Since ~2018, I have inadvertently found myself focusing on substantial preservation and archivism work for my favorite game. It all started with the natural curiosity of looking for things like rare concept art, and as I went I realized there was a lot of information that most fans of the game didn’t know about. In short, I believed I should start collecting and aggregating everything I found in one place. I wanted to tell the fans all these things so they could nerd out to whatever level they wished, and also asked for volunteers to join me in locating and preserving all of it.
In 2021 I began acting on a desire to expand beyond just one game, to other games I like as well as other mediums like shows, films, or musicians. I do like popular things often enough and I may do some archivism on those things just in case they become obscure later. However, I seem to have a trend toward works that are indie, unpopular, or otherwise obscure. That’s where content and information is most commonly lost, so archivism feels like a logical reaction as much as it is enthusiasm.
Below are the subjects that I have explored thus far to a substantial degree.
Games
Legend of Dragoon
At this point, doing research on this game has basically become my life’s work thus far. At first I was merely looking for extra concept art. Now I’ve found all kinds of things I never thought I would. Buried interviews, obscure trailers, additional lore, an insider article about the technology used to make the game… It’s so fascinating.
Nexus – The Jupiter Incident
Miscellaneous documentation and research. Included is the search for all possible breadcrumbs relating to the prior identities of the game: Imperium Galactica III, and Galaxy Andromeda. Most recently, keeping the spirit of Nexus alive with a new game project that has similar gameplay. Details to come assuming the project goes well!
Hydro Thunder
Rumble support for the PC release is not compatible with various gamepads, including Xbox 360 and XB1. I searched the web and found a compatible solution. Using custom drivers from a generous programmer, rumble is now more accessible in the PC release of Hydro Thunder! I have also generated a set of recommended settings for improving game fidelity via the “dgVoodoo” software.
Threads of Fate / Dewprism
De-bound and scanned a large guidebook into high-res digital images for the fandom’s benefit. Click here to view the recording of a live event where the process began!
Smaller Contributions
- Advent Rising: I have been a proud mirror host of a patch collection for Advent Rising (PC).
- Dark Cloud: Discovered a large logo image that the fandom’s Discord community was not aware of.
- World of Tanks: Preserved music from first “soundtrack,” including a single track that is almost always missing from various user uploads. Also preserved some legacy videos from their former YT channel, where everything was delisted for no good reason. (I should write a rant about this at some point).
Other
Maurice Lenell Cookies (Chicago-based, known for Pinwheels)
Known for many good cookies, most notably the Pinwheel (my favorite!). Gathered some random info about why the company shut down, just in case their website doesn’t get re-upped. Also compiled some info about a fan petition and a few imitation recipes since it’s the best we can do – unless someone rescues the special machines stuck in an abandoned warehouse. I’m guessing someone would have to buy the warehouse in order to get the rights to anything inside.
Kid Merkury
Preserving multiple original tracks including a full album, as well as a few dozen music mixes. Despite being a really brief window and having almost no renown, I happened to meet Kid Merkury online and loved his style right away. I am proud to preserve his works and hope someone else finds them pleasing to listen to. Note: please don’t use his songs in your own creations without his permission.