Open Letter to the Community at large

I've lurked for a good while sans account until today and I've got a friend on here who's told me about some things that have happened. Everything I heard was rather vague so it's quite possible that what I am about to say is either entirely wrong or entirely irrelevant, but some of it is just baffling so I wanted to say something about it.

A. The administrators recently responded [1] to a thread [2] where a modder listed a number of concerns they had over the state of SHaR modding and Donut Team's silence on some things. One of the concerns, the only one I feel I can actually speak to, was Donut Mod overshadowing community-developed mods. I'm sure there are a number of people who only care about what Donut Team does, but I'm equally sure there's a silent portion who don't necessarily care for or about what Donut Team puts out and place their interest instead in what the community does. Anyone shallow enough to ignore a mod just because it doesn't make use of a shiny new feature probably isn't your target audience anyway. Focus on the people attentive enough to see past the appeal of a new feature, focus on the people you're making it for. That includes you. If you have an idea you want to execute and the means to do so, you owe it to yourself to execute that idea to the best of your ability. There will be people who want to experience it. You'll get everything from perpetual boot-kissers to people who play it and just don't like it, but somewhere in there you have your audience. You have people you've reached.

B. I also heard of someone pushing a community member away and not even telling them why. If you've got a problem with someone, let them know and give them a chance to improve. If they toss that chance away that's their God-given right, but give them one.

C. Sticking on that subject, why should your opinion of a person affect your view of people who associate with them? If they're sticking with them they obviously possess some reason to do so. It may be a very superficial reason but it's something. I'm sure a number of you know people who at first glance don't seem to have many redeeming qualities, you ask some people and that's how they see themselves for God's sake. You may not see anything in someone, but they might just mean the world to someone else. There is someone out there who brings out the best in that person. If you either are that person for someone or know exactly who that person is for you, I am very glad for you and for them.

If you possess the patience required to wade through the muddy pit that is this thread, you've earned a point in my book. My deepest apologies to anyone upset by anything I've said or by the way I've said it. I'll admit it's rather naïve to think I'll reach anyone with this, but is naivety such a horrible thing? I'd rather be naïve than to plunge myself wholeheartedly into cynicism. By far the majority of what I have heard speaks to this being a wonderful community at its core and I wish from the bottom of my heart that it remains that way forever. Thank you for your time.


[1] Our Response to "Motivational Issues with Modding" donutteam.com/forum/topic/2120
[2] Motivational Issues with Modding donutteam.com/forum/topic/2055