I think I'm done running this site (again, what is this, the 3rd time?). Is anybody interested in taking over? I did quite a bit of work trying to get things right for open source and/or handoff but never finished it and there are a ton of things going on in my life that prevent me from giving this any attention.

Right now the site has 2 servers: main massassi server which runs the site & forums, and a second server running the 3dpreview stuff.

Most of massassi is written in really old PHP but it has been updated and combed through for security issues so it's not horrible. The forums are obviously commercial software and there is an update or two that should be applied. There may be some perl stuff running here and there as well (like maybe levels search and possibly SotD or LotW archives but I can't remember).

I run them off 2 linodes that are probably significantly oversized and cost me $80/month (which includes their automated backups of the main server). I think both are running Debian but the main server is at an older version.

I would like to hand it over to someone that:

- has some web development experience
- has some server maintenance experience
- will be good for the community
- shares the vision that everything here was contributed by community members and should be free & open

If I get no takers my plan is to:

- copy the database, wipe it clean of all personal information (passwords, email addresses & ip addresses)
- export it as a mysql .sql file
- zip everything up and put it somewhere (hopefully permanent??) so interested parties can download it
- close the site down, maybe leave the domain up but have a pointer to the download only

Sorry guys, I just don't have the motivation or energy to spend on the site anymore.

Had I known about this the last time you have it up I probably would have moved mountains to take it over but I'm over all of that. Discord seems to have mostly killed the forum now as well. You've done an admirable job and I can't blame you at all at this point.

Thanks Brian for running the site for so long! It means a lot to us.

At very least I'd like there to be a static version of the site preserved somewhere, in addition to the SQL file. (In fact for privacy reasons it might be better not to make the raw SQL public.) I don't have any particular attachment to vBullitain or PHP, but at the same time I'd like there to be a static render of all the HTML somewhere, since the look and feel of this place is pretty important.

I guess what I'm saying is that if nobody else steps up, I'd be down to convert the site to a static archive of sorts, but as far as hosting the site for the ongoing community and with the ability to post new things, by the time I'm done with it there won't be any vBullitain or PHP left. ;-)

It's sad that forums are dying. The old internet may have been toxic, but there was a sense of community that the reddits, twitters and other bull**** of the new internet has killed. Anonymity has always been a bad force on the internet, but it's been turbo charged by the fact that you'll mostly be dealing with strangers as well. Reputation isn't a thing anymore.

I guess the Massassi era has been long over, but it's still weird to see it finally disappear. I haven't actively posted here in ten years, but I always check it by habit. Thanks to you and others for keeping it going as long as you have!

The Trump Thread killed Massassi. I knew it.

On a non-shticky note: Thanks for everything, Brian.

I remember the last time you took the reins in early 2016 and how there was that initial spark for making changes and trying to roll new things out. While not entirely the same thing, I know the same feeling from so many failed FGR projects which all fizzled out due to real life kicking in and me losing that spark for one reason or the other.

I have none of the qualifications to take over, and as someone who tried to spin off the ISB into its own site and failed, I just want to echo that it's sad that forums as a whole seem to be replaced with "social media" like reddit. Thank you, Brian, for the years you've put into this site, and if you don't find someone, I'll miss this site, and I hope you give us a "date of closure" so to speak. I'll want to make sure I have my own personal backup copies of the ISB up to date before that happens.

I think I'd have the expertise to take over the site (as well as a significantly cheaper but still overpowered server). But my time is really really stretched thin as well. If you don't need your servers for anything else I could host the archives. Maybe some other people could host some mirrors as well.

Now I'm worried that my sudden return and post about what you all are still doing here is responsible for the end!

*Ahem.*

On the contrary, the Trump thread was probably keeping this place alive:

I'm pretty sure I'm qualified to take over shameless plug *cough*.

I have a web server I use for various projects and game servers which is under utilised. I have an 8 core server with 8gb RAM for running a couple of UT99, Ut2k4 and Trackmania Nations servers along with a handful of websites. How much space does the site use? That's probably the only thing my server might be lacking given the number of files.

I'm happy to host it. Security issues aren't as much of a problem now that everything is containerized. I'd happily stick it in a docker container and make the entire site available to download and run as a docker image. It would then make moving it to different servers or letting other people host it be a lot easier. Long term, anyone could potentially run the site locally in docker if I die of COVID or something.

I would much rather keep the site alive so people can visit it, even if the forums don't get any posts it's just nice to know they're there.

That sounds fantastic, Ni. I take it though that for this dockerized instance, you're somehow going to sanitize or separate out all the private information such as passwords and private messages. Unless it's just going to be a static archive....

Exactly.

Maybe we could arrange a second term?

If anything, back in late 2015 and early 2016 when the first death was about to take place, the name of this level pack reflected those events - but now in retrospect, it toe-doe-uh-tally reflects what Massassi became in 2016-2020.

Hence, this logo: https://forums.massassi.net/vb3/showthread.php?68181-Massassi-Holiday-Logo-Contest-2021&p=1232546&viewfull=1#post1232546

... ... wait a minute, I posted that logo before Brian made his announcement. Did I kill Massassi!?

BOH!

Mr. Torrance, you and the Massassi Temple have always been dead, and Brian has always had your soul!

Just wanted to give a thanks to Brian for everything you've done with Massassi. Would be a /_\ to see it go.

Thanks. I will reach out to you in January to see if we can work this out.

If anyone objects to Ni taking over please either post here or PM me.

I have no objections to this but I would volunteer to provide a mirror for all site content. I'll figure out where to host it and pay for it out of pocket. Qualifications: software engineer specializing in infrastructure for the past decade and this site isn't that complicated. We (Ni + I or others) should be able to come up with a plan to keep this place alive. It would break my heart if the content of Massassi was lost. I would love to help maintain its integrity. Please reach out to me at matt@olenik.me

Edit: also Brian, thank you for your contributions over the years. This place and its people, directly and indirectly, had a profound impact upon my life. It's hard to describe in words how glad I am that this is all here.

Hi Emon, good to see you again!

(Hopefully you've checked JkGfxMod out <_<)

Oh hey, Emon. You haven't been posting as much, recently. Hmm.

Nice thing about running a modding site is that you are unwittingly training a bunch of kids to be your successor.

Sounds good everyone, only I won't be able to devote any time to this until sometime in January. We are selling our house and moving soon so things are super busy around here. If I do get time I will reach out over email. Ni if you want to pm me your preferred email address maybe we (you, Emon and I) could discuss particulars that way for now.

Note just in case anyone is worried: I'm definitely not going to just take the site down. Handing it over isn't urgent, there's no ticking time bomb or anything.

I mean, if anything, Massassi better survive past my 20th Massassianniversary on 06-14-2021

(...crikey)

hey can I upload one last mod before uploads are closed? I just learned how to make JK models of different sizes and proportions without using any new cogs or animations and stuff

that would have been the bomb in 1999


also if there's a new death of massassi contest, this means I'll win a modding contest with a rodianosaur 3do

While I'd like to have the very last download ever uploaded on Massassi to be an FGR creation, a project with a screenshot like that does intrigue me

Hah, I remember this Easter egg in GoldenEye on N64. I seem to remember (maybe this was in Perfect Dark too?) there also being a way to let you adjust the heads on a scale.

More or less this served as a handicap mechanism, whereby headshots would either be super easy or super difficult. This also reminds me of the Jaws and Oddjob characters w.r.t. height and hit zones...

That would be so fun to be tiny like Link in Minish Cap.

there is no project, it's just the default jk multiplayer models but with wacky proportions. perhaps I should do all of them and call it a skin pack, it'd be a nice homage to the old so-called-mods of massassi while still being fresh and never done before.

the idea was to show what could be done in future projects (the only gripe being there's no such thing as "future projects"). you could, for example, make a ReSpecialized Special Special Edition of TODOA SE where Vader actually is some 20cm taller and that's about it I guess



oh yeah, there is one tiny Kyle model in the pack (and also a really long Yun). I'm also considering including a midget Trando. hitboxes still have the same size tho, so I imagine it'd be quite confusing in a normal multiplayer game

Yes - that screenshot needs to be permanently visible on Massassi's last front page.



Oh yeah, I could finally get rid of the box https://vimeo.com/161234715

I guess I always took Massassi for granted, assuming it somehow will always be there. Thanks for keep it up Brian, one of the last relics of an internet era gone by.

Long time no see, Emon and SMOCK!

Sounds like you have some volunteers to help keep things going, but I'm also available to help. Both with the tech side, and hosting costs if needed.

Brian, thank you for creating and maintaining this place. It's been a huge positive impact in my life, and I'm sure many others. Modding JK sparked my interest in programming, and you and others in the community pointed me to Linux. What I learned here prepared me for a career more than anything else in my life.

Really glad Ni and Emon stepped in. Days past I'd have offered to host as well, but all the OSC stuff is in disarray and I mostly keep it all around for email, database, and archival purposes too. Massassi has been my home page since I first found it, and is today if for no other reason than nostalgia. Just knowing that it's around is comforting. Thanks for keeping things going this long, Brian. Hopefully we can figure out keeping it going indefinitely.

Where are you moving to, Brian? Been a while since we hung out.

Moving to eastern WA, near Spokane.

Thanks for everything you've done with this site, Brian. I'm not qualified to help keep it going, but If cost is of any concern to whomever takes over I'll contribute to help cover server costs.

I think about the mods for JK a lot, and I miss playing them with a lot of -ians back in the day. Lots of names in this thread (and on the forums as a whole) have directly or indirectly had some impact on me, for better or worse. Like Yecti said, it's comforting to know Massassi is still here, even if I don't participate with any sort of regularity.

Happy fourteenth birthday, Zloc.

Thanks again for everything, Brian. Lots of great memories here. Every time I go to Washington State I think about looking you up and thanking you for giving me a shot at helping out with the site, even after you found out I was younger than I put on. I was such a flake and had no self-awareness (still true to a degree, tho I'm working on it), and you were so kind. Hard to believe it's been over 20 years.

i can help u out
i am the father of time
so i have some experience in building networks