SFO Venris Post on Total War reddit that was deleted (''give me money, CA bad!'')

Sagez#6761

Before it got deleted (a lot of people reported it) there were like 70 comments, almost all negative. Well, I copied it because I was sure it will be gone because it's a clear failure.
I lost it's title, sorry, but it was something like ''Is the end of SFO coming?''

Here it is:

Hello Everyone!Venris Here!

I am coming to you today to say it straight up: I am burned out on Total War: Warhammer modding. Burned out to the core. Last year was a crunch, a hellish crunch that happily gave us SFO: Grimhammer III full mod release because of one thing that I will talk about later in this post. That burnout hurt my personal life, family life, and mental health. There are a lot of reasons for it. I have been modding full time for over 5 years. The game is still in a poor state and because I know how things are made it really frustrates me how little was done last year. BUT I still love this game and the SFO mods I created with you all. YET with how things have been so far I can’t go further. I am not able to maintain modding in an actual state of constant crunch, fixing the mistakes of others and hoping that the next update won’t bring more bugs or reused content that we need to pay for. I need fresh fuel. A project that I can create from the ground up my way, with my rules, without problems from those above me. A project that can be made FULLY with the community and not using only PR drivel.

Whispers of the Eyeless is that project for me. A game that I can work on, with my own rules at my own pace. That's because I am not coding this game, I am designing and writing it. For me, this is far less demanding than modding. And by the all Chaos Gods, it’s so **** refreshing to do. If you have no idea, what Whisper of the Eyeless is - check out my Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hearthewhispers/whispers-of-the-eyeless I will also have a livestream on Monday 13/03/2023 on my YT channel https://youtube.com/live/5iQm0cy95Kg talking about all of it and showing Whispers of the Eyeless in action. Feel free to drop by so we can talk more in person. For the last months I have been making Storm of Chaos updates along with my game and I never felt better. And I want this to stay.

You trusted me for all those years with SFO, will you do it again with OUR GAME so we can create it together on our own rules?

If not for Whispers of the Eyeless, and the fresh perspective working on it gave me, I do not think I would have been able to finish SFO: Grimhammer III. I would have completely burned out. I want my both passion projects to complement each other. But that is not possible without your help. Thanks to SFO Patreon, the modding is secured and what is important, that support will always be for a mod only. But it can go the other way around, support pledged to the game can help with modding. We just started a Kickstarter campaign, and from its success we will secure not only the funding for the game, but also the future of SFO modding. I don't want to be only a modder anymore. I want to be more professional, make things better, develop myself- and that's Whispers of the Eyeless.

So what happens if the Kickstarter does not fund? I want to be clear that I will not simply walk away from the Whispers of the Eyeless. I will pursue other methods of funding. I will continue to work on the game, because it is necessary for my soul for me to complete this. So what would that mean for the future of SFO? During this time I would be unable to mod full time. Beyond that I cannot say really, because as always all of us on the SFO team are at the mercy of the whims of CA. Maybe their next update will be amazing, full of new opportunities for the mod to explore. Or, maybe it will be a mess, and the slog of finding ways to improve and elevate the broken/bad experience will begin anew. Ugh.

Hopefully over the years I have earned your trust to want to come along this journey with me. It is a journey that I must take, and that I look forward to taking with many of you as well.

Have you ever wanted to create your own cult of evil deities? Whispers of the Eyeless is such a game where you create your own cult of the Dead Gods in a world where every strong emotion can create a god thirsty for human souls. You are the prophet of the evil side of those gods and you try to take control over a city where only ‘good’ gods rule. The game is a hybrid of classic point and click adventure with turn based cult management and tabletop storytelling told through a narrator. And along with all of that we also made a real pen and paper tabletop game that will work alongside the PC release.

If you don't really feel backing the project then at least share it. Maybe your friends will like it or give feedback that we can use to improve the game.

Venris Out!

Edit:
Just to clear one thing that may not be clear in my post. No matter what happens with my game I will not stop updating or will I drop SFO mods. Nor I will ever use Patreon support to use on anything other than SFO Mods development. Other people are working on both things and they do not collide. Its different to write a game and look after how it is made from making actual modding. And thats how Storm of Chaos update was made (last 5 months) and I dont think it was a bad update, on the contrary.



My comment:

I dislike this sleazy Venris guy a lot. There was a drama with SFO from the beginning (mod was started by another person, Venris took it and monetized it), but what really made me angry was when he (two years ago?) took the work of another modder (Pierce of something) and incorporated it into SFO without asking for permission. There was a big drama on reddit, but mods shut it down rather quickly.

As someone on reddit said, SFO will never be done, because no one would pay money when it's actually done. Venris actually suggested that people should give him more money or SFO will be over, while in reality he makes really good money via Patreon. He is from Poland as am I, so let's see:

quick math = 777 patrons x 5 dollar (average) = roughly 3800 or over 4000 dollars per month

now one dollar is four zlotys (złoty is currency in Poland), see exchange rate if you want

Those dollars are a lot of money in Poland! Minimum wage in Poland is like 2500 złoty now, which is... like 600 dollars.

Poor Venris, he can't afford making his own game! /s

As someone else pointed out on reddit, SFO team spams Warhammer 3 forums/threads with promotion of their own game. It's not connected to WH3 or CA in any way of course and it's obnoxious. So, as you can see, it's natural for them to badmouth CA original work and get free promotion...

Good thing is, people were **** because of his post and a lot of them said they won't support him after this ''blackmail''.

Neodeinos#5871

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Sagez#6761

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747

Shrug. The Beast cares little for drama.

Fun fact: Reddit considers suggesting someone's car tyre be deflated a violent threat that's perma ban worthy.

Passthechips#4366

Sagez#6761 said:

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

Well for example, it’s pretty possible I would never have heard about his game or this drama if you didn’t post it here. No such thing as bad publicity.

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747

Passthechips#4366 said:

Sagez#6761 said:

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

Well for example, it’s pretty possible I would never have heard about his game or this drama if you didn’t post it here. No such thing as bad publicity.

Controversy creates cash.

PhoenixKingMalekith#5710

I have been a SFO user since its release back in 2016. I love some of its features, specially unit count, unit stats and rebalance of health. Elite units feel lorefriendly and battles last far more than Vanilla.

However, as you said, he stole the project from his previous creator and attacked him using his (supposedly) far right affiliation. Like he suddenly discovered it just after stoling his mod and not the previous years working along him. That was disgusting. I don't care about politic affiliations, but the fact he used it, and only after needing it, is truly disgusting. And as you say, his beheaviour during the last SFO drama was similar too. He ended apologizing but only after he was exposed; before that, he behaved like an angry child, trying to pay and blackmail the other modder.

Also, since the original modder was out of the mod, it has become too overcharged for my taste. I continue supporting the mod as I like some of the changes it brings, but I dislike this Venris as you. I think it would be a good thing if he stepped aside and leave others to continue the mod.

ASyrian#2378

Its just a big ad for his game and he aims at a weakened group (those who feel let down by CA) for easy marketing just like sects

Kouran_Darkhand#6365

PhoenixKingMalekith#5710 said:

I have been a SFO user since its release back in 2016. I love some of its features, specially unit count, unit stats and rebalance of health. Elite units feel lorefriendly and battles last far more than Vanilla.

This is the reason why I play SFO

Surge_2#1464

I've seen this a number of times over the decades, in mod friendly games.

A mod team (or individual) gets it in their heads that they are being held back, and desire to do something bigger. Sometimes, this works out, sometimes, it just implodes both the mod, and the vaporware they wanted to make.

/shrug

I dont mod this game anyway.

Sagez#6761

''There is no such thing as bad publicity'' someone said above

If this would be true then Catholic Church would be growing stronger, not weaker.

Speaking about SFO, it's not true because they reacted strongly when it became known that they ''borrowed'' someone else's work.

Of course, this is internet, someone may comment here that because of my post they donated to SFO. No problem. Venris himself can come here and mock me, so what? Did he earn 21,37 dollars because of me?

Oh, big deal. Heh.

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747

Surge_2#1464 said:

I've seen this a number of times over the decades, in mod friendly games.

A mod team (or individual) gets it in their heads that they are being held back, and desire to do something bigger. Sometimes, this works out, sometimes, it just implodes both the mod, and the vaporware they wanted to make.

/shrug

I dont mod this game anyway.

The human condition. Always wanting more.

Fingolfin_the-Golden#2157

Didn’t bother reading the drama, oh my the drama!

Guy is a modder, it’s free, do it on your own back if you want.

His mod is not very good imo (lots in it and lots of work, but it doesn’t work well or make the game better).

Unless he’s a CA employee, I couldn’t care less what the self inflated guy is up to.

Captain_Rex#1635

Who’s this SFO dude? And how is this relevant here?

Fingolfin_the-Golden#2157

Sagez#6761 said:

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

who really cares?

You obviously, but why?

CountSpookula#8662

Sagez#6761 said:

Before it got deleted (a lot of people reported it) there were like 70 comments, almost all negative. Well, I copied it because I was sure it will be gone because it's a clear failure.

Good thing is, people were **** because of his post and a lot of them said they won't support him after this ''blackmail''.

First of all, I don't know if you're a bitter Radious fan or what this is, but I know Radious has seen a lot of controversies and has attempted to try and deflect much of his wrongdoings onto the SFO team (never successfully however). If this is the reasoning for your post, some kind of modding feud, please keep the drama out of the forums. This is not only toxic but unnecessary. (Referring to this incident in particular, in which CA addresses the issue as well.)

Secondly, the announcement remains up on the SFO discord, he's merely stating he's burnt out with the game in general, and seeing as it's his full-time job due to patrons' support, he's trying to hype up a new project he's been working on. So it's not even relevant to be reposted here as if it's been taken down on all other platforms.

And finally, on a personal note, keep in mind, he's done this project for years on end for free for the community, his Patreon was always optional. If you're trying to label him as entitled or greedy, you need a lot more evidence than him being burnt out from doing whats essentially volunteer work for the community (He's also stated he will keep the mod up to date going forward as well).

Sagez#6761

Fingolfin_the-Golden#2157 said:

Sagez#6761 said:

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

Why do you cares?

You obviously, but why?

He modded bears too much.

Fingolfin_the-Golden#2157

Sagez#6761 said:

Fingolfin_the-Golden#2157 said:

Sagez#6761 said:

Neodeinos#5871 said:

I'm not sure why you posted that here if it was deleted on Reddit anyway.

Because I was angry and they will promote their game on WH3 channels anyway? It was like second or third post about their game on reddit.

Why do you cares?

You obviously, but why?

He modded bears too much.

GOOD GOD!
I’m with you all the way.

Reeks#2417

I enjoy the ocational SFO playthrough

Wont destroy my world if it burns to the ground because the creator got full of himself tho.

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747

Didn't we have this exact hullabaloo with some other modder begging for money last year?

MalalTheRenegade#5644

What a bunch of useless drama.

The mod is great and Venris with his mod did great things for this community. So the guy is using his deserved "fame" to promote his game ? Let him do it.

And yes the last part is poorly worded and sounds like a threat "give money to my game or I'll stop working on SFO". Well to me it's just a bad attempt at honesty/transparency. It's true that if he wants to achieve his passion project he will have to focus on it even more if it is not enough funded.

Let's remember this is a random modder, a regular human being and his has flaws like everyone else and he certainly isn't trained at PR. So what's to blame here ? Do people really need to throw a tantrum about it ?

Cyresdog#8125

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747 said:

Didn't we have this exact hullabaloo with some other modder begging for money last year?

That was Radious, yea
As much as i like SFO, Venris got a bit too much in his head by now by all the stuff he said over the past ~12 months.
That if he isn't working on SFO that no one else is allowed to, he won't give it away to anyone and if he stops working on it, it will be the end of SFO etc.
That he advertises his own weird looking flashgame now on Warhammer Pages is anything but a cool move.
I personally am a Patreon of SFO (not him), and it saddens me a bit to see the direction he is going. He once was a pretty cool dude, but thats the past for quite some time now.

And i said to a friend earlier today that he should stop doing PR for his game or game company, not because of the Game or whatever, but the way he advertises and tries to sell his own new game.
I don't mind the hustle, but he is not good at selling it, and gets more enemies than friends with his current path.

MalalTheRenegade#5644 said:

And yes the last part is poorly worded and sounds like a threat "give money to my game or I'll stop working on SFO". Well to me it's just a bad attempt at honesty/transparency. It's true that if he wants to achieve his passion project he will have to focus on it even more if it is not enough funded.

He is really amazing at thinking he is the only one who could do SFO, he sometimes, and i am dead serious, talks about himself as if he is the Chosen one for the modding community.
Dude turned narcistic in such a short amount of time its almost fascinating

MalalTheRenegade#5644

Cyresdog#8125 said:

MalalTheRenegade#5644 said:

And yes the last part is poorly worded and sounds like a threat "give money to my game or I'll stop working on SFO". Well to me it's just a bad attempt at honesty/transparency. It's true that if he wants to achieve his passion project he will have to focus on it even more if it is not enough funded.

He is really amazing at thinking he is the only one who could do SFO, he sometimes, and i am dead serious, talks about himself as if he is the Chosen one for the modding community.
Dude turned narcistic in such a short amount of time its almost fascinating

Yeah I agree. Isn't that the case for most modders though ? They care about their mods as if they were their babies, they take pride in them and sometimes begin to confuse what people think of the mod and what they think of the modder. (Edit: Not saying it's an excuse or a good thing to do)

I fully agree that he shouldn't do PR for either SFO or his game though. Modders should remember the harsh truth that people like their mods not them.*

*and maybe also remember that there is a reason for devs not being in charge of PR.

Surge_2#1464

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747 said:

The human condition. Always wanting more.

Pretty much. I cut my teeth on coding learning to mod, and it became a career, but I think the difference between "I'm a modder" and "I game design" is pretty vast.

Cyresdog#8125

.

Surge_2#1464 said:

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747 said:

The human condition. Always wanting more.

Pretty much. I cut my teeth on coding learning to mod, and it became a career, but I think the difference between "I'm a modder" and "I game design" is pretty vast.

That is something i preach so often, just because you can take someone elses finished (more or less) product, and modify it and create something awesome, does not mean that you can/should/are capable of creating your entire own game.

I can also make some really banging convencience food and spice it up by some small changes or additions, but it doesn't mean that i become an amazing chef all of a sudden.

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747

Surge_2#1464 said:

Beast_of_Guanyin#8747 said:

The human condition. Always wanting more.

Pretty much. I cut my teeth on coding learning to mod, and it became a career, but I think the difference between "I'm a modder" and "I game design" is pretty vast.

I imagine it's like comparing amateur sport to professional.

brago90#3911

Basically what the guy said is: ''Do you want me to keep updating the mod? Finance my whim.''
They told him to **** off and then he added a paragraph saying that he didn't mean that when he clearly did, for fear that people would stop throwing money at him on patreon.