Ramaniscence

Hold the phone. You mean to tell me that Sir_NutS and Sadorf just got a Final Fantasy VII remix posted? What year is it? Did I step in a wormhole? (Excellent song, btw. Just...wow...)

A few points worth noting: The site's UVP is the incredible game music arrangements. The community has been valuable for many of us, but it is secondary. The vast majority of the users on the site never even touch the forums. I'd imagine most of the people who still use the forums have for years. Those that have left, as others have mentioned, probably just got too old/busy. With that said, most major music sites don't even have forums. Maybe they have a subreddit, but not a forum. YouTube and Soundcloud killed OCR's community momentum, not the changes to the site. Gone are the days of finding MP3s on P2P networks. You don't have to have your own web hosting or submit to VGMix/OCR/whatever to share your music on the internet. The internet is social. A lot of people don't like it, but a huge portion of the internet does. This is where blogs/pages/whatever would need to come into play. If you want to build a large internet community, it has to be a pseudo-social network. The vocal minority will hate it. The top sites on the internet right now are either social media (instagram, reddit, facebook, twitter, linkedin), "video sites", YouTube, which is a mash-up video and social site, and then Amazon, Wikipedia, and search engines. Forum activity has dropped, but Discord activity is booming. "Booming" may be a bit of a stretch, but it's far more active than IRC was when it died. That's because Discord is used by a lot of people and the age range is like "13" to 40. It's just most accessible. And if you want talk about user experience, I can take this a bit further: The web is dead. Web traffics across the board has dropped drastically in favor of mobile apps. This is partly also why social communities and focus'd web/mobile apps have become popular. People do not sit and traverse large chunks of content anymore. People consume content in short bursts, "micro-breaks", on commutes, in shopping lines, on the toilet. It's not true for everyone, but it is for the vast majority of the planet. There's no room for noise and visual clutter. Anything that keep that comes between a user and the content their looking for is noise. Noise makes users go elsewhere.

I've mulled over this topic since it happened, and I just keep coming back to the same conclusion: forums are dead. Traditional forum software on the internet is few and far between now. Most communities have moved to "discussion"-style systems like Discourse (not to be confused with Discord) or Reddit. Not that every site should be reddit, but how ridiculous would reddit look if every person had an image signature? Or even a text one. Removing visual clutter makes it easier to quickly navigate the conversation. Images on the page, especially large ones, should be meaningful and representative. Watching 2-3 people discuss something in a conversation and seeing the same 3 images in different patterns is not particularly meaningful. It's excessive. I do agree it's nice for users have more customization/personality/whatever, but I don't think it would come from forums signatures. It would come from a organized and utilized user profile. Custom avatars are good. Banner images are better. Invision does a pretty good job of supporting both of those, but it's really base-level. Heavy text, low imagery. Very data, no flavor. Do I expect that to change any time soon? Ehh. Do I think reactivating image signatures is the right move? Almost definitely not.

There is a plan to bring back FBRC (and Doubles Dash) once we have a system that will facilitate it better. Honestly, I think from an administrative position we could really knock it out of the park this time around. That said: FBRC is typically held during the summer time to avoid holidays and obligations (that is, back when we were all young enough for that to matter). 2020 seems like a good year to bring it back, but I wouldn't do it until July/August.

The best I could find was this song by DJ Siamey: http://vgmixarchive.com/songs/vgmix2x/DJ Siamey - Adventures In Town (Final Fantasy 5).mp3 There may be something else on VGMix archive, though: http://vgmixarchive.com/

Arise, thread. WoW Classic is coming out soon. Where are ya'll droppin'? Right now most of my crew is split between Herod (PvP) and Mankrik (PvE). We'll probably spin up a Disciples guild on both as soon as we have the signatures and the cash gold. Anyone else comin' back for vanilla? Also, look, I know shadow priest isn't raid viable, but you'll have to pull that class from my cold, undead hands.

What up, fam, I've been around a long time. Like, I've been around and semi-active since OCR orange days. I've met a lot of people. Almost everyone that has been mentioned in this thread, even. (Except the ever elusive @Sixto who's totally going to MAGFest this year, for real, he swears). From all of my experiences, from everyone I've met, I can tell you this: Everyone (most people...in this community are) inspirational (in some way). For the "never meet your heroes" thing. I've met enough of my heroes to know that you can both be inspired by someone's energy and inspiration, and also not be impressed by them as a person or their online presence. Everyone has demons and beasts and dark sides, and some people have trouble with what they should make public. This is very important: If someone (of good conscience) did something that inspired you (to also do something in good conscience) embrace that. Of everyone I have met from the community who has truly done something I have looked up to, no one has struck me as a "bad person." I've seen things from people in this community that I wouldn't parrot on my darkest days, but the things from people the same people on their best days I would preach forever. If you take nothing else from this community, in my experience, remember this: This is special. It's very easy to overlook this because many of us feel either too small or too embedded to understand the gravity. What OverClocked ReMix, VGMix, and the community at large has done at this point is absolutely exceptional. @djpretzel has (quite frankly accidentally) created an amazing community that has literally created the shape of the indie game music community. People who had a dream were able to create real careers because of the people they made in this community. That is not changed and you should not ever forget that. These people are human. The internet has given you access to all manner of people to which you were not privy to previously. There are all kinds of talented people in this world. Some people have cultural differences. Some people had a rough upbringing. Some people have or develop, mental illnesses. Some people develop drug addictions or dependencies because of hard times. It sucks. It really sucks. There are people, I considered friends, that I can't even speak to now. There are people who have inspired me to do great things, that have done or said terrible things afterward. What I can tell you is this: At some point, they all created, and shared something with you for the same reason that you were are here now. They were passionate enough about the same thing you are to put themselves out there and share their work with you. If you can take something positive from that, and run with it: DO IT. Don't let what someone has become discourage you from becoming something better than they are. You have the means, and the support to do better, even if you don't know or utilize it yet. I have learned a lot from the community, and it's people. I've turned it into something positive, and so can you. I can't put this any more bluntly than this: This community has shaped my life. Period. Full stop. I am building a family with an amazing woman I would not have met without OverClocked ReMIx. I have made a career off of the experience I've had in this community that I was able to translate into the professional world. I've had career numerous opportunities based on my experiences in this community. I have made life long friendships with many of the people who have been mentioned here. I consider most of the people I've met to be friends, even if I don't agree with everything they have said or done. Everything I have learned from everyone I have learned to turn into a positive. I am a better person because of my time here. In the end, here is what I can say about this community: I've been in it for 17 some odd years. Truly, I have loved, and I have lost. I have believed on people who have let me down, and I still do. I believe in the best of everyone, even the worst offenders. I know we have built something here that is special. I know that @djpretzel and everyone else who is involved here has changed the world. I know that this community can change the world, even in the darkest (and I mean darkest) of times. Don't believe me? I've done one hour compos with @danny B and seen him in his "SysteManiac" days before he composed Super Meat Boy. I've heard his bad songs, but I'd also like to think I'm part of the community of guys who gave up before he did that helped propel him to be something amazing in the world. I knew virt when he rebelled against the oppressive OverClocked ReMix regime and create his own community. A community that thrived and blessed the hearts of a hundreds, if not thousands, of people who created and shared works that they created and loved. People who still reminiscence over that connection today from long before Shovel Knight and Shantae and Ok KO! I was present at @Nekofrog's wedding with other members I've met in the community. I can't condone some of the things he's done/said on the internet, and I don't think I have to, but I maintain that I care deeply about his family despite that, and the people I've met as a result of that interaction are invaluable. Again, I don't have to agree with everything a particular person has said/done to find a positive in the experience. I do know that some of the burdens he's willing taken on in life are some that no person should ever have to do, and while I don't respect everything he's said or done online, I absolutely respect what he has done in his personal life. I also know that he has done and said absolutely inexplicable things on the internet. I have seen so many people rise up out of this community that it's not even possible for me to name every single one. Certainly, not everyone has been a successful composer (albeit many have), many have become successful in their own right, and I can guarantee that most can speak positively of their experience here. At the end of the day what I'm saying is this: From every interaction here, I have found a positive result. I am a better person for every second that I have spent on this site. It's easy to give djp all of the credit, and certainly he deserves a lot, but literally, every single person I have interacted with here has shaped my life in some way. Some people inspired me, some people taught me hard lessons, but these interactions have shaped me, my future, and the future of my family, and for that I am truly grateful.

I've moved this conversation to PMs. Please check there and I'd be happy to look into this for you.

That one worked! Thanks again.

Why when uploading? Unless you mean torrent twise, because I plan on making an "update" torrent that will leave the existing torrent unchanged for now. What IS clear now is I'm going to have to do at this point is I'm going to have to split the collections. A single site of 5000 songs is too much. My next goal after I finish sorting this update will be to create separate template sites for the 3 collections, make 3 separate torrents for the collections, and probably one more site/torrent with everything. The issue with this is I'd have to split the tags from what they are right now. Since the original VGMix X collection was so small the 2 and X collection was combined (I think there's maybe 5 X songs right now). I'm going to have to retag the songs, which will disrupt the torrent. Not that it matters too much because I'm still the only seed, but it's a bit of a hassle.

I have tried a few times to download the link, but it keeps coming up as a corrupt RAR. The size is also only 12.7MB every time, which doesn't seem quite large enough for that many files. I reached out to Audity on his YouTube channel, as well as the user he said he received the files from. I haven't heard back from either but I'm very interested in the VGMix X dumps. Bradless also located a few hundred VGMix X songs as well so I'll be going through those ASAP. Update regarding this: I have been able to contact Audity and get his collection of over 800 VGMix X songs!

Yea, I have a program that's supposed to look for similarities in MP3s properties (Time, author, etc) and ID dupes and it got a lot of them but clearly, some have squeezed through. I've been trying to spot check as well. The next step will be to make sure the game tags are standardized (Zelda and Final Fantasies, come to mind) and the artists are all in line (several artists changed their name a few times across VGMix's history, it looks like).

I have the same rip from herograw's site and ran into the same problem as you: There's not a whole lot of data to go on for games and artists. If you're saying you've had a chance go go through and properly ID everything, that would be incredible. I reached out to Audity on his YouTube channel, as well as the user he said he received the files from. I haven't heard back from either but I'm very interested in the VGMix X dumps. Bradless also located a few hundred VGMix X songs as well so I'll be going through those ASAP.

Somewhat above average graphic design and hobbyist painter here: It costs somewhere between $5 to $200 depending on what you want and who you're willing to pay. Personally, I'd expect to pay between $30 and $60 if you're asking for just 1 picture that's not too complicated, but that's just what "feels right" for the return on investment to me. Others may say more or less. And before you ask: Unfortunately, I'm not available for the work right now.

Whew boy it's been awhile. We're back with the first (long overdue) update to the VGMix Archive. For anyone who's not familiar: VGMix Archive is a growing archive of songs that were hosted on VGMix, VGMix 2, and VGMix X. The site first launched on April 1st, 2012, over 6 years after VGMix 2 went down, and is comprised of various music donated by users from throughout the community. The original release of VGMix Archive had around 1,700 songs, but this update brings that number up to over 3,500 songs. Where did all these new songs come from? The community has been remarkably helpful at locating a lot of these songs. Over the past few years, a number of individuals have come forward to help out and make contributions from their own music libraries. These members include @Nario , @F4T4L_3RR0R, and @Txai to name a few. Additionally, one of herograw's long-standing buried VGMix archives was added as well. However, by far the biggest contribution came from a user named Bradless, who worked the original VGMix 3, and contacted me via IRC with a huge library of over 12GBs worth of music. The addition of this library has been phenomenal. How do you know what songs are really from VGMix? How do you know what you're missing? The short answer is: We don't know for sure. There are bound to be some songs that may not have been on VGMix, but we trying to make sure that the site is filled with songs that are relevant to VGMix. The best guide we have right now is the last web archive of the songs page of VGMix 2, which is from February 8th, 2006. The site went down less than a month later. Level99/Stevo helped put together a Google Doc of songs missing from the original release, and we've been using it to check up against libraries we've been receiving. This does not contain every song that was on VGMix 2. VGMix 2 was broken up into several "tiers" of music, based on user reviews. Anything below the "Good Stuff" tier was not displayed by default and, incidentally, doesn't seem to have a good record on the web archive. For this reason, we do not reject songs based on their lack of inclusion in this document. We simply use it as a guide to make sure they're in-line with other content that was on the site. Weren't there any full backups of VGMix? As far as VGMix 1 goes, I'm fairly certain that's a "No". VGMix 1 had tons of songs and was basically just an "upload what you'd like" file host with very little in way of sorting or organizing. I've never heard of any real backup of songs besides individual libraries, and verifying songs from VGMix 1 is extremely difficult outside of good faith on the library owner. For VGMix 2? Maybe. At the time VGMix 2 went down it was said that virt did have a full backup of all the songs (and users, and reviews) that were on the site. These were allegedly copied over to a new server to be implemented into VGMix 3, but VGMix 3 never came. When VGMix X launched, the songs were nowhere to be found. It's been nearly 13 years now, and I've been collecting songs for the archive for nearly 7 years (Yes, the time between VGMix 2 and VGMix Archive 1.0 is less than the time between VGMix Archive 1.0 and 2.0. I'm not happy about that, either). If a full backup of VGMix 2 exists somewhere, I've yet to see it. As for VGMix X backups, the libraries I have received thus far have been very small, but I've received some leads that some users out there may have full, or very large, backups. I'm still working on getting in contact with these individuals (fingers crossed). How do I get all the songs? Songs are available for individual stream and download from the site. Right now the site is pretty barebones so it's basically a huge list of over 3000 songs, but it does load very quickly and have an instant search function if you're looking for a specific song. If you want the entire archive there is a torrent available, but as of right now: there is 1 seed. Furthermore, if you had an older torrent of the archive, it may not work very well because there have been large changes to the entire library since the initial release. If you are interested in helping me seed, please contact me directly, and I can give a small number of users a full dump in RAR form. However, my bandwidth is not infinite, so please serious inquiries only. What's next for VGMix Archive? The absolute #1 priorty right now is completed the list of known missing songs. For the "Stuff of Legends" tier, that means 3 songs and for the "Must-Haves" tier that means about 50. We're very close on those 2 fronts and I'm hopeful we can complete them soon. I've reached out to several individuals that may have the songs I'm missing, but I've yet to hear back from anyone. If you or someone you know has any of the songs missing from those 2 categories please let me know. You can check the above Google Doc for reference, but the 3 Stuff of Legends songs are: Water Music. A Suikoden remix by Michael Dover, aka Israfel on OverClocked ReMix. Brain Hill Zone (piano remix) by A Pansy, aka Eric Barker and Nior on OverClocked ReMix. Thanks @Dhsu !! Keep Going [CandyMix] by JH or Jonas Hellsberg. I have reached out to Eric via email and Jonas via twitter, but I do not have any reliable way to contact Michael. The "Good Stuff" tier is the biggest of the 3, so it's taken the longest to verify against the existing library. Many of the songs in that tier may already be on the site or may be sitting on my hard drive with some missing data waiting to be verified. Beyond the songs currently on the site, I still have over 1000 songs waiting to be processed. Most of these are missing some sort of data and need to be verified individually. This means they have empty tags and are missing either the artist or game name. All I know for sure is that the songs missing from the top 2 tiers are not included in that 1000. Additionally, I'd really like to build up the VGMix X library more. So, again, if you or anyone you know has a large number of verified VGMix X songs, please let me know. Finally, in an ideal world we could hopefully "rebuild" VGMix 2. That is: Rebuild a static mirror of the old site, with comments and descriptions of every song. Many of the songs have this information available on the archive, so the ideal plan would be to start scrubbing that data, adding it to a new database, and building out a mirror based on that. This would not be a fully functional site, however. We're still focusing our efforts on the new VG(Re)Mix project for that. Thanks again to all the people who've helped along the way. I truly couldn't have done this without all of your help. Please let me know if you can help improve the archive in anyway!