is acid mods dying?

[lol-russ]

i noticed the news page doesn't exist anymore
soo less activity
the moderators arent much active here

[budgray19]

i think the news page went down when the site went down a few weeks ago.
just because u dont see staff dosnt mean there not watching

[robin1989]

I don't think the site is dead. It is less active than it was in it's prime

As for the news page it was lost when we changed server and it wasn't posted In much. But we are planning an update to the site which will integrate the news page in more and make it a he'll of a Loy easyier to use and post  News as you won't need separate logins etc.

[spurgurgle]

yeah acidmods isnt dead we're all a bit busy this time of year with xmas and what not.......

just wait until you see some of the new stuff coming out of the RnD team in the new year........

new tuts, new codes, new products, and new mods......!!!! 

[~:Dhruv:~]

hmmm... As explained above the news page went out during the server change... The site sure is up and running. The thing is most people don't register. They just see whatever they want to and go their way so you see less activity on forums. Other than that all of us members are very much active and are here for answering any queries... The RnD is working hard to amaze us yet again...   

[Luke]

It's hard at this time, cause at the start everybody was like...
*OMG* , *LEDS IN TRIGGER* , *OMG*. And now it's pretty much everywhere.

[GhoSt]

there is still a plenty active staff. And yes R&D have a few tricks up there sleeves getting ready to be released soon.

[Modded Matt]

acidmods is made up of 99,9% members, and .1% of staff.;. staff is doing all we can do to release new ideas, mods, forum activities etc. the trollers, and members must become more active. please by all means give me ideas that will allow you to more enjoy the site and bring in new members and I will be the first to listen I assure you.

also its slow now because its christmas, happy holiday wishes to everyone

[FOOKz™]

It's hard at this time, cause at the start everybody was like...
*OMG* , *LEDS IN TRIGGER* , *OMG*. And now it's pretty much everywhere.

Then try to rigg up some PSPs with a George Foreman Grill in it... something random like that... idk w/e.
What im trying to say is we need more people that think outside the box. I have been noticing people have been coming here to reference and get ideas, they aren't really here to give new ideas.

[kink192]

starrz has a point there, originally people were just dumbfounded by the fact that we could do that, now people are just bored with it, i guess saying "oh you got leds in yours too? LAME" we need some newer stuff. kinda sucks when a lot of the members are still playing catch up to try and get to the levels of FOO or cyber

[jrfhoutx]

disclaimer: I say all this not with the intent of belittling anything that anyone is doing or starting some kind of flame war. I'm simply expressing an opinion...

I just think the focus has shifted... it seems like R&D's focus moved to PIC programming rather than general innovation. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, just that it's not something that the average member is able to get involved in as easily and inexpensively as some of the earlier mods were. adding LEDs, cutting windows, that's fairly simple and takes not only less expensive equipment to get started and do something creative, but it's also less involving. PIC programming takes more expensive equipment and involves much more time and effort to do something new. the older mods required an inexpensive soldering iron, some inexpensive electronic components, a little practice and a little time. the most expensive tool you needed was a dremel, and you didn't even really need that, you could cut a window with a $7 coping saw, so you could realistically get started for ~$30-40... for PIC programming you need all that (if you build your own 'ghetto' programmer) or buy a programmer that starts around $40, PICs to program, and you need to know some form of programming language, which if you don't already know one takes far more time to learn than it does to learn to solder halfway decently...

I also think that this kind of modding is far less inspiring to newbies than some of the earlier stuff was... most people could care less about learning to program and write new codes, they just wanna 'pwn' in COD (i also think it's created some animosity in the online games, but that's another rant) and far more people would rather pay someone to do it for them than learn to do it themselves...

I also think that some of the old skool members lost interest, for whatever reasons (I will not speculate or elaborate so as not to upset anyone), and this has destroyed some of the innovation and collaboration that used to drive this site...

I don't think that AM is dying because the community is as strong as ever, I just think the innovation of the old days is lacking...

[FOOKz™]

I just think the focus has shifted... it seems like R&D's focus moved to PIC programming rather than general innovation. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, just that... blah blah...

Your absolutely right. Micro controllers really make people not want to do a mod. A lot of people get lazy and throw PICs in a project that you can use like $0.50 or £0.30 worth of capacitors instead of a shistload of money on something else that should be used for input/output applications.

[FreeK]

disclaimer: I say all this not with the intent of belittling anything that anyone is doing or starting some kind of flame war. I'm simply expressing an opinion...

I just think the focus has shifted... it seems like R&D's focus moved to PIC programming rather than general innovation. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that, just that it's not something that the average member is able to get involved in as easily and inexpensively as some of the earlier mods were. adding LEDs, cutting windows, that's fairly simple and takes not only less expensive equipment to get started and do something creative, but it's also less involving. PIC programming takes more expensive equipment and involves much more time and effort to do something new. the older mods required an inexpensive soldering iron, some inexpensive electronic components, a little practice and a little time. the most expensive tool you needed was a dremel, and you didn't even really need that, you could cut a window with a $7 coping saw, so you could realistically get started for ~$30-40... for PIC programming you need all that (if you build your own 'ghetto' programmer) or buy a programmer that starts around $40, PICs to program, and you need to know some form of programming language, which if you don't already know one takes far more time to learn than it does to learn to solder halfway decently...

I also think that this kind of modding is far less inspiring to newbies than some of the earlier stuff was... most people could care less about learning to program and write new codes, they just wanna 'pwn' in COD (i also think it's created some animosity in the online games, but that's another rant) and far more people would rather pay someone to do it for them than learn to do it themselves...

I also think that some of the old skool members lost interest, for whatever reasons (I will not speculate or elaborate so as not to upset anyone), and this has destroyed some of the innovation and collaboration that used to drive this site...

I don't think that AM is dying because the community is as strong as ever, I just think the innovation of the old days is lacking...

well said jrfhoutx. +1

[FOOKz™]

well said jrfhoutx. +1

YaY Double Post, i just had to do it.

[jrfhoutx]

muchas gracias... I just miss the good old days but w/e...

[GhoSt]

We only have one active pic programmer (t0p) who is willing to write free codes (chives and hazer can but don't anymore)...

[lol-russ]

i understand that some people mod just to get their own benefits (lol omg i can mod lol now i can show it off)

i think people cant get to the modding level of any of the admins not because of the skills thy get from you guys
i think its just the originality that you guys have that surprise us makes acidmods
(i was surprized of the gameboy color's control buttons replaced with ice)

[Bhawan]

we need a new mod.... something that people would really want and does not involve the regular stuff.....does not involve putting crap load of leds in a psp... something like a psp with dual nubs and like super awesome remote play style features that we can use to play both xbox and ps3 games remotely on....we can possibly write some code to forward the commands via wifi to the acutal console and stream vid out from the console to the psp...sounds crazy but it is not "that" hard....there is remote joy app that lets you use psp as a controller for pc and there is pmp player that lets you stream from the compute conbine the two and have some PICs attached to xbox or ps3 and do a similar thing... add some port forwarding and stuff to your home router and get like a no-ip account or something and you could access the whole setup from anywhere in the world via internet.. and boom we have a totally awesome psp (a real playstation portable..lol) of course its harder to do it than just saying it but its just and idea.......just an idea so please dont bash me over this....lets all just come up with crazy ideas for mods and hopefull one of em will have the potential to restore AM....

[lol-russ]

lets do the dumbest mod we could think of
then lets recreate it untill it turns into somekind of mod+falconpunch

[Blazinkaos]

I totally agree with jrfhoutx. I remember those days and there almost gone to me as it has seem. I like modding but i seemed to like glid away to some what not because it got boring or anything but do to what most people are going through with this economic stuff.

[lilunwl]

This is not an attack on anyone or on acidmods first and foremost. However this is what I see. I see more often then not a newbie comes in asks a question that has been asked before and they get jumped.Or they post a question and NOONE replies to it. That person most of the time is going to just turn around and walk away. That person may have been new and really should have looked before asking but maybe he already did and didnt understand it quite completely so he tried to introduce himself and ask for some help at the same time. Alot of the guys who have been doing mods for so long dont offer the noobs just coming in an honest hand at learning about what we like to do. I know there are alot of guys that would help but really dont unless someone specifically asks them. Another thing I have seen  a time or two is someone brings an idea to the table and then someone replies to his post by saying oh I can do that I will sell it to you. Are you kidding me? This guy just brought an idea to the table and now its being made and sold. Not my Idea of what I would want done with an Idea I brought up. How about some help with it and showing others how to do it. I have had some Ideas and I havent brought them up because of a couple reasons. That being one. If I have an idea I want to benifit from it before a guy that has been doing this for 10 years but never thought of my idea till I say something about it. If nothing else that experienced guy should help that noob out so he can get his idea accomplished then decide with the noob what to do from there. Overall I like acidmods but I really think the people who have been here for years should treat the noobs that dont know much and want to learn, a little better. I think you would have a much more active place and in return your going to get more noobs turning into modders then from there your going to be making more mods and getting more ideas of things. There are some things though that someone is not going to want to just put out there for everyone so maybe they can make a lil money from it just like the instafire. But there is a ton of little things that people wont be afraid to bring to the table because it isnt something that needs manufactured.

I apologize for the "book" I wrote but I thought about this post for 2 days. I am speaking from experience and what I have seen on the boards. Noob status sucks for all of us try and make us feel a little more welcome. You might be surprised at how many people become active in the community.

[jrfhoutx]

First off, I hate seeing the term noob used generically...

Second, I would just like to say that that there is a huge difference between a newb and a noob...

a newb is someone who does want to learn and asks pointed questions in order to learn something from others about their field of interest and genuinely makes an effort to understand things and learn.

a noob is someone who lacks intelligence or common sense, is usually annoying and excessively stupid, are ignorant, selfish, and are not team players. I also feel that the more you use this term the more it applies to you yourself.

Now, as far as newbs are concerned (and this will be true of any forum you go to not just this one, and therefore I do not personally feel that this should be seen as a reason to chastise anyone here), if you searched for answers to your question, were unable to find one and ask for help stating that you searched extensively and are simply asking for some help and/or clarification and make this request in a clearly stated manner (english not being your primary language is an exception to this) then people are willing to help. but being that you are a newb you are subject to a certain amount of ridicule and people poking fun at you... this is what most people call 'paying your dues'... we have all had to go through it, it's just part of the way things work (whether we like it or not, and you will find this to be true nearly anywhere you go and in anything you do, on or offline)

Now, as for noobs... if you are, on the other hand, the exact opposite of the above mentioned individual, then you will be labeled a noob by most people here (and on any other forum you go to), and imo rightfully so...

I agree that offering to sell someone's mod back to them in finished form instead of helping them to do it themselves is wrong. I agree that people have in the past been too caught up in the 'I did it first!' attitude. The immaturity of some people has caused them to steal ideas from others in their quest to be 'the first' and/or profit from it, all while not giving credit where credit is due (in regards to the idea itself), and this 'I was first' attitude caused many people to guard their ideas and be overly secretive about things (I myself am guilty of this, being too guarded that is).

The collaborative spirit that was present in the site's inception disappeared and personally I attribute this to desire for publicity or notoriety, sponsorships, and immaturity. I feel that this collaborative spirit is returning to the site, slowly but surely...

edit: As for ridiculous requests, some people expect things that are unreasonable, and while they may find the response they get to be rude or harsh, most of the time this is a misinterpretation and the response in reality is just blunt and realistic...

[Blazinkaos]

Well spoken man.

[lilunwl]

As far as a noob and newb I really never knew there was a difference. Call it what you will.

You completely missed my point here. What I am saying is the majority of the people you have on the boards are ones who have been here and created there own little click. All I am saying is if people think that AM is dying why not show a little more respect to us guys who are just starting out and help us grow in the community .

There are some super great admin. and mods here. But there are some that almost shrug at guys who haven't been around long. Try helping us out rather than ignoring us or giving us the "use google" or whatever. Were not all at the same level with things. Some of you could probably find anything you want on google because you know how to word things maybe more technical or whatever. I have searched for things and could not find things and someone else looked and found them first  time they searched. How does that happen? I would say if you have been on a computer for many years you may know how  things work and how to find things better than someone like me who has only been using a computer for maybe a year. And have never been through any type of computer classes or anything. I don't know a whole lot about computers I only know what I do from messing around on it like I do.

There are different levels of intelligence every where you go. As far as modding I am trying to learn as much as I can because I enjoy it.All electronics Everything from video games to calculators to airsoft guns. I have never taken an electronics class like some of you so I resort to places like Am or others. I want to learn as much as I can but the only way I can learn online is by asking questions when I don't know something and reading as much as I can and trying things. But at times when I or others ask a question it seems as if some people look at in dis belief that someone don't know something so simple.


 Like I said I am speaking from experience and I know there are others because I have seen it. I would not say I have chastised anyone. Constructive criticism perhaps but surely I have not criticized anyone severely. I was simply stating if your trying to "rebuild" per say why not cut out the "pay your dues" attitude and welcome more of us less experienced guys a little better. Whether its lack of experience on computers and forums or lack of experience modding or on all of the 3 like myself.

 I bet if I was a guy who had 10 years experience in all of the above and came in making codes and posting them on the boards and showing a bunch of new mods I wouldn't have to worry about any question I had being answered.

My thoughts on this post are spoken I wont post anymore on this topic.

  I Hope AM gets back to where it was and that no one needs to wonder if its dying. I hope it gets obvious that it is alive and growing!!!  Best wishes to AM GROWING!!!!

[PspKicks316]

It is obvious that's it's growing. There's nothing pointing towards the death of AcidMods.
It's pretty clear that new members are joining everyday and posting questions and such everyday.
Does that not make a forum alive?

As for mods, you people have no clue what goes on behind closed doors. There's a reason we have a Research and Development team -- to develop new mods. Just because you don't see them, does not mean they're not happening.

The main modders are the ones posting in R&D developing these new mods. Now, I'm not saying R&D is flourishing full of intuitive and impressive mods, but that doesn't mean we're not working on things.

It's the little people, those looking to get to be known and those starting off modding and trying new things, that make the public forum what it is before R&D publish mods.
We're lacking in that department, yes, but that's because people aren't taking the initiative to start a project they want to see done or even try learning how it would be pulled off. That's not exactly something we can magically change.
No matter the modding forum you go to, majority of the mods done are the experienced and long term modders. Sure, every now and then some new guy will come blow us out of the water with something kicking serious ass. I want to see that as much as the next guy here, but that's not something you can rush.
Modding is carefully constructed art. If you rush art, what do you get in the end? Surely not something you're going to be thrilled with.

The site isn't dying, and it's really only the people who don't understand the things I just pointed out, along with what Jr posted, that claim the site may be dying.
It's sure as can be that the site isn't necessarily flourishing right now, but it's years away from being near death.

You also have to take into consideration that we're in a recession, and 2010 will be no better for it. Modding takes a lot of time and money, both of which are hard to come by nowadays. People are losing jobs left and right, and it's very hard to get one. I've tried to get a job to pay for modding, and it just doesn't happen. I rely on spare eBay money from selling things to get me modding.

There's so much to take into consideration, and people just don't think about these things before posting anymore.
It really is sad to see someone thinking the site is dying. Really.

One thing to note, lilunwl, is that no one will bother reading lengthy walls of text. If you break it up into smaller lines, sort of like I did (although, that's my style of typing), then people will skim through it easier and it'll be easier to read for us all.

Side note, you'll be seeing things to come from me in the next few weeks. They may not be revolutionary, but they'll be cool.
If not modding for usefulness or productivity, mod for fun and see what comes of it. That's how most mods come to be.

Sorry for the lengthy text, but that's just my 2 cents.

Also:

blunt and realistic

Hey! That's me!

[jrfhoutx]

Most people don't make the distinction between the two and it does foster some animosity amongst the newbs. that's why I try very hard to not only make that distinction but to point it out to others.

Now I don't think I missed your point at all, I simply incorporated it into the definition of newb and noob.

I would also like to point out something, respect is something that has to be earned and is given to those who have earned it. no one deserves respect unless they have earned it. therefore if you want respect you have to earn it. I do believe however that people should be kind and helpful to newbs because we were all in that position at some point or another and none of us should forget what it was like to be there and how much we disliked it.

Now, I will say that my first console was a 2600 and I first started using a computer back in 1986 and got my first 300baud modem in '87. 5 1/4 floppys were the and 3.5s and windows were but a dream... I'm no computer genius, but I didn't get to where I am without a ton of work and learning on my part and without the help of others, there was no one else to help or teach me.

Anyone can 'teach' you anything but what you get out of it is only what you're willing to put into it, meaning that if you're not willing to learn the information all the instruction in the world is useless. if people are not willing to listen and attempt to understand and figure out at least some of it for themselves, then being taught is pointless. I think that especially around here some of the 'use google' responses are simply that, people here trying to get newbs to learn a little for themselves and show that they do actually have an interest in learning and comprehending the information.

I think that over the years many experienced members stop providing much entry level help simply because they get tired of feeling like they're beating their heads against a brick wall over and over. You can only respond to questions like 'what kind of LEDs do I need for a PSP power LED swap?' by saying things like 'The LEDs you want to use in a PSP power LED swap are 0603, and that information is clearly stated in the Power LED swap tutorial' only to have the individual respond with 'what's 0603?' before you get tired of saying it and just flat out stop saying it and respond to all these questions with 'use the search function'... these kind of interactions tell the more experienced members that you have no interest in learning and that you just want the information handed to you, and that does no good for anyone, including yourself and the community.

Now I have explained that I've been using computers for years, but I will tell you this much searching is not as easy (even for experienced users) as you make it out to be. I often spend many hours searching the internet for the information I'm looking for and it often takes many attempts with many different wordings at multiple sites; and I don't know any more tricks than you do other than to reword things as many times and in as many configurations as I can possibly think of. It's all about how much time and effort you are willing to put into your quest for the knowledge and information you desire.


I agree with what kicks says, the forum is growing and it is not dying, and people have no idea what goes on behind closed doors and how long many of the mods are actually in development before they are released. people also have no idea how many get scrapped after months of research because they turn out to not be very feasible. most mods don't just magically come together and work. It's true, some of them do, but most do not.

It's the little people, those looking to get to be known and those starting off modding and trying new things, that make the public forum what it is before R&D publish mods.
We're lacking in that department, yes, but that's because people aren't taking the initiative to start a project they want to see done or even try learning how it would be pulled off. That's not exactly something we can magically change.
No matter the modding forum you go to, majority of the mods done are the experienced and long term modders. Sure, every now and then some new guy will come blow us out of the water with something kicking serious ass. I want to see that as much as the next guy here, but that's not something you can rush.
Modding is carefully constructed art. If you rush art, what do you get in the end? Surely not something you're going to be thrilled with.

Well said...

Also:Hey! That's me!

LOL! yes, amongst others, lol...

One thing to note, lilunwl, is that no one will bother reading lengthy walls of text. If you break it up into smaller lines, sort of like I did (although, that's my style of typing), then people will skim through it easier and it'll be easier to read for us all.

I know what kicks is like and do not take the above statement wrong, he's just trying to be helpful give you a pointer that might make more people more willing to be helpful. and he is right, most people will just ignore a big wall of text because it is difficult to read.


And I for one will not apologize for my verbose text. I think that it's necessary to clearly convey ideas. Besides I have always been known to be the 'long-winded' one on the site...

[SN!P3R]

I think you and chives share that title 

[lol-russ]

jeez can someone put all those big texts into some kind of summary  that i can understand?

[spurgurgle]

jeez can someone put all those big texts into some kind of summary  that i can understand?

ok i'll try


Acidmods is not dieing.
-we get new members all the time.... (i've seen 2 since the new year)

-there arnt as many new mods about cos most of it has bin done.

- we have a active RnD team who are working together on new mods, re-takes on old mods and a few other things. but we aint going to say what cos we throughly test  and put the resources together before we release a mod... or evan a tut. one example i can use, is my lighting tut the first release from the new RnD team....

it was ready weeks before it was made public but we checked and re checked it, made changes and at 1 point i nearly re-wrote the whole thing, all before release to make sure it was better then any other lighting tut. out there. yeah there was nothing new in the tut but it does develop the site. and help newbs and noobs alike. and thats just the first thing we've finished and been happy to release so far.....

-the forum has been abit quieter the last month, but the staff are hard at work, and all the members have been busy enjoying the holidays.

is that summarised enough for you lil???? 

[PspKicks316]

jeez can someone put all those big texts into some kind of summary  that i can understand?

No. This is your topic. You're the one that started this, you can read it.