Salv 09/11 ZemmurkTrooper 03/24 Tesla 02/10 Fracman 12/27 Darth Linux 11/27 Benevolence 06/30 FatSpider 06/04 recombinant 02/09

Subject: Happy New Year!!!
Date: 31.12.2009 at 5:57 GMT Agent: Darth_Linux

DarkStarMojo here.

Well, we still have one day to go but as I'll be busy over the next few days and away on vacation over the next week or so, I thought I'd take the time to wish everyone a happy and healthy start to 2010!!!

What, you may be asking yourselves, is in store for the mod this year? First, I'm working on getting the next release out before the end of the first quarter. I've been plagued by persistent scripting issues regarding the Ramses Hed mission briefing, which is holding up the completion of the main release assets. To make matters worse, my laptop's GPU began overheating earlier this month forcing me to replace the entire motherboard and video card in addition to the touchpad, media bar, and outer casing. Naturally, this has slowed progress and prevented me from completing a working build (i.e. no unneeded levels, models, or other assets) of the mod. Once I get back from Florida in mid-January, I'll be able to put the whole thing together properly and pass it along the rest of the team members.

I will be opening a few select spots for beta testing. This means that certain members of the community who have provided invaluable support to the project may be given the opportunity to test out the next release and provide feedback information. I'll have more details when we're ready.

I'll also be repurposing the DFMOD Moddb page and making a new effort to acquire additional modeling and particularly mapping talent. That's the only way we'll ever be able to finish the entire project in anything close to a reasonable period of time. I want to maintain a progression of assets over the next two years that will lead to the conclusion of the mod before the end of 2012 (i.e. the Mod's 10th anniversary). If this pace isn't maintained starting next year, I may have to consider the longevity of the project and whether it's worth continuing the Dark Forces Mod for Jedi Academy. Rest assured, however, that all completed mod assets will be available for your enjoyment.

Peace, health, and happiness in 2010,

DarkStarMojo and the Dark Forces Mod team.