Could F95Zone ever be taken offline?

[tentaclebandit]

So sadpanda was basically shut down because its lead admin didn't see a way to continue it and was suffering from health issues. Although it appears to have been saved (although I still can't access it) it reminded me how easy websites can vanish from the web.

In the case of F95zone which hosts a lot of content, I could see it being targeted by groups or individuals for piracy. I don't know where this site is hosted and I do use its discord channels so I think it will be fine from "the man" but now I worry lol.

I love this site because it allows me access to content I'm often not even aware of and honestly the resources it offers for creators is really amazing if you can't afford 50$ for a pack animation, ect lol.

Yet could it all be shut down one day because lead admin doesn't want to run it anymore or gets targeted by a group or government?

Or will this website stand the test of time because of its robust and active community?

Sad Panda made me sad and now I worry!

 

[whiskeyrose]

fyi, sadpanda is back. Rumor is that some wealthy swiss man bankrolled having the servers moved to Moldova and to hire a full time admin.

Most of that is probably false, but it's back online.

 

[tentaclebandit]

fyi, sadpanda is back. Rumor is that some wealthy swiss man bankrolled having the servers moved to Moldova and to hire a full time admin.

Most of that is probably false, but it's back online.

Honestly it was just used as an example, but we've seen other sites get taken down although on that note I still can't access it. It tries but always times out.

Still it makes me worry for the future of other sites I love and use. Remember when hongfire used to host torrents for example?

 

[Magdragon]

Hopefully F95 had this in mind when he made the site after kickass got nuked. Maybe a Admin can verify?

 

[Avaron1974]

Pirate sites are constantly getting shut down then they re open again.

It's probably already happened and may likely happen again.

It's not a new thing.

 

[Deleted member 494891]

Everything with a beginning, has an ending, but, like disco, it never stays dead. F95 should be around for awhile.

 

[Daishi]

Pirate sites like this are like followers of the Drowned God...

What is dead may never die but rises again harder and stronger!

 

[Adabelitoo]

F95 domain is .to

I never knew why they changed it but I always thought that the idea of doing that was to prevent/trying to be one step ahead of this kind of problems. Even with that I still think that F95 could die someday but I guess another site will rise, so long live F95zone while it's still alive.

 

[polywog]

 

[Hadley]

The Piracy is not the main point to be here. Even without any piracy just with wink-wink hints where to find stuff it would still be active.

 

[polywog]

The Piracy is no the main point to be here. Even without any piracy just with wink-wink hints where to find stuff it would still be active.

The site has it's roots in piracy, and if it were just that it would be a prime target of being shut down. Two years ago, some of us suggested that the site could provide a platform for developers to promote their own games. Instead of only providing stolen content, the site could become home to legit games as well, and in doing so, increase the site's legitimacy... providing an invaluable service to new developers who can't afford to market their games on their own.
Instead of just being a fence peddling stolen goods, the site transformed into a legit community, with a few shady elements.

Like Steve Wozniak said in the video I posted above... "you don't shut down the whole post office, just because some people are doing illegal things through the mail" The more legit content, free and open source games and assets, the site has the better. Game mods, patches, unofficial ports, fan fiction, fan art, fan appreciation threads are a benefit to the whole community. Even the devs who aren't so keen about their games being here, have said publicly that they like the fan art, and that it has brought them more fans and patrons. Game mods, and patches increase the fan base of games that would have otherwise lost fans due to patreon restrictions.

The pirates / uploaders aren't happy about legit devs putting their games here. These uploaders don't make money off the games uploaded by it's owner. The uploaders don't like sharing the spotlight with legit devs. The get thousands of likes, by uploading a game that they didn't create, and they don't want to give that up. One uploader in particular makes personal attacks against these developers, resulting in several of them abandoning their game. Some members of the staff are very welcoming, and supportive, the site has even branched new sections specific to game development, recruitment, assets, help, etc.

The downside is that the pirates / uploaders are destroying all that we've worked so hard to create. They want to turn the site back into a download focused pirate site, and that's a shame.

 

[Sam]

We have multiple failovers, different contingencies and backup plans in place if certain things were to happen. I wouldn't worry too much.

The site has it's roots in piracy, and if it were just that it would be a prime target of being shut down. Two years ago, some of us suggested that the site could provide a platform for developers to promote their own games. Instead of only providing stolen content, the site could become home to legit games as well, and in doing so, increase the site's legitimacy... providing an invaluable service to new developers who can't afford to market their games on their own.
Instead of just being a fence peddling stolen goods, the site transformed into a legit community, with a few shady elements.

Like Steve Wozniak said in the video I posted above... "you don't shut down the whole post office, just because some people are doing illegal things through the mail" The more legit content, free and open source games and assets, the site has the better. Game mods, patches, unofficial ports, fan fiction, fan art, fan appreciation threads are a benefit to the whole community. Even the devs who aren't so keen about their games being here, have said publicly that they like the fan art, and that it has brought them more fans and patrons. Game mods, and patches increase the fan base of games that would have otherwise lost fans due to patreon restrictions.

The pirates / uploaders aren't happy about legit devs putting their games here. These uploaders don't make money off the games uploaded by it's owner. The uploaders don't like sharing the spotlight with legit devs. The get thousands of likes, by uploading a game that they didn't create, and they don't want to give that up. One uploader in particular makes personal attacks against these developers, resulting in several of them abandoning their game. Some members of the staff are very welcoming, and supportive, the site has even branched new sections specific to game development, recruitment, assets, help, etc.

The downside is that the pirates / uploaders are destroying all that we've worked so hard to create. They want to turn the site back into a download focused pirate site, and that's a shame.

Not sure if you're trolling or if you actually believe half of the shit you make up.

 

[anne O'nymous]

It's probably already happened and may likely happen again.

I remember two/three times where F95z was off. One was for more than half a day... yet we're still here. It doesn't mean that the worse will never happen, but I believe Sam when he say that they are prepared. And everyone can see it by itself, by trying one of the alternate tld for the domain, like f95zone.com by example, that all will lead you here.

Anyway, the real problem with SadPanda wasn't the censorship, but the fact that he was alone and didn't had the possibility to continue working on the site. It's another thing that will not happen here, as we can all see with the recruitment notice we see time to time.

 

[eosar]

Everything dies. Nothing is eternal. Existence is a contradiction. Order through chaos, symmetry through asymmetry, gaining nirvana through pain.

In other words, life sucks - move on.