Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Jeff Freeman - Rest In Peace
kefkah
Member UncommonPosts: 832
Working on verifying this. This was posted in the forum by someone claiming to be his brother. Kinda hoping its a trick.
From: Ducks/forums/showthread.php?t=15566
"Some of you know who Jeff Freeman was; he was the lead designer at Sony when the major changes were made to SWG that left so many upset. Although it was not his fault he took the brunt of the criticisms, attacks, and even death threats.
Some of you may have even known him back in the UO days as Dundee, Guild Master of the Nameless Ones on Lake Superior and later the administrator of the private UO server World of Dreams.
I am not sure why I have chosen this forum to share this news; it may be that I would have loved to see Jeff build the game that he really wanted to, if he was running a private server. You see I am his brother. On September 24th Jeff took his own life. I am not angry at him or anyone else, sad yes, like so many others I feel a bit of guilt but I love my brother and I am thankful that he is no longer suffering.
Below is part of the obituary that will run in the Longview News Journal on Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
LONGVIEW - Memorial services for Jeff Freeman, 39, of Austin, will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, October 2, 2008 at Triumphant Christian Center, 1308 Reel Road, 903-xxx-xxxx.
Born October 8, 1968, he was a computer programmer who worked on many popular programs including Star Wars Galaxies and had served this country as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.
"Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from Him." 2 Cor 1:5
I hope all of you will join me and our family as we celebrate his life."
AND in another post...
Yes, I do plan on posting on his blog but I do not have any of his login information. That is something I am working on today. When I do get access to his blog I will post some pics etc... to show what a great person he was.
I am sure it seemed strange that I posted here, but this is the only contact I have the SWG community. I was a fan of pre-cu and have played on the test server. I have even considered running a server when SWGemu is released. I am not the programmer my brother was but I am excited about the project.
Also, I want everyone to know that it was not SWG that lead him to take his life. He has been troubled for sometime. There were alot of personal issues that tore at him. I did not post here because this is a community of pre-cu fans. As I stated before this is just the SWG community I have a connection to.
Regardless of how SWG turned out we must admit that many of the great things we enjoyed about pre-cu was because of his work.
Kylrathin I to wish it was a joke. I miss him so much.... I need him back...
Comments
sad news, god bless your family, my prayes are with you!
Totally shocked, RIP man, god bless his friends and family.
playing eq2 and two worlds
I wish his family all the best.
I'm still trying to verify this as well; hope and pray it's not true. jeff and I have corresponded several times since the NGE, and if true, it breaks my heart and yeah my prayers go out to his family.
fishermage.blogspot.com
Well, I"m hearing from people in the industry stuff that makes me think it's true. Damn.
fishermage.blogspot.com
God bless him and keep him, and may He show comfort to Jeff's family. This is just awful...
There's a sucker born every minute. - P.T. Barnum
I am more upset about this news than I thought I would be. I was so hoping it was untrue.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
Yeah he and I were not close, but we had corresponded a few times since the NGE. We have commented on each other's blogs and such, no big deal. He was a good man, and if true, I'll be sad I didn't get to know him better.
fishermage.blogspot.com
Hope this is BS, but tragic if its true.
Who knows, the trolls might actually think now before they act... It's pretty obvious all the complaining about SWG made him depressed...
I feel sorry for his family... Reading that he also served his country in war, made me really respect this guy. RIP, and may SWG get a resurrection.
You know it, the best way to realize your dreams is waking up and start moving, never lose hope and always keep up.
You cannot possibly be blaming this on people complaining about SWG can you? Honestly?
I agree, it is very sad new if it is true, and my thoughts go out to the family.
But telling people to think twice before they complain because of things like this is ridiculous. Perhaps if they weren't given so many reasons to complain, they wouldn't.
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
You cannot possibly be blaming this on people complaining about SWG can you? Honestly?
I agree, it is very sad new if it is true, and my thoughts go out to the family.
But telling people to think twice before they complain because of things like this is ridiculous. Perhaps if they weren't given so many reasons to complain, they wouldn't.
Why did people complain about something that was meant to be relaxing people? Games were meant to relax people, get them away from the harsh world. Today's expectations are just too high, and people are starting to take it more and more seriously. If they just played for the fun, they would have quit SWG, but started to play something else. But they have bene complaining about 1 game for years now, instead of getting over it.
Makes you doubt about why people play games, to releax, and appreciate what other people try to do for others. Or did it actually become a part of their lives, without knowing what they're made for...
You know it, the best way to realize your dreams is waking up and start moving, never lose hope and always keep up.
You cannot possibly be blaming this on people complaining about SWG can you? Honestly?
I agree, it is very sad new if it is true, and my thoughts go out to the family.
But telling people to think twice before they complain because of things like this is ridiculous. Perhaps if they weren't given so many reasons to complain, they wouldn't.
Either way, Jeff had more than redeemed himself on other, more free websites than this one where the issue was openly discussed; I think he came to a certain meeting of the minds with someof the most angry fans. I was always on decent terms with him, as I am with a few of the people at SOE, past and present.
Jeff is (was) a good man and learned from his mistakes as we all should. He had the humility to own up to the unethical nature of the NGE, and that was that. Again, he was a good man, like most of the people who worked on the NGE.
If you want to see a record of the discussion, Kefkah over at MMOfringe.come has preserved it from Wildcat's old site:
mmofringe.com/modules.php
Either way, I'm looking for better confirmation for the rumor.
fishermage.blogspot.com
You cannot possibly be blaming this on people complaining about SWG can you? Honestly?
I agree, it is very sad new if it is true, and my thoughts go out to the family.
But telling people to think twice before they complain because of things like this is ridiculous. Perhaps if they weren't given so many reasons to complain, they wouldn't.
Why did people complain about something that was meant to be relaxing people? Games were meant to relax people, get them away from the harsh world. Today's expectations are just too high, and people are starting to take it more and more seriously. If they just played for the fun, they would have quit SWG, but started to play something else. But they have bene complaining about 1 game for years now, instead of getting over it.
Makes you doubt about why people play games, to releax, and appreciate what other people try to do for others. Or did it actually become a part of their lives, without knowing what they're made for...
When you willfully set out to destroy people's relaxation, they tend to get upset. This is not the place to discuss who is to BLAME for a man taking his own life -- whether it's true or not -- to even start such a discussion is pretty unseemly.
fishermage.blogspot.com
How did the Duck board get an exclusive on this - Google comes up with nothing - I smell a rat but if I am wrong then I am truly saddened.
Sad to say this is true , I spoke with Spacetime Studios - Jeff has passed.
Unaware of the Jestor?
http://about.me/JestorRodo/
Friends enjoy his classic Vblog - https://www.facebook.com/GoodOldReliableNathan
You cannot possibly be blaming this on people complaining about SWG can you? Honestly?
I agree, it is very sad new if it is true, and my thoughts go out to the family.
But telling people to think twice before they complain because of things like this is ridiculous. Perhaps if they weren't given so many reasons to complain, they wouldn't.
Why did people complain about something that was meant to be relaxing people? Games were meant to relax people, get them away from the harsh world. Today's expectations are just too high, and people are starting to take it more and more seriously. If they just played for the fun, they would have quit SWG, but started to play something else. But they have bene complaining about 1 game for years now, instead of getting over it.
Makes you doubt about why people play games, to releax, and appreciate what other people try to do for others. Or did it actually become a part of their lives, without knowing what they're made for...
I'll agree with you, and I'll fall into that category of taking games too seriously at times. But not everyone plays games to relax, that is a false assumption. People that play games to PvP definitely don't play them to relax as PvP(in some games) is a rush.
I'll tell you why people complain though, and for so long. I loved SWG, it was my favorite game of all time. I probably took it too seriously, I played it too much, and I enjoyed it too much. The possibilities, the community, the mechanics, all amazing. Like any other leisure activity, gaming is a hobby. Suddenly, this hobby I and many others enjoyed so much was snatched away from us without warning, and without mercy. Completely gone. This was bad enough on it's own, but what made it worse, and why people are still complaining to this day, is that there is NOTHING on the market, then or now, that can come remotely close to matching or comparing to that game. If this happened to WoW, people would complain yes, but there is a plethera of other incredibly similar options available. We had no other options. That is why people still complain to this day.
But I still stand by my first claim that you cannot blame this on the complainers.
Tried: LotR, CoH, AoC, WAR, Jumpgate Classic
Played: SWG, Guild Wars, WoW
Playing: Eve Online, Counter-strike
Loved: Star Wars Galaxies
Waiting for: Earthrise, Guild Wars 2, anything sandbox.
Freeman made his peace with many of Vets back when he visited Wildcat's old forum. He was open and honest and I believe both sides came away with more respect and fewer hurt feelings. The exact link of his dialogue can be found here - http://www.mmofringe.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=18
Still, you can't come in here and blame this on vets of SWG. If his death is real, I am sure the issues went far beyond a game he no longer developed. And what kind of statement is that about Jeff?
Well, I must have said it a bit harshly, you can be upset about your favourite game going to ashes. But reading from that brother's post he even received death threats. THAT, I find worrying.
You know it, the best way to realize your dreams is waking up and start moving, never lose hope and always keep up.
His brother posted again:
Yes, I do plan on posting on his blog but I do not have any of his login information. That is something I am working on today. When I do get access to his blog I will post some pics etc... to show what a great person he was.
I am sure it seemed strange that I posted here, but this is the only contact I have the SWG community. I was a fan of pre-cu and have played on the test server. I have even considered running a server when SWGemu is released. I am not the programmer my brother was but I am excited about the project.
Also, I want everyone to know that it was not SWG that lead him to take his life. He has been troubled for sometime. There were alot of personal issues that tore at him. I did not post here because this is a community of pre-cu fans. As I stated before this is just the SWG community I have a connection to.
Regardless of how SWG turned out we must admit that many of the great things we enjoyed about pre-cu was because of his work.
Kylrathin I to wish it was a joke. I miss him so much.... I need him back...
Hrm, I suppose I'll have to apologize then, heh. But still, if people start sending death threats because of games, something seriously has gone wrong.
Anyway, really sorry for the family, friends, and since apperantly the community and him made up, the SWG community.
You know it, the best way to realize your dreams is waking up and start moving, never lose hope and always keep up.
Man, this is a real shame. Jeff Freeman was a talented dev who just got dealt a bad situation. I was really looking forward to seeing what he and others were up to at Spaceflight.
My best to his family. These situations are never easy
My thoughts and Prayers are with him and his family.
Edit; I just read the entire linked thread in which he answers question. Man, this is a "dev" who "got it". Really sad to think that this guy is gone and his learned truths can not be used in other games.
God this is so sad. He really was a good man; I wish I had gotten to know him better. My heart aches for his family.
fishermage.blogspot.com
Post #28 on the thread at the Ducks from the former Ranger correspondent there says Spacetime Studios verified it. Obviously it's fourth-hand news, but just as painful knowing there's verifications coming in. Never really got to know him, just some back-and-forth at Wildcat's old site, but I followed his blog and as much of his career as I could - I admired him for standing up for himself, admitting where he was wrong and where blame was misfocused on him, and letting us know a bit of inside info in the process. Apparently he was an Army reservist, and he handled himself that way. Respect++.
There's a sucker born every minute. - P.T. Barnum
RIP Jeff Freeman. You were the only one who actually seemed sincere and humble about how things came about. For that you earned the respect of a good many of the old SWG players.
My thoughts are with you and your family.
What a sad sad waste.