Nu-STJR doesn't like criticism. Especially criticism towards themselves or their creations. So, this thread has been created to act as a place to ruthlessly criticize nu-STJR, the upcoming SRB2 2.3, and the current state of the SRB2MB community.
Don't hold back, speak your mind, and let it be known how you feel.
Finally. I need to say this here, full-strength, because nu-STJR always tries to censor the story on their site/Discord.
They need to be held accountable for how they treat kids, since Sonic Robo Blast 2 is obviously marketed toward kids.
A 12 year old kid added slopes to SRB2
Kalaron made SRB2CB which added slopes to SRB2. SSNTails and the rest of the staff couldn't figure out how to add slopes at the time, but some kid from the early 2000s, Kalaron, was the only one that was able to give a working slope implementation that eventually became used in the official game.
p_slopes.c, p_slopes.h, and anything that uses pslope_t, f_slope, or c_slope - is originally in SRB2 because of Kalaron
Kalaron did the OpenGL rendering for slopes too.
He was just 12 years old.
Kalaron did it because he genuinely loved the game.
So if anyone on staff complains why Kalaron or the slope code, consider:
1. He was a 12 year old kid and wanted to live his own life
2. Open source is a volunteer job, there is no contract about having to work for someone forever.
3. Even when Kalaron was there, SSNTails and most of the staff was dismissive. No one taught Kalaron C or anything.
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A new game engine
Kalaron completely looked up to SSNTails and was very interested in how SSN made a game engine, Kalaron was inspired and wanted to do the same.
Around 2009, Kalaron wanted to be on Sonic Team Jr.'s dev team, but that never happened.
So Kalaron started making his own new game engine.
Eventually, a 3D modeler Jeck Jims, took an interest in the new game engine and made some character models for it,
while Kalaron did the level editor, engine, levels, programming, scripting and everything else.
To be clear, with the original DooM engine by John Carmack - there was a separate team of level designers and artists,
it's not typical to make a full 3D game *and* engine entirely from scratch like Kalaron was doing.
Kalaron spent his life wanting to program fun things for people, that people would enjoy.
The engine was customized entirely around the taste of Jeck Jims, even down to influences from Legend of Zelda's Windwaker.
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Power imbalance
Jeck wanted full control over the project, and wanted every detail to be consulted with him,
but it took a toll on Kalaron's life.
Jeck Jims and Kalaron were in on & off contact from 2012 to 2019.
Kalaron's job was to make technology and a lighting system that could compete with SEGA's official Hedgehog Engine (1 and 2).
To get everything working on time, would frankly require a full team of paid developers, due to the programming & research costs.
It got surprisingly far.
Kalaron had a lot of health problems and kept leaving the project abruptly.
Jeck became frustrated that Kalaron was taking so long.
Jeck's models were already complete,
but Kalaron still had to study C, C++, scientific papers, and computer science topics to finish making an engine, level editor, lighting system;
and *then* make a full game too.
Jeck comparatively just had fun animating, which was just fun with no technical barrier to entry.
The scope of the engine was more than what 1 independent developer could be reasonably expected to finish with zero programming help.
Kalaron's engine was designed to be feature-equivalent to Hedgehog Engine 1 & 2, with better physics and a built in level editor.
And the end product intended to be as graphically polished as Mario Kart 8 - But with all technology built from scratch.
The engine-project started in 2012.
It took 5 years to get the technology and animation to where it was in 2018.
The lockdown
In 2019 Jeck told Kalaron to take all the models out and redo them entirely. On his own.
Effectively canceling the project.
Kalaron's been fully hospitalized multiple times for mental health problems trying to make a complete game & game engine entirely by himself, because no one he asked bothered to help.
The models were the one bit of encouragement that kept Kalaron going, not just with the project, but with life in general.
Jeck Jims already has Kart Krew; and Jeck's friends took over Sonic Team Jr.
which is now effectively controlled by Kart Krew staff (new Sonic Team Jr.).
The hypocrisy of new Sonic Team Jr. acting like they are morally sacrosanct, when in private they sent a kid and now young adult to a mental health institution and act like they never did anything wrong and have no accountability whatsoever.
There's more to life than law, we're talking about deeper social issues and the lack of love.
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Why this matters
If men cared more about fostering the youth, the entire world wouldn't be the dark place it currently is.
Too many men abandon and forsake the responsibility of being a man, and they forgot how to be a good male role model to kids.
The amount of censorship that happened with Sonic Robo Blast 2's staff is unreasonable considering it's a fangame marketed toward kids.
The fact that a 12 year old got interested in a Sonic game is completely normal.
But the drama and vitriol and refusal to make peace is what needs to be addressed.
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Jeck Jims already owns everything
Jeck and his friends already took over Sonic Robo Blast 2, and own Kart Krew.
Kalaron owns literally nothing. Online or offline.
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Jeck Jims doesn't care that Kalaron was some 12 year old kid who spent more than half his life trying to make an entire game engine customized specifically for Jeck Jims.
Jeck Jims expected Kalaron to stay silent about this, but more people know this story now, and the whole thing has gotten out of hand.
Like why is it "ok" for Kalaron to be put in a mental hospital multiple times in a desperate attempt to win the love of an internet stranger named Jeck Jims?
As far as I know - Kalaron spent weeks without eating or sleeping just for the chance that maybe he could get a chance at some community.
Dear Jeck Jims, Kart Krew, Nu-STJR - you really don't know the full story, and I highly suggest you make peace instead of censoring people.
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
