To be clear: There is no bad blood. No drama. No bridges burned. At least, that is not my intention and I apologize if anyone feels differently. I'm announcing this publicly because I know people will want to know my reasons, the main one being that my time is limited and it will be better spent working on other things.
Don't confuse this with me leaving UT completely behind. If you haven't noticed by now, I love this old game. No other can really compare. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
When I began developing NewNet, before GU really made a name for itself, I was looking for an organized setting to use my mod and unite as many UT players as possible from all over the world. Andrew (PACO) came to me and told me about GlobalUnreal and it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. One thing led to another, and I made NewNet exclusive to GU in an attempt to bring everyone under one roof. Since then, I've put over a thousand hours of my time into this project (NewNet, other small mods, site, pug bot, servers, babysitting, etc.) because I've had a vision for making UT relevant to the modern world again, and all of these pieces must work together as one for it to happen.
Sadly, I wish I could have provided more and fulfilled all of my promises, but I'm only one man and I have other obligations, and no one here is making a living from this. A huge part of my goal is to change that, and this concept is why I no longer feel that GU and I are a good fit. As the title states, it's been fun... but the main reason for my departure is that GU's current structure and methodologies simply do not meet the standards that I believe are necessary to reach said goal. I don't really blame any of the other admins, because they (like me) have just been doing what they could on top of an already flawed foundation with the limited resources available to them.
To elaborate, professionalism plays a huge part in the success of any organization that wishes to grow. If the goal is to play an old video game with a handful of old friends and a few new acquaintances, GU is the perfect place for that. But if the goal is to become a sustainable organization with the means to expand and to provide some type of tangible reward for its members, in this day and age, it requires professional cohesion and infrastructure, capital resources, engineering-driven culture, and minimal legacy dependencies.
I'm sure many of you can attest to the fact that UT99 is easily the purest form of eSports, a growing industry with millions of participants. This game is probably the closest a first person shooter will ever get to a real sport. The release of Unreal Engine 4 to the masses couldn't have come at a better time. And if any of you have kept up with what people on all corners of the internet are saying, you'd notice a clear pattern:
1) People want the simplicity that is the original UT, but they want it in modern form. Depending on what exactly Epic permits, I will "spiritually remake" UT99 in UE4 (regardless of OpenTournament's configuration, though still completely configurable) by adjusting Epic's assets to match UT99's gameplay where feasible. I'll also do what I can to import the popular maps, while giving them face lifts, of course.
2) People have also made it clear that they want UT in the web browser with all kinds of pretty stats and matchmaking capabilities. And as many of you know, I've been working on exactly this for a very long time. It's currently around 80% completion, working as flawlessly as one can conceive, as it isn't hindered by trying to integrate with legacy PHP forum code.
To reiterate, UT99 will be reincarnated within Unreal Engine 4 and it will have full web browser support. Anyone from this community who wishes to be part of the private beta will be at the top of the list. I just purchased uTournament.net today, so until I'm able to put up a proper splash page, send an email with the subject "I'm from GU!" to [email protected]. Or if you think you have what it takes to be uTournament staff, send an email to [email protected] including your résumé and what you feel you can bring to the table. Also feel free to idle in #uTournament on irc.globalgamers.net or irc.quakenet.org. We may even be able to get some pugs going soon!
I will still be around in the UT99 scene (to wrap up this season for my team, at the very least), and I'm sure I'll still be pugging here and there. The difference is that I no longer feel it is worth it to devote anymore of my time and energy to improving UT99.
Props to:
- Andrew (PACO) for starting GU against all odds, advertising, streaming, and dealing with the many manchildren who compose the UT community.
- Jess (Chica/HULKSMASH) for being Andrew's right-hand woman and putting in all of the hard work of filling in the gaps.
- Rain for leading multiple successful leagues, providing multiple servers, and being an all around good guy.
- Humpty for solid leadership and not being afraid to do what needs to be done.
- Monk for his experience in keeping leagues and tournaments within their boundaries.
- Vitz for spending countless hours trying to clean up shop.
- Nobody for being Nobody, the guy in the background of every picture.
- Every other admin for their contributions: Grins, Spydee, Ulo, Hertz, Detox, Kyle, Snap, Scream, Sponge, FlowX, Kud, Imperious, Unrealshots, and anyone else I may have forgotten.
- Every single one of you who continues playing this old game to this day. You've made all the work I've put into it completely worth it.
·GU I PBR Quarter Finalist·
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