2004 End of Year Address
Fri Dec 31, 2004 1:41 pm
2004 End of Year Address
I can't guarantee that this will be as exciting or humourous as Stevan's thread, but I'd like to take this opportunity to recap the year here at the NLSC as well as look ahead to the year ahead of us. 2004 has been a fairly eventful year for the site, but I also feel it's been one of the best especially over the last couple of months.
The big change around the NLSC is the new server. Earlier this month we finally completed the move from GameSpy's SportPlanet network to the Sports Gaming Network, and we're very happy to be here. We're once again nba-live.com, the Forum has its own domain name and perhaps best of all, we no longer have to deal with FilePlanet or any download queues. There's still a few things that need to be fixed up, but for the most part we're running at full speed.
One problem is our downloads section - we're missing an awful lot of files from the older versions of Live. Problems with the database still over at SportPlanet prevent us from transferring the data over easily, so we're going to have to resort to a lengthy (but still straightforward) process. Expect that to happen early next year.
We're continuing to expand the NLSC Team with some talented patchmakers and very soon, some feature article writers. I apologise to the applicants who have been waiting on a decision, I have been giving grace to applicants who have yet to send in their submissions. As it seems unlikely I'll receive any more, I'll be making the decision of who to "hire" within the next week or so, with the help of the rest of the team. Speaking of team expansions, there's a couple more individuals ready to join our ranks, so look out for the announcement very soon.
To answer the question of a cosmetic update: yes, adding new skins to the forum is on the agenda. I don't know about a complete overhaul of the site's colour scheme and layout as we've done the past couple of years, but I won't rule that out either.
2004 has been a very active year for the NLSC Forum, with its fair share of drama and conflict...but there's always been some good discussions led by enthusiastic posters. The biggest conflicts have been over moderation and forum policy. After a particularly heated incident, we've amended the forum rules and moderator policy to offer a more poster-friendly environment, while still maintaining order. We've striven to improve the way the forum is run and above all, let everyone know that we're open to suggestions. Needless to say, we need to know about those suggestions to consider and implement them.
Which is why I want to stress again, we are very much open to suggestions and any feedback, good or bad. But that feedback needs to reach us for any good to come of it. If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear about them.
I really would like to thank all of the posters who continue to support the forum and the site. I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding through some of the difficult times: the server move and especially, the disputes over forum rules and procedure. A handful people have come through the forum since the site opened back in 1996 and have demanded a second chance while not extending the same courtesy to the NLSC staff. Thank you for recognising our humanity and for understanding and forgiving our shortcomings. I think I speak for the entire NLSC Team when I say it's very much appreciated.
As always, a huge thanks to the patchmakers who continue to do tremendous work for the community. The number of patchmakers continues to grow every year, and the graphics updates are just getting better and better. Patchmakers really don't get enough credit for their work, outstanding work that they simply do as a hobby.
I'd like to thank all the moderators for helping me out in the forum. The forum is getting bigger all the time, and I just can't be everywhere at once. Thank you for making my job much, much easier.
On the subject of the game itself: NBA Live 2005 is probably one of the best received games in recent years, even with the gripes we have with some of the bugs and gameplay issues. Even though it's a couple of months old, it's still generating a lot of discussion, a lot of great patches and from the looks of the Dynasty threads, a lot of enjoyment for NBA Live enthusiasts. NBA Live 2006 should be one awesome game.
Finally, I'd like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe new year, I hope to see everyone back in 2005 because I'm really excited about what the NLSC will have to offer in the next 12 months. As usual, I'll leave you wish a reminder of some words of wisdom from one of the NLSC's founders, Lutz van Hasselt:
Remember the safest order of things on New Year's Eve:
1. Fireworks
2. Drink
And not vice-versa!
Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2005!
- Andrew Begley
I can't guarantee that this will be as exciting or humourous as Stevan's thread, but I'd like to take this opportunity to recap the year here at the NLSC as well as look ahead to the year ahead of us. 2004 has been a fairly eventful year for the site, but I also feel it's been one of the best especially over the last couple of months.
The big change around the NLSC is the new server. Earlier this month we finally completed the move from GameSpy's SportPlanet network to the Sports Gaming Network, and we're very happy to be here. We're once again nba-live.com, the Forum has its own domain name and perhaps best of all, we no longer have to deal with FilePlanet or any download queues. There's still a few things that need to be fixed up, but for the most part we're running at full speed.
One problem is our downloads section - we're missing an awful lot of files from the older versions of Live. Problems with the database still over at SportPlanet prevent us from transferring the data over easily, so we're going to have to resort to a lengthy (but still straightforward) process. Expect that to happen early next year.
We're continuing to expand the NLSC Team with some talented patchmakers and very soon, some feature article writers. I apologise to the applicants who have been waiting on a decision, I have been giving grace to applicants who have yet to send in their submissions. As it seems unlikely I'll receive any more, I'll be making the decision of who to "hire" within the next week or so, with the help of the rest of the team. Speaking of team expansions, there's a couple more individuals ready to join our ranks, so look out for the announcement very soon.
To answer the question of a cosmetic update: yes, adding new skins to the forum is on the agenda. I don't know about a complete overhaul of the site's colour scheme and layout as we've done the past couple of years, but I won't rule that out either.
2004 has been a very active year for the NLSC Forum, with its fair share of drama and conflict...but there's always been some good discussions led by enthusiastic posters. The biggest conflicts have been over moderation and forum policy. After a particularly heated incident, we've amended the forum rules and moderator policy to offer a more poster-friendly environment, while still maintaining order. We've striven to improve the way the forum is run and above all, let everyone know that we're open to suggestions. Needless to say, we need to know about those suggestions to consider and implement them.
Which is why I want to stress again, we are very much open to suggestions and any feedback, good or bad. But that feedback needs to reach us for any good to come of it. If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear about them.
I really would like to thank all of the posters who continue to support the forum and the site. I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding through some of the difficult times: the server move and especially, the disputes over forum rules and procedure. A handful people have come through the forum since the site opened back in 1996 and have demanded a second chance while not extending the same courtesy to the NLSC staff. Thank you for recognising our humanity and for understanding and forgiving our shortcomings. I think I speak for the entire NLSC Team when I say it's very much appreciated.
As always, a huge thanks to the patchmakers who continue to do tremendous work for the community. The number of patchmakers continues to grow every year, and the graphics updates are just getting better and better. Patchmakers really don't get enough credit for their work, outstanding work that they simply do as a hobby.
I'd like to thank all the moderators for helping me out in the forum. The forum is getting bigger all the time, and I just can't be everywhere at once. Thank you for making my job much, much easier.
On the subject of the game itself: NBA Live 2005 is probably one of the best received games in recent years, even with the gripes we have with some of the bugs and gameplay issues. Even though it's a couple of months old, it's still generating a lot of discussion, a lot of great patches and from the looks of the Dynasty threads, a lot of enjoyment for NBA Live enthusiasts. NBA Live 2006 should be one awesome game.
Finally, I'd like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe new year, I hope to see everyone back in 2005 because I'm really excited about what the NLSC will have to offer in the next 12 months. As usual, I'll leave you wish a reminder of some words of wisdom from one of the NLSC's founders, Lutz van Hasselt:
Remember the safest order of things on New Year's Eve:
1. Fireworks
2. Drink
And not vice-versa!
Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2005!
- Andrew Begley
Last edited by Andrew on Thu Feb 03, 2005 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:52 pm
Well as I'm coming up on my 1 year mark (of reading, didn't register until later), I must say that it's been a great year! 