The team internally is finally having a break. It may seem like after releases we don't do much. But internally its been common to "stay quiet" even if we have big plans and are working hard. We want something to show before we talk. After every release there is a unspoken decision to work hard on a patch, and get momentum from getting back into gear so others can piggyback on the vibes.
This time around, with how big the release was from Killermonkey and the mappers, having bots and many visual updates - the team has gone dark, some in burnout protection mode. No one is saying give up on GE:S. Definitely time for a re-evaluation of what we could do in the following years as a group. And for me, this is something I won't walk away from if I have internet, free of financial worry and as worse as 3-5 hours a week spare.
As far as the community. The lower numbers in release downtime creates two stigmas.
1. The mod is dead (many believe this, even though you can get a game every day, some people have a high bar when considering mod popularity)
2. The fanbase is hardcore but exclusive (the longer this mod is out the more they are "pros" and can own you all day, and this don't welcome newcomers, and casual folks say fuck this in their head or on mics..)
I believe that this community needs to be more inclusive to alleviate this. An "everyone working together" mentality. That would be the only thing I can imagine would increase numbers. Releases, quality of product, promotionals like reddit and PCgamer etc simply don't work!
As a hype vehicle we were running on nostalgia fumes from 2005-2009. Then when we finally created a product that had a brilliant gaming experience as opposed to a "a fun goldeneye hl2 mod" we get tasted and spit out. Like a fine wine testing. Everyone loves it in that little sip. Comments on it's qualities, appreciates its creators and savors the taste in their mouth for that brief minute. But they don't want to invest in it. Time is money and they can play blizzard games, activision, valve, minecraft, flash games, other newer mods that have got their nostalgia pulse beating.
And of course we don't have nowhere yelling out "goldeneyesource.com" in 2006 on internet videos unrelated to gaming, anymore. I think we took a hit after that "cross promotion" wasn't built upon. We missed a great opportunity not having a fan in Libya holding up signs. Occupy Wallstreet? The Wiggles reunion tour?? So many missed opportunities for our fans to be smiling and passing on the vibes to Goldeneye: Source. Braces optional