Open Letter from The Starport Admins

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · Apr 21st 2009

Quote

Open Letter from The Starport Admins
« on: Yesterday at 10:11:24 pm » Quote

Hello everyone,

I'm here on behalf of the Administration team to let you guys know of something that's been happening for the past months: a decline in activity. Not just from the Staff, not just from the community, not just from the Admins, from everyone involved. This, we believe, is not a good sign at all. As posts started to decline, we felt less and less interested in pouring hours into the development of this site, this community and these projects. It's a very tough and sometimes bitter job, but we've nevertheless signed up for it and so we kept hacking at it. We understand that the very nature of this site means quite a bit of lurking is bound to happen, but on the same token, it still makes us feel less interested and makes the site less involving.

However, we just can't pull through it anymore. We have other projects, other obligations and priorities. This site has been our largest project to date, but it currently is falling into dust. We hope you can understand the pressure and amount of work we've got on our shoulders, and how we unfortunately do not find the motivation to continue around here anymore. We thought we should let you know in advance so that we may still be able to do something about it.

We need new staff. Not necessarily the admins of the biggest mods in the world; quite the opposite actually. We need people who have two rare and valuable commodities: time and motivation. Without those two, this site is ultimately doomed to fail. I know this might sound overly pessimistic and discouraging, but we think honesty is a prime value and as such we are expressing our thoughts unshielded.

If you think you have what it takes and you can pour the hours needed to stop the ship from sinking, be sure to contact us. You don't need to be a jack of all trades; as long as you think you can contribute to the site, go ahead and explain us what you think you can do. We'll be more than happy to welcome dedicated and motivated people around here. You see, we need a lot of content done, and we either don't have the time or don't have the knowledge to do this. We hope YOU can do it.

I'll state this again: this site is on the brink of extinction; this is not something we like to say at all, but it's becoming too hard to continue. Please help us help you, and a BIG thanks to all of those who keep this site active by posting and sharing your wealth of knowledge and information.

Thanks,
FriendlyFire and the Starport Administration

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a matter which I expected... but not that soon
I was already thinking to help there but on the other side the question remains if starport would have done the same for SWAT
TSP never really showed interest in supporting other communities

your oppinion plz

DC_Hägar · Apr 21st 2009

well, that is the place where FLHook coders do meet (occasionally^^). there is also some activity from FL modders. i don't know if it is good if the information in those posts or that place to meet and share information is gone.

on the other hand: i cannot expect others to do a lot of work there, because i never posted, but only read that board.

it seems to be a lot of work involved and asked for - just something for a community member with loads of spare time to be put into it...

Daywalker · Apr 21st 2009

The Projekt is to big for just own pair of new shoulders and since i am not an FL Coder...

On the other hand it totaly replaced the old TLR for me if i wanted to know something special or more, and it is a real Community Project.

Hopefully they will find a solution - if not we have SWAT and can call us lucky but what will a new Modder do?!

ImO it´s too much worth to let it die

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · Apr 21st 2009

new modders can find exactly the same information and stuff at SWAT
but so far we decided not to make everything we have public in the same way we have decided not to aim for high google rankings with SWAT

every modder which asked for help got it here at SWAT

Gast · Apr 21st 2009

yeah well indeed, i think we were somehow got disappointed by the recently deeds their, OP has lost the trust in TSP (as far as i think) thatswhy you let removed the Freelancer Bar Entries as far as I know.

So on one hand i am not very amused to help them out when we obviously have our own projects. Unless other members of the FL Community dont learn to help as well. Than i think TSP will have to suffer under the same problems like anyone else has. And at this point i remain here at SWAT.
On the other hand it would be a loss if they can not survive and have to close their site... But this is the same with every other big FL community out there.

My two eurocents

edit: was browsing TSP meanwhile and found Destructible Universe???? click here

Gunny · Apr 21st 2009

I am at an impasse with this letter from Starport.

I have been Op's friend for a long time and in many cases I have watched him take time away from SWAT and CF in order to assist other portals, mods etc. in an effort to keep the FL game alive.

In return what have we received? Server hacks? Forum attacks? Trolls in game? The same people who asked for help in many cases, were the ones doing us damage when we weren't looking.

I say we welcome the modders from Starport to join us here if Starport fails and welcome the admins too, but it's time to take care of our home.

Kalisie · Apr 21st 2009

I have to agree with Gunny on that. There a LOT of people desperately waiting for CF 1.8 (Myself included) as well as many other Swat projects, and if modders here keep going to other portals to help them only to get backstabbed again for our help, then 1.8 will never get finished. As Gunny stated, its time we take care of our home.

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · Apr 22nd 2009

thx for the input
I think TSP has some serious structural problems
I once talked about this with one of the admins but nothing really was done
eventhough they might find people willing to help I highly doubt that those will stay active more than a few weeks and TSP will fall back to its old probs again

everything over there is a bit too chaotic and that has nothing to do with the lack of time that the admins have
I also dont really have much time and SWAT and its projects are way more complex than TSP... but still its going on... getting more and more popular

Daywalker · Apr 22nd 2009

What? You was thinking to involve yourself more at TSP?

No, you are out of any question please - we want you to be here (for the next year[SIZE=3]s[/SIZE]), not somewhere else!

Spiky- · Apr 22nd 2009

and more importantly we want you to play again so we can blow you up again

Drakon · Apr 23rd 2009

I'm usually a pretty big fan of communities cooperating with one another to work on things, but I tend to agree with where the thread is going here. Not really involved enough to understand why, so perhaps I am wrong, but it appears as though in the last year FL has gotten to the point where its base is simply not large enough to keep doing this. If they are stuggling with organization, lack of people on staff, and activity from the community my first impression is that TSP has lost its viability. While I do wish it well, this problem will not go away by sending a couple of our brightest minds to assist them. It would just weaken SWAT itself, which appears to be working prudently to diversify the kinds of games it covers and planning for the long-term. If OP is still planning next year to be done, people here have a lot to figure out about our own future before trying to help fellow communities. Besides, OP already does more than what is due for Freelancer. The worst thing that could happen for him is ending up with too much to work and getting burnt out from it. If a project isn't going to make you feel proud and satisfied by completion m8, don't do it.

Gast · Apr 23rd 2009

I recently read your post @ TSP, OP. It well written and reflect my feelings as well.
I think TSP was growing tooooooo fast - and in that period they enjoyed it instead of making adjustments (structural nature). Now they have problems and seems to be blinded.

I think they are not going to close the site - but they are lacking of ideas to improve something to have the same growing they had during the last two years.

Anyway thx for sharing your thoughts there, i was awaiting them there. I was nearly to post as well. But that maybe could has been misunderstood.

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · Apr 24th 2009

I believe not to say something is a mistake.
There are problems and if nobody does say something nothing can be done to change the situation.

Truth often hurts... but sometimes pain is good for healing.

EDIT:
Based on the latest replies they have learned nothing and will continue their way.
No surprise of that since many members which have absolutly no idea what it means to run such big communities present the situation like everything would be shiny.

I give TSP a few months before the next troubles appear and max 1 year before those get too big to handle them.

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · May 3rd 2009

Well now SWAT (ok mainly me) got target of a nice flamewar on that thread

Corynthos · May 3rd 2009

Can ya plz post a linkie?

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · May 3rd 2009

http://the-starport.net/index.…id=26&topic=1646.msg15064;topicseen#new

assault911 · May 3rd 2009

Quote

Posted by chips at the starport thread that OP posted

@ Swat... I can't help but point out your hypocrisy. I don't personally agree with your points at all - if you want a "community", you have to provide a range of services otherwise they'll only visit your site for the one service you provide, and will not interact... but I will make some points.

services that Swat supply if im correct?

1>support a large bunch of games other than freelancer
2>offer an extremely awesome download data base
3>great forums with alot of different topics
4>News
5>and chat
6>greatly moderated
7>great almost hostile free zone
8>now has Save FL initiative
9>and offers help to other modders alike
10> a great resource of information

Selmor · May 4th 2009

I have just read that thread over there and the stupidity amazes me. Never before I have seen such a big bunch of big mouths and ignorants.

I was a long term member of the old TLR and when it broke down I decided not to follow the other modders because I remembered all the trouble they have caused. Meanwhile I can say that this was a very good decision. But now I have the incredible strong feeling to go over there and tell them my opinion.

I need to calm down now.

**SWAT_OP-R8R** · May 4th 2009

good idea - calm down

Gast · May 4th 2009

no! - why? - start a flame post /thread there They wanted to have activity in their forums ... muahaha ... flame posts rises activity^^

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Open Letter from The Starport Admins

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