The Truth about LustyPooh's Tutorial Site Closing

LustyPooh, as we all know, was instrumental in the creation and administration of the best user-created mission editing information site available on the internet. He was never paid to make this site. He did it for the love of the game and to support the OFP community.

Lusty was never in competition with Seventh. Lusty never made claims that Seventh "stole" his "rightful spot" from CM. As a matter of fact, Lusty has not made any statements since he closed his site. He has chosen to let me make this statement on his behalf.

Codemasters, nor BI Studios, forced Lusty to close his site. He did this on his own.

Below are the emails written between Codemasters and LustyPooh (edited to remove private information).

Codemasters (CM):
Mon, 2 Jul 2001 09:57:09 +0100

Hi,
I was given information about this site by *** from Seventh. How do you feel
about Codemasters OFP site, linking in with your editing site, to try and
keep everything in one place? I would add a note stating that it was our
recommended site for such. as it would be more beneficial for the community
to organise it all in this way. If you are okay with this, can you tell me
if you will be adding the option to submit Missions, much along the lines of
the Top 50 sites list? It would then be a self administered section for
filtering out the good/bad missions sent in?! Is there anything you would
need help with in setting anything up? Your thoughts on this would be much
appreciated.
cheers
Codemasters Software Ltd

LustyPooh (LP):
02 July 2001 12:50

Hi [Codemasters],

I have no problem having CodeMaster's site link to my site. I wasn't
planning on doing a top 50s mission db since a) my domain is only 100MB and
b) I have no idea how to do a db like that. The ignorance reason (b) is the
main reason HA HA
Thanks

CM:
Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2001 17:22:26 +0100
Hehe, don't blame you.
I'll have a chat with the web developers here ands dsee what they think.
Would you be willing to co host this, if we can implement a database section
for user submissions??
Cheers,
[Codemasters]

LP:
02 July 2001 20:02

Yes I would be willing to do that. If it is a go then I can always chat with
you or whoever online or you can give me a call as well to talk about the
specifics. If you want to do a call I can provide my number and we can setup
a time convenient for both of us.
Take care,

CM:

Okey dokey [Lusty],
Here's something for you to think about....
We can build a database system to enable people to submit and download their
missions, mods, addons and screenshots etc. We will also pay for a suitable
ISP to host this all with enough space to keep it all happy.

In return we would like you to work out a list of who you think, or who
you've heard do a good job as a service provider for us. We will then select
one of these to purchase enough web space etc off. You would then move your
current files across (we can supply any amount of graphics you might
want/need) to the new site and get it up and running.
The main question being, are you able to moderate this site as well? More
people(fans) could possibly be enlisted to help with offers of freebies and
getting names added to credits on future releases of patches/games.

By having a voting system for the missions, it will filter out the weaker
designs so there's more effort by people to submit good ideas. Monthly
competitions can be run off this for the best mission. With so much input
from other fans, it will mostly be self moderated anyway much the same way
as our squads and fansites sections of Flashpoint are on the Codemasters
domain.

Let me know your thoughts on this if you could, as I'm due to set up a
meeting with the development Directors regarding this next week. If you
wish to discuss prior to then, please drop me a line. (Where in the world
are you?)
Cheers,
[Codemasters]

CM:

Hi [Lusty],
Apologies for this but it looks like there has already been previous
discussion with another site, (www.seventh.com.au/ofp) They have been in
development with Bohemia Interactive over the last couple of years and we
felt there was a more closer tie with these guys.

Apologies for letting you down in this way.
If you get a final URL for your site, I'd be more than happy to add it to
the links section of the OFP site.
Thanks for your support.
Cheers,
[Codemasters]

LP:
10 July 2001 13:02

That is unfortunate since I was in the midst of getting a site with more
diskspace.

I have decided to close down my site. From day one I have had little support
from your companies. I feel that no one in this community has supported
editing more than I have. It is unfortunate you are going with the boys at
Seventh. They do not have a track record on doing anything with mission
editing besides providing disk space for an editing site which others like
me added to.

Your loss. Me? I am going to enjoy the summer.

Lusty

P.S. You guys REALLY need to learn to work with more than one site in the
community otherwise it ain't a community.

CM:

[Lusty],
Sorry you feel this way and no longer wish to keep your site going. I had
never been aware of your site, prior to my email to you as it was a link in
a forum that took me to your site. I was not aware you had made any previous
requests for support to us?!
I made the decision to use Seventh, as they are in the middle of developing
a large sized database for resource files, with unofficial support from BI.
Seventh have proven over the months to be at the forefront with any news
regarding the game. If BI have already used them for press releases as have
Codemasters, then it makes sense to use them for this as well. They have
also been at the centre of the online community for OFP, with close contacts
with other OFP sites, letting us reach more fansites than through any other
means.

We do try and keep in touch with as many fansites, newsgroups, mailing lists
as we can, but with so many other games we have an online presence for, it
takes up a lot of my time keeping track of everyone. So by channelling news
through one or two fansites, I know it will reach the majority of the
community.

Please reconsider your decision to close your site, as I feel it would be
highly beneficial to the community!

Thanks,
[Codemasters]

CM: (After seeing Lusty's Closure notice)

[Lusty],
I've seen your site and this is not good for the community or the game. If
you want to discuss your site and what can be done, can you please send me
your phone number? Or call me prior to 5pm European time (midday East
Coast?) and I can call you right back?
I can understand your disappointment in what has happened. It seems there
has been a cross over of information, which has resulted in this bad
communication, which needs to be addressed. Obviously I don't make the
decisions in the company, but at least I can discuss this with you to try
and clear this up to your satisfaction and hopefully have the answer to all
this.

If you are willing to go back online (without losing too much of your
summer) we can be of help if you require.
Thanks,
[Codemasters]

 

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Nowhere is there talk of money or hatred of Seventh. Lusty closed his site because he was frustrated, over-worked, and un-recognized. CM's customer support apparently was referring customers to his site for answers to editing questions until CM/BIS could build a proper database of editing documents. CM went with a site that they knew - not Sevenths fault, nor Lusty's (BTW - congrats to Seventh). What is unfortunate is the OFP community is now without a dedicated tutorial site.

Lusty has informed me that he will not reopen his site. He would rather just disappear (perhaps this is the real FADE technology?). Others will, in time, create tutorial sites. We know this will come to pass. The challenge now is to create a site that is as in-depth as Lusty's while as user-friendly and "pretty" as Seventh's. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise? Now that we know how much data is involved, one could create the site from the top down versus building it from the ground up.

Regarding the argument that it is the OFP community that is suffering because of Lusty's "selfish" actions, I will say this - in part it is true. He is the kid that owns the bat and the ball. He took them and went home.
His choice. However, if you look at if from the larger perspective you will see a slightly different picture. Imagine this boy is playing with a bat and ball from a particular company. Every day he goes out and tells people about the amazing quality of the bat and ball. He also has learned how to play new games with the bat and ball, further increasing the potential audience and lifespan of the bat and ball. Now, one day, the company that makes the bat and ball approach this boy and tell him that he has because he done such a wonderful job, they wish to use him in some commercials. He gets all excited. Then the day before the commercial is to be shot, they tell the boy that he will not be in the commercial. They have decided to go
with the boss' neighbor's kid instead who has yet to swing the bat. So it is not a matter of "Poor Lusty", or "Grow up Lusty." Imagine how you would feel if you were that boy. The company went with the other boy because the boss had known him longer, or he was prettier, or he had lots of friends.

Personally, I feel that Codemasters has done the OFP community injustice by not supporting Lusty's site - for whatever reason. Seventh's site is great for news, gossip, and simple editing (at the moment). Lusty's was great for novice to advanced editing but horribly lacked news or gossip forums. Imagine the reaction of the OFP community if CM has gone with a purely "tutorial" site to be the official "news" website? Hopefully CM isn't biting the hand that feeds it. only time will tell.

Perhaps CM will FADE?

Phaeden

BTW : Vit was working with Lusty on a new layout that would have made it more "professional" looking. You can see what OFP Editing was going to look like at http://home.earthlink.net/~alexzinder/