Dear RGV1.
This topic was created, because many players were continuously asking me questions such as: "why don't you help to EE4 guys". I was often reading messages on the support chat, discord, or even private messages on EE2 1.5 Facebook profile. Some people sounded rude, like blaming me that EE4 mod doesn't work as well on their newest Windows versions as the "normal" patch 1.5. These accusations were false, because I was always trying to help EE4 mod users. I provided the Developers Version of UP1.5 since it's first release. Even though the interest in Developers version wasn't that big, I never skipped any update and always provided the most recent compatibility fixes for all users:
- Screenshot 2023-09-03 021342.png (172.13 KiB) Viewed 8109 times
Not to mention the special features developed for the Developers version. For example, since its first Developers Version release (around 2014?) I added a feature allowing mods developers to configure UP1.5 to check for updates in the launcher. Described here:
https://ee2.eu/patch/developers/#important
Since EE4 mod was the only one actively developed mod for EE2, it's obvious that all my actions were focused on helping EE4 players and nobody else.
For over 5 years, my work was totally ignored by the EE4 team, and I was still reading often "angry" messages from players that I am not cooperating with EE4 team... I made several attempts to contact you on the forum, facebook (if I remember correctly) and even VK. Nobody on your side was interested in configuring the Developers Version to be fully integrated with EE4 mod.
After like 6 years, I contacted you again and this time we successfully started integrating the patch to your mod.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a good experience. Even though I was patient and tried to explain everything in details, you started complicating things like demanding features to be removed from the developers version (which couldn't be done due that most of things were assembled in the game executable that has things shared with the normal version of the patch). I couldn't understand why somebody wants the cycle time of day feature removed, or crowns system, or doesn't want to allow users to have longer ceasefires. The population thing was quite understandable. I explained that these options could simply be hidden by editing the EE2X_hdrs.zip file. When that part was finished you started being negative about file "dbwidget_f5.csv" which was needed for many UP1.5 features and even the Multiplayer Lobby integration itself. As a result, I myself imported the EE4-mod changes and provided the file to you, but still you sounded unsatisfied.
I understand that integration of UP1.5 Developers was a bit harder than UP1.4, but 1.5 had like 500+ more improvements than 1.4, so making a problem about 2 files that are needed to modify / configure was quite disappointing.
The most unpleasant moment was when you accused me of spying on users or having bad intentions, just because I guided you that the Statistics System should be enabled by default. The entire patch focuses on network-features such as the updates information, support chat and multiplayer integration. For this reason, I made some features such as DirectX 9 not to be available for users who disable the network integration. I even linked to you the statistics website:
https://ee2.eu/statistics/ and provided information which details are exactly collected. They were also defined on the help page, so all users could read:
https://ee2.eu/help/gdpr/
At that time, after knowing me for over 10 years you had doubts about my intentions towards the EE2 community. It's like a backstabbing, especially when it happened after few days of intensive discussions and help in finally integrating 1.5 to EE4 mod, so every user could enjoy the game with improved performance and compatibility with the newest OS versions.
After all, we apologized each other for "misunderstanding" and after all these years, the Developers Version of UP1.5 finally was available for the users. Unfortunately, even though I deeply explained how the statistics system works, you decided to release a version with it disabled by default. This resulted in disabled DirectX 9 by default, problems with multiplayers users validation. So the first impression was probably bad for the players, but whatever... I just let it be.
Since 1.5 Developers was finally included to EE4, I decided to become more active on EE4 Discord and provide support in case when problems were related to the patch. Although I was sure that there are no game-breaking changes included in Developers version, I wanted to make sure that everything is perfect. This is why when you contacted me about some crash on English version of EE4, I made a quick research using assembly, and I directed you that the problem is not patch related, but just a normal bug that can always happen while developing such advanced mods as EE4. I had no bad intentions and I was not trying to "show" my power to anyone. I just wrote on Discord channel what causes this problem and that it will be fixed soon. For some reasons it made you angry and posts were removed. Now you're saying that it's because this Discord was "more like a blog". This makes a total no sense, because then you could just set channels to be read-only by users. So you allowed users to write about the problems, but right after deleted their messages (and my answers)? Who on the earth manages services in this way?
Due to hard moments that I experienced at that time, I was extremely annoyed and decided not to keep the toxic contacts where I'm frequently accused of bad intentions, or where my position as EE2 contributor gets disrespected by removing the messages I write. For years I'm suffering severe anxiety attacks, and simple situations can make me feel very upset or quickly change me to take a defensive position, even though normal people would ignore them and simply break the contact.
This is why I decided that the further cooperation makes no sense, when the values I respect are being violated.
This topic is nesesery in order to explain to people what the situation is, and to make certain people stop asking me questions "why I don't help other modders". It's now much easier to send a link to the topic than explaining in short messages that for over 6 years I was indeed trying to help, but my help was firstly refused for long, and then I met many negativities and false accusations from people who should know best how hard and time consuming working on EE2 is. I will not mention that there was even such a pointless discussion started by you as "who does more for the EE2" or who's work is harder. These things are so vampiric for the motivation that sometimes it's just easier to disconnect myself the contact, than risk my mental health getting worse.
I have my own experience with the community. It is mostly from Russia. There are many trolls here, it is customary to scold for any trifle, to cling to any failure. One mistake - and you will be mixed with shit. And then prove that you are not guilty. That's why tough moderation and tough censorship. And the discord server is like a blog of one person. This is how I live, you could say. I hope you understand the attack of the trolls who cling to any failure of the mod-patcher, I think this is familiar to you.
I'm not too sure about it. What can you be guilty of when you're developing a game mod? Even if you have bugs in the final release, obviously nobody else is guilty than person working on it, but I think people have a lot of understanding and would never insult or "mix with shit" me for that. However, you might have a different experience than me, based on the region the mod is developed for. I must admit, that the only terrible experience with my work being insulted was actually from a Russian player "QWEEDDYZ" on the Gog forums:
https://www.gog.com/forum/empire_earth_ ... _14/post48 he had a problem with the donation message (which obviously is needed to keep multiplayer server, relay servers, backup server running). But as it can be read, many players actually defended me, and he was the only one attacking with his nonsense. So yeah... I understand that if you had experience with people such as him, then things look way different.
However, I personally prefer a method where all negative messages towards me remain publicly visible. This way, more people can actually read what I have to suffer with, and many times other people would actually reply to defend my work. The other thing is that I'm actually very influential person myself, and when I see some bullshit posted about me, I can easily reveal all the hypocrisy and set things to the right order.
Yes, I was offended that you found the bug before me. With their amazing program. I will not hide. Happens. Creative people are emotional.
I actually wasn't aware of that. I thought that the problem was that it was me that guided certain players how to apply a quick fix and explained what the problem is... But now it makes it clearer that you prefer to work on the mod alone. I fully respect it. For the biggest part of UP1.5 development I was nearly alone, and only the last years I got a huge help from Loew who's now adding awesome in-game features.
If I insulted you, offended, belittled merits - I'm sorry. That's what I'm saying, I'm sorry. Straight and open. I will soon be 40 years old, I do not want to be in disagreement. And I don't want to be at odds.
Know that I always respected you for what you did for EE2. I still love this game, and I'm glad that Mona Lisa is doing EE2.
Thank you for the nice words. I hope they're honest this time. I also apologize for escalating things to the public forums, but I have always preferred this way than hiding the facts from the community.
Probably on this forum, the only way to talk to you. Others are not available to me.
I asked the guys from EE1 to convey to you my point of view on the war in Ukraine. I don't know, they told you. I dare say again. I am against the war, Mona!, I have always been against Putin, against the invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine. For me, the war is a tragedy. Many people from Ukraine helped to create EE4, I was friends with them a lot, and this war is now a big disaster. We here in Russia cannot protest. Our personal opinion is forbidden - a fine, deprivation of work, even a prison term. This is a big tragedy.
I'm happy that you're on the right side, however I personally wouldn't have a problem if you supported it. After all, many people in Russia are too brainwashed by the propaganda to know the truth about it. We can't really blame these people who are living in small villages, possibly still without access to bathroom that they believe in everything that propaganda says, and then join (forcefully or not) the army. It's a big problem in a country like Russia where many people live in an extreme poverty while their country is one of the biggest one rich in natural resources. Instead of developing the country and making it good for people, the country is robbed by oligarchs and a few big cities are awesome, while 80% of the other population has to work on them :/
I'm personally also trying to help inform people about the reality, therefore I created a special sanctions web page:
https://ee2.eu/sanctions/?testip=true
Russian players who want to use our services need to read the message first. They're also fully informed that we're against this war, and that pro-war messages are not welcome on multiplayer, discord and forums.
