[Max]

I've long promised that I would keep this site and its forums alive as long as people continued to visit and participate. Prior to the announcement of Dark Dawn, I had intended to put the site itself into an "archive" mode while keeping the forums alive for some amount of time.

It seems that activity on this forum has finally dwindled to nothing; in my roll call thread, there were only 16 responses, and since then even those few people have mostly stopped posting here.

While not a huge expense, running this site is not free, and I would prefer not to waste my money if no one is using it. Instead of paying $100+ per year on website+forum, I can instead pay less than $5 per year to host just the website as static content (and I'd be happy to keep the website content online in static form in perpetuity).

So this is my final plea for feedback from the community. These forums don't see enough traffic for advertising to pay the bills, so either we need more people, donations, or I'm going to have to close down the forums. I'm going to set a tentative decision date of July 15, so please post responses if you have an opinion.

[Caael]

Facebook has pretty much swallowed up the regulars of the site I'm sad to say :\ The group there gets far more posts in a week than this does in a month. I guess it's just a case of convenience now rather than loyalty. It's still the same community under the same banner, but I guess with the forum looking to close then it is the end of an era.

I'll be the first to say thank you Max for your continued hosting of this site for over 7 years now. I've had a lot of great memories here, and whilst I'll remain in contact with the majority of regulars through facebook, I'm still somewhat sad that the site is coming to a close.

[Aquamarine]

Have to say I agree with everything Caael said. It might sound silly, but my life and myself changed, friends came and left with new ones taking their place. Of course, some of them have never left and are still a part of my life. But whatever has happened throughout the years, everything I've been through, GSSF has somehow always been there, a part of my life. Sometimes a big part, sometimes a small one, but nonetheless, a part of my life. Thank you Max for keeping the forums alive for so long, I will definitely miss the place.

[Someone Else]

Hear, hear. We all owe you Max, it's been a great 7 years.

[Moonear]

Can't say that I've been here as long as a lot of these members, but I've had a great time on GSSF. This was one of the first sites that I began visiting regularly. It was also the first internet community I ever belonged to, and I've met some great people through the years. I'm glad that I'll be able to keep in touch with a lot of you guys through Facebook. Here's to 7 awesome years of GSSF (well, 4 for me). Thanks Max for hosting a great forum and for providing me with a good community.

Also, Max, I'm not sure if anyone's asked you or if you even have a facebook account. But it would be awesome for you to be in the facebook group as well.

[Golden Legacy]

Words can't express what GSSF means to me. It's been a part of my life for 7 years, and it's given me so many wonderful memories. I'm not ever ashamed to say that this community has been a like a second home at times. It means so much to me, and Max, I can only give you thanks for allowing it all to happen.

If this is the end, then it is one with sadness, and also acceptance that all good things must pass. Thank you again Max, for everything. GSSF will never be forgotten.

[TheEnglishman]

I've enjoyed the time we've had here but I think it's just come to the point where people don't have time for the forums like they used to. I've had a blast over the years, and I'll definitely miss it but I would agree that it's time to shut up shop.

[Nemphtis]

So long ******s, and thanks for all the fish!

Appreciate the time and energy you put into the site up 'till now Max, the same goes for anyone else who has contributed to GSS but whose names are too insignificant for me to remember, pat yourself on the back or whatever makes you happy. Anyway blah blah blah, see you fanboys on Facebook.

EDIT

In case that wasn't obvious enough, I suggest you shut the forum down but keep the website online as it's still a good resource. Also, probably a little late to point this out after so many years, but why the hell is 'Anu-chan' one of my nicknames on these god damn forums? Do I look kawaii-desu? Hell no, that's Anu-sama to you bitches.

EDIT

I find it ironic that back in the day my avatar and signature were removed because it was a stick man urinating on a Gamecube, and yet now I have a girl sucking on another girl's tits which has been my avatar for god knows how long and amazingly it's still up. Duh, winning.

[Toasty]

Though I don't really want to see the forums go, I'll admit that there isn't much activity on here.

I say you should shut it down. But give us a DL to a 7zip'd archive of the forums. :D

[Max]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I'm trying to figure out how I can archive the forum content in a meaningful way; assuming I can figure it out, I'll likely leave a static version of the forums online in case anyone needs to refer to threads, or in case there ever is a GS4 and I want to revive it.

And as I mentioned in the original post, I do intend to keep the main website online, as that doesn't require any PHP scripts or anything.

I don't really use Facebook much, but if someone sends me a link to the group I'll join it so you can keep in touch. I think my privacy settings are set to only show me to people in my school's network, which is why you may not be able to find me through search.

[Lightning Star]

Wow, it's hard to think that this place may actually be seeing its last days, but honestly, I can't see many reasons to keep it running, as you've mentioned. I think we've all made our friends, and the Facebook group makes it possible to stay connected. I share the same sentiments as many others, perhaps embarrassingly more so-- I met my first love, I grew up, I learned about part of who I was, I made a best friend, and I learned to forgive and let go. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't joined seven years ago? For better or for worse, I'm glad I did.

It's been an honour to have been a the most emotional member of this forum. Thanks so much for all the work you've put into keeping this forum alive and running, Max.

[Split Infinity]

You've done amazingly well to hold out for this long, Max, and as corny as GL makes it sound, I don't think words can do justice for just how much this community has meant to us over the years. Most of us here have grown up alongside each other, for better or worse, and it's undoubtedly shaped us as both young adults and best friends. Nothing can take that away from us. You're the single reason any of us ever met each other; and personally, I shudder to think what kind of closed social life I might be living today if I'd never opened myself up to the people here.

So you have my thanks. Not just for the mammories, but for the support and resources you've given to the entire Golden Sun fanbase for absolutely nothing in return. For Isaac's Revenge, the webforums, the music and sprite archives, even those GSW betas that about half a dozen people attended. But that has been your contribution to hundreds, probably thousands of fans to a franchise which might not have even been revived, had it not been for such a devoted underground following that you helped to crystallise.

Even if we've branched out from our video game roots, that's always something we'll have in common and it's allowed us to connect with some... pretty amazing people. All with that wonderful batshit sense of humour we cultivated during our time here. That goes for even our most forgotten comrades like Elliott, MysticWarrior, Rafael (great kid, even if he did hate my guts), Platinum, ForteGX, Werebarrret, Crystal_Ryu (WHY U NO MSN ME?), Kiku, Sheba, Andross, freakin' Gimli and his endless food fights, and basically anyone else who stuck around despite our endless barrage of newbie harassment. Not that I remember them that well, I only really got to associate with the post-2005 kids on account of me being an antisocial twat before then.

Might as well throw a shout out to our co-admins Riad, Nick and Julian; we're all familiar with the first, Nick handled some of the behind-scenes work as far as I know, and Julian was.. uh... responsible for something important, I'm sure. Not to mention everyone else who took the initiative in holding moderator positions, organising forum events and putting in their contributions to the website redesign project. Whoa damn, remember that? :3

Anyway Max, best of luck in your web design studies, and all your other future endeavours. We'd all love to see you among us on the facebook group if you ever find the time. Though with your type of schedule, I wouldn't be surprised if we never even heard from you again. Either way I'd happily vote to have the website preserved even if it meant me paying the yearly hosting, hurr.

[Eugine]

Oh My God! Can we at least see how you LOOK before you close down the forums? I've seen practically EVERYONE here except you Max.

I don't want to post anything else since I might cry.

[Nemphtis]

Eugine, on 04 July 2011 - 10:49 PM, said:

Oh My God! Can we at least see how you LOOK before you close down the forums?

http://www.jrbooksonline.com/jew-bwa-ha-ha.gif

You can thank me now.
Thank me later yeah I know what I said,
But I might get banned so instead,
Oh okay you can thank me now.

I admit, I'm a little curious myself at this point.

[Sea of Time]

Hey guys. Y u no talk to Sea of Time anymore?

Anyways, I'm proud to call some of you my friends and blah blah blah sap sap sap. Catch you all on Facebook.

[Mathak Kraven]

Goodbye Golden Sun Syndicate.

Although I was never a regular here even though I wanted to be, I too am saddened to see this place go.

But perhaps it's inevitable to see this place go, looking at how dissappointing Golden Sun Dark Dawn was compared to the two older games. While that game should've revitalized these places, it instead didn't bring what we expected.

I sometimes lurk on another Golden Sun forum, the community from the old Gamespy forum. If anyone is interested you can PM me for the link.

[Jake]

Although I never really made much of any effort to contribute to this site and what not, I will say I'll prob cry if I see this place go :(

I remember installing the first beta of Golden Sun World, and playing that jazz... was so much fun.




Anyways, please do keep this up archive style if anything, although I don't make much a presence on these forums, I do use the site and have had a blast doing so.


Just want to say thanks to you Max, you've done great! :)

[gsninja]

Damn, wish I would've noticed this thread earlier. ;-;

There's really not much more I can say that everyone else has already said. I'm just really happy that I joined this place when I did and got to meet some fucking awesome people. Even now, after seven years, I can still admit that this is the single most important community and site I've ever associated myself with on the internet, and I actually like you guys more than most of my irl friends nowadays.

Max, even if you archive this site, make sure to drop by the FB group every now and again. I have tons of respect for you, and it'd be a shame never to see you again (Although, like someone else said, that'd be almost totally characteristic of you :P)

[Mallick]

Shame. Thank you all for making this website something worth visiting for 7 years, and especially to Max for bringing us all together.

[Thanatos]

I really don't have much say in this forum, considering the fact that I never really had the chance to get to know you guys very well. From what I've seen on the forums in the past 4 years I've been signed up to the site, you guys were a very well knit community that I wish I was more active in. I can only say that it was my fault for not being more active and outgoing =(. Hell, I knew about this site since 2004, but never really had the courage to sign up for it until 2007, when I started to explore certain forums that I poked my head into. I guess I'll be known as the WoW Nerd on this site, considering that's what I posted about the most *facepalm*.

I'm on the facebook group if anyone wants to hit me up. I do have that interesting story about how I quit WoW in an awesome uproar of internet drama that I still have to tell. I'll try to post that before Max makes the site dormant, if that's what the concensus is. If I can't in the forums, I will on the facebook page in a note, if people are still interested.

This site will be missed, even by someone that wasn't NEARLY as active as any of you were. Thanks for the fun, the laughs, and the advice, it certainly will be missed...*sigh*

[Drizzy Drake]

Mallick, on 07 September 2011 - 04:40 PM, said:

Shame. Thank you all for making this website something worth visiting for 7 years, and especially to Max for bringing us all together.

Hey, I can have your money in 17 days, just hit me up on PSN to remind me.

And fuck Facebook.

[Drizzy Drake]

Posting to make sure Max doesn't forget to archive the site before he puts it offline.

[Max]

Drizzy Drake, on 04 October 2011 - 01:29 AM, said:

Posting to make sure Max doesn't forget to archive the site before he puts it offline.

Thanks for the reminder. I've put it off until I have a day or two to dedicate to archiving it properly.

[Echo_djinn]

Ahh Maxy boy, how long has it been?

I was just 15 or so when I registered onto this site. I didn't really even know what I was getting myself into but i didn't care. All I cared about was talking about how sick Golden Sun was to me with a bunch of strangers. After that, I just went with the flow.

I am still a gamer at heart and will probably be one until I die but I just want you to know that you were an awesome admin. You did a great job updating and maintaining this site and I appreciated how humble you were when you addressed GS community or specific members.

So many good times I had here man. I hope the rest of your future is as bright as the rising sun....haha so cheesy.

This is your Echo_djinn, wishing you all the best.

[Julian]

An end of an era indeed. Goodbye :')

Max, thanks for everything old friend.

I wish everyone the best of luck.

[Neon]

Well this is sad, I came here to see how the site is doing now and find this. Now I wish I posted when GS3 was released, but like many others I just spend so much less time on forums these days. I guess GS3 didn't make as much of a splash as the original.

Max, the site was great, I only hope you have it online when GS4 is finally announced :)

[ThankMeLater]

Lol, why are the vet forums and mod forums viewable now?

[Jake]

Never gonna give you up!