I'm writing this to announce my decision to retire from modding. This is not an impulsive decision on my part. I've been thinking about it for quite some time, in fact.
The reason you haven't seen any major new releases from me in quite awhile is further evidence that I have already been semi-retired for about a year.
Now let me tell you why I have made this decision -- and why I am formally announcing it:
(1) There haven't been any games worthy of my efforts in nearly two years -- aside from Age Of Conan perhaps, which Funcom has sabotaged beyond repair. But there's more to it than that. Lately, the entire PC gaming industry seems to be intent upon weaning us all over to consoles... which further serves to turn me off.
(2) Most gamers these days seem to prefer crappy mods to good ones, just so long as those mods are popular. I loathe that "group think" attitude and thus, I have become disenchanted with the modding scene in general over the past year or so. I'm not a herd animal.
(3) In the past, I have "retired" from modding several times as the result of some nasty event or another which angered me. This time, I am not angry about anything at all. I am simply losing interest in producing high quality mods for today's low quality PC games. So no... I'm not throwing another of my infamous hissy fits here. I really, really just don't get the same enjoyment from modding as I once did, back when I first began producing my mods. The effort on my part just doesn't seem warranted anymore. In the few years that I have been producing my mods, I have mostly had fun with them. I gained a small degree of notoriety, I've had my work published in a major gaming magazine, I've stirred the proverbial soup more times than I can remember and I've inspired at least a few other modders to improve the quality of their own work. I don't think anyone could say that I haven't enjoyed at least some degree of success at texture modding. I have no major complaints and I am very glad to know that thousands of other gamers around the world have likewise enjoyed my work.
But sooner or later, all good things must come to an end. All things considered, I feel that this is the right time for me to call it a day.
I have always been an artist and I will continue to work on small side projects for my own enjoyment. If any of them are worth sharing from time to time, then perhaps I will.
I will not be shutting down this website, nor these Forums. In point of fact, tessmage.com was never intended to be a modding site. It was primarily meant to be an eccentric website for equally eccentric adult gamers. Naturally, it has also been a place for me to showcase my work... but that was not supposed to be our primary function around here. In any case, this is not an announcement regarding tessmage.com... it is simply an announcement about my retirement from modding. Our website will continue just as it always has. I like our new look very much and I will continue to actively participate in everything that we do around here.
I want to thank all of you who have been supportive of me and my work during the past few years. I know that my bombastic personality has made it difficult for many of you to publically show me that support, but at this point it really doesn't matter. I am still grateful for all of the praise that I have received, even if some of that praise was covertly expressed. The only reward that an artist truly requires is the appreciation of his or her work by others... and I have most certainly gotten my fair share of such rewards. And if any of my work has inspired any of you to try your own hand at digital artwork and texture modding, then so much the better. I can't ask for nor expect any more than that... and I don't.
I will continue to support any and all of my own mods. I may be retiring, but I'm not going to leave anyone out in the cold if they still require assistance with one or another of my mods. That's what the "Tessera's Mods" section of this board is devoted to and I will continue to offer help and/or advice through those forums.
All my best,- Tessera -
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