In the past week, one comparatively recent MFGGer has been roaming the world, tracking down a number of celebrity figures who have worked hard over the years to help make MFGG what it is today. In honor of MFGG's tenth birthday, these classified, clandestine conversations are now posted for all to see, fully uncut and uncensored! Eat your heart out, y'all. This is great stuff.
Thunder Dragon
Spoiler:
I know this may sound silly, but why did you create MFGG in the first place?
Hoooooo boy. Was it perchance the reckless innocence of youth? Probably. Somewhere in the era of 2000 A.D., I was wandering the BS Freakzone forums (an early fan gaming site), where I would stumble upon a link to a site called Sonic Fan Games HQ. Suffice to say, my 13-year-old self thought it was the greatest thing ever, before being prompted to ask: why isn't there a Mario counterpart? Sure, there was Mario Fan Games Central, but it wasn't so much geared to actually creating Mario games as it was simply linking to and reviewing Mario fan games from all over the web. I'll be brutally honest here: I wasn't so much interested in playing the games as making them, because let's face it - most early fan games weren't exactly what you'd call "good." To me, it was all about the thrill of creation, and I wanted to focus on that aspect of fangaming. If you've been to MFGG during 2001, you'd have noticed that graphic libraries had thumbnails and descriptions, whereas the games themselves didn't. Now you know!
How did you first get into game making?
It was around 1997 or 1998. I frequented the long-running Mario fan site, The Mushroom Kingdom, which housed a good deal of Mario everything. Yes, that included fan games - some of the very first, in fact. In particular, was a trio consisting of Super Mario Alpha, Yoshi's Island X, and Yoshi's Island X2, all by Biebersoft. These were the first Mario fan games to be made in a Clickteam product-- Klik and Play. After you closed any of these games, a "made with Klik and Play" dialog would pop up, advertising the very program. So naturally, I had to track it down and try it out. It was glorious. And everything just snowballed from there...
Back in 2001, could you have imagined MFGG being around for a whole decade?
Back then, my mentality consisted primarily of, "I will keep MFGG alive forever and EVER! It's going to be HUGE, just you watch!" So, one could say... "yes."
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
I want to say completing Toad Strikes Back, simply because it defied everyone's expectations. It has been a long-standing, unwritten rule that over-ambitious, large-scale fan game projects never get finished. To see the delighted surprise and positive reception the game received upon release brought about what one may call "warm fuzzies" to my heart. See, I never really considered creating MFGG an accomplishment. Making games was always the purpose of the site, so having finished one of such scale made the whole thing worthwhile.
What's your strangest memory of MFGG?
Way back before MFGG's forum actually had a fangaming focus, there was a thread where members could post real-life pictures of themselves. Since I wanted to remain "mysterious," I simply cut out a picture of my eye and posted it. Not long afterward, one member would take the image of my eye, and attach it to literally every post he made... but not before embellishing each of his messages with "hilarious" eye puns!
What was your favorite fangame?
Midas Machine. After 10 years, you'd think the choice would be a little tougher, but... Midas Machine. Many fan games are good "for a fan game," if you get what I'm saying, but Midas Machine is simply good. Not only is it a well-made Mario platformer, but it thinks outside the box - instead of just cloning Super Mario Bros. 3, it offers its own interpretation on the Mario formula. All the original graphics and music also help set it apart from the rest. A good fan game doesn't imitate the source material - a good fan game instead pays tribute, like Midas Machine here.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Kyle, Kritter, DJ Yoshiman, Nite Shadow and Jas were some of the folks I recall interacting with the most. Probably some others, too.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently with MFGG as its founder?
As you know, I'm not really involved with the workings of the site and forums anymore. However, I wouldn't change that-- I do, after all, have other things to occupy my free time with, namely my artistic endeavors and, you know, actually making games - the whole purpose of the site! But if I were to change one thing, I would have actually told the staff I wasn't going to manage the site (and ESPECIALLY not the forums) anymore, rather than just vanishing and waiting for somebody else to take over. Don't think I didn't consider that a dick move on my part - I did, and still do.
Are you surprised that your games have become as popular as they are?
Well, I did expect that people would end up liking them at least a little bit. What I didn't expect was that Psycho Waluigi would wind up in some Swedish gaming magazine called Level. That was a surprise, to say the least!
What advice would you give to someone who's just getting started making fangames or indie games?
Making a game? Make it your own. I can't stress this enough: make it your own. This especially applies to fan games, which have a notorious reputation of being half-hearted knock-offs. All I can say is... don't set the bar for yourself, because you'll only end up setting it too high. You don't want to imitate, you want to create. When we first start making games, obviously we won't be mining gold right away, but with your own original idea, you'll at least be able to put together something with a bit of quirky charm. If you try to imitate, say, Super Mario Bros. on your first attempt, you'll only end up with, well, a half-hearted knock-off. With a game making tool, you have the power to make nearly anything you please. So please, don't waste that power! Use it to its fullest extent, and make your creations your own!
How are things going in real life for you now?
I am a passionate artist; which is to say, my reason for being. Fan games are but a fun little diversion for me, and nothing more. I'm primarily a pencil artist and a sculptor, and yes, I've made good money off some of my stuff. I'm an artist through and through - as one who spends much time making games, I'm actually not a tech geek at all... heck, technology confuses me! One could say it's the artist in me that influences the creation of games, with me only incorporating an ever-so-slight dose of mild nerdiness into the mix. But yeah, if you ever run into me in real life, chances are my face will be buried in a sketch book.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
While I've gone on record saying that MFGG isn't really an accomplishment, don't think I'm not happy the site has made it this far. It really is something to see how others took my little pet project and turned it into the giant it is today. So, I'd like to extend a heart-felt "thank you" to each of the staff members from over the years, along with our ever-growing and ever-supportive user base. So to you, in my worst Mario impression ever, I say, "Thank-a you so much!"
Hoooooo boy. Was it perchance the reckless innocence of youth? Probably. Somewhere in the era of 2000 A.D., I was wandering the BS Freakzone forums (an early fan gaming site), where I would stumble upon a link to a site called Sonic Fan Games HQ. Suffice to say, my 13-year-old self thought it was the greatest thing ever, before being prompted to ask: why isn't there a Mario counterpart? Sure, there was Mario Fan Games Central, but it wasn't so much geared to actually creating Mario games as it was simply linking to and reviewing Mario fan games from all over the web. I'll be brutally honest here: I wasn't so much interested in playing the games as making them, because let's face it - most early fan games weren't exactly what you'd call "good." To me, it was all about the thrill of creation, and I wanted to focus on that aspect of fangaming. If you've been to MFGG during 2001, you'd have noticed that graphic libraries had thumbnails and descriptions, whereas the games themselves didn't. Now you know!
How did you first get into game making?
It was around 1997 or 1998. I frequented the long-running Mario fan site, The Mushroom Kingdom, which housed a good deal of Mario everything. Yes, that included fan games - some of the very first, in fact. In particular, was a trio consisting of Super Mario Alpha, Yoshi's Island X, and Yoshi's Island X2, all by Biebersoft. These were the first Mario fan games to be made in a Clickteam product-- Klik and Play. After you closed any of these games, a "made with Klik and Play" dialog would pop up, advertising the very program. So naturally, I had to track it down and try it out. It was glorious. And everything just snowballed from there...
Back in 2001, could you have imagined MFGG being around for a whole decade?
Back then, my mentality consisted primarily of, "I will keep MFGG alive forever and EVER! It's going to be HUGE, just you watch!" So, one could say... "yes."
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
I want to say completing Toad Strikes Back, simply because it defied everyone's expectations. It has been a long-standing, unwritten rule that over-ambitious, large-scale fan game projects never get finished. To see the delighted surprise and positive reception the game received upon release brought about what one may call "warm fuzzies" to my heart. See, I never really considered creating MFGG an accomplishment. Making games was always the purpose of the site, so having finished one of such scale made the whole thing worthwhile.
What's your strangest memory of MFGG?
Way back before MFGG's forum actually had a fangaming focus, there was a thread where members could post real-life pictures of themselves. Since I wanted to remain "mysterious," I simply cut out a picture of my eye and posted it. Not long afterward, one member would take the image of my eye, and attach it to literally every post he made... but not before embellishing each of his messages with "hilarious" eye puns!
What was your favorite fangame?
Midas Machine. After 10 years, you'd think the choice would be a little tougher, but... Midas Machine. Many fan games are good "for a fan game," if you get what I'm saying, but Midas Machine is simply good. Not only is it a well-made Mario platformer, but it thinks outside the box - instead of just cloning Super Mario Bros. 3, it offers its own interpretation on the Mario formula. All the original graphics and music also help set it apart from the rest. A good fan game doesn't imitate the source material - a good fan game instead pays tribute, like Midas Machine here.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Kyle, Kritter, DJ Yoshiman, Nite Shadow and Jas were some of the folks I recall interacting with the most. Probably some others, too.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently with MFGG as its founder?
As you know, I'm not really involved with the workings of the site and forums anymore. However, I wouldn't change that-- I do, after all, have other things to occupy my free time with, namely my artistic endeavors and, you know, actually making games - the whole purpose of the site! But if I were to change one thing, I would have actually told the staff I wasn't going to manage the site (and ESPECIALLY not the forums) anymore, rather than just vanishing and waiting for somebody else to take over. Don't think I didn't consider that a dick move on my part - I did, and still do.
Are you surprised that your games have become as popular as they are?
Well, I did expect that people would end up liking them at least a little bit. What I didn't expect was that Psycho Waluigi would wind up in some Swedish gaming magazine called Level. That was a surprise, to say the least!
What advice would you give to someone who's just getting started making fangames or indie games?
Making a game? Make it your own. I can't stress this enough: make it your own. This especially applies to fan games, which have a notorious reputation of being half-hearted knock-offs. All I can say is... don't set the bar for yourself, because you'll only end up setting it too high. You don't want to imitate, you want to create. When we first start making games, obviously we won't be mining gold right away, but with your own original idea, you'll at least be able to put together something with a bit of quirky charm. If you try to imitate, say, Super Mario Bros. on your first attempt, you'll only end up with, well, a half-hearted knock-off. With a game making tool, you have the power to make nearly anything you please. So please, don't waste that power! Use it to its fullest extent, and make your creations your own!
How are things going in real life for you now?
I am a passionate artist; which is to say, my reason for being. Fan games are but a fun little diversion for me, and nothing more. I'm primarily a pencil artist and a sculptor, and yes, I've made good money off some of my stuff. I'm an artist through and through - as one who spends much time making games, I'm actually not a tech geek at all... heck, technology confuses me! One could say it's the artist in me that influences the creation of games, with me only incorporating an ever-so-slight dose of mild nerdiness into the mix. But yeah, if you ever run into me in real life, chances are my face will be buried in a sketch book.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
While I've gone on record saying that MFGG isn't really an accomplishment, don't think I'm not happy the site has made it this far. It really is something to see how others took my little pet project and turned it into the giant it is today. So, I'd like to extend a heart-felt "thank you" to each of the staff members from over the years, along with our ever-growing and ever-supportive user base. So to you, in my worst Mario impression ever, I say, "Thank-a you so much!"
Black Squirrel
Spoiler:
What was your favorite fangame?
The obvious thing to say are the likes of Toad Strikes Back, Super Mario Stardust - games that clearly had a lot of love put into them etc., but I tend to gravitate towards fangames that are "different". I think if you've got the greatest information resource on the planet in front of you, there's no excuse to not make something bizarre. I've always enjoyed the Waligie series, the likes of Lets Go Thingio! (and other Tech Wing products), Mushroom Kingdom Fusion (before it went down the road of trying to add everything under the sun), and generally just games that break the "norm". Because the norm is boring. It's too... "normal".
As far as non-Mario fangames go, I've always been inspired by what the Sonic fangame community have offered. Sonic 2 HD, Sonic Fan Remix etc.. I love the way a group of bedroom programmers can produce a game that plays better than what comes out of Sega's head offices. It's not really the same with Nintendo products because the stuff Nintendo EAD throws out is usually top notch. Mario is disappointing a lot of the time when it comes to fangames, because you just get Super Mario Bros. 3 in new clothes, hence why I like the crazy scenarios.
What do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Several years of message board "drama"! Sadly it was hard to think of anything else back in the day, seeing as controlling the fractured community that had been passed down took up most of my internet life at the time. It was always good fun logging into the instant messenger of choice only to be pestered by people you hardly knew, but thankfully it's not an issue anymore.
Seriously. Thank the lord.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently earlier in your MFGG career?
I made a lot of stupid decisions while I was admininstrator first time around... various complicated "systems" that struggled to be maintained, various silly things said and done. But I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go back and change that as you tend to learn from your mistakes.
I think the decision to split the message boards in two is something I should have pioneered a lot earlier - could have saved a lot of headaches for my successors, and myself. I think the mess at MFGG during 2007-2009 really did start to hinder progress on the site as a whole - we've literally only got one person (Char) working on the technology behind MFGG 3.0 - everyone else jumped ship.
I'd have also picked a better username. Because this one is awful. However, it's almost as old as MFGG itself (late 2002 vs. mid 2001), so it's a bit difficult to get rid of.
What advice would you give someone who's just starting out making fangames or indie games?
Don't make something dull or stupid. Building a game is a lengthy process - you don't want to be spending your time making Super Mario World for the thousandth time. Go for something interesting, not just to attract the attention of others, but to keep you entertained in the long haul too. I run the wonderful Blog Squirrel (http://blogsquirrel.blogspot.com/) which acts as my pathetic contribution in getting the masses hooked on quirky games of years long past - it could be inspiring! Or just a shamless plug.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
I HOPE IT WILL LIVE ANOTHER TEN YEARS... and words to that effect. It's ruined my teenage years and constantly manages to annoy me with its badly made thumbnails and its refusal to adopt the English language, but it's still the best Mario fangaming resource on the net and I wish it all the luck in the future!
The obvious thing to say are the likes of Toad Strikes Back, Super Mario Stardust - games that clearly had a lot of love put into them etc., but I tend to gravitate towards fangames that are "different". I think if you've got the greatest information resource on the planet in front of you, there's no excuse to not make something bizarre. I've always enjoyed the Waligie series, the likes of Lets Go Thingio! (and other Tech Wing products), Mushroom Kingdom Fusion (before it went down the road of trying to add everything under the sun), and generally just games that break the "norm". Because the norm is boring. It's too... "normal".
As far as non-Mario fangames go, I've always been inspired by what the Sonic fangame community have offered. Sonic 2 HD, Sonic Fan Remix etc.. I love the way a group of bedroom programmers can produce a game that plays better than what comes out of Sega's head offices. It's not really the same with Nintendo products because the stuff Nintendo EAD throws out is usually top notch. Mario is disappointing a lot of the time when it comes to fangames, because you just get Super Mario Bros. 3 in new clothes, hence why I like the crazy scenarios.
What do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Several years of message board "drama"! Sadly it was hard to think of anything else back in the day, seeing as controlling the fractured community that had been passed down took up most of my internet life at the time. It was always good fun logging into the instant messenger of choice only to be pestered by people you hardly knew, but thankfully it's not an issue anymore.
Seriously. Thank the lord.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently earlier in your MFGG career?
I made a lot of stupid decisions while I was admininstrator first time around... various complicated "systems" that struggled to be maintained, various silly things said and done. But I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go back and change that as you tend to learn from your mistakes.
I think the decision to split the message boards in two is something I should have pioneered a lot earlier - could have saved a lot of headaches for my successors, and myself. I think the mess at MFGG during 2007-2009 really did start to hinder progress on the site as a whole - we've literally only got one person (Char) working on the technology behind MFGG 3.0 - everyone else jumped ship.
I'd have also picked a better username. Because this one is awful. However, it's almost as old as MFGG itself (late 2002 vs. mid 2001), so it's a bit difficult to get rid of.
What advice would you give someone who's just starting out making fangames or indie games?
Don't make something dull or stupid. Building a game is a lengthy process - you don't want to be spending your time making Super Mario World for the thousandth time. Go for something interesting, not just to attract the attention of others, but to keep you entertained in the long haul too. I run the wonderful Blog Squirrel (http://blogsquirrel.blogspot.com/) which acts as my pathetic contribution in getting the masses hooked on quirky games of years long past - it could be inspiring! Or just a shamless plug.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
I HOPE IT WILL LIVE ANOTHER TEN YEARS... and words to that effect. It's ruined my teenage years and constantly manages to annoy me with its badly made thumbnails and its refusal to adopt the English language, but it's still the best Mario fangaming resource on the net and I wish it all the luck in the future!
DJ Yoshiman
Spoiler:
Vinny: OK. *grabs cigar and tacky journalist hat*
DJ Yoshiman: *sits in fancy high almighty admin chair looking down at you*
Vinny: *while hearing a bassline in his Yoshi head.*
DJ Yoshiman: Unnsss Unnsss Unnsss
Vinny: So let's start with something I ask everyone I interview. What's your favorite memory of MFGG? You've been there a while, you know.
DJ Yoshiman: Just one? Ouch. I think out of all my favourite memories, the one that stands out THE MOST is when Thunder Dragon obtained Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube. We were warned, but still weren't prepared for a lack of activity from the site owner for the 2 weeks he was indulging in it.
Vinny: OK. Not the answer I was expecting, but interesting!
DJ Yoshiman: What sort of answer were you expecting?
Vinny: I have no idea - maybe something having to do with a little event called NCFC! But it's also true a lot of what we end up remembering most are the things like what you just said.
DJ Yoshiman: Ha ha. Well, many people remember things after 2003 or so. Other oldbies probably remember memories that are really big or already covered in the wiki. Surprisingly, my biggest memory involves something you wouldn't expect!
Vinny: Yep. So what MFGG games are your favorites/most remembered?
DJ Yoshiman: Luigi's Quest was amazing to me, because it featured custom music, something that inspired me to start making music specifically for my fangames (Mario Spy back then). Anything created by 4eyes (4eyedent earlier) is the most remembered to me, because his fangames just... felt extremely polished.
And of course, TD's fangames always seemed to be an age ahead of every one else on the website and forum.
Vinny: What individual members do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
DJ Yoshiman: Nite Shadow, we're still really great friends who talk. Ricweb, who helped with the site and made me my own webspace. Fireball3k and Neo Hyper Yoshi were part of Nite and my "group of friends." Every one loved PolarKoala. Later on, the likes of Fanguy, Draco, Jeff Silvers, Klobber, Shadowman and Jakmanjak would stain my memories.
Oh, and Dr. Mario MD - the one famous for LICK LICK LICK and getting banned and being hated - I actually made friends with him and we still talk.
Vinny: I've heard that MFGG's Site Staffers have seen some pretty interesting things over the years that many people aren't aware of. Do you have any really good stories about crazy stuff you've seen on the main site?
DJ Yoshiman: I didn't get on until much later, but I've seen my fair share of extremely crappy sprite sheets/games to the point where I have to rinse out my eyes for a minimum of 5 minutes.
Oh, but since I usually do sounds, there was a pack of sounds that were said to be ripped from BETA Mario 64. The only thing it contained were 5 wave files of indistinguishable sounds/static. Not very exciting, but I thought I heard some one chanting in one of them. Gave me nightmares for one night.
If it was years ago, where standards weren't so high, I totally would have accepted it.
Vinny: It's probably good our standards have progressed a bit since way back when...
DJ Yoshiman: Yeah, otherwise we would have had a pretty cool case of Mario-related nightmare fuel.
Vinny: Stuff that would make you never look at Goomba sprites the same way again.
DJ Yoshiman: Look At My Goomba Sprites (dying in a pit of hell)
Vinny: Yikes. What are your most vivid memories from your various stints as an MFGG forum administrator?
DJ Yoshiman: Other than the contraversial PM Incident, the Cutty-Bidbood Deletion Incident, and the eventual Split? Mostly the number of PMs I would receive of people asking me for fangame help.
Vinny: I know MFGG's seen quite a few talented musicians in its ranks, but what composers/individual songs do you remember most?
DJ Yoshiman: Tri. Bloody amazing composer of chip tune, and I recall him making some music with regular sampling as well (who I helped with starting his music creation scene). I also recall some one from OC Remix who registered once and showed a work.
And promptly didn't show anything else. Such a tease.
Vinny: A decade ago, could you have imagined yourself still being active on MFGG in 2011 and still being friends with many of the original members?
DJ Yoshiman: I didn't think MFGG would last that long, honestly. As the years trailed on and more younger, anonymous users would join the internet, I figured it'd be another lost community. I was surprised both ways - MFGG lasted that long, and there's only a few of us oldbies left. Back then, I thought we'd all be best friends sticking it to the end.
Vinny: Since this has a lot to do with MFGG's history, how's progress on WiTT Episode 2 going? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's looking forward to seeing it!
DJ Yoshiman: Actually, it's pretty much done, except for the last bit of it. I'm expecting to release it at NCFC this year, since last year saw the release of the first one. It's something that definitely needs a lot of confidence behind it, because you've got to convince the newer members that it's a throwback to history.
The first parts are going to be difficult, because they're things only people that were there back then will recognize - and other people will be interested if they like seeing the past. So if kids hate history, you're kind of out of luck. Once you get past those initial hardships, you can start dealing out stuff that they'll recognize.
Vinny: Exactly. Great. What advice would you give to someone who's just starting to make fangames or indie games, besides steering clear of a certain overused premade engine?
DJ Yoshiman: Ha ha. Start with small projects, and then grow into it. Don't let others convince you which program to use (unless they're Computer Science graduates). Create is a short form of "creativity." BE CREATIVE! You've got the power of the franchise in your hands, use it! If it's indie, find something no one has done before!
Vinny: Very true. Is there anything else you'd like to say? Anything you'd like for people to know about MFGG or anything else?
DJ Yoshiman: MFGG has come a very long way. I've been on it probably for too long, but it's thriving. It may not have the activity it once had, but the amount of dedication to creation and helping those creations is astounding. I really want people to view MFGG as an opportunity for growing, that "step" into learning a video game-related career, and to branch out, graduate into some one who later I will see
in the credits of the next video game I play. And hopefully not under "catering."
Vinny: Well said. Many thanks for your time, and a good night to all.
DJ Yoshiman: You're welcome!
Now go fetch me a good sprite, citizen!
DJ Yoshiman: *sits in fancy high almighty admin chair looking down at you*
Vinny: *while hearing a bassline in his Yoshi head.*
DJ Yoshiman: Unnsss Unnsss Unnsss
Vinny: So let's start with something I ask everyone I interview. What's your favorite memory of MFGG? You've been there a while, you know.
DJ Yoshiman: Just one? Ouch. I think out of all my favourite memories, the one that stands out THE MOST is when Thunder Dragon obtained Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube. We were warned, but still weren't prepared for a lack of activity from the site owner for the 2 weeks he was indulging in it.
Vinny: OK. Not the answer I was expecting, but interesting!
DJ Yoshiman: What sort of answer were you expecting?
Vinny: I have no idea - maybe something having to do with a little event called NCFC! But it's also true a lot of what we end up remembering most are the things like what you just said.
DJ Yoshiman: Ha ha. Well, many people remember things after 2003 or so. Other oldbies probably remember memories that are really big or already covered in the wiki. Surprisingly, my biggest memory involves something you wouldn't expect!
Vinny: Yep. So what MFGG games are your favorites/most remembered?
DJ Yoshiman: Luigi's Quest was amazing to me, because it featured custom music, something that inspired me to start making music specifically for my fangames (Mario Spy back then). Anything created by 4eyes (4eyedent earlier) is the most remembered to me, because his fangames just... felt extremely polished.
And of course, TD's fangames always seemed to be an age ahead of every one else on the website and forum.
Vinny: What individual members do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
DJ Yoshiman: Nite Shadow, we're still really great friends who talk. Ricweb, who helped with the site and made me my own webspace. Fireball3k and Neo Hyper Yoshi were part of Nite and my "group of friends." Every one loved PolarKoala. Later on, the likes of Fanguy, Draco, Jeff Silvers, Klobber, Shadowman and Jakmanjak would stain my memories.
Oh, and Dr. Mario MD - the one famous for LICK LICK LICK and getting banned and being hated - I actually made friends with him and we still talk.
Vinny: I've heard that MFGG's Site Staffers have seen some pretty interesting things over the years that many people aren't aware of. Do you have any really good stories about crazy stuff you've seen on the main site?
DJ Yoshiman: I didn't get on until much later, but I've seen my fair share of extremely crappy sprite sheets/games to the point where I have to rinse out my eyes for a minimum of 5 minutes.
Oh, but since I usually do sounds, there was a pack of sounds that were said to be ripped from BETA Mario 64. The only thing it contained were 5 wave files of indistinguishable sounds/static. Not very exciting, but I thought I heard some one chanting in one of them. Gave me nightmares for one night.
If it was years ago, where standards weren't so high, I totally would have accepted it.
Vinny: It's probably good our standards have progressed a bit since way back when...
DJ Yoshiman: Yeah, otherwise we would have had a pretty cool case of Mario-related nightmare fuel.
Vinny: Stuff that would make you never look at Goomba sprites the same way again.
DJ Yoshiman: Look At My Goomba Sprites (dying in a pit of hell)
Vinny: Yikes. What are your most vivid memories from your various stints as an MFGG forum administrator?
DJ Yoshiman: Other than the contraversial PM Incident, the Cutty-Bidbood Deletion Incident, and the eventual Split? Mostly the number of PMs I would receive of people asking me for fangame help.
Vinny: I know MFGG's seen quite a few talented musicians in its ranks, but what composers/individual songs do you remember most?
DJ Yoshiman: Tri. Bloody amazing composer of chip tune, and I recall him making some music with regular sampling as well (who I helped with starting his music creation scene). I also recall some one from OC Remix who registered once and showed a work.
And promptly didn't show anything else. Such a tease.
Vinny: A decade ago, could you have imagined yourself still being active on MFGG in 2011 and still being friends with many of the original members?
DJ Yoshiman: I didn't think MFGG would last that long, honestly. As the years trailed on and more younger, anonymous users would join the internet, I figured it'd be another lost community. I was surprised both ways - MFGG lasted that long, and there's only a few of us oldbies left. Back then, I thought we'd all be best friends sticking it to the end.
Vinny: Since this has a lot to do with MFGG's history, how's progress on WiTT Episode 2 going? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's looking forward to seeing it!
DJ Yoshiman: Actually, it's pretty much done, except for the last bit of it. I'm expecting to release it at NCFC this year, since last year saw the release of the first one. It's something that definitely needs a lot of confidence behind it, because you've got to convince the newer members that it's a throwback to history.
The first parts are going to be difficult, because they're things only people that were there back then will recognize - and other people will be interested if they like seeing the past. So if kids hate history, you're kind of out of luck. Once you get past those initial hardships, you can start dealing out stuff that they'll recognize.
Vinny: Exactly. Great. What advice would you give to someone who's just starting to make fangames or indie games, besides steering clear of a certain overused premade engine?
DJ Yoshiman: Ha ha. Start with small projects, and then grow into it. Don't let others convince you which program to use (unless they're Computer Science graduates). Create is a short form of "creativity." BE CREATIVE! You've got the power of the franchise in your hands, use it! If it's indie, find something no one has done before!
Vinny: Very true. Is there anything else you'd like to say? Anything you'd like for people to know about MFGG or anything else?
DJ Yoshiman: MFGG has come a very long way. I've been on it probably for too long, but it's thriving. It may not have the activity it once had, but the amount of dedication to creation and helping those creations is astounding. I really want people to view MFGG as an opportunity for growing, that "step" into learning a video game-related career, and to branch out, graduate into some one who later I will see
in the credits of the next video game I play. And hopefully not under "catering."
Vinny: Well said. Many thanks for your time, and a good night to all.
DJ Yoshiman: You're welcome!
Now go fetch me a good sprite, citizen!
Parakarry
Spoiler:
How did you find MFGG?
One day in high school I was on the computer, I was looking for something related to the Koopalings, I don't remember what though. One of the sites I found was this interesting looking site, I couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed to involve game making or something, and they had a lot of sprites. I wondered what a "lib" was, too. So I wrote down the site and took a look at it when I got back home. I didn't join then, but one year I did, along with my brother, Shadowman.
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
I came at first for the fangames, but I enjoyed the board as a whole. It wasn't just fangames, it had other stuff, the general discussion board, arts board, other stuff, and it was often just goofy and fun without being spammy. Different bizarre April Fools things, forum games, forum events, I really liked that.
What was your favorite fangame?
A lot are good, but no one really sticks out for me. Some favorites include Legend of the Time Stopper, a game my friend Willy Goldwater and I were working on, but never got finished. There were a lot of games that even if they weren't made really well, were enjoyable.
Although not technically a Mario game, but still a game known to MFGG, one of my favorite games is the Waligie series. It's a parody game that's bad on purpose, and it's just always hilarious. It came from a typo from an MFGGer named King Piranha Plant, or KPP, referring to Waluigi as Waligie. Games were made with a character named Waligie, and two other characters named Willigie and Wiluide were made, also from typos.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Klobber, one of the first people I talked to regularly.
I had a friend named Willy Goldwater that I remembered, once the main site was down, and he and I found a temporary web host to put it on.
Shyguy182, who made a few games, I've talked to before, that always seemed fun.
Friends like Naoshi Baikyu, BSonirachi, Medaforcer, Raccoon Sam, Rage, there are a lot of them.
What's your most vivid memory of being a Site Staff member?
Just seeing everything come in, a lot of stuff, usually not very good, but seeing it all before it was on the site was neat to look at.
Occassionally I showed some people some of the extra-bad stuff that was submitted.
Are you still working on any games or other projects?
I would love to, there are ideas I have. I want to make a Mega Man game, for instance, I have boss ideas all in my head, different 8 bit songs, and I'd love to make them. The problem is, I'm not really the best at coding, and The Games Factory's platforming engine is problematic and isn't really accurate. The way to get around those is using static engines, but I couldn't really understand them that easily, a lot of programming. Plus I'm a terrible spriter. I'd love some help on it, though. As for Mario, I like rom hacking SMW, there's a lot you can do with that.
How are things going in real life for you now?
Well I graduated college, and not doing too much at the moment. Nice and relaxing, but also nothing going on. I'd love to be a voice actor, it's something I enjoy doing and am good at. I did some Mario voices in MFGG also.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
It was definately fun, and I don't know many other boards that were like that. I also like how there wasn't really much of a drive to make the games as good as they could possibly be. Sure, the games weren't particuarly well made, but they had this real thing about them that was just fun too.
The board, I know the new boards are only about fangames, and that's ok, but it also seems to be missing something. There can still be a way to have some fun with the board, it doesn't need to be out of control, but it can still be enjoyable too.
One day in high school I was on the computer, I was looking for something related to the Koopalings, I don't remember what though. One of the sites I found was this interesting looking site, I couldn't tell what it was, but it seemed to involve game making or something, and they had a lot of sprites. I wondered what a "lib" was, too. So I wrote down the site and took a look at it when I got back home. I didn't join then, but one year I did, along with my brother, Shadowman.
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
I came at first for the fangames, but I enjoyed the board as a whole. It wasn't just fangames, it had other stuff, the general discussion board, arts board, other stuff, and it was often just goofy and fun without being spammy. Different bizarre April Fools things, forum games, forum events, I really liked that.
What was your favorite fangame?
A lot are good, but no one really sticks out for me. Some favorites include Legend of the Time Stopper, a game my friend Willy Goldwater and I were working on, but never got finished. There were a lot of games that even if they weren't made really well, were enjoyable.
Although not technically a Mario game, but still a game known to MFGG, one of my favorite games is the Waligie series. It's a parody game that's bad on purpose, and it's just always hilarious. It came from a typo from an MFGGer named King Piranha Plant, or KPP, referring to Waluigi as Waligie. Games were made with a character named Waligie, and two other characters named Willigie and Wiluide were made, also from typos.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Klobber, one of the first people I talked to regularly.
I had a friend named Willy Goldwater that I remembered, once the main site was down, and he and I found a temporary web host to put it on.
Shyguy182, who made a few games, I've talked to before, that always seemed fun.
Friends like Naoshi Baikyu, BSonirachi, Medaforcer, Raccoon Sam, Rage, there are a lot of them.
What's your most vivid memory of being a Site Staff member?
Just seeing everything come in, a lot of stuff, usually not very good, but seeing it all before it was on the site was neat to look at.
Occassionally I showed some people some of the extra-bad stuff that was submitted.
Are you still working on any games or other projects?
I would love to, there are ideas I have. I want to make a Mega Man game, for instance, I have boss ideas all in my head, different 8 bit songs, and I'd love to make them. The problem is, I'm not really the best at coding, and The Games Factory's platforming engine is problematic and isn't really accurate. The way to get around those is using static engines, but I couldn't really understand them that easily, a lot of programming. Plus I'm a terrible spriter. I'd love some help on it, though. As for Mario, I like rom hacking SMW, there's a lot you can do with that.
How are things going in real life for you now?
Well I graduated college, and not doing too much at the moment. Nice and relaxing, but also nothing going on. I'd love to be a voice actor, it's something I enjoy doing and am good at. I did some Mario voices in MFGG also.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
It was definately fun, and I don't know many other boards that were like that. I also like how there wasn't really much of a drive to make the games as good as they could possibly be. Sure, the games weren't particuarly well made, but they had this real thing about them that was just fun too.
The board, I know the new boards are only about fangames, and that's ok, but it also seems to be missing something. There can still be a way to have some fun with the board, it doesn't need to be out of control, but it can still be enjoyable too.
Retriever II
Spoiler:
How did you first become interested in fangaming? What events led you to become MFGG's host?
I saw Klobber and Kritter making cool stuff. I wanted to make cool stuff. Bam.
As for becoming MFGG's host, I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I've always been ready to jump in and handle a crisis. MFGG had a lot of those in its early days, and it just seemed like a natural fit to take a more direct role in running the site. I was also one of the only people old enough and willing to put down $5 on the place, so I guess that also make a big difference.
Did you ever imagine MFGG becoming as successful as it has?
I'm not sure I want to put a measurement of "success" on MFGG. Certainly, the site has lasted a lot longer than I ever imagined it would. I think it was during the 5 year anniversary that I claimed MFGG would never make it to 10 years. Clearly I've been proven wrong. In terms of numbers, MFGG seemed to peak around 2006 and then fall back somewhat into obscurity, although it seems there's still a healthy stream of activity going on. Fun fact: MFGG is the top Google result for keywords "fangame", "fangames", and "fan games". It's number 2 for "fan game". I didn't imagine that happening.
What was your favorite fangame?
I never played many, to be honest. Probably New and Tasty, for its good production value and the fact that SM kept shoving it in my face and that I had a small role in building it.
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
Reverse-engineering the textures and models of the Paper Mario games and posting my progress on the board. It was really exciting to not only unravel content that others couldn't effectively rip, but also to discover all the hidden material that never made it into the final games.
Oh, and nearly giving ShadowMan a heart attack during his first April Fools prank when I rigged the admin cp. That was loads of fun. Vindictive fun.
What individual members do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
The ones that I still keep in touch with. Klobber, Kritter, ShadowMan, among others.
What are your most vivid memories from your stint as an administrator and webmaster?
Probably the various crises that I've had to deal with, from losing hosting with Spitfire and Masaki, to Cutty bringing down the boards.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently as MFGG's webmaster, or as a forum administrator?
Loads I'm sure, although I've forgotten them all by now. Of course there are tons of things I wish I did differently in developing the actual software, but as a webmaster I think I did a good job keeping things running and dealing with crises. On the other hand, I was never great admin material. Perhaps as a consequence of that, I never really ... did anything. If I could do it over I'd try and separate myself from community management.
How was it like to code the original main site?
Long. Content management systems are dry and tedious to build and extend. But despite all the problems with the site, I think it's cool that the system has managed to survive for 5+ years without totally breaking down. If you want to know why I could never push out another major version, look up the "Second System Effect".
How are things going in real life for you now?
I recently completed a Masters degree in Computer Science, and I now work as a software engineer writing imaging toolkits. So right on track. I wouldn't say my involvement at MFGG had any bearing, but I'm sure projects I've worked on that had roots in MFGG, like XLua for MMF, contributed heavily.
I've definitely closed the fangaming chapter in my life, but I'd still like to take a stab at a small independent game.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
It's been a weird ride, but at least I got to meet a few cool people.
I saw Klobber and Kritter making cool stuff. I wanted to make cool stuff. Bam.
As for becoming MFGG's host, I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I've always been ready to jump in and handle a crisis. MFGG had a lot of those in its early days, and it just seemed like a natural fit to take a more direct role in running the site. I was also one of the only people old enough and willing to put down $5 on the place, so I guess that also make a big difference.
Did you ever imagine MFGG becoming as successful as it has?
I'm not sure I want to put a measurement of "success" on MFGG. Certainly, the site has lasted a lot longer than I ever imagined it would. I think it was during the 5 year anniversary that I claimed MFGG would never make it to 10 years. Clearly I've been proven wrong. In terms of numbers, MFGG seemed to peak around 2006 and then fall back somewhat into obscurity, although it seems there's still a healthy stream of activity going on. Fun fact: MFGG is the top Google result for keywords "fangame", "fangames", and "fan games". It's number 2 for "fan game". I didn't imagine that happening.
What was your favorite fangame?
I never played many, to be honest. Probably New and Tasty, for its good production value and the fact that SM kept shoving it in my face and that I had a small role in building it.
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
Reverse-engineering the textures and models of the Paper Mario games and posting my progress on the board. It was really exciting to not only unravel content that others couldn't effectively rip, but also to discover all the hidden material that never made it into the final games.
Oh, and nearly giving ShadowMan a heart attack during his first April Fools prank when I rigged the admin cp. That was loads of fun. Vindictive fun.
What individual members do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
The ones that I still keep in touch with. Klobber, Kritter, ShadowMan, among others.
What are your most vivid memories from your stint as an administrator and webmaster?
Probably the various crises that I've had to deal with, from losing hosting with Spitfire and Masaki, to Cutty bringing down the boards.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently as MFGG's webmaster, or as a forum administrator?
Loads I'm sure, although I've forgotten them all by now. Of course there are tons of things I wish I did differently in developing the actual software, but as a webmaster I think I did a good job keeping things running and dealing with crises. On the other hand, I was never great admin material. Perhaps as a consequence of that, I never really ... did anything. If I could do it over I'd try and separate myself from community management.
How was it like to code the original main site?
Long. Content management systems are dry and tedious to build and extend. But despite all the problems with the site, I think it's cool that the system has managed to survive for 5+ years without totally breaking down. If you want to know why I could never push out another major version, look up the "Second System Effect".
How are things going in real life for you now?
I recently completed a Masters degree in Computer Science, and I now work as a software engineer writing imaging toolkits. So right on track. I wouldn't say my involvement at MFGG had any bearing, but I'm sure projects I've worked on that had roots in MFGG, like XLua for MMF, contributed heavily.
I've definitely closed the fangaming chapter in my life, but I'd still like to take a stab at a small independent game.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
It's been a weird ride, but at least I got to meet a few cool people.
Shadowman
Spoiler:
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
For better or worse, my favorite uniquely MFGG memories were from the events and roleplays, what with Zombie Week, the various challenges, and everything like that. If I had to narrow it down to two (I'm cheating!), it would probably be the first and the last I ever took part in.
Back in early-mid 2003, I remember someone -- was it FanGuy? -- started a party thread where everyone would post what they were bringing and simulate a big get-together. This was fun as a friendless 13-year-old, but I got a huge kick out of the chaotic collaboration that went on. It was my first time really getting involved with something along those lines. Board role play is of course a little faux pas now, but it cemented my love for the community that MFGG hosted: wacky, but still sensible and willing to play by the rules that we made up.
In contrast, the final such madness I wound up in was an admin war between me and Klobber, renaming and re-skinning the PPP. That happened almost immediately before I quit, and I remember it as sort of a fittingly bizarre last hurrah. By that point, the community had devolved and mutated into something I didn't care for, a group that parroted anything 4chan spat out rather that inventing its own jokes and culture. Forum politics and whatnot turned into a total disaster, so it was appropriate to bookend my years of events and roleplaying with something avant-garde and pointless.
The difference between the two events really speaks volumes to how the site changed over a decade. At the start, it was a much smaller group that was tightly focused on the community experience. By the end of my time, it had turned into a bustling metropolis, but one so unfortunately drained of its character that the only way to have fun was utter chaos and an elaborate in-joke.
That said, there's something to be said for chaos.
What was your favorite fangame?
I always enjoyed earlier fangames more than the perfect ones that used the Hello Engine and similar tools, just because they showed a little more raw ambition. In my mind, nothing will ever again show the raw ambition and insanity of Legacy of the Golden Hammer - Part One. Don't get me wrong, it's an absolutely horrendous and completely unplayable game. But good lord, does it have balls. Even the title screen is outsized and insults you for trying to skip its lengthy cutscene graphic.
Legacy of the Golden Hammer starts out as a fairly innocent Mario clone, but within a few scenes, some completely insane Mission Impossible-style plot has hijacked an otherwise responsible fangame. It's unfairly hard, half from design and half because of glitches, which distracts you from realizing how completely ridiculous it gets. My lasting memory of this game is the point where I gave up: at one point Mario has to climb onto a jet plane and shoot down Bowser's minions while he does battle against Evil Mario, his dark clone who is currently piloting an even LARGER plane. Then at the end, Mario obtains a magic power that allows him to fly through walls.
LotGH is laughably horrendous, but nothing like it ever really has existed or will ever be made again. And the craziest part is that it's a Mario game! A teenager made the most insane, unthinkable, out-of-control Mario game ever conceived! This is the wonder that fangames first presented to me, and even though I loathed this game for its impossible difficulty and dumb ideas, I secretly admired its ambition and dedication.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Not counting the insane or stupid people like Jinpen (did he need a new hobby?), Delmore (is he secretly homeless?), and Mugenmidget (what kind of satisfaction do you get from terrorizing a small Mario forum?), I made some serious friends from the MFGG days. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Joey, RII, Techokami, Trasher/Kins/Scods/etc., Sage, Klobber, Bungalo, Yoshiman, Hanyou, Naoshi, Kritter, Black Squirrel, LuigiFan, and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. They've all become legitimate friends in my post-MFGG life, and I've even met up with some afterwards (spoilers: it was Joey). I'm not a huge fan of most of the community, but a select few people really still matter to me, and for that, I'm at least partly thankful.
What do you remember most from your stint as an administrator?
Most of my memories from being admin involve the aforementioned weird events I used to pull. Some of those were stupidly fun, like the Nega-Leviathan/Santa event, the Stupidity Discharge, Muscular Trapeze Artists, and countless other minor ones that were never documented (Ernest's Custard Emporium anybody?). MFGG's community has slipped off the edge of stability and rationality in recent years, but during the times when we could do things like that without them getting out of hand, they really spoke to the outrageously weird and loose character that MFGG had.
My strongest memory of all, though, had to be the brief admin revolt. I recall Kritter getting angry, removing the swear filter, deleting the rules, and resigning. Almost immediately, people declared anarchy and became incredibly profane. The chaos was distressing at the time but hilarious in retrospect.
Come to think of it, all those moments of crisis were really great. Anyone remember when Spitfire (?) hosted our site on d2sector.net, then flooded us with porn to justify us getting kicked out? Or when I forgot to tell the rest of the admins that we were getting our hosting pulled? Good times.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently during your days on MFGG?
As I've strongly implied, I wish I could have rolled my insanity back just a little bit. I feel that my antics might be partially responsible for the boards drifting the way they did into chaos and bickering, especially the start of all the nasty forum politics. But that could've been the path that Internet communities took in general too. MFGG was strongest when it focused on fangames, creativity, and a community based within them. I might have driven that off the rails.
Are you surprised that people still love (and hate simultaneously) Waligie?
It's profoundly disturbing that people still like Waligie. It started as a hilarious, twisted in-joke by Hippoman. Then Cutmanmike joined in, and I followed, and it all (literally?) went to hell. Even now replaying the games, I keep laughing my ass off. Each of us had a different style we brought to things, and the conflict and combination of all those really made the Waligie games the intangible mess that they were.
I never had so much fun stylistically sucking at game design. I guess that's what people liked about it too. Other attempts to capitalize on the formula might have too polished, too hard, or too... something else. The Waligie zeitgeist and the Waligie je ne sais quoi may never be captured again.
But I can never get over the fact that people remember Bob Braker more than they do New and Tasty. I actually put work into that thing!
How are things going in real life for you now?
Things could not be going any better. As I'm typing this, I'm in an apartment in Washington, D.C., working at my university's library. I'm on the track to study library and information sciences. I have a great group of solid friends, and I still find time to game.
But not really to make fangames anymore. MFGG was a place of solace where I could go when I was anti-social (i.e., most of the time). It had its time and its place, as it always does (most of the community seems to be teens at any given time), but it filled a very important part of my life. As long as people still want to make a game with Mario in it, I'm sure it'll be a constant with that very purpose.
Unless people don't grow up. I won't name the specific community I'm thinking of, but you can probably guess. Seriously guys.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
MFGG is inherently flawed now in that it has to divide itself between the fangaming aspect, which isn't as strong as it used to be, and the community, which has turned rotten and unlikeable. But the site is so steeped in history, enthusiasm, energy, and friendly faces that I can never really separate what it has become from its inspirational beginnings. I cannot believe that 9 years ago, my brother was searching for things about the Koopalings and found this site, that I joined a year later, and that I was caught so strongly in its appeal and force force that it came to define my adolescence.
Godspeed guys.
For better or worse, my favorite uniquely MFGG memories were from the events and roleplays, what with Zombie Week, the various challenges, and everything like that. If I had to narrow it down to two (I'm cheating!), it would probably be the first and the last I ever took part in.
Back in early-mid 2003, I remember someone -- was it FanGuy? -- started a party thread where everyone would post what they were bringing and simulate a big get-together. This was fun as a friendless 13-year-old, but I got a huge kick out of the chaotic collaboration that went on. It was my first time really getting involved with something along those lines. Board role play is of course a little faux pas now, but it cemented my love for the community that MFGG hosted: wacky, but still sensible and willing to play by the rules that we made up.
In contrast, the final such madness I wound up in was an admin war between me and Klobber, renaming and re-skinning the PPP. That happened almost immediately before I quit, and I remember it as sort of a fittingly bizarre last hurrah. By that point, the community had devolved and mutated into something I didn't care for, a group that parroted anything 4chan spat out rather that inventing its own jokes and culture. Forum politics and whatnot turned into a total disaster, so it was appropriate to bookend my years of events and roleplaying with something avant-garde and pointless.
The difference between the two events really speaks volumes to how the site changed over a decade. At the start, it was a much smaller group that was tightly focused on the community experience. By the end of my time, it had turned into a bustling metropolis, but one so unfortunately drained of its character that the only way to have fun was utter chaos and an elaborate in-joke.
That said, there's something to be said for chaos.
What was your favorite fangame?
I always enjoyed earlier fangames more than the perfect ones that used the Hello Engine and similar tools, just because they showed a little more raw ambition. In my mind, nothing will ever again show the raw ambition and insanity of Legacy of the Golden Hammer - Part One. Don't get me wrong, it's an absolutely horrendous and completely unplayable game. But good lord, does it have balls. Even the title screen is outsized and insults you for trying to skip its lengthy cutscene graphic.
Legacy of the Golden Hammer starts out as a fairly innocent Mario clone, but within a few scenes, some completely insane Mission Impossible-style plot has hijacked an otherwise responsible fangame. It's unfairly hard, half from design and half because of glitches, which distracts you from realizing how completely ridiculous it gets. My lasting memory of this game is the point where I gave up: at one point Mario has to climb onto a jet plane and shoot down Bowser's minions while he does battle against Evil Mario, his dark clone who is currently piloting an even LARGER plane. Then at the end, Mario obtains a magic power that allows him to fly through walls.
LotGH is laughably horrendous, but nothing like it ever really has existed or will ever be made again. And the craziest part is that it's a Mario game! A teenager made the most insane, unthinkable, out-of-control Mario game ever conceived! This is the wonder that fangames first presented to me, and even though I loathed this game for its impossible difficulty and dumb ideas, I secretly admired its ambition and dedication.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Not counting the insane or stupid people like Jinpen (did he need a new hobby?), Delmore (is he secretly homeless?), and Mugenmidget (what kind of satisfaction do you get from terrorizing a small Mario forum?), I made some serious friends from the MFGG days. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Joey, RII, Techokami, Trasher/Kins/Scods/etc., Sage, Klobber, Bungalo, Yoshiman, Hanyou, Naoshi, Kritter, Black Squirrel, LuigiFan, and probably a couple others I'm forgetting. They've all become legitimate friends in my post-MFGG life, and I've even met up with some afterwards (spoilers: it was Joey). I'm not a huge fan of most of the community, but a select few people really still matter to me, and for that, I'm at least partly thankful.
What do you remember most from your stint as an administrator?
Most of my memories from being admin involve the aforementioned weird events I used to pull. Some of those were stupidly fun, like the Nega-Leviathan/Santa event, the Stupidity Discharge, Muscular Trapeze Artists, and countless other minor ones that were never documented (Ernest's Custard Emporium anybody?). MFGG's community has slipped off the edge of stability and rationality in recent years, but during the times when we could do things like that without them getting out of hand, they really spoke to the outrageously weird and loose character that MFGG had.
My strongest memory of all, though, had to be the brief admin revolt. I recall Kritter getting angry, removing the swear filter, deleting the rules, and resigning. Almost immediately, people declared anarchy and became incredibly profane. The chaos was distressing at the time but hilarious in retrospect.
Come to think of it, all those moments of crisis were really great. Anyone remember when Spitfire (?) hosted our site on d2sector.net, then flooded us with porn to justify us getting kicked out? Or when I forgot to tell the rest of the admins that we were getting our hosting pulled? Good times.
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently during your days on MFGG?
As I've strongly implied, I wish I could have rolled my insanity back just a little bit. I feel that my antics might be partially responsible for the boards drifting the way they did into chaos and bickering, especially the start of all the nasty forum politics. But that could've been the path that Internet communities took in general too. MFGG was strongest when it focused on fangames, creativity, and a community based within them. I might have driven that off the rails.
Are you surprised that people still love (and hate simultaneously) Waligie?
It's profoundly disturbing that people still like Waligie. It started as a hilarious, twisted in-joke by Hippoman. Then Cutmanmike joined in, and I followed, and it all (literally?) went to hell. Even now replaying the games, I keep laughing my ass off. Each of us had a different style we brought to things, and the conflict and combination of all those really made the Waligie games the intangible mess that they were.
I never had so much fun stylistically sucking at game design. I guess that's what people liked about it too. Other attempts to capitalize on the formula might have too polished, too hard, or too... something else. The Waligie zeitgeist and the Waligie je ne sais quoi may never be captured again.
But I can never get over the fact that people remember Bob Braker more than they do New and Tasty. I actually put work into that thing!
How are things going in real life for you now?
Things could not be going any better. As I'm typing this, I'm in an apartment in Washington, D.C., working at my university's library. I'm on the track to study library and information sciences. I have a great group of solid friends, and I still find time to game.
But not really to make fangames anymore. MFGG was a place of solace where I could go when I was anti-social (i.e., most of the time). It had its time and its place, as it always does (most of the community seems to be teens at any given time), but it filled a very important part of my life. As long as people still want to make a game with Mario in it, I'm sure it'll be a constant with that very purpose.
Unless people don't grow up. I won't name the specific community I'm thinking of, but you can probably guess. Seriously guys.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
MFGG is inherently flawed now in that it has to divide itself between the fangaming aspect, which isn't as strong as it used to be, and the community, which has turned rotten and unlikeable. But the site is so steeped in history, enthusiasm, energy, and friendly faces that I can never really separate what it has become from its inspirational beginnings. I cannot believe that 9 years ago, my brother was searching for things about the Koopalings and found this site, that I joined a year later, and that I was caught so strongly in its appeal and force force that it came to define my adolescence.
Godspeed guys.
Trasher
Spoiler:
What's your favorite memory of MFGG?
Probably looking through the submission queue. There was a lot of strange, strange stuff that got submitted that most people never saw. I wish I still had some of it, but hard drive crashes.
What was your favorite fangame?
Cripes, it's been a while since I looked... the one that comes to mind the most is Super Mario: Blue Twilight DX, as it was easily the most polished fangame I'd seen in quite a while. Super Mario Crossover was obviously very good, too, but I'm not sure that was ever submitted.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Probably the people I still talk to. Of all the friends I made here, I've kept in touch with most of them throughout the years. Odds are you're trying to interview most of them!
What do you remember most from your stint as an administrator?
Probably fending off a bunch of MugenMidget and Nightwing alts. Never a dull moment!
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently during your days on MFGG?
Probably taken a bit more care and attention to the running of the PPP, so that it'd stay as "the funny forum" and not just a bunch of recycled memes.
Did you ever imagine people would still be using your sound rips this much even to this day?
I guess? I kind of thought they'd have been overtaken by rips from newer games using better tools, but whatever works, I suppose!
How are things going in real life for you now?
Pretty good, honestly. I can't really complain about anything. Well, I have a cold right now, which kind of sucks, but that's not very interesting.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
Probably looking through the submission queue. There was a lot of strange, strange stuff that got submitted that most people never saw. I wish I still had some of it, but hard drive crashes.
What was your favorite fangame?
Cripes, it's been a while since I looked... the one that comes to mind the most is Super Mario: Blue Twilight DX, as it was easily the most polished fangame I'd seen in quite a while. Super Mario Crossover was obviously very good, too, but I'm not sure that was ever submitted.
What people do you remember most from your time on MFGG?
Probably the people I still talk to. Of all the friends I made here, I've kept in touch with most of them throughout the years. Odds are you're trying to interview most of them!
What do you remember most from your stint as an administrator?
Probably fending off a bunch of MugenMidget and Nightwing alts. Never a dull moment!
Is there anything you wish you'd done differently during your days on MFGG?
Probably taken a bit more care and attention to the running of the PPP, so that it'd stay as "the funny forum" and not just a bunch of recycled memes.
Did you ever imagine people would still be using your sound rips this much even to this day?
I guess? I kind of thought they'd have been overtaken by rips from newer games using better tools, but whatever works, I suppose!
How are things going in real life for you now?
Pretty good, honestly. I can't really complain about anything. Well, I have a cold right now, which kind of sucks, but that's not very interesting.
Is there anything else you'd like to say, about MFGG or anything else?
Note: Due to time constraints - I came into this project believing MFGG's anniversary was the traditional July 16 date rather than the actual July 9 - some interviews aren't finished yet. Hang in there folks.
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