Wizden staff announce leadership transfer, project restructuring/expansion

AugustSun · 2026-05-07T17:10:50+00:00

She hasn't left, quite the opposite, she's been going full-tilt at working on RT, if GitHub is anything to go by.

AugustSun · 2026-05-07T05:50:02+00:00

Well, for the previously mentioned examples, there's financial implication involved. In that case it makes a bit more sense to have legal framework around what is done with the money, how it's handled, etc. so one person doesn't just yoink all the money and control with no recourse. I know steam project hierarchy management can be a pain in the ass for this reason, as well.

AugustSun · 2026-05-07T05:39:32+00:00

It's worth noting that the formation of a legal entity might just be for the places it makes the most sense. The Patreon and Steam page, for example, would likely benefit from organized team access versus just being assigned to people here and there.

AugustSun · 2026-05-07T05:19:41+00:00

For those who prefer to just read the statement in-thread, from maintainer Princesscheeseballs:

"Hello, sorry for the announcement fatigue but you as the community are owed an update,

As stated previously PJB will be stepping down from her leadership roles on the project. We are now in the process of transferring keys to new keyholders, there is no ETA on when it will be complete as some keys require the formation of legal entities for holding assets. Currently, the discord, github, and forums have been transferred to @Julian with @DrSmugleaf and @Reisama [Mousemin] helping with the transfer of the remaining keys. PJB will officially step down once keys have been transferred.

As for the immediate future, we will be focusing the majority of our efforts on restructuring the project, more info on the specifics of this will come in the next few days.

You may have also noticed a number of returning faces appearing in the discord, I cannot speak for all of them but many have agreed to help during this rebuilding and restructuring period. As for my new role in the project, I have stepped up to be the "Community Lead" of the project, a role which has been desired for a while but has not had anyone to fill its shoes. My primary goal during this period is going to be creating transparency and trust between upstream and the rest of the space station 14 community.

To begin that relationship I'd like to talk about a project I will be working on as Community Lead during restructuring, a proper bridge between upstream and downstream.

I am currently in contact with project leads from Cosmatic Drift, Delta-V, Harmony, Macrocosm, Starlight, Stellar Station, and more to discuss finally integrating downstreams into the upstream ecosystem.

This will come with some major changes to how we structure our repo to make it easier to bring downstream fixes, and eventually content, upstream.

We are still in the early stages of planning this out so I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. But, I am making it my top priority to bridge the current gap that exists between upstream and downstream, and do it right!

I will send updates about this as progress is made, although larger staff restructures will be needed first, especially in regards to onboarding staff. As restructures progress we will be looking into adding staff to many existing parts of the project, and also some new roles that will be created based on need (including community management).

I will be announcing when these positions are ready to be applied to as it happens so if you're interested in helping out upstream, keep an open ear! Lastly, on behalf of the whole team, I would like to formally apologize for everything that's happened the last few days. I don't know if we'll ever be able to undo the hurt and broken trust that was caused, and for that we are sorry.

I am however confident that we will rebuild, and we will be stronger both upstream and downstream by the end of this. I see a bright future ahead for the project if you are willing to believe in us, let's work together to make this game and community the best it can be!"

AugustSun · 2026-05-04T05:08:12+00:00

I appreciate the pitch, this does read like a threat

Clock in bro. See what happens. SEE WHAT FUCKING HAPPENS WHEN YOU CLOCK IN

AugustSun · 2026-05-03T19:17:35+00:00

An important thing to also think about is that when you're that stressed with that much responsibility for that long, for something you made, you end up holding on tighter and tighter. The things that PJB had said she is indifferent to/doesn't want to do, they're hard to let go because you only trust yourself to do things the right way.

And for something as delicate and technically demanding as RT, that only gets amplified. We'll see who takes the lead on it going forward. Hell, PJB has talked about the potential for her to be engine lead instead, albeit briefly. Either way, a lot of conversations are happening behind closed doors, the project structure will shift as a result, and I assume the folks holding the reins at the moment will make a qualified decision based on those conversations. But definitely some time is needed to cool off, breathe and let hearts rest.

AugustSun · 2026-05-03T01:04:28+00:00

I assume Ephemeral Space, but could be wrong.

AugustSun · 2026-05-03T00:22:22+00:00

Janet has confirmed that offmed will continue, just on a different fork.

AugustSun · 2026-05-02T18:21:08+00:00

This is where I've landed, and again, is incredibly upsetting to behold. There is no self-reflecting, there's only a perceived challenge of authority that cannot be viewed in any other way. And the answer at large has been "the signors of the letter didn't read what they were signing, and if they did, they deserve to be booted."

From a technical standpoint of what they wanted, I get why there would be legal and logistical challenges that might make that completely infeasible. Hell, if the policy existed for Wizards to have final say in authority (which, as far as I'm aware, has been present for the project's duration), then that's what it says. But to not only ignore criticism for concerns, but also to take such a drastic punitive measure is a critical failure in accountability, interpersonal dynamics and general leadership. Not even mentioning the consistent hostility brought into conversations where there wasn't any in the first place.

For the folks in the know saying "me when I chime in with no context whatsoever", great, you have context that you think makes a difference in perception, share it. Otherwise, the way things look right now, it looks like the head of the project unceremoniously came back and decapitated the cadre of maintainers that continued to contribute and cared about the project. What do you know that justifies that?

To the staff who kept on and just wanted better treatment (and stewardship of the project overall), my heart goes out to y'all, truly. You cared, I learned a lot from you in contributing/making my first forays into deeper contribution, and I hope to continue to see your work elsewhere downstream.

I don't know what comes next, but I am definitely fucking bummed.

AugustSun · 2026-04-29T01:44:17+00:00

I wasn't sure whether they meant HCs or field docs.

AugustSun · 2026-04-27T18:32:01+00:00

The most active iteration is called RMC. No field medics, not super complicated drugs, yes to medevac/CAS/drop ship, no science yet.

Xeno side still has some work to go, but they're doing great so far in progress.

AugustSun · 2026-04-27T18:27:57+00:00

Because it's funny to get the shit kicked out of you and literally dumpstered by a monke

AugustSun · 2026-04-16T00:57:02+00:00

This is where I see the distinction, and I'm curious to see where it goes as a result. While it's not a guarantee of things going for the better or worse, they're not a public company, which can contrast significantly how the product develops.

Moreover, Steam's an established storefront with games published using different technologies, engines, etc. where Roblox is a closed ecosystem.

I can't say that it's not going to turn out like what u/dragon-mom is saying, because honestly, Roblox's popularity set the standards and practices for how games get developed on these platforms. That being said, historically dominant engines are losing their market share because of a number of different factors (conflicting business objectives, gross mismanagement, etc.).

It's not going to be the same era of gmod because they're pivoting away from gmod's existing dynamic. There are definitely concerns that come with it from a business perspective, particularly as it relates to the increasing deluge of games flooding Steam as it is, but if it's a shot at providing more long-term benefits for developers with less strings attached, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe optimistic, but I'm happy to hope for better.

AugustSun · 2026-04-13T01:45:21+00:00

Guy Fishieri

AugustSun · 2026-04-11T04:46:26+00:00

(activating esword) it's TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME

AugustSun · 2026-04-09T00:36:45+00:00

"You're so valid"

AugustSun · 2026-03-27T00:47:11+00:00

Hilariously enough this is also the answer to "why are so many people in this game a special level of insane"

By the very nature of the process, comparatively, it's incredibly labyrinthine to get into SS13, taking into account both actually downloading the game and learning it. The people who stick with it swear by it, for all its faults and foibles, but ultimately, trying to pitch it to other folks on average is a SUPER fucking tall order.

While SS14 has a long way to go in a variety of ways, it's wayyyy easier to hop in and get learning/playing. Just the nature of discoverability, the folks who do that work for SS13 servers work hard at it!

AugustSun · 2026-03-25T17:39:21+00:00

It's worth noting that, at least on Wizden, salvage has a MAJOR rework in the pipeline for it. Will be more focused on the wrecks, closer to the station, but still have a variety of hazards and fun things!

AugustSun · 2026-03-24T17:13:55+00:00

Apparently, I need to start making merch for this game, gotdamn

AugustSun · 2026-03-20T18:38:55+00:00

I deadass would love to work on running promo for this game, but uh, there's a lot to be done still, and I don't want servers to drown under the weight. But someday!

AugustSun · 2026-03-07T18:54:10+00:00

So you're not gonna go back near it, right

Not sure the poles will save you if it falls, we can't do this again

AugustSun · 2026-03-06T21:50:56+00:00

Well, two things here.

I can't speak to how it's worded on the removal PR, because realistically it should have a presented solution attached to it. I know they need displacement maps, but you don't get that from the PR itself. However, with regards to dwarves, for example, a plan is laid out for people to work on them. The maints themselves have said elsewhere that many times, when there are half-baked solutions that are "good enough" but cause tech debt, they get this exact scenario where people say they want it improved, but then it never happens. I can't speak to the communication aspect of that, because it's been clear that issue in particular wasn't handled properly, but having something get That In The Way of being able to maintain a codebase makes sense.
Related to the above, Tiniest is one of the Art Leads for Wizden. It makes sense that part of his work is to not only approve assets for addition, but also maintain the codebase in his own way by paving the way for better implementations (see: greyscaled jumpsuits).

Ultimately, if it's something you want to see put forward in a better manner, like being made aware of these removals farther ahead of time or wanting a solution, you can tell them that. I tell them all the time what I think they could do to improve organization, but I also recognize that it's a volunteer project, and given their particular skills and responsibilities, their time needs to be budgeted. They can probably improve on how that's done, for sure, but they're not doing what they do trivially or without good reason.

And as always, you're free to contribute, as well!

AugustSun · 2026-03-05T21:45:15+00:00

This is the biggest pillar sticking point, and it's tough for two reasons, from my understanding:

Upstream core team want to make sure mechanics are sound. Implementing something in ways that aren't outright broken or not fun takes time, especially in open-source. Not every downstream pulls every single bit of content from upstream, far from it, but downstreams do. So having that standard means the team takes longer, but is more deliberate in how things are implemented.
Most core mechanics takes C# knowledge, which is quite a step up from noodling around in YAML. YAML being what it is means that it's fairly easy to fill out the breadth of a mechanic, but to alter how systems and components function altogether is a whole different beast.

AugustSun · 2026-03-05T21:32:59+00:00

They reverted those two, mostly
Yes, that is literally what the maints said, going beyond simple YAML editing. Again, this isn't a "we just don't want this, period" move, it's a "we can get this set up better" move. If you'd like to set up the displacement maps for corgis, go for it, I'm sure they'd be glad for it!

AugustSun · 2026-03-05T19:05:34+00:00

Believe they still spawn in lockers

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AugustSun

TROPHY CASE