As It Turns Out, You *Can* Go Home Again
For most of the time since I accepted the EQ2 community manager position at SOE, my old Mobhunter site has been in the capable hands of Mike Shea, a.k.a. Loral Ciriclight. Mike did a fantastic job keeping the spirit of the site alive, and over the years helped inspire many positive changes to good old EverQuest.
Recent changes to his life and gaming habits have caused Mr. Shea to decide that it’s time for him to step down as the writer for Mobhunter. Mike will continue to write for his own site, so his fans should be sure to bookmark the address noted above. I’d like to personally thank Mike for his dedication and great work over the years. It always filled me with pride that the Mobhunter tradition continued on long after I was gone. (You can fumble through both my and Loral’s articles on the new Mobhunter Archives page).
Rather than turn the old site over to another writer or let the domain drift away into the nether, I’ve decided to take up the Mobhunter mantle for this blog. Moorgard.com is being re-branded as Mobhunter, which will become the primary domain in about a week. I have to admit, even though it’s just a cosmetic change, I’m very excited about writing under the Mobhunter banner once again!
Of course, it’s not like I’m going back in time or anything. Just as Mobhunter evolved under Mike’s direction, my writing isn’t going to instantly return to my old style. I’m older now, and not quite as much of a pain in the ass as I used to be (my coworkers and wife may well disagree). Though I look back on my original articles with a great deal of fondness, I also recognize how presumptive I was about many things and how little I actually knew about making games.
I’m more seasoned now, and I mean that will all the same connotations Commander Riker hated when Troi applied the word to him in “The Best of Both Worlds.” But the fact is, I’m just a different person than I was seven years ago when the original Mobhunter first saw the light of day. And besides, having passed through the looking glass into game development, it would be disingenuous of me to try to sound like I did all those years ago–though I do sometimes miss the shouting matches with Furor.
Anyway, I hope folks indulge me in my return to Mobhunter, even if it’s just a slightly different twist on my home for the last several years, Moorgard.com. It’s like slipping on a favorite old coat that I haven’t worn in a long time.
That musty smell? Yeah, it’s me.
If you notice anything broken, let us know so it can be fixed. The actual site transition will take place over the next several days. For now, it’s graphically rebranded, but the domain is still Moorgard.com. Eventually, Mobhunter.com will be the preferred URL.
If it helps, Steve, I’ll happily pick up the torch for “shouting match adversary”.
I, for one, plan to come over here and whine nearly weekly about the way the site USED to be back in the day *grumble* *grumble*. I kid of course.
Thank you very much for the kind words. It was a really hard choice to make but I think Mobhunter will get the attention it deserves now. Being a part of the industry will certainly keep you on top of all the latest MMO goings ons while my own hobbies shotgun out to everything from which fountain pen I should use to write a story to the glory of Dwarven Forge D&D table-top gaming accessories.
Thank you again, my friend.
Mike Shea / Loral Ciriclight
Hehe, I don’t have the energy to be a nemesis any more, so I’ll let Kenricke take that banner. But I did want to be the among the first to say “cool!” and cogratulate you on the rebranding. Mobhunter was the first gaming site of it’s kind that I ever read, so it’s like a homecoming for me as well.
As an old MobHunter.com reader and EQ player I think it’s great that you are re-acquiring the domain. I’ve always associated it with “Moorgard” and am happy to see the wheel turning back around.
Now all things are right with the world…
well, some things…
okay, this one thing.
- Finneon
Loral did an amazing job taking over from Moorgard. Rarely have I seen someone with as much passion and true love of the genre as Loral. He really kept the flame alive for EverQuest all those years with many positive and heartfelt articles. He was truly one of the most outstanding boosters EQ ever had. It’s a real shame SOE didn’t hire him in some capacity.
As far as Mobhunter, Steve should be very proud of what he achieved. His was one of the first MMO commentary sites out there that made a substantive contribution toward making EQ into a better game. Instead of adopting the sophomoric stylings of Furor and Tigole (where were popular at the time), he critiqued EQ with a keen wit and mature insight. EQ would not have been what it was if it wasn’t for Mobhunter.
Mobhunter was always the first web site I would visit when having my morning coffee. This is the end of an era I guess. I have so many special memories of EQ. What I wouldn’t give to turn the clock back a few years and re-experience those first few years of EQ. But I digress…
I hope that somehow that all those Moorgard (and Coray’s) articles and Loral’s will be stored somewhere for posterity. Steve, all the best of luck with the newly launched Mobhunter!
*cheers*
-Wolfshead
Nice…I was afraid when I first read Loral’s post about stepping down that mobhunter would flutter off into the fabled land of retired EQ websites. I’ve followed mobhunter since I was guilded into Altera Vita in 2002, and I’m glad to see that it will still be around in some form.
Welcome back home Moorgard!
Best regards,
Snebli Starpyre
Hey Snebli, nice to see an old AV guildie!