Freedom United - the end

[Vertex]

Well ladies and gentlemen...

  I figured I'd clear the air about Freedom United and let everyone know where the forum stands.  I had VERY high hopes about the forum and presenting a new angle on the whole Freedom Force creation aspect. I was really getting worked up on what I was gonna be able to achieve with it, was working trying to get the freedom wiki moved over to link to it and make it a real creative hub.

  I know a lot of people are furious with IPS and have every right to be. Join the club... guy kept telling me he was giving me the space to try to put some new life in this old girl we call FF. Instead what he ended up doing, was shooting me in the back as he blasted the Freedom Reborn forum for payback. I know what I was trying to get started woulda been good but now it's just a waste. I'm completely drained by what went down and how it ended up looking to everyone and apparently I was the only one too blind to see I was making a deal with the devil.

  This being said, I've spoken to IPS and he's set it up with his space provider to break off the forum from his control to mine. The forum's space and bandwidth is pre-paid for at least a year so I'll leave it up for anybody that feels like using it as a playground. I've already spoken to HG to not bother modding it anymore and just let it go however it ends up.

   To any who resent Freedom United and think it was just some sham to draw people away from FR... well I can assure you on my part it wasn't. This being said I just wanna apologize to the community for the ... impression it gave everyone and reassure any people still wondering that it was (on my part) a real hope to add something new. This has all been a lesson to me on blind altruism and I guess being as stubborn as I am it ended up as it had to, learning the hard way. Anyways to those who attempted to support Freedom United I thank you and wanna let ya know I appreciated the support.

                                                                                                                                        See ya in the funny pages folks,
                                                                                                                                                                    Bobby

[BentonGrey]

Hey VX, you know how I feel about everything man, and let me add my support for you, personally, at least one more time here.  I'm sorry things went down this way man.  Don't let this sour you on FF in general, there are still awesome people here and tons of great ideas.  I still believe that we are on the cusp of a new age for FF!

[Failed_Hero]

We still could be if people are interested I do not have remove my set up from my site.  I have the basics and if you want to move the set of the forum to my server and what not it would not be an issue.  I could set you up no problem.  I want to see creations and ideas shared.  I want to see new OC.  pm me if you want to take me up on the offer.  and it will always be ther because I believe in this community and talent that exists here.

[MikeB7]

Sorry to hear that, man.  Timing and circumstances screwed up a genuine effort to provide an alternate place for more intense discussion and dissection of the creative side to FF modding.

[apfarmakis]

Bobby, I'm sure anyone that knows you has no illusions about who's wearing the black hat and who's wearing the white hat in this snafu. Please, don't let one rotten apple sour you on the entire community and those that still want to contribute to it for no other reasons than blind altruism and a love for comics.

I for one am not going to let one immature fool's hissy fit spoil my love for the game and the sense of connection I have established with the people on FR. His stupidity will only serve to galvanise those that remain to do greater things and we will endure as we always have. I urge everyone to put this behind us and move on into the future with a renewed sense of purpose and determination.

[Figure Fan]

Hey, I still think you're cool

[Ares_God_of_War]

Noooo

[JKCarrier]

Vertex - I thought, and still think, that Freedom United is a good idea. I don't think anyone blames you for the IPS situation, and as long as he's no longer involved with FU in any capacity, there's no reason why it shouldn't continue. I don't blame you for wanting to back off and take a breather, but I hope that ultimately you'll decide to keep it going. If not, it was fun while it lasted. 

[cmdrkoenig67]

Wha-huh?! 

I certainly don't blame you for what happened with IPS and I was ready to support FU (which is why I started a map thread)...That however soured for me after what happened to FR and the fact that IPS was still at FU.  One other member, by his rude comments soured me on the forum further...None of this is your doing Bobby. 

You did a good thing by starting an alternate forum and trying to add a little variety into the FF community, don't feel it was a bad thing.

Best.

Dana

BTW:  It's down for maintenance and I was very frustrated in not being able to get to it.

[Vertex]

UPDATE:

  Talked with IPS about the seperation, it's not going through and now he's sole "owner" of FU since I gave it up. Also I hear from IPS he's launching another attack to Lunar pages trying to shut FR down. So... stand by for heavy seas folks it's not over yet.  I ask that none of you go near FU cause it's not a place to be.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I still think that FU is a good idea.  As I said before, I'd be more than willing to host such a thing, or a new version, no strings attached.

As for his launching another attack on FR, how?  He has no claim to anything further.

[Johnny Patches]

oh geeze.. i cant believe this

thanks for the heads up bobby

[UnkoMan]

Ouch, man.

That is very weak. It's so weak it did a 360 and became strong. It's so weak it went past strong and back to weak again.

But yeah, this is a darn shame right here. I was getting used to FU's layout... but then I actually couldn't log on for most of last week. I dunno why. Typing my name and password just reloaded the login page for me.

But now it seems it doesn't matter. Again, it's a darn shame. Too bad this did not go through how you wanted it. I definately supported this endeavor.

[Vertex]

I still think that FU is a good idea.  As I said before, I'd be more than willing to host such a thing, or a new version, no strings attached.

As for his launching another attack on FR, how?  He has no claim to anything further.

Not quite sure it didn't make much sense to me, but something about how they didn't get rid of material but hid it. Basically he's out to try to remove FR's ability to host FF material altogether. His ultimate goal apparently is to force everyone away from FR to either a new forum or to his.

[Zapow]

Again, his illogical complaint is that we host copyrighted material. We don't. The posters here do. Again he makes the community a target while throwing his tantrum.

[cmdrkoenig67]

That lousy, scum-slurping, son of a....

I hope nobody from this forum goes there and panders to that back-stabbing so-and-so...Any forgiveness I may have had for him is now long gone...May he rot!  Oh and I'm removing my bookmark to it, right now.

FF does need an alternative forum, though (like FU, the old NPI forums or even like the Official FF boards of old, etc...)...I'd like to see one created, somewhere, sometime.

Dana

[laughing paradox]

I don't think anyone really believes you had anything to do with it, and if they did, it was probably a blind kind of 'attack' on anyone associated with PIS, in any capacity.

I think most of us know better than that and are in no short supply to back you up. It's a shame that things occurred the way they did, though.. You really seemed genuine in providing a new venue for FF fans to check out and it sucks that it was mired with so much negativity due to one person's actions.

PIS is trying to shut down the forums again, huh? He does realize he's in his 30's, right, and not some teenage girl who just lost her boyfriend? Sad.

[Johnny Patches]

well what do you expect.. he dont get his way and like a child he takes his toys and goes home..

Spoiler

must of been the abuse as a kid

ok LP your point PIS? 

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I think personal attacks of that nature should not be done.  We must not sink to his level.

[Previsionary]

FF does need an alternative forum, though (like FU, the old NPI forums or even like the Official FF boards of old, etc...)...I'd like to see one created, somewhere, sometime.

Dana

Do we "really" need another forum when so many are sitting about going unused? We should make use of what we have first, me thinks, as no one site outside of FR is really all that active.

Regardless, sorry "FU" is going down, Vert, and all this drama that keeps interrupting calm periods is beyond irritating at this point. I now question why I even decided to come back, as every time I think things are cooling down and going back to normal, someone kicks dirt in our collective eyes. I say goggles needs to drop the pop star act and make us all goggles. Yep. Get on that Shirley.

[cmdrkoenig67]

FF does need an alternative forum, though (like FU, the old NPI forums or even like the Official FF boards of old, etc...)...I'd like to see one created, somewhere, sometime.

Dana

Do we "really" need another forum when so many are sitting about going unused? We should make use of what we have first, me thinks, as no one site outside of FR is really all that active.

Regardless, sorry "FU" is going down, Vert, and all this drama that keeps interrupting calm periods is beyond irritating at this point. I now question why I even decided to come back, as every time I think things are cooling down and going back to normal, someone kicks dirt in our collective eyes. I say goggles needs to drop the pop star act and make us all goggles. Yep. Get on that Shirley.

Well Prev my pal/buddy/friend, some of those forums have been forgotton, and I'm trying via PMs to get them active again...So no, I guess we don't need a bunch of new forums, let's just use the ones we have.  However, advertizing/linking them openly here might be a bad idea, since we're being watched by vengeful eyes.

best.

Dana

[cmdrkoenig67]

I think personal attacks of that nature should not be done.  We must not sink to his level.

I agree.

Dana

[tommyboy]

Vertex, I'll restate that for my part I don't hold you (or any other FU contributor) responsible for anything IPS might say or do.
I hope that you will continue to be part of the community, and to make the great meshes we all have come to love.
I'm sure that the last couple of months have been unpleasant for you, but hope that the bigger picture is the years you've been in the community outweighing the last few months.

[The Phantom Eyebrow]

Vertex, I'm sorry to hear it if you've copped any flak over recent events.  I've always been a big fan of your work and I hope you've not been soured on things FF and FR related.

[RTTingle]

... sad.

At some point some of us get upset and have issues with the head honchos and most of us blow off steam and swear the place off.  People quit, leave, take sabbatical - whathaveyou.  They just simply decide to remove themselves from the community until the steam blows off, they change their minds, think better of the situation or come to some common sense.

Until this point no one has took it to themselves to remove the community.

I have to say, this hurts.  It doesn't make me angry.  It just plain hurts.

Its one thing to have people randomly attack the place with hacks.

Its another to have someone who was part of the community, who decides the best way to take their anger out on a select few, is to destroy the community as a whole.  That kind of anger hurts.  The heart and soul of this community is creativity and sharing it.  While the community is not 100% full of those who contribute something.... it is full of 100% people who appreciate it.  While I may not have cared for some people or was the best friends with everyone --- I can certainly say I 100% appreciated everything they contributed. 

Its disheartening to say the least when someone who is of the creative community decides to do something like this --- and they don't care.  The first attack may have been of anger, but with the second reported oncoming attack, its clear that this is personal and not just against a select few... but against the community as a whole.

They just don't care and that hurts.

I'm glad we weathered the first storm just fine.  One would hope that FR's provider just visiting irrationalgames.com and its sister sites freedomfans.com with freedomfans.com/modforce would be enough to show them the developers of the game whole heaterdly support modding and thus this community.  One also hopes they have enough sense to see, the complaints are more about harassment and not legitimate complaints considering the complainer also was one of the "offenders" themselves.

This community was built by those who are creative and wanted to share.  May it live as long as those who are willing to do such, do such.  Best of luck to the one who made his intent fully visible and wishes to build a community founded on hate, anger and what they themselves wanted destroyed, so that they could only control it themselves.

RTT

[deano_ue]

honestly this make you just want to lose it

[Johnny Patches]

i never understood what my dad ment 
when he use to tell me keep my friends close and my enimies closer till now
itssa shame 20 years later it finally struck me

[House Quake]

Part of the issue, is that regardless of what we have said concerning the matter, some people continued to question the circumstances under which FU was created in the first place.. and they directly or indirectly cast judgment onto Vertex's (and a lesser extent my own) integrity.  Also, adding to what was already a betrayal from IPS, there was a healthy contingent of the 'you should have knowns' from various community members.  These judgments were not necessary and for the most part have been way off base.  I could go on a lot more... but I'm not because it won't serve a point.  Whats been said has been said... if you missed it.. then maybe you're better off in ignorant bliss.

Over the past couple of months there has been projects which should have strengthened the community... but instead... egos, agendas and vendettas have made it even weaker.   But... heh... what else is new.  For better or worse (more worse) that has been the story of this community.  I wish I was a part of the 95% of you who just don't know what has been said and what has gone on in this community over the years you are not privy too.  Maybe then I would see things in a nice contrasty black and white... instead of this big blur of grey.

[BentonGrey]

Whatever may have been done in the past HQ, I've gotta' say I don't see too much that's gray about this...and I happen to like gray quite a bit.

I can think of one or two people who really accused FU and pushed the idea that there was something inappropriate going on.  It seems to me like that is a vast minority...of course, I don't know what went on in PM's.  Still, there is only one person to blame for this debacle HQ, and it ain't too hard to figure out who it is.

[TaskMasterX]

UPDATE:

  Talked with IPS about the seperation, it's not going through and now he's sole "owner" of FU since I gave it up. Also I hear from IPS he's launching another attack to Lunar pages trying to shut FR down. So... stand by for heavy seas folks it's not over yet.  I ask that none of you go near FU cause it's not a place to be.

Going by past behaviour of IPS, he could suddenly decide to shut FU down because he's not being agreed with. Or, because he has no fear of being banned here at FU, because he hosts the forums, he can wreck havok with FR and no one can do anything because he has his new FF home.

Maybe I should change my name to NostradamusX? So, now the little creep has basically taken down two FF forums. I would guess his aim is now to be the one who single-handedly wiped out the FF community because he has nothing else to lose.

Also, adding to what was already a betrayal from IPS, there was a healthy contingent of the 'you should have knowns' from various community members.  These judgments were not necessary and for the most part have been way off base.  I could go on a lot more... but I'm not because it won't serve a point.  Whats been said has been said... if you missed it.. then maybe you're better off in ignorant bliss.

I knew. I would have never thought of asking someone with IPS's attitude to host something that I put a lot of hard work and effort into especially right after he was banned from a forum that had to do with what I was working on. IPS has a history of getting back at those that he thinks have wronged him. I knew his banning wasn't going to be any different. When the FF forums came back up and I heard that Vertex was trying to drop IPS from his site, I knew that this still wouldn't be the end of 'ol IPS and I told some people this via PM. So here we are. It's obvious now he isn't going to stop. What's the next step we take?