing up the most interesting articles on my HD as well as the tools (sometimes with source code included), so even in the case keep would go down, it's knowledge would not be lost in it's whole.
I'd not look that pessimistic in the future and wish you good luck in your later life, hoping once (in the far future) you'll return. I'm probably speaking for all keep members if I say you're always welcome at d2mods.com.
Corni

[Necrolis]

Its always sad to see a members who has contributed so much to the community and who spent endless hours helping others, no matter how daft, obscure or difficult there questions(and even the members themselves!), dissapear, but unfortunatly nowone can live a purely virtual life, and when RL calls it must be answered, especially those involing family. Myhrginoc, I wish you the best, and hope you may return to your passion soon(:P, in a good way) and don't just become "one of those guys from the past who just poped in to say hi", and I thank you for all the time you've spent helping me, all those endless pm's of stupid questions that you so patiently answered(back when i could barely CE).

Good thing onyx got BTH out of beta else we'd be screwed , so congrats on the promotion onyx, but I don't think this site would ever really 'die', especially with it being used for reference everywhere on the web(thats related to diablo 2), and I don't think planetdiablo is going to sink from economic rescession .

[onyx]

Time for me to say a few words.

Myhrginoc has been the heart and soul of the senior staff for a long time and it's really sad to see him of all people go. I have talked to him in private about his resignation and there is no need to repeat what I already said to him. I'll just say one thing: I still have hope that he will return to the site sooner or later, when life permits.

As for my "new" position, nothing has really changed for me, aside from the slightly different shade of orange and the new title under my nickname. Many of you know that I have been the most active admin here for a long time, and especially in the last year or so. This promotion is nothing but a minor technicality to get out of the way.

On a related note, I'll try to keep the site updated when new events happen on the modmaking scene (note the word 'try'). If you want something to be mentioned in the news, the best way is to send me a private message. I keep an eye on the forums, but there is a possibility that I'll miss a news event. My free time is limited too (believe it or not, even I have a life to take care of) and I'll be extremely busy in the next 3 months, so there will be periods when I won't appear here for days. So bear with me and be patient - I'll try to answer all your questions and do all updates, mirrors and such when I get the chance to. There will also be some reorganizing of the forums in the following days, I'll let you know of the changes when it's done.

On the topic of the Phrozen Keep future - we're still here for now. But we do warn everyone: the site might go down at any given moment. So if you're a modmaker or a tool creator who only relies on this site for his downloads, then make sure you have backups of your work in case of unfortunate events. I will do whatever I can to prevent the site from disappearing, but I can't promise anything in case of major problems - we've had issues before that I couldn't have handled on my own, and if something similar happens, I wouldn't be able to do much.

[TrueMage]

I want to say "THANK YOU" to Myhrginoc for his presence and deeds on this forum as well as in, virtually, my life. I always felt a certain generality with him, may be because of our age, but he forever remains for me the big (and, possibly, the most) part of Keep' spirit. I wish all the best to you, Myhr, wherever you go. And I'll miss you, so return some day.

Also, I hope that Keep will still alive, at least for all Diablo3 modding era. Another variants are all completely wrong.

[Kieran]

I Agree this is very sad to see, I might not have directly been on buddy lines with Myhrginoc but I do know a lot of what he has done on the Diablo scene has helped modders world wide and I have to say he never failed when answering a topic/question to go seriously in depth for the users full understanding (literally like 10 paragraphs lol) by far ones of the best explainers on the forum.

As far as the phrozen keep becoming extinct, there has been a lot less posts lately and things are starting to slow down, but that is happening everywhere regarding Diablo II not just the modding scene. I would also like to propose an offer to onyx and the keep. I would be willing if required to host the website on one of my servers if you are to require it, I know gamespy/planetdiablo have you covered but the random scares of the keep coming down leads me to think what the real reason is? The software/site/database doesn't just "Break" on its own so taking a stab in the dark as the hosting is the problem?

Let me know if there is anything I can do in order to help out.

Bye Myhrginoc hope you don't get to bored without the keep like I do

Kieran

[mirecek]

Whole keep will miss his constructive posts and ideas, CE hints,..

Best wishes, and long life

[Hans]

I would just like to thank Myhrginoc for all the work he has done for the keep and to the D2 modding community.

I wish you well Myhrginoc.

[AdiTT]

Hopefully the things will go smoothly and everything will be as positive for you as possible! I could say many things, write many words, many wishes, but there is one thing above all and it says everything:

Myhrginoc, THANK YOU!

Your fan forever,
AdiTT

[DavidB111]

Hmm, I've not been here that often, but it does sadden me to realize that the first forum I've ever joined may someday soon die.
I wish you the best in your real life endeavors. I know how real life can interfere.

I have only been on this forum since it originally had a off-topic section, all those years ago. But I have always remembered you, being one of the best moderators/admins I've seen.

Perhaps in time I'll get used to Onyx, but his Avatar scares me.
Anyhow, have a good day. And remember, always stop to smell the roses.

[Brother Laz]

Thanks for everything, Myhr... <3

Should the Keep go down, we can network: one site hosts downloads, another a forum, a third may host a copy of the Keep forum DB. Then just exchange links.

By the way, it is because of D3 that the Keep is in its current state: who would make a new D2 mod with D3 coming next year? Either way, if D3 is moddable, the Keep or a similar site could be relaunched.

In the worst case scenario (no pilot on the plane), why take the Keep offline? Just let it coast and don't add more content until D3 comes out.

[Volf]

Hosting isn't the problem

[Mentor]

Thank you for all the knowledge, patience and support, Myhrginoc!

May I say I always have and always will admire and respect your outstanding contribution to the D2 modding community. You are and will remain one of the Ancients of D2Modding, as far as I am concerned.

I wish you all the best and hope you will still drop by from time to time!

Deepest consideration!

[D0oM]

I'm sad to see you go Myhrginoc, over the years the keep has been in my opinion the core of Diablo II modding, and you one of it's pillars you will be missed. Thank you so much for you time, efforts, and advice!

[Al-T]

This is sad news indeed. We are all losing not just a major stalwart of the keep and d2 modding but a good friend. I hope you pop in from time to time just to say "hello" and I wish you all the very best in everything that you do.

Look after yourself my friend.