Site Feedback Let's have a discussion about the site

Whatever the reason, it was still a very public move.

 

Good. As you say, before(?) the downtime the forum wasn't crawled at all, but a ArchiveTeam pushed through a panic crawl this summer. This will not be continually updated by IA though. It will need to be manually forced every time for now.

 

I've already been I'm contact to make sure that archive.org is on top of things

 

How about Assembler takes a well-deserved break and hands the site over to the current staff - who then take it in turns to keep the site up and running properly. The important part is that Assembler is free to take back control of the site at any time in the future, this way he doesn't give up anything - and if he ever wants to close this chapter in his life then he's free to do it knowing the community and the immense archive of information still lives on just as he intended.

If I were to look at it objectively (try as I might) I think the main issue is being able to trust other people to take control. I say meet up with Borman and have a long chat about the future of the site (then let us know where he keeps his protos and what time he usually leaves the house

 

I may not have the rapport around here right now, but if there's anything I can do or contribute to smooth things out over the coming while, I'm able and willing. LAMP or web hosting isn't my strongest skill, but I'm a IT pro by trade so the technical aspect(s) are well within my knowledge; I should have the disk space available locally for archival, and can handle things like VPS or dedicated server setups, general updating and housekeeping. Enough that those holding the keys can take a much needed break.

 

Sadly the world is full of people expecting free services without giving a crap about those who provide them.
I truly appreciate this site even with its faults and know from personal experiance that running a scheduled site / youtube channel is a real drain on personal time. We only do it for the passion we have but the passion can drain due to too much negativity.

Good luck Kevin. And remember that there are always people who understand the hardships of running a place like this and truly do appreciate your work.
Maybe it's time to think about getting more staff with tech knowhow of running this site?

 

Very likely so. I know when I'm in a bad frame of mind for one reason or another I tend to pull the trigger on things that I may regret rather quickly but seem like they may solve a short term spike in anxiety.

Might not be a bad idea to form a LLC or something of the sort and have the site be owned by multiple individuals. Spreads out the financial/legal/duties/etc responsibilities and everything can be set down in a contract. Maybe that's a bit much but I agree 100% that I want to see this place firing on all cylinders with little to no major changes. I think it works pretty well as-is short of that hiccup where the site was down for a few months. One of the things I saw with DCEmulation just before |darc| effectively lifted it from 007Cheater (who was really starting to use the site as a money maker for himself and other changes the community just couldn't deal with) was that keeping the forum and plugins, etc updated was a challenge because 007 himself wasn't that technologically adept.

That clearly isn't the issue here but keeping up on security is vital for a forum and as we go into the future I'm sure laws will be enacted penalizing the loss of personal information from black hats gaining unauthorized access. I'm praying Equifax will be nailed to the wall because they claim my information was lifted as well. Having multiple offsite backups in various parts of the US as well as various countries would be vital and necessary, if it isn't already being done. Someone who is a sentinel to keep up on updates is a must and I have no idea if that is currently a thing for us or not.

I wouldn't be against the idea of shouldering some of the financial burden with others if it mean something I would put into writing with others. I can't remotely shoulder the entire yearly cost but I know we don't really cover everything with donations alone. I can also offer my home internet connection as a place for a remote backup to be done as well if it means alleviating a cost of one remote backup.

And I know we face legal challenges due to the nature of this place. Obviously if I'm throwing money into the pot monthly and have some level of "ownership" I'd potentially face being named as well, unless we formed an LLC to cover the forums so that we personally are not legally liable for what happens here, just the forums itself. This really is something Kevin should've done years ago so that he wouldn't be directly targeted for legal action. Yes it's still a massive PITA to deal with but at least the people who have ownership of the company can't have their car or house taken away due to an adverse judgement in court. Or maybe that has already been done and I'm not aware of it.

In any case, we have many options to pursue here and I'd relish the opportunity to be a bigger part of this place than I have been if my skills, resources, and person are desired to help out in a greater capacity than just a poster of threads and comments.

 

There always some lol drama on message boards, but I just wanted to quickly say this place is great. I wish I had discovered it sooner, but I was a tad late to the collecting and proto party, even though the idea of it always interested me.

I certainly understand running a website can be a thankless job and consume resources, so whoever runs this needs to weigh things and make their own decisions. I for one appreciate whoever does anything to further this place being around.

 

If you need any help let me know. I've never run a site but this is one of my favorites on the net. The people here always seem to have the answers to my most obscure questions. As a science teacher and all around piddler I'd love to help.

 

Also I would like to add I checked this site at least once a week when it was down and got my facebook out of the cobwebs so I could add you and check for updates.

 

Hey Assembler, hope you are well. I have always appreciated the site itself and all your efforts. Should you need any kind of assistance with doing so, just shoot me a PM. Happy to help any way that I can! All the best, Jordan

 

I’ve been a member since the old ez board days and when it actually had a front museum page. In fact i discovered it when looking for info on some obscure Japanese hardware but can’t think of what it was atm. There was just something so unique about this museum of obscure hardware that the rest of the internet didn’t even talk about.

But then one day I decided to check out th forum and was supriesed to discover just how unique it was and how much knowledge was being traded that could’ve easily been lost to time if it weren’t for such a dedicated community. So many undiscovered protypes and developement equipment has passed through this very forum.

At the same time I realize it came at a great costs. The amount of lawsuits Kevin has had over prototypes would make most shit their pants. So I do have quite a bit of respect for him. Even back in the days when Aim was king I’d have deep discussions with him. So I understand where he is coming from and figured it would reach this point. I’ve felt bad not contributing financially the last couple years so I don’t feel I have much of a say.

Whatever he decides I’m okay with. If he does end up selling I just ask it’s someone who respects and understand what the forum is and what it means to it’s members. Whatever happens Kevin thanks for your service to the gaming community.

 

Over the years Assemblergames.com has become something big, something one alone can't manage. Especially in this day and age where data-leaks are a big thing, it's irresponsible not having the manpower behind the scenes to keep those who want harm away. The fact that every fundraiser so far has been successful, shows that we the users are indeed thankful for having this place and not taking it for granted. It has become clear that this website can't function in moments of need, without having trusted capable parties involved with full authority to act when needed.

However where it rubs me and undoubtly others the wrong way is how (or lack of) information is given. The current situation with Demon is a clear example of what breaks the community in half. After the countless hours/days Demon has put voluntarily into getting Assemblergames back on it's feet, I feel that it's beyond unfair to ban him with the thread of legal prosecution. That just screams scapegoating and distraction from the real problem. The information given by you so far, contradicts the proof that is out there. (Agreed, his profanity was not needed, but surely we can all agree that this is undoubtedly the result of frustrations building up).

If Demon really was the bad guy, then where is the big warning topic explaining us the community what went wrong and to inform us which information is now laying on the street. This also applies to when the site went back online after the whole down-time, there was just not enough information given.

We are all here to share and talk about our passion for videogames, hopefully all these past events will make this place take a turn for the better.

 

love++

i like this site very much. i think the issue is that nobody notices when everything goes right, and no one forgets when something goes wrong. so, maybe it is time to state that, for me, nothing went wrong so far regarding this site. But many things went right. I had many good deals, a ps2 dev system, an xbox 360 dev system, an xbox 360 dev proto,... i learned about the systems a great deal from here, or for instance how to run virtua cop 3 on an dvt4 and the video cable issue (took me hours till i found it here). this site is a great source for hardware and knowledge.

 

People are more likely to complain than they are to say thanks, but that doesn't mean they aren't thankful. There are a lot of people who appreciate what you've built. Make sure you put your well being first, but just be sure to think through what you want to do with the site.

I have not followed what has gone on in recent events.

 

Assembler,

This site has brought together people from all walks and fields. Experts (like @marshallh) to obscure gaming enthusiasts like myself (or even casual observers), all interacting on a single website. No other place on the internet has what this site has. People often take for granted just how difficult it is to run a website. Don't let it get to you. Take a break when necessary and try to reflect on the monumental accomplishments that have taken place on these very forums. It'll help you immensely.

 

Hey Kevin,

About the site downtime, I think some people tend to forget that the site is only run by a select few and are only human, everyone makes their mistakes and everyone has issues. Try not to take things to heart and push/block the unnecessary negativity to the side if you can.

I may not have been showing my support by being an active poster as of late. But when I'm in the right frame of mind and schedule is not filled up, I genuinely like to get involved in the community, learn, give advice/help to others in their modding projects and help people whenever I can in anyway possible. If I'm not active poster mode, I try show my gratitude and support in Donations in the very least. If it wasn't for the all people here, I wouldn't be were I'm at Today and it's all because of assemblergames. You have given me a place to learn, given me a place to run a business and given me a place to interact/make friends with others with the same interests.

I just wanted to let you know you are appreciated and this forum has changed me for the better and it's because of you and just wanted to say, Thank You Kevin.

 

I have been a lurker on here for 10-15 years. I have learned so much from this site that I wouldn't have anywhere else. This place is a treasure trove of info and new things pop up all the time. Please take a step back, maybe you need to offload some duties to give yourself time to get yourself straight before making any rash decisions.

People that are complaining about down time and whatever else can suck it up, get over it or move on to somewhere else. Your health is your wealth.

I will say one thing that has put me off coming here the last while is a mod with a totally abrasive attitude, breaking up conversations to assert their nazi-esq following of rules as demonstrated in this thread. That certainly needs to be addressed as it is a complete turn off.

As someone that doesn't post very often my opinion may not mean anything in the grand scheme of things on this site, but I don't want the site to go away and hope you can get yourself back into a good place.

And thanks for all the years of this great place, long may it continue.

 

I cannot think of anyone better than Bad_Ad84 to purchase, run, and even improve Assembler Games! I would be more than willing to co-purchase the site with him and simply watch him work his magic! He's the BEST, nuff said! Your friend, Jordan

 

The Internet is a dark place full of spite. I agree with what some have said about opening up access and control to other trusted admins. Share the burden with those willing to help that you trust.

Ignore personal attacks. Don't derive self worth from a forum, it will never be appreciated and you will never get back what you put in.