Hello everyone. It has been a while since I have done anything with this website, so I figured I would do something here for once.
I have been doing game modding for a little over 15 years now. From starting out making metal box obstacle courses in Super Mario 64 to making a (very bad) "editor" for Super Mario Sunshine, I have come a long way in the last 15 years in my skills of programming.
Eventually, I set my eyes on Super Mario Galaxy in 2012. I joined the Super Mario Galaxy 2.5 team and we had some good and bad times. However, I emerged from this project a better programmer and in some ways, a better person.
After the SMG2.5 breakup, I jumped over to New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U modding, and helped both games document their object settings, reverse engineer behaviors, and even help kickstart Newer Super Mario Bros. U (rip).
But then I caught wind of a specific company called NVIDIA that released a shield version of Super Mario Galaxy...which also leaked symbol maps. The holy grail of reverse engineering.
I leaped back into Galaxy modding after a few years of being away, and I was able to kickstart Petari, a decompilation of the Korean version of the game. It did not draw much attention for the first few years, but migrating to a more modern toolkit made the project more accessible.
Then, I ported Kameck over to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the scene exploded. With this new door open, many new things were created and many more people flocked to the game to create their own custom objects and even bosses!
However, not everything lasts forever.
As of late, I have found myself dwelling my time into my personal hobbies outside of the internet. For instance, I have begun my flight training for a private pilot license and should be taking to the skies next year. I am also taking advantage of my degrees and certifications in meteorology! I am even traveling around to new countries to....ride new roller coasters.
I am also throwing more time into the company that I work for. And obviously, I have two kids I take care of now. So my plate is pretty full.
So full, that I am now officially announcing that I am retiring from all game modding.
Yes, you have read that right. I am throwing in the towel and will be leaving the modding and decompilation scenes. I will note, however, that this choice has not been taken lightly. I have always had a passion for game modding and reverse engineering.
At this time, everything outside of the internet has taken priority and to be completely honest, I find more satisfaction not sitting behind my computer. The people that mod these Wii games and decompile these games are insanely talented people and I loved having the honor of being able to work and help others out.
I will miss the long days of livestreaming myself decompile things (and maybe throw a fit or two over compiler issues). I will also miss the chaotic voice chat sessions that SMG modders tend to have. I will also miss running SMGCommunity, an organization that I created to help organize all code related tooling for Galaxy modders.
It has been an honor to be a part of these game scenes for the last 15 years. However, it has become my time to move on to new things and continue this new chapter in my life and career.
Be seeing ya,
- shibboleet
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