Samods news

Summary: The Samods FAQ and Hosting FAQ have been updated. I'm now going to attempt to put up more of my work as time allows.

"Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth." - Archimedes

There's no denying that activity at Samods has been low for a long time. In addition to past politics and real life business, the immediate modding community has waxed and waned in its own activity. This has been for whatever reasons, whether due to the popularity of MMOs or the lack of convenient and decent games to mod, so I'll avoid speculating and instead focus on the present.

In truth, as I see it, I believe getting the site active and operating is like keeping a kite flying in the air - it takes a decent level of effort to get going and additional effort to keep it afloat (Not that kites float ... unless they land in the water. Then they're not even flying. Bah, sometimes I hate metaphors...).

In the last few years, I must admit that I've been dismayed by people leaving - departures both quiet and loud, though with more of the former than the latter - and my motivation has suffered as a result. It's hardly promising to stick to something and notice friends silently disappearing. After I had finished university I focussed on finding a job and, it likely seems a poor excuse, I didn't want to gear up the site in case I found employment and did not have the time to dedicate. It's likely a case of both of all of the above.

So, that said, I have a job that I'm thoroughly enjoying, in the games industry no less, and I'm finally making an effort with the site now. I've got a stash of articles that need polishing, then I can add them and at least provide something new and refreshing. My main project is a series of articles to help any newcomers with modding in every aspect imaginable.

I'm not going to promise anything - I'm simply going to do the best I can, as I can, when I can. I sincerely hope and trust you viewers stick around as a result.

- Magic

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After conferring with the staff the Star Alliance is no more.

We are now Samods.

I began discussing the change several weeks ago. Originally I thought that we might as well modify our whole name and theme as part of our efforts to revitalise the group, but some people didn't like the suggestions. Instead, the decision was made to go with fair compromise of changing our name to reflect our domain instead. People can think of the site as 'Star Alliance Mods' or whatever but by name we are now to be referred to as 'Samods'.

"The Star Alliance" was thought up many years ago now (over ten I think!) when I was brainstorming a name for a "StarCraft level making group", I believe I was inspired by the Lost Souls Alliance from the adventure game Grim Fandango and also Jagged Alliance, the game series where I took my nickname from. These days, however, I believe it's no longer appropiate - I can recall a few occasions when people did not instantly understand the purpose of the site and were thus put off, and so I felt like our name should contain at least one word related to what we're all about: modding.

This is by no means going to instantly change the site or its fortunes, it's only an aesthetic one, but I think it was the right time to do it.

The Star Alliance is Dead ... Long live Samods.

Sup. I thought I'd break the deathly silence once more by officializing my video section, called EPIC Video. You can access it on the left-hand Divisions section, or through this link.

I've been dabbling in video editing for quite some time, first starting with WoW videos focusing on the exploiting of game mechanics and other such things. I gradually evolved into Guild Wars videos. Soon I figured out all of the unusual issues with interlacing and produced high-quality H264 videos covering everything from random hilarious replays in CNC3 to full-blown game demonstrations in high-definition.

When I get my new computer, I plan to make many more high-definition videos, covering replays, and of course games like Starcraft 2. Until then, I am gradually producing a library of excellent time-wasters. So, if you have a decent connection and some time to burn, take a look.

Not all of the videos are on the section in the site yet. For a full listing of what I have uploaded, check out my thread in the forums, here. You can also refer to that thread for any suggestions or the like you may have. I'll be gradually updating the section with additional videos as the time passes.

Update -

I've added the XXE edition to the division, featuring inane and humorous videos. Some are fairly large in filesize.

www.samods.org

You are still not dreaming.

Hi I'm Taeradun and I'm your new webmaster. Soon the site will have actual content on it