Antioch Chronicles.. Canceled? - SpaceDominator @ 11:32 am EST
The Antioch Chronicles has been acclaimed as the best campaign that ever hit the markets in the Starcraft Community. It was even placed apon a PC Gamer CD for a large group of people to view this entire work. Now, the thing that might end these chronicles is a simple decision from Auspex. I feel that the Starcraft Community should listen and read all of the comments stated below from Auspex, and do one of two things. 1) Respect that all of us have our own lives and 2) Appreciate Auspex for the amazing work that he has done. The comments are long, but a person of this caliber deserves every minute.

Dear Antioch fans,

The events of the past few days have struck a nerve (and a chord) inside me. Seeing your fervent reaction to the announcement of A3's cancellation has affected me on a very personal level -- certainly two years went into this realization as easily as two days. From the very beginning, Antioch fans have been a die-hard breed. You have endured endless setbacks. You have stayed faithful in the face of countless delays. You have continued to frequent the Antioch forum (in its various incarnations) while waiting for production updates that come more and more infrequently. You have continued to show your interest despite less than encouraging activity on the site itself. You have made this community your own, in spite of the fact that Antioch's creator has visited sporadically, if at all, during the past two years. Zeus has been your eyes and ears behind the scenes, as well as your assurance that Auspex Studios has stayed alive at least this long. Auspex Studios may not have left you, but it seems that Auspex did.

During the past year and a half, I have lived my real life as best as I could, and I have made a point to pursue my dreams. Since I was a boy of 12 or 13 I dreamed of playing in a band and "making it big" -- I'm sure everyone nurtures similar aspirations at some point or another, though exact hobbies or inclinations may differ. Some people dream of being doctors. Others dream of writing. Still others want to work with people or animals, one on one. For others, it's business, or sports.

Others, like our tireless steward, Eric "Zeus Legion" Dieter, might love making games for a living, and telling stories that people can play and enjoy over and over. I tasted a piece of that desire, that need to tell stories and surprise players and one-up the competition, with The Antioch Chronicles. Antioch fulfilled that need, for a time.

Psionic Storm was a doodle on my sketchbook; it was an experiment. I did it because no one had done it before. I did it because I wanted to know how it would turn out.

Negative Suns was a labor of love; at the time, I happened to love working on all things Antioch. I spent many long hours toiling at a boring computer screen, but I had to do it. Zeus brought new ideas to the table, and I got a chance to take what was good about Psionic Storm and make it great. I did it because I felt inspired and wanted others to play the campaign to death. I did it because I wanted to play it myself.

Thoughts in Chaos was a runaway train; it was too big for its own good. In the early days of writing and design, Zeus and I were charged with enthusiasm. We were excited about all the new ideas popping up. We were thrilled at the possibility of adding new units and entirely new types of heroes. More people joined our team, and the scope of the A3 project grew. Unfortunately, it grew a little too big for its creator, who had started moving in other directions.

During the final quarter of 1999 and all the way up until March of 2001, I took steps to begin realizing my true childhood dream: playing music in a band, and "making it big." In this case, that band would turn out to be Paradigm Blue, a progressive rock collaboration with my musical brothers Juan Mantilla and Steve Laur. Over a year of work went into the album "Liquideyes" -- and as anyone who has tried will tell you, producing an album is not an easy thing, even with professional engineers, equipment and recording facilities. We did it without the advantages of a cushy studio or the sponsorship of a huge record company. We did it on our own, in our spare time, while working and studying and going about our daily lives -- an hour or two one day, another hour or two a few days later -- sporadically, whenever the time presented itself, in the face of long commutes and technical problems. We busted our asses to finish that album, and it's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. In the end, it paid off.

Making Paradigm Blue a real-life success story is my dream. Great things are in store for us. To those of you who could care less about music, or at least about our particular genre, I can only say: Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Find your own dream, and follow it. Making games for a living (let alone campaigns for free) was never my dream. Antioch was fun, but when it became a chore -- a real source of frustration and impatience -- I lost that spark. Antioch ceased being fun for me. It was no longer about doing what I wanted; it was about satiating the fans. It was about feeding demand... at least, in a way.

While I continued to pursue my work with Paradigm Blue (and my college education, which thus far has earned me a Bachelor of Arts in English), I felt that I was making the right choices, that I was finally getting something done that would help me realize my dreams -- and toward the end, when Liquideyes was finally finished, I did indeed start devoting time to a certain special someone. I would not trade the time I have spent with her for anything in the world, either. Yes, making time for the most important person in your life -- that IS more important than a campaign. I don't think anyone can argue with that.

Many of you have stated that it wasn't WHAT I was doing that was wrong; it was HOW I was doing it. I must admit that it probably would have been much easier on all of you if I had cancelled A3 long ago. It certainly would have saved our diligent and resourceful writer Zeus a lot of time and effort. It would have also saved Blue Team and everyone else in the Antioch camp a ton of blood, sweat and tears. Team A3 have worked their collective butts off on Thoughts in Chaos, and Zeus especially has gone above and beyond the call of duty too many times to count. He has been the real hero in this saga -- more inspiring than any Kuldarus or Khorun or Nurohk. Zeus has been the true heart and soul of Antioch ever since Antioch left MY heart... and you, the fans, the forumers, have kept that heart beating. You've been the pulse of Antioch. You've made it a community.

I have not been completely absent from the forum during all of this time. I have popped in to read, if not always to post, now and again. I have worked a little on Antioch-related items, now and again... and whenever I have seen a spark of enthusiasm from a group of fans bringing an old theory to light (or creating a new one entirely), I can't help but entertain the notion that A3 should and will be finished. I've always had the hope that I'd find the time and the resources to finish what I started -- to end the saga as it should be ended... not with a whimper, but with a bang.

To tell the truth, kids, I haven't had the heart to cancel A3. I've been afraid to. I never liked the idea of ending it all -- and because I kept foolishly clinging to the hope that I'd finish it and make an impact, I misled you all. I could have been more forthcoming -- I could have been less mysterious -- but I chose not to be, and in the process, I've let down not only you, the fans, but also my fellow teammates, and especially my once-partner in crime, Zeus.

Eric, if you're reading this, which I suspect you are (along with everyone else), then I apologize, in front of everyone. I couldn't let it die, but I was too busy with other things to take you and the rest of Team A3 into consideration. No matter how important those priorities were and are for me, I still let you down.

For that, I am truly sorry.

To the rest of you, I apologize for taking so long to accomplish so little. I do not apologize for doing what needed (and needs) to be done in my real life, but I do apologize for not treating you, the fans, better. You have been loyal and enthusiastic, and have stuck around far longer than I probably would have. You have formed a community here, and to tell you the truth, though I can't say that Antioch drives me as it once did, I HAVE grown fond of this group (with the exception of all that WASTEing going on). ;-)

Most of you are probably wondering the same thing: Where do we go from here?

Forward.

I am about to take a two-week vacation. I will be visiting both the west coast (Seattle and Vancouver) and the east (New York City). By the 16th of July, you will have my answer. I can't make a decision about A3 lightly. If I decide to cancel it, I must be sure of that decision; I must be sure that I won't come back a month later and start deluding both myself and all of you with promises of new adventures and new missions. Likewise, if I decide to finish A3 once and for all, I must be sure than I can deliver, and that I won't lead you all on another wild goose chase. I must know that it will be completed... in a timely fashion. I must know that I won't let you down. I owe you at least that much, if not more.

Zeus has born the burden of The Antioch Chronicles on his shoulders for too long. He is drained, frustrated, and exhausted -- and like you, he is tired of broken promises and missed deadlines. I made Antioch, but Zeus made it what it is today. Unfortunately, that rich world of back-story and intrigue has been left to "flounder" without its founder. Zeus polished Antioch, and I left that polished gem on the shelf.

If A3 is to rise from the grave, it must be by the hand of the man who gave birth to A1. I have to love doing it again. I have to make it my own once more. Nothing will happen if I don't.

Eric, you've done your part. The load's off your shoulders, even though you will always be the voice of not only Moloch, but also the fans. If Antioch dies, then at least there are two campaigns and a thriving community of friends left in its wake. If it is to live, well... We'll see. No promises either way. I've learned better.

To all of you, I offer my apology, and my sincerest thanks for making Antioch YOUR own. Thank you for having fun with it, and for having fun around each other. I hope at the very least that I've given you something to smile about over the past three years.

You have my apology, and my explanation.

As for my answer, you'll have that on July 16th.

Sincerely,
Ruben "Auspex" Moreno

Starcraft Silo Strat - SpaceDominator @ 6:05 pm EST
The good folks over at Starcraft Silo have decided to produce some content. Quite a shock in my opinion, considering that one of my favorite SC Players FBS works there. Napoleic, one of the best strategy writers out there today decided to produce a very exciting document. This exciting document details the Protoss Game Plan vs the Terran's in 1.08. You will also be able to watch some exciting(ho hum) Replays of samples on how to do it. It is an outstanding read at this address.

Source: FatBoySr
Comments

Happy Fourth of July - SpaceDominator @ 10:59 am EST
A pleasant good day to all in the United States. Have a safe, wonderful day and evening with the fireworks and the festivities. Don't get burned. =)

I found a very good article describing the purpose of the 4th of July in more extravagent words. Below are these words:

Most people in the United States celebrate the 4th of July, but do you know exactly why the holiday is so important to our country? Imagine how you would feel if someone older than you (maybe an older sister or brother) kept telling you what to do all of the time and kept taking more and more of your allowance. That is how the colonists felt in the years leading up to 1776. England kept trying to make the colonists follow more rules and pay higher taxes. People started getting mad and began making plans to be able to make their own rules. They no longer wanted England to be able to tell them what to do, so they decided to tell England that they were becoming an independent country. (To be independent means to take care of yourself, making your own rules and providing for your own needs.)

The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and they appointed a committee (a group of people working together to do a specific job) to write a formal document that would tell England that the Americans had decided to govern themselves. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson to write a draft (first try) of the document, so he worked for days, in absolute secret, until he had written a document that he thought said everything important that the committee had discussed. On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read Jefferson's "fair"copy (he put his best ideas together and wrote them neatly.) They revised (made some changes) the document and declared their independence on July 2, 1776. They officially adopted it (made it theirs) on July 4, 1776. That is why we call it "Independence Day." Congress ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence and they all began signing the "official" copy on August 2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies to all of the states.

The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's independence and commitment to certain ideas. A symbol is something that stands for something else. Most people can look at a certain little "swish" and know that it stands for "Nike." Well, the signers of the Declaration of Independence wanted the citizens of the United States to have a document that spelled out what was important to our leaders and citizens. They wanted us to be able to look at the Declaration of Independence and immediately think of the goals we should always be working for, and about the people who have fought so hard to make these ideas possible. The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in England. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration of Independence, we should think about all of the effort and ideas that went into the document, and about the courage it took for these people to stand up for what they knew was right -- independence!

More SC News later today,
SpaceDominator
Comments

Monday, July 2, 2001

Site Updates - SpaceDominator @ 11:54 pm EST
Throughout the page there have been some slight updates that you may or may not have noticed.