-= Gametoast.com =-

(LONG POST FOLLOWS)

For those who didn't already know (a lot of people did) - I'm announcing my future retirement from SWBF editing. As soon as the Convo Pack is done I'll be moving on to more exciting games. Now I'd prefer that nobody say their goodbyes -- I'll still be around the site, but I won't be modding SWBF2 or helping out in the modding forum anymore.

It's really been a long time coming. I've wanted to retire for 6+ months now, but my blasted pride in this project has kept me from doing so. So to meet in the middle with my own demands I've had to cut a whole slew of things I had planned over the past two years to do. The plus side is that what you're getting is a quality, online-compatible, stable, and dang fun product.

I have mixed feelings about future Star Wars editing. Frankly games are getting to the point that they aren't as fun to mod. I have no desire to edit next-gen games with all of the crazy lighting, specular/bump/etc maps, and all those bells and whistles. I love playing them, but I don't want to spend all the energy that goes along with that.

Along with that, I'm pretty sure that even if LotR: Conquest uses a majorly revamped Zero Engine (SWBF1/SWBF2) we won't see mod tools, and that's a shame. As frustratingly limited and quirky as Zero is, I would love to see what we could do with a newer version of Zero that isn't so unstable. But I just have a bad feeling about not having mod tools.

I've had to really cut down on my vision of what the pack should be. Once it became a full-out mod instead of just a map pack I wanted to make it the biggest, baddest mod you've ever seen so it was an absolute must-have. I think we reached that point long ago. So that being said, I have to make one last cut. Hero CTF is out, unless someone else wants to write up the luas and whatnot. So it's just what I already have on my hard drive (including Bossk and Dessan), the KotOR era, the new updates to the shell by Zerted, and anything left on the bug list

Again, I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be around on the site, just not doing SWBF stuff. I want to get to modding new and exciting games.



***On a side note, by "New and exciting" I mean new and exciting to me. Not necessarily the newest, biggest, baddest game. I have no desire to mod something like Crysis or Bioshock. I just want to move on to other games that I've got an interest in.

Thanks man. You all should bake me a retirement E-cake

We really should.

Not only is the pack itself great, but all the things that came about because it was being made, that we may not have had otherwise. All those vehicles, new player models, skins, modes, etc.
The pack, and all that came from and for it, is doubtless the biggest contribution to the community ever, thanks to your leadership, and no one would begrudge you a retirement from it in the end.
It'd be like telling Frodo Baggins that he couldn't go back to the Shire, or depart to the west.

Or telling Luke he couldn't go into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters.

...wait, that's not right

Before I joined GT I was full of finding an conversion pack, but hey, I've got the PC-version, no Kit or Asajj for me! Then there's GT, including that red-yellow muscular character.. The conversion pack, I know, could be just burned on DVD-Rom and sold in shops, all over the world, as an official expansion pack. Now that would make this attractive again! The quality of the pack is enormous, and this is also because of you.. You can say that without the people moddeling, skinning etc. you wouldn't have come so far, but every skilled modder, I know this for sure, is proud to contribute something to the Convo pack!

I'm also very proud that my parts have been added/shall be added (wips), and, maybe a retirement from modding Tean? Playing games is also enough fun and excitement sometimes..

Thank you for being you!

I agree 100%. Last year around this time I received Battlefront II. A few months later I saw some videos of something they were calling the Conversion Pack. I thought, "Wow! No Way! That's Battlefront II?" And the more I looked and searched the more I learned. The Conversion Pack is really what started me modding and without it I wouldn't be who I am today, on Gametoast and in the world. It an amazing work, a tribute to the community and to your dedication to the project.

MandeRek wrote:Thank you for being you!

Frankly, I'm both surprised and impressed with the fact that you've continued working on this and that will even finish the pack at all. That's a commitment that's rare in modding, unfortunally. How often do you see great promises, awesome looking screenshots and you can't wait till it's finished, and slowly there's no more updates untill the project is dead? Allmost all the time with big (and this is big) projects. So kudos for actually finishing this awesomeness

Amen, brotha. SWBF2 is how old now? 4 years? It's starting to get kinda outdated compared to newer, more intricate games. I plan to retire myself after BFX 2.1 is out, but enough about me.

Your contribution to this humble, little, rushed-out game based on a slowly dying film franchise is immeasurable - you're definitely the best-known and -respected modder of Star Wars Battlefront. The Conversion Pack was, like for countless others, a big inspiration for me to start modding. I didn't really think that a huge-scale modification to a game was even possible, until I realized what Conversion Pack was. It's like a father's uncle's cousin's nephew's former roommate to BFX, and practically every other SWBF mod out there. You deserve a sticker. Seriously, awesome work so far. Have a happy SWBF retirement.

Thanks a bunch. You inspired me too and guided me through a lot of tough spots. I would just like to say...

lol just kidding. The Conversion Pack was amazing, it was probably GT best project ever to be excuted. I think we'll miss your modding skills.

You deserve a well-placed retirement. Although it will be sad to see you go from the SWBF community, you definately deserve a retirement. You have contributed so much to the Convo pack(s), and the last one I downloaded and havent even tried anything yet because there was a lot of files there.

Goodbye...From SWBF...
I suppose at over 5000 posts about Star Wars, you would get tired of it?

well, hey, if not for the conversion pack, I probably wouldn't even be here in Gametoast.com, having read so many hilarious post for dozens of hours of my life.

thanks for inspiring me to be here, and contributing to this great community.

This has been my favorite project here ever since I joined. Teancum, you've been a great leader for this project and you have truly achieved something great here. This project has really been through some tough ups and downs, but you've always been determined to keep going through it all. I admire that, and you will always have my utmost respect. Through this mod you have truly become one of the greatest Star Wars Battlefront II modders of all time. You deserve a retirement, and you should retire happy with what you have accomplished here.

Thank you for all you've done Teancum!

GJ.

I'm also surprised at how persistent you've been with keeping this going. (But then again I didn't stop 'till part of my HD's PCB blew up, making my files [and best backups] inaccessible ... wait...IIRC, something similar didn't stop you. It's that damned Iron Suit and the car you used to have and whatever your avatar was 2 years ago) Its very hard to keep up solo projects. I think you should get yourself some subordinates (should be good for blasted pride) so that you can continue working on this, but reduce the time you need to spend on it to spending 15 seconds a week telling people to 'go'.

Or you could go do something interesting with your time.
Like port the SWBF series to Steam. Great...now an insane loveable-dev named Fred is out there planning to kill me.

how would he port it to steam and why in the world did you ask that... doesnt make since

That's a great idea! Was thinking the same thing the other day...

Anyway, great job Teancum you really were the Iron Man in this community, and by my books you always [Diet Dr Pepper] will.

Goodbye and goodluck, wherever life takes you next. Who knows; you could decide to go into Source modding and make the next best Source mod! *hint*hint*

wow i personally will miss your modding skillz,

so will the pack be used for others as source ?

and i really hope someone Else as capable as the original maker will continue the project ><

Anyway have fun modding other games mate XD

he already said no continuing the project

i was meaning "someone else" sorry :maulsaber:

He said if someone wants to continue it , the full source wont be released openly (or something like that)