Well, it is that time again. I had been trying to convert everything over into a single Wiki so that SHP could become more of a community effort since I am losing my ability to maintain it much longer. I have tried reaching out to several of the more Sierra knowledgeable people, both from these forums and outside for help with the Wiki, but most have ignored it. Help does not mean only technical help. That comes from the main site conversion to Wiki and the programming Wikis. Instead I was asking for help with all around Sierra related things, like release information, synopses, trivia, playing help, Easter eggs,information on the music, Sierra Character entries, etc. The kind of things that many of the less technically inclined fans would know.
Given the lack of interest and my diminishing resources I am less inclined to continue. I have had a lot of new expenses and the hosting fee for the year would be better spent on my more immediate needs I am leaning more towards giving up on the whole thing.
I don't mean for this to be some emotional blackmail, but I am running out of options. If my finances were in better shape or I had received more support for help I probably would try for at least another year. I had hoped that enough could help to continue building and updating the site as a Wiki that some form of SHP could survive beyond me, but it is looking like will not happen.
I have a few more days until I have to commit to payment for another year or let the site perish, but only a few.
Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Possible end to SHP, Another Year
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Tawmis
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Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Hey Collector -
My time is pretty limited these days, myself. Amiee's health and my own (mental, and to some degree some physical) health have been a strong focus. I've tried to do less stuff "internet-y" and do more fun stuff away from a computer. That said, in the admin section I did ask ye if ye had the patch files stored somewhere? So I could try to get those to the wikis because I know people frequently go for those - and all the links on the main page are dead (because they're being transitioned to the wiki) - but the only place right now is the Internet Archive of yer site (looking at older versions) to grab those files.
That said, I completely understand your choice. I recently let go of the Comic Relief Podcast site (I believe in October, it will officially cease to exist), and have considered doing the same with a few other sites I run and don't really do anything with anymore. Not only is it an unappreciated financial drain, I've just not done anything with it.
My time is pretty limited these days, myself. Amiee's health and my own (mental, and to some degree some physical) health have been a strong focus. I've tried to do less stuff "internet-y" and do more fun stuff away from a computer. That said, in the admin section I did ask ye if ye had the patch files stored somewhere? So I could try to get those to the wikis because I know people frequently go for those - and all the links on the main page are dead (because they're being transitioned to the wiki) - but the only place right now is the Internet Archive of yer site (looking at older versions) to grab those files.
That said, I completely understand your choice. I recently let go of the Comic Relief Podcast site (I believe in October, it will officially cease to exist), and have considered doing the same with a few other sites I run and don't really do anything with anymore. Not only is it an unappreciated financial drain, I've just not done anything with it.
Tawmis.com - Voice Actor
Comic Relief Podcast!
Neverending Nights
Hello, my name is Larry. Larry Laffer!
Comic Relief Podcast!
Neverending Nights
Hello, my name is Larry. Larry Laffer!
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
There is not enough space left for the Wiki to re-add patch files and images. Again, if I either had more financial resources or there was more demand I would upgrade the account for more space, but the hosting bill is already more than I can reasonably justify.
I guess that it has to be put in light of the need for the site is not as high as it once was, given few people wanting to play these games are less likely to have the original media and there are digital sources already with modern installers/tools. That was another reason that I was adding non-technical information about the games, so the site could be an archive of the old information along with what might still be of interest Sierra fans. I guess not.
If the hosting bill was not as high as it is I might consider kicking the can down the road for another year, but I don't want to start begging for that kind of help, and it is probably too late to setup a "GoFundMe", anyway, even if I were of a mind to do so.
I guess that it has to be put in light of the need for the site is not as high as it once was, given few people wanting to play these games are less likely to have the original media and there are digital sources already with modern installers/tools. That was another reason that I was adding non-technical information about the games, so the site could be an archive of the old information along with what might still be of interest Sierra fans. I guess not.
If the hosting bill was not as high as it is I might consider kicking the can down the road for another year, but I don't want to start begging for that kind of help, and it is probably too late to setup a "GoFundMe", anyway, even if I were of a mind to do so.
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Rath Darkblade
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Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Gosh. How large is the hosting bill, Collector? Please let me know - I might be able to help.
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
I'm very pressed for time with a full time job, caring for Dad and a relationship, but I'd be glad to help out financially. Let me know how I can support you.
There's a new script around: PHANTASMAGORIA - A Puzzle Of Flesh! Check the Script Party topic in the Bard's Forum!
Skip to new scripts
Skip to new scripts
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Agreed. Can we help you, monetarily?
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
What others have said. I don't have the time but this site has been such a good resource over the years it would be terrible to lose it. I'd be happy to help pay for the hosting costs and brainstorm better options for the site going forward.
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notbobsmith
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Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
I'm willing to help as well.
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Thinking more about this, and I know this is unsolicited feedback (so do what you want with it), but this is what I would propose as a path forward beyond financial assistance:
#1: Open Source the installer scripts so they can be maintained by the community going forward. I think, but I'm not certain, these are built with an older version of NSIS and I know there's some issues with them that haven't been resolved yet (for example, the Larry 7 installers don't apply the DOS 1.2 patch). From what I could find in the forums, it looks like the last time these were overhauled was in the early 2010s? A lot has changed since then. Whether this is hosted on SourceForge or Github (or another service) it would ensure that these invaluable resources are preserved and hopefully maintained.
And yes, you can get a number of these games from Steam/GOG now but there are noticeable gaps in their libraries (lack of floppy / alternate versions, none of the Edutainment series like Dr. Brain, incomplete documentation, etc.). And I don't think they go far enough with getting the games into a good spot for DOSBox. Like the NRS patches aren't included (while less an issue with DOSBox it is still an extra layer of making sure things run right), and some of the DOSBox configs they use are a little weird and people report needing to configure them. Personally I prefer the SHP installers over what's currently available through "official" venues.
#2: Let the forum go and move the core website to something free like Github.io or Google Sites, etc. It's a static HTML site and I can't imagine all the installers and archived patches take up more than a couple of gigabytes. I've not administered a phpBB forum, but I've been on moderation teams for them and my impression is that it's a pain in the rear to maintain between the software itself and keeping PHP updated. It also sounds like the forum isn't getting a lot of traffic and maybe this is where a lot of the site's storage went? I'm a lurker who doesn't post regularly but I get the value of having a shared community space. But it also sounds like there's a Discord server now and other options like Reddit's /r/Sierra and Facebook Groups exist and I think the remaining Sierra community really should have a centralized water cooler rather than being spread across multiple sites.
#3: Start a Sierra wiki using Fandom/Wikia or some other wiki centric service. Fandom has it's issues but I think if you want to get out of needing to deal with the hosting and maintenance of the software and would rather just focus on creating content, that's a way to do it.
#4: Dump all the patches and installers onto archive.org for preservation if any of the above is too much of a pain to do. It would be a real disservice to lose all the files that have been archived here. I think the Wayback Machine has most (if not all) of the site archived over the years but an official "collection" of the files would provide some peace of mind for the community.
#1: Open Source the installer scripts so they can be maintained by the community going forward. I think, but I'm not certain, these are built with an older version of NSIS and I know there's some issues with them that haven't been resolved yet (for example, the Larry 7 installers don't apply the DOS 1.2 patch). From what I could find in the forums, it looks like the last time these were overhauled was in the early 2010s? A lot has changed since then. Whether this is hosted on SourceForge or Github (or another service) it would ensure that these invaluable resources are preserved and hopefully maintained.
And yes, you can get a number of these games from Steam/GOG now but there are noticeable gaps in their libraries (lack of floppy / alternate versions, none of the Edutainment series like Dr. Brain, incomplete documentation, etc.). And I don't think they go far enough with getting the games into a good spot for DOSBox. Like the NRS patches aren't included (while less an issue with DOSBox it is still an extra layer of making sure things run right), and some of the DOSBox configs they use are a little weird and people report needing to configure them. Personally I prefer the SHP installers over what's currently available through "official" venues.
#2: Let the forum go and move the core website to something free like Github.io or Google Sites, etc. It's a static HTML site and I can't imagine all the installers and archived patches take up more than a couple of gigabytes. I've not administered a phpBB forum, but I've been on moderation teams for them and my impression is that it's a pain in the rear to maintain between the software itself and keeping PHP updated. It also sounds like the forum isn't getting a lot of traffic and maybe this is where a lot of the site's storage went? I'm a lurker who doesn't post regularly but I get the value of having a shared community space. But it also sounds like there's a Discord server now and other options like Reddit's /r/Sierra and Facebook Groups exist and I think the remaining Sierra community really should have a centralized water cooler rather than being spread across multiple sites.
#3: Start a Sierra wiki using Fandom/Wikia or some other wiki centric service. Fandom has it's issues but I think if you want to get out of needing to deal with the hosting and maintenance of the software and would rather just focus on creating content, that's a way to do it.
#4: Dump all the patches and installers onto archive.org for preservation if any of the above is too much of a pain to do. It would be a real disservice to lose all the files that have been archived here. I think the Wayback Machine has most (if not all) of the site archived over the years but an official "collection" of the files would provide some peace of mind for the community.
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
I was going to let the site expire, but I did not realize that the auto pay was on by default, so it will last at least another year. I have turned auto pay off. This hurts as I just had to layout several thousands of dollars for a new roof as well as some big medical bills. The hosting service costs a lot more than it used to, by several hundred dollars.
I am likely to not renew next year given the costs combined with not being able to get much help with the Wiki. At this point it is too late to set up something like a Go Fund Me. There is obviously less demand for the site than what there used to be, but if anyone wants to help financially you can use the PayPal donation from the front page, but I doubt it will yield enough to cover the hosting costs, but any help is better than none.
I am likely to not renew next year given the costs combined with not being able to get much help with the Wiki. At this point it is too late to set up something like a Go Fund Me. There is obviously less demand for the site than what there used to be, but if anyone wants to help financially you can use the PayPal donation from the front page, but I doubt it will yield enough to cover the hosting costs, but any help is better than none.
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notbobsmith
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Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Well, I am glad that SHP will be around for a while longer, but I am sorry about the circumstances, especially when money is tight.
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Rath Darkblade
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Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Agreed. I'm sorry to hear about your medical bills and your need for a new roof, Collector. But I'm glad that SHP will be around for a little longer.
I tried to go to the front page and donate by PayPal, but the page would not load.
(This is https://www.sierrahelp.com/index.html ... it told me:
This site can’t provide a secure connection
www.sierrahelp.com uses an unsupported protocol.
ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
I'm not sure what's going on?)
I tried to go to the front page and donate by PayPal, but the page would not load.
(This is https://www.sierrahelp.com/index.html ... it told me:This site can’t provide a secure connection
www.sierrahelp.com uses an unsupported protocol.
ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
I'm not sure what's going on?)
Re: Possible end to SHP, Another Year
Had the same problem, but got there from Google:Rath Darkblade wrote: ↑Wed Sep 23, 2026 6:03 am Agreed. I'm sorry to hear about your medical bills and your need for a new roof, Collector. But I'm glad that SHP will be around for a little longer.
I tried to go to the front page and donate by PayPal, but the page would not load.
This site can’t provide a secure connection
www.sierrahelp.com uses an unsupported protocol.
ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
I'm not sure what's going on?)
https://sierrahelp.com/ <----- [No www. in front]