(Still looking for a web developer. Contact tohru [at] redsun [dot] tf via email for information, or message me via Steam if you're interested. Yes, there is compensation. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE SOMEONE REPLY)

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I'm probably a bit early this year, but I thought I'd get this out the way before I forget. Not like anyone really cares.

Nobody expected the way things turned out this year, what with the current ongoing [CURRENT WORLD EVENT] managing to usher in as many "no fun allowed" rules to match your average discord guild. Meetups, LAN parties and other events all evaporating into naught more than smoke where the only recourse is to sit about and stare at screens all day (which really isn't much of a change for me personally)

I think it's fair to say that, in all, 2020 for Red Sun was both a "good" and "bad" year - although personally it's been fairly rough, for reasons I won't disclose on this glorified blogpost. I'll spare the details, but personally I've lost a ton of respect for a good few people. It's also lead to me starting to look elsewhere for a long-term chat solution for us - and I'm pinning a lot of hopes on the new TeamSpeak 5 client living up to the hype.

On top of that, we've had the current iteration of our website for a good few years now, and the age is starting to show. There's so many features and changes I've wanted to make to the current website which would be difficult if not downright impossible due to the backend PHP (you may laugh, we hate php too) being such a spaghettified mess with a lot of old code in dire need of a refactor or ten.

It wasn't all bad, though. We had the Blood Resurgence event, as we (read: Mikusch, the other administrator) wanted to fine-tune the previous Blood Counter event and try to iron out the problems and bugs from last time around. I've also got my hands on some fresh dedicated hardware that I'm itching to try out once we get the aforementioned web dev "problem" sorted. (please do contact me if you can, it's getting quite frustrating)

It'd be fair to also add that 2020 was the year I added Mikusch to take over a lot of administrator duties that I'd been neglecting for a while - and he's done a better job than I probably ever could. Without him, I think this would have been a much darker year in a lot of respects.

Towards December, things got a lot quieter for Red Sun. Not much has been happening, although the server's player counts are bucking the trend with nearly-full servers without one of us going in to set the metaphorical bait.
In relation to the lack of activity on my part though, that is entirely my fault, although not in the sense that it's an "intentional" sort of blame, given I've been very inactive online for the last six months for a few reasons, one being my own personal health deteriorating due to a lot of factors. I'm fine, by the way. I'm not planning on dying any time soon.

So, what's next? What's happening with this group of screeching, single digit IQ morons that we all call the community? There's no real answer to a question like that.
I'd like for us to be able to smoothly work towards overhauling a ton of stuff and getting back on track, but nothing ever goes the way you want from what I've learned in the years wrangling the few hundred people that still remember that this place exists.

As much as some people would prefer, I'm not going to be leaving my role of janitor-in-chief for a long time yet.

Enjoy your Christmas, and be happy and festive going into 2021. Or alternatively, join me and crack out the cheap, strong booze because you're a repulsive super-gigahitlerman that everyone and their gerbil would joyfully watch hang from the gallows.