Cracker Retires

[Detritus]

I also have seen this thread late (I am not a regular in the forums) but I would like to thank Cracker for all his work, his courtesy to people who were occasionally clued out (like me) and his prompt responses by PM to all kind of BS questions. I have been lurking in the forum for about a year and only submitted a couple of GOTM's - the temptation to reload was often too great and I did not want to submitt a "cheat game".
But I want to say EMPHATICALLY that I would have stopped playing Civ several months ago if not for GOTM. Cracker was, during the last year, the major force behind GOTM and he deserves a medal from Firaxis and thanks from all fanatics.
As to the complaints about the "heavy handed style" - cry me a river, guys.

 

[EMan]

..........Yours was a Labor of Love. Your dedicated effort will never be forgotten!

You, ainwood, Creepster, Aeson et al have done a tremendous job over the last year.............my only regret is not having had the time to play more GOTM!.......and perhaps keeping track of who's doing what in the Hall Of Fame/Pantheon Of Heroes.

Preparing the next 2 GOTM games is also a BIG feather in your cap, cracker.............the TRUE caliber of people shows through when they exit! (viz. notice people's attitude after they've given notice in a job!)

I was surprised NOT to read the news on the Main Page........TF should, IMO, pay tribute to a job well done.

Time to move on..........Good luck to ainwood et al...........the bar has been raised...........if you can maintain its height, you will indeed have performed at a level cracker would be proud of!!

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Edit:

Good job, Cracker!

 

[forged]

I want to take a brief moment to add my thanks and best wishes to Cracker in his future endevours.

He put a lot of time, effort, dedication, and patience into shaping the GOTM (as I know it) into a tool that aid people in improving their overall Civ skills.

It is especially amazing how the number of submissions vastly increased under his watch and how well the GOTM staff handled the increased load.

So once again, thanks and best wishes.

forged

PS. I also want to thank and offer best wishes to Creepster, and take this moment to say that I look forward to finding time to start playing GOTM under the stewardship of ainwood and AlanH and the other GOTM staff. Best wishes all!

 

[Nixnutz]

Here's another voice from the Mac community saying thanks to Cracker for a job well done.

Although I'm not a regular poster and not always able to finish the GOTM, I always look forward to the new game and religiously download and play as far as I can.

The man has done yeoman's duty as far as we Mac people are concerned and the effort is greatly appreciated.

For the new mods, you've got quite some shoes to fill. Best of luck!

 

[Naboo]

Naboo
(gracious)

Another well-earned thanks

I only played a few games before the time demands of Civ3 became too much. I can't even imagine what it took to develop and administer those games. A special thanks for making the game inclusive for Macintosh players. I truly enjoyed your efforts.

 

[Borealis]

Back in the day before the QSC, the handyandy game in the SG forum grew into a teaching session, with cracker organizing and guiding a discussion that led to countless hours spent in the SG, and then the GOTM forums discussing games. Others have already said what I would say about his impact on the GOTM itself as a competitive process, but cracker's impact on the GOTM as a learning tool to help players improve, and enjoy higher levels, is equally important. Thank you- you breathed life into a game I was about to abandon, and helped me join a community full of interesting people without fear of newbie-bashing.

Congratulations to ainwood- you have a huge task on your shoulders, but I have confidence in your ability to pull it off with style.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Wow, I sure am slow learning about this news.

I would like to echo the sentiments of carlos.

Though Cracker and I disagreed on several things, especially in the general discussions forum (where debates would get pretty 'heated'), he never seemed to carry that grudge over to his role in the GOTM when I was a player. He treated me just like any other player, which I greatly respect.

He'd praise me for a job well done, scold me when I 'stepped over the line' by bringing up things in a thread that I shouldn't have, questioned me if a game looked a little suspicious, and listened to my feedback.

He treated me as neither a god, nor a villain.

Thank you, Cracker.

Bamspeedy

 

[wilbill]

I'm not a GOTM'er, but check into the forum occasionally and never fail to learn something to improve my game. Cracker's retirement surprised me - he's as much a fixture at CFC as the ancient warrior in the logo.
If Cracker had never been involved in GOTM, his "Opening Moves" and "Japan Campaign" tutorials in the War Academy would earn him our eternal gratitude. His GOTM efforts simply place him in a category by himself.

 

[Singularity]

Thank you Cracker for putting focus on the most important aspect of this game, singleplay. I don't know how much the firaxis people listened to the GOTM noise, but I feel that much of C3C has elements that reminds me of the things you did for GOTM. Volcanoes anyone?

I guess all things that has a beginning has an end, but I hope you will come back as a player and keep dropping gems in the forum from time to time.

 

[Merle Corey]

& even more, thank you for making me a better fisherman! I really enjoyed the gotm and appreciate that you ran a tight ship on your watch. Herding a bunch of cats like us can be a thankless task, so I'll say it again, thank you very much for your time & effort, I for one benefited greatly!

I wish you luck in your future endeavors, whatever they may be.

S!

John J

 

[mabellino]

Shock horror! I've been fraternizing on another forum for a while and kept forgetting that the 1st was new GOTM day! Some fanatic I've turned out to be!
In addition to all the positive comments laid out above, I'd like to say the first civ3 game I ever won was GOTM20 (Greeks??) and I've come along in leaps and bounds since then and it's all thanks to the GOTM and especially Cracker!
I too would like to pit my newly honed skills against him but that will only happen if he plays in the conquest class!
All hail King Cracker!