BuffMePlz the Dota AI Maker is Retired! GoD-Tony, Your Call?

Sad news has came from BuffMePlz blog today. After some consideration, he decided to retire from making the Dota AI map. This news is quite shocking me, but after reading his post, i can understand his frustration. He's no longer enjoy making the AI map and the community pressure has became a burden.

Here are the good by letter from BuffMePlz:

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

After much thought and consideration, I have decided to no longer continue my work on DotA AI maps. Between my increased work responsibilities, advancing on to the next stage of life, my waning interest in DotA, and the frustration from both dealing with the community's demands and the community having to deal with my absences, I believe it is best for me to let this project go and move on.

It was a fun two years, with updates on almost every version since 6.49 (we're up to 6.66b now, crazy!), but as lazyfiend/RGB said when he left, I find that working on this map is no longer enjoyable to me, and is in fact quite a burden.

I've contacted GoD-Tony (killerbee) about taking over, and if he decides to, I'll try to help him get up to speed as much as possible. If not, I hope whomever takes my place will have as much fun as I did these past two years learning the ins and outs of JASS and the WC3 engine.

My passion has always been with the Fun Taverns, and though I will not continue AI development I may occasionally release some maps on my blog with old heroes and/or original creations, so feel free to visit and leave comments for me here.

Thanks for the fun times guys!

Before making that decision, he asking people voice on this post:

Decision time

From the playdota.com forums:

"I hear you guys, and I understand your frustration, but you have to understand the limitations of how things work.

Basically, it comes down to this:

1) Regular releases: To put it frankly, you've all been spoiled. Do any of you even remember how frequently the AI maps were released in the past? They would come out months after a stable release, and only on that stable release. The model I've been pursuing is one where the AI map is a vehicle for others to tinker with new heroes, abilities, and items. I've thought about pursuing a model in which I only release once every time a new stable map comes out (3-4 months after a map is declared stable), but it seems that popular consesus is otherwise.

2) Source code: Yes, IceFrog sends me the script changes from version to version, but it still comes down to the fact that I never received any source code from lazyfiend (RGB), who I understand did receive source code from cloud_str, who received source code from whomever was in charge of DotA at the time (and was thus the "official" version of the AI map). All I have to work with is obfuscated code, but people don't seem to understand that. No, I don't have source code. No, I don't have an unprotected map. I have exactly what you guys have when you open a map through an MPQ editor. Do it now, pull out war3map.j from DotA 6.48b AI+, and you'll look at EXACTLY what I had to look at.

I've rewritten parts of the code to make things more usable for me, but in the end it always comes down to 1). If you really want, I'll sit on this, release a nice AI for 6.66b (stable version) in about, say, October.

Alternately, it really seems like people want me to go. I'm willing to step down, but I have nothing to offer any who would want to take up the mantle, as all I have is obfuscated source.

Your call."

Weigh in your opinions.

Well, the decision has been made. Now, let's just hope GoD-Tony a.k.a KillerBee can answer the call. But still, i will respect whatever GoD-Tony decision, because people have their own life. And to BuffMePlz, please accept my greatest respect for all what you've done until know. God Bless You!