Actions

Difference between revisions of "Sonic CulT"

From Sonic Retro

(→‎External links)
m
 
(6 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 9: Line 9:
 
| status=Offline
 
| status=Offline
 
}}
 
}}
−
'''''NOTE: This article contains information that is outdated and/or incorrect. Please refer to the discussion page for the corrections that are currently being discussed.'''''
+
'''Sonic CulT''' was a Sonic the Hedgehog fansite created by [[PACHUKA]] in February of 1999. Inspired by the discovery of the [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Simon Wai prototype)|first known prototype]] of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', Simon Wai's [[The Sonic 2 Beta Page|Sonic 2 Beta Page]], and other websites in the "Sonic secrets" community,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040812123413/http://www.sonic-cult.org/articles/about/}} Sonic CulT eventually became one of the largest repositories of information regarding the ''Sonic'' game franchise. It primarily focused on unused content and early prototypes, though other general game information and opinion pieces were also hosted there.
  
−
'''Sonic CulT''' was a large information repository started by [[PACHUKA]] in February of 1999. It was inspired by both the [[SSRG]] and [[Simon Wai]] following Simon's discovery of the [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Beta]].  It later became known as one of the largest information repositories for Sonic the Hedgehog in the community, even though a fair amount was copied from other websites without permission. It was last run by [[User:Sazpaimon|Sazpaimon]], who also co-runs the CulT side project X-CulT with [[PACHUKA]].  
+
The site would be run by [[User:Sazpaimon|Sazpaimon]] from August 2004{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823134851/http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=222}} until updates ceased in 2012. The site closed in April 2018.
  
−
Updates to the site ceased in 2012, eventually closing in April 2018. The decision to close the site steamed from a webserver update that rendered both the Content Management System (CMS) and web forum software incompatible with the webserver software. Correcting the issue would be a timely endeavor, one which Sazpaimon felt was pointless given that the site had not been updated in over 6 years at the time.
+
==History==
 +
In February of 1999, the earliest form of Sonic CulT was uploaded on the free webhosting service Tripod.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19990219152607/http://members.tripod.com/pasofami/}} The site featured a smattering of information related to the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series of games, including prototype information, cheat codes, and save states for the [[sega:Sega Mega Drive|Sega Mega Drive]] emulator [[sega:Genecyst|Genecyst]]. Shortly after, this page was made part of a larger emulation website called EmuCult, created by PACHUKA and goomba. The "Sonic CulT" section would be resurrected after the closing of EmuCult: first on the site CultChyldren, then as its own standalone Sonic fansite.{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811121309/http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=221}} The goal of Sonic CulT was to be the "number one compiled source of Sonic research." Originally gathering information from sites such as [[Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51]] and Tom's Hacking Station,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040812123413/http://www.sonic-cult.org/articles/about/}} the site focused on cataloging existing prototypes from the ''Sonic'' series, unreleased content, and unlicensed games. Eventually, the website would feature content not sourced from other, similar sites. Early unique content included interviews with the producer of ''[[Sonic X-treme]]'', [[sega:Mike Wallis|Mike Wallis]], and voice actor [[Ryan Drummond]].{{intref|Interview: Mike Wallis (2002-06) by Pachuka}}{{intref|Ryan Drummond interview by Pachuka}}
  
−
While some reminisce about the site with fondness, others recall it as the hub for the menacing and trolling conduct exhibited by its members towards fellow community members and websites.
+
In 2002, the website moved to its own dedicated domain, sonic-cult.org. That same year, PACHUKA was hired on as a game tester for a six month stint at [[sega:Sega of America|Sega of America]].{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040812123413/http://www.sonic-cult.org/articles/about/}} Among the games he worked on were ''[[sega:Sega Smash Pack|Sega Smash Pack]]'' for the [[sega:Game Boy Advance|Game Boy Advance]] and ''[[Sonic Mega Collection]]'' for the [[sega:Nintendo GameCube|Nintendo GameCube]]. His work on the latter gave him opportunity to record early footage of the collection, which he would later share on his website. Of note was evidence that ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' was intended for the final release, but was removed for emulation reasons.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20030410065154/http://sonic-cult.org/smc/soniccd.html}}{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725103316/http://sonic-cult.org/dispart.php?catid=3&gameid=10&subid=1&artid=5}} It was also the first site to release the ROM for ''[[Sonic Eraser]]''.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240512080816/https://sonichq.net/article/news/sonic-eraser/}}
  
−
==Early Days (1999-2002)==
+
[[Image:Peace1wylb4.png|thumb|right|An image created at the height of one of the many inter-community conflicts Sonic CulT found itself in.]]
−
{{Community-historical}}
+
Before the release of ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'', Sonic CulT leaked the twelve CG renders of the playable cast, as well as unfinished FMV footage from all four playable campaigns.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240512081448/https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog/c/_oYJwZHLMq0/m/z9HE21nPBWgJ}} This content, originally acquired by Solly of the website Dream Avenue,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240512081508/https://sonichq.net/article/news/insane-amounts-of-new-sonic-heroes-infopics/}} was not meant to be shared with the public before the game's release, and was published without consulting her.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240513035908/https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/page-3}}
−
===Prior Engagements and Site Formation===
 
−
PACHUKA first emerged as co-head of the emulation group EmuCult, which challenged the status quo of then-prominent emulation sites such as Overclocked, Emucamp, Retrogamer, and Zophar's Domain by ridiculing and mocking them. In his spare time, Pach set up a site called CultChyldren, including "Sonic CulT," (stylized with a capitalized T due to the emerald in its logo,) from the former EmuCult.  
 
  
−
The Sonic Cult website launched in Feb 1999, functioning as a cache of Sonic-related information Pachuka had found on the Internet. This information included Game Genie codes, information collected by the Sonic Research community, and various Sonic related media files. His site's focus was inspired by the likes of SSRG and SWS2B page, who broke the mold of the typical Sonic fan websites of the time by offering content outside of just fan art or fan fiction, focusing on the games instead.
+
During its height, Sonic CulT was seen by some as a polarizing, if not controversial, website.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20180526120014/https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/}} The site featured a disclaimer that it was for "mature audiences only,"{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20060103173551/http://www.sonic-cult.org/}} and contained strong language, adult content, and crude humor. The original owner of the site, PACHUKA, would often get into conflicts with other members of the community in public settings, antagonizing them further by addressing these issues on the main page of the website.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20240512083046/https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/page-2}} Other staff members would also post on the main feed of the site, targeting individuals in over-the-top manners. The original owner would also purposely forgo crediting the work of others when making updates,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040812123413/http://www.sonic-cult.org/articles/about/}} resulting in  further controversy.
  
−
===New Community, New Targets===
+
The site was briefly offline in early 2004 to allow a redesign. Former co-admin of EmuCult, goomba, created a new Content Management System called "Greenegg."{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040611193712/http://www.green-egg.net/}} This dynamic software allowed for ease of organization and updating which the previous static HTML pages did not provide. On July 26, 2004, PACHUKA announced he was selling Sonic CulT.{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20040810055031/http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=219}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20040809210434/http://www.sonic-cult.org/sale.html}} The site would be purchased by member Tigress, with assistance from other members of the community. It was decided that Sazpaimon would become administrator of the site,{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20040823134851/http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=222}} with [[User:InsaneSonikkuFan|InsaneSonikkuFan]] serving as co-admin. PACHUKA continued to offer hosting during this transitionary period, briefly becoming the face of the site once more in December of 2004.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20050128165442/http://tssznews.com/}}
−
Having a Sonic fan site that broke the mold wasn’t enough for Pachuka. He felt ''any'' Sonic fan or fan site that wasn’t up to his standards were “lame” and deserved to be mocked and trolled online.  
 
  
−
Pachuka redirected his trolling apparatus from the emulation community to members of the Sonic fan community. At first, he began ridiculing site members from off the Sonic Cult website, but it later escalated to trolling forum users and their moderators. His behavior attracted some notoriety, with people willing to aid him in his activities. This help make Sonic CulT into a “staging” point which to identify and coordinate attacks on victims.
+
In January of 2005, PACHUKA was arrested,{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312203130/http://www.tssznews.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1104957921&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5&}} leaving the admins unable to access the domain. The site would soon be taken down by the webhost. On February 3 2005,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20050210012918/http://sonic-cult.net/index2.php}} the site returned at the domain sonic-cult.net, which was purchased by Tigress. Sazpaimon and InsaneSonikkuFan would reassume co-admin duties for the site. On June 1, 2005, Sazpaimon would announce the opening of a spin-off site, X-Cult, a video game research community covering unreleased content and early prototypes outside of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The two sites, while featuring different content, would share a single news feed.  
  
−
Later, his activities included obtaining credentials to restricted areas using social engineering techniques, use known and unmitigated vulnerabilities to gain access to sites, and befriending people to gain private intimate photos only to have them posted online for his growing group’s amusement.  
+
On November 22, 2005, the sonic-cult.org domain would be recovered,{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20051128025106/http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php}} Sazpaimon able to gain access to PACHUKA's domain administrator account. The site would continue to be run by Sazpaimon, and feature new updates to its information database. Among these updates was new information on the development of ''Sonic X-treme'', provided by [[User:Hxc|hxc]]{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909134739/http://www.sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=97}} and [[User:Biggestsonicfan|Biggestsonicfan]].
  
−
===Trouble with the law / DUST HILL IS FAKE===
+
On February 22, 2009, it was announced that Sonic CulT would cease being updated, focus shifting exclusively to X-Cult. Soon after, a permanent statement would be at the top of the main page, stating that "This site remains as a tribute to all of those people who came and went over the years, helping us have a better understanding of a series we enjoyed."{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20090721185444/http://www.sonic-cult.org:80/index2.php}} The news feed on the main page would continue to show updates from X-Cult until 2012, when it was replaced with a YouTube video created by PACHUKA.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20120717105106/http://sonic-cult.org/index2.php}} This embed would remain even after the video was removed from YouTube.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20180407062332/http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php}}
−
[[Image:fake.png|thumb|right|Infamous avatar of PACHUKA's during the DUST HILL IS FAKE flamewar marking his return]]
 
−
On or before the year 2001, PACHUKA was embroiled in some legal trouble, landing him in jail. A full explanation of this jailing was never disclosed publically by Pachuka, however alleged bits and pieces of his time behind bars would later surfaced online.
 
  
−
The first public mention came from a post PACHUKA allegedly made on Sonic Cult, which explained a recent long term absence from the site. In this alleged posting, he claimed he was away in jail, further stating, allegedly, “that’s what happens when you steal a car”.
+
Sonic CulT, along with X-Cult and its related forums, would finally go offline on April 22, 2018. Having upgraded the php on the server the sites were hosted on, Sazpaimon found the aging site and forum code was no longer compatible. Instead of trying to retrofit the old code to work, it was decided to remove the site entirely.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20180526120014/https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/}}
  
−
In 2002 group chat, PACHUKA was confronted regarding his alleged jail time. According to accounts, he admitted to being in jail, but not for car theft. When pressed for details he allegedly stated, “I cannot say”.
+
==Forums==
 +
[[Image:fake.png|thumb|right|The infamous "DUST HILL IS FAKE" avatar that PACHUKA used during one of many "flamewars" on a number of Sonic community forums.]]
 +
The Sonic CulT forums opened in 2002. Using the Ikonboard software, the message boards were only visible if one had a registered account. The original forums were shut down in May of 2003 during a period in which PACHUKA claimed he had no interest in running the main website. They were reopened a week later as "SCARD," which featured a subforum called "Community Forum." This new forum invited all users on the site to create polls and determine who would be allowed in unique forum groups such as "CulT Family," have moderator privileges, or even suggest who should be banned.
  
−
It would not be until late 2004 when the details were learned publically. According to the Palo Alto Online News, Pachuka was arrested once again in Dec 2004. In addition to new charges, the article mentioned that Pachuka “has a 2001 conviction for unlawful intercourse with a minor”. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050306014032/http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=832] Details of his sentencing stemming from his 2001 conviction were not disclosed, but it is believed he served a four-month jail stint in early or mid-2001.
+
This experiment did not last long, with the community opting for a more traditional forum experience. This third iteration of the forums was called "Sonic Cult Advance Research Zone," or simply SCARZ. Readers of the forum still needed to register, and were given posting privileges by first making a topic in the "Validating Forum."{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20041124090514/http://forums.sonic-cult.org:80/}} Eventually, some subforums were made viewable to visitors of the site without needing an account.
  
−
After his legal troubles were behind him, PACHUKA marked his return to the scene in mid-2001 by posting "DUST HILL IS FAKE" to the [[Area 51]] forum. Due to the [[Desert level]] picture appearing in magazines, and the first series of interviews with  [[Brenda Ross]] (née Ross), it was widely believed in the Sonic research community that [[Dust Hill Zone]] was in fact the Desert Level. PACHUKA argued that it was very unlikely that the picture was real, and that the level had never made it out of the concept stage. This led to lengthy and at times heated arguments amongst forum members spanning over 20 pages until the topic was closed by an Area 51 forum moderator to forbid further discussion.
+
The forums had three main subforums:{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20060110234057/http://forums.sonic-cult.org:80/}}
  
−
===Domain Name, First Forums and IRC channel===
+
*'''General Discussion''', focusing on the Sonic the Hedgehog series
−
In 2002, Sonic CulT purchased and moved to its current .org domain.  Also that year the Sonic CulT Ikonboard went online. Though not popular at first, it gained popularity after the Area 51 forum ran into stability issues that year, leading some to migrate to Cult’s forum.
+
*'''X-Cult''', focusing on gaming research outside the Sonic series
 +
*'''Hacking Forum''', focusing on ROM disassembles, game mods, and ROM hacks
  
−
The IRC Channel #cult was created on Mirkknet, becoming popular amongst forum-goers, despite not being an affiliated channel. IRCops dosdemon and lord joined Sonic CulT and members who would later become Admins or Posse. [[User:Grap3fruitman|Grap3]], [[User:RyogaMasaki|RyogaMasaki]], [[Beta]], etc. were among the most active and often opped.
+
There were also a number of "off topic" subforums, some of which were viewable only to registered members or those part of specific member groups.
  
−
===6-months at SEGA===
+
The "SCARZ" moniker was retired in January of 2006{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20060110234057/http://forums.sonic-cult.org:80/}}. In March of 2008, the forums were relocated to the X-Cult domain. Though initially containing the same forum structure{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20080304154515/http://forums.x-cult.org:80/}}, the Sonic-focused boards were quickly retired from public view.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20080406121326/http://forums.x-cult.org:80/}} The forums would continue to exist long after both Sonic CulT and X-Cult were regularly updated, with some posting until the website's closure in 2018.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20180328000055/http://forums.x-cult.org/}}
−
[[Image:segasmashpack.png|thumb|right|Credits from "SEGA Smash Pack" crediting PACHUKA as a tester]]
 
−
During a 6-month span in 2002, PACHUKA was employed by SEGA as a game tester. Games he worked on include: Sonic Mega Collection, Sonic Advance 2, and Smash Pack Advance, a game in which his name appears in the credits.
 
  
−
During his time it is said he was able collect information about past projects, and even obtain copies of games under development. What exactly he was able to gather and contribute to the Sonic fan community is not well documented. Regardless, his employment, though temporary, gave Sonic CulT some notoriety within the community.
+
==CulTNET==
 +
[[Image:Cultnet.png|thumb|right|The logo of CulTNET.]]
 +
CulTNET is the name of the hosting service owned and operated by Sazpaimon. The service was officially introduced in April of 2005{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20050518022556/http://www.sonic-cult.net:80/index2.php}} as a for-pay hosting service to help cover the costs of the main website. The first site hosted on the server was NiGHTSIntoDreams.com.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20050518022556/http://www.sonic-cult.net:80/index2.php}}. Eventually, a new server was purchased by a friend of Sazpaimon who allowed him to use it free of charge. For established sites within the Sonic community, CulTNET became a free hosting service. Eventually, Sazpaimon purchased his own server, moving the sites he hosted to a network run, maintained, and funded by him.
  
−
==Growth (2003)==
+
The websites hosted included:
−
===The Fall of SSRG===
 
−
[[Image:Peace1wylb4.png|thumb|right|Image posted in the 'ENOUGH' topics on SSRG and CulT]]
 
−
Soon thereafter, Andy announced his retirement from SSRG.  He gave ownership of the site to [[User:Magus|Chaos]]. Chaos got along with PACHUKA better than Andy had, and the two managed to form a 'peace treaty'.  A topic called 'ENOUGH' was posted on CulT and SSRG, showing to everyone that there would be peace between the two sites.  An infuriated Andy Wolan stormed back onto the scene and banned PACHUKA from the SSRG. PACHUKA took down Sonic CulT in protest and refused to bring it back up until Andy agreed for peace. Instead, Andy replaced the whole of SSRG with a simple page declaring its death. PACHUKA brought the CulT back up, stating:
 
  
−
{{quote|1=SSRG and Sonic Cult were SUPPOSED to be on friendly terms now. I approached Chaos and we agreed that the actions of Andy weren't going to be repeated, and we could be friends. And if we could be friendly, so could the 2 communities. I thought it was a good idea. Chaos thought it was a good idea. Both communities thought it was a great idea. But Andy, in all of his selfish glory, felt that peace with someone he didn't like was unacceptable. And Andy, not trusting ANYONE to make up thier own mind, came back from his "retirement of maturity" and decided to show everyone that a "25 year old man that can't be running a video game website" was in fact, so full of shit that his eyes are brown. Due to this, I took the cult down out of protest to show people I was serious.
+
*[http://www.nightsintodreams.com NiGHTSIntoDreams.com]
 +
*X-Cult
 +
*[[Hacking CulT]]
 +
*[[Hidden Palace]]
 +
*[[The Sonic 2 Beta Page]]
 +
*[[The Sonic Center]]
  
−
So, why is it back? 3 reasons:<br />
+
==Staff==
−
<nowiki>#1</nowiki> I do whatever I want to do.<br />
+
===Administrators===
−
<nowiki>#2</nowiki> I didn't think it was fair to punish the people of the CulT because of some asshole.<br />
+
*[[PACHUKA]] (Founder, Former Administator)
−
<nowiki>#3</nowiki> I got logs of Andy admitting he was full of shit, and just doing this to make everyone hate me.|2=PACHUKA}}
+
*[[User:Sazpaimon|Sazpaimon]] (Administrator)
 +
*[[User:InsaneSonikkuFan|InsaneSonikkuFan]] (Co-admin, 2004-2005)
 +
*Tigress (Co-admin, 2004-2005)
  
−
Three days after the incident, Jan Abaza called it quits, and closed down the Area 51 community for good. Most of the former Area 51 users migrated to either [[SWS2B|Sonic 2 Beta]] or the Sonic CulT community forums.
+
===Main===
 +
*Beta
 +
*Borisz
 +
*[[User:Cryomancer|Cryomancer]]
 +
*Dude
 +
*IUG
 +
*Terios
  
−
===Rise of Sonic CulT===
+
===Art===
−
The closure of SSRG left a void in the Sonic Research and Game Modding communities, forcing site visitors and forum members to search of new homes. Their options were to either join one of the many smaller sites such as  [[Sonic Classic]], or join the larger yet questionably managed Sonic Cult. Since the latter had copied most of the information found on SSRG, many choose to go with Sonic Cult.  The resulting user migration allowed Sonic Cult to quickly grow into the largest Sonic Research site in the community. But it wasn’t entirely smooth sailing.
+
*[[User:Purity|Becky the Hedgehog]]
 +
*Greg2k
 +
*Eric Wright
 +
*[[KojiChao]]
 +
*Nikki
  
−
===Dictatorship or Democracy?===
+
===Additional===
−
In approximately May of 2003, Pach shut down the Sonic CulT boards. He claimed that he didn't have passion for the site anymore, and that he was weary of everyone complaining about his dictatorship. A week later, he restored the boards with a new name (SCARAD) and a new government style: Democracy. There was a new forum named "Community Forum" where users could add polls and vote on who should get kicked out and who should get family/posse/admin, etc. It didn't work well, so Pach held a vote to see if people wanted to have it done the old way again. After the overwhelming "HELLS YEAH" response came in, CulT was treated to a fresh new messageboard called SCARZ (in honor of [[Sonic Tsunami]], and his SCARRRRRRRRRRZ) running under dictatorship yet again. During this time there were many forums added and removed from SCARZ, such as Ask Alice, Shit Talk, and "OMG, DRAW PLZ."
+
*goomba (Site Design)
−
 
+
*[[User:drx|drx]] (Contributor)
−
===IRC Shenanigans===
+
*[[User:Hxc|hxc]] (Contributor)
−
<nowiki>#</nowiki>cult moved on to AJ's Phasedisruptor irc server (which was originally created for injoke channel #nazis) in October 2003 due to Mirkknet's merger with Foxchat (On Foxchat, dosdemon was no longer an IRCop and aliases were limited to eight characters). [[User:Boozer|Boozer]] then jumped in with his own server and customized IRCd, and after a while CulT IRC grew into pretty vast network. CulT IRC at this time caused a significant amount of [[lulz|controversy]] due to the abusive nature of its IRCops, who had taken a liking to some of the new commands the customized IRCd offered: the ability to make users "say" things that they hadn't really said, the ability to appear completely invisible in chat rooms to non-IRCops, and other similar things.
+
*[[User:RyogaMasaki|RyogaMasaki]] (Contributor)
−
 
+
*SSUK (Contributor)
−
==Recent years (2004-present)==
+
*CautionIAmBoozer ("Personal Security Ninja")
−
Between 2004 to present, Sonic CulT has had several changes.
 
−
 
 
−
===Greenegg===
 
−
{{sectstub}}
 
−
Many members, PACHUKA included, weren't pleased with how the site was laid out.  All pages were static HTML, and very disorganized. PACHUKA concluded that the site needed an entirely new [[wikipedia:Content management system|CMS]]. [[Goomba]] (Co-founder of EmuCult) was given license to create this new system, which came to be known as Greenegg. (based around a theme of a green Death Egg) Upon completion, it was uploaded to the server, and PACHUKA shut down the site's main page while he rebuilt it. It's still being used by the site today. Greenegg is a MySQL-based CMS, and wound up being far better organized than the original static webpages. However, the system is showing its age, and closer inspection shows that it was very poorly written. The current owner of the site, [[User:Sazpaimon|Sazpaimon]], has given the task of rewriting Sonic CulT's CMS to [[User:Drx|drx]].
 
−
 
 
−
===CulT Buyout and Ownership Change===
 
−
In mid-2004, PACHUKA announced that he was no longer interested in running his website, and decided to sell it to the highest bidder.  Many CulT members put up funds to buy the CulT, totaling $850.  Member [[Tigress]] fronted the money, and was later paid back by others who had promised to pay.  The consensus was that the member Sazpaimon, and at the time maintainer, would be appointed as head of operations of the website. On August 18th, 2004, PACHUKA gave the team temporary hosting on his current server, which ended up being a bad decision, as the host was asking for sums totaling $200 per month, whereas PACHUKA received free hosting.  Soon after, Tigress gave her share of the site to [[User:InsaneSonikkuFan|InsaneSonikkuFan]], her boyfriend at the time.
 
−
 
 
−
Many members of the site voiced their general displeasure with the ownership change, calling the site "[[The CAD Room|TCR]] CulT." Angry forumgoers hacked the site several times.  Soon after the ownership change the hosting was cut for unknown reasons and without any backups.  A strategy for bringing the site back up was established, and on October 3rd the site was back online.  Unfortunately, the team could not come up with the money pay for December's hosting bills, and Sazpaimon decided to shut the site down.
 
−
 
 
−
PACHUKA had noticed the team's difficulty with maintaining the CulT, and offered his hand in helping them. PACHUKA's plan was to pretend that he was returning to the site as owner, while Sazpaimon could do as he pleased with the site. Sazpaimon would receive free hosting because the server admin believed that the site belonged to PACHUKA. Sazpaimon agreed, and informed InsaneSonikkuFan of Pachuka's plan. ISF did not trust Pach, and  even went so far as to ask for a signed and written statement from him. When he was informed of this, Pach pointed out that ISF's opinions were immaterial - Saz owned the domain, and he was the one in charge. Sazpaimon dismissed ISF and gave the domain to PACHUKA for him to use as proof to his host that he ran the site again.
 
−
 
 
−
Shortly thereafter on Dec 2004, Pachuka was arrested on charges of sexual battery. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050101105955/http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_2493188] The site was taken offline by a friend of his with no way of bringing it back.  A temporary forum was established, but the main site would be offline until February of 2005.
 
−
 
 
−
===The Slow Return of the CulT===
 
−
During 2005, the site saw numerous server changes due to problems with different hosts. In February, the site was hosted on a friend of Sazpaimon's server for a very low price. Random outages prevented the server from being online at normal times, and a few months later the entire server went offline. The site was deleted before Sazpaimon could back it up.
 
−
 
 
−
Shortly afterward, Sazpaimon received hosting from a member named Dark, a friend of [[User:Tweaker|Tweaker]]'s. The CulT would reside on this server for a number of months before it was decided that it simply wasn't adequate as host to site as large as CulT. The site was moved onto a more powerful server, but it was DDoSed shortly thereafter and the host canceled service.
 
−
 
 
−
Later that year, Sazpaimon had managed to get into PACHUKA's domain adminstrator account and recover the sonic-cult.org domain, as well as PACHUKA's other side-project domain, anti-otaku.com, mere weeks before the domains would have expired.
 
−
 
 
−
The CulT later acquired its own dedicate server, which not only provided reliable hosting of Sonic Cult, but was also used to host a collection of community sites, including Hacking CulT, Hidden Palace, and NiGHTSintoDREAMS.com.
 
−
 
 
−
Sometime later that decade, (00’s), PACHUKA was released from prison. Thought he claims to have no interest in maintaining the site, he has been involved in some site activities. He also keeps in close contact with Sazpaimon.
 
−
 
 
−
On the site's tenth birthday in 2009, someone (possibly PACHUKA) posted on the site's front page that the information database would no longer be worked on and that its community had merged with X-Cult.
 
−
 
 
−
===Site Decay and Shutdown===
 
−
In the site’s later years, it fell victim to neglect, mismanagement, software obsolescence, and the changing taste of its user base.
 
−
 
 
−
As the years progressed, the adolescent behavior prominent in the community’s early years began to shift towards more mature behavior. Trolling other community members or sites began to fall out of style, and those who refused to change with the times were ignored or even banned from certain sites and forums.
 
−
 
 
−
The changing taste of community lead to less traffic in the site as visitors often opted for the more mature behavior found on other sites such as Sonic Retro. The reduced interest in the site caused it to be neglected as content updates became increasingly infrequent, with the final content update occurring in 2012.
 
−
 
 
−
A popular YouTube video series affiliated with the site, “Running on Empty - The Sonic Philes”, (Parts 1 and 2), was taken down after PACHUKA's YouTube channel was terminated in 2017 for uploading several episodes of TV sitcoms. (Archived copies have since resurfaced on YouTube.)
 
−
 
 
−
In April 2018, both Sonic Cult and its sister site, the X-Cult forums, broke following a server PHP upgrade. This upgrade caused both the website and message board software to break, redirecting every page to an enlarged Sonic death sprite. [http://www.x-cult.org/403.html] Fixing the problem would have been a time-consuming task, one Sazpaimon deemed pointless since the site had not been updated in over six years. Consequently, the site was shut down in April 2018.
 
−
 
 
−
The exact reasons for the shutdown were provided on IRC:
 
−
<nowiki>[20:04:18] <@Sazpaimon> I upgraded php on the server and couldn't be assed to retrofit all the old code for it
 
−
[20:04:29] <@Sazpaimon> so i killed it
 
−
[20:04:57] <@Sazpaimon> literally every piece of software on both sonic and x cult was incompatible
 
−
[20:06:02] <voice> php5
 
−
[20:06:09] <@Sazpaimon> php 5.3
 
−
[20:06:19] <@Sazpaimon> pretty much the last version the site could run on
 
−
[20:06:46] <voice> oddly enough the only thing that broke on rsn when I bumped to 7.x was a lot of the files had <? instead of <?php and
 
−
apparently thats no longer acceptable
 
−
[20:07:04] <@Sazpaimon> my dude
 
−
[20:07:13] <@Sazpaimon> sonic cult's cms was literally written for php 4
 
−
[20:07:45] <voice> sounds like fun
 
−
[20:08:02] <@Sazpaimon> i would also need to upgrade invision board
 
−
[20:08:12] <@Sazpaimon> which means paying for a license for invision board
 
−
[20:08:21] <@Sazpaimon> which means porting the old skins to invision board
 
−
[20:09:22] <voice> never understood why people didn't just go with free shit like phpBB
 
−
[20:09:35] <voice> even the pay-for boards end up having massive security holes
 
−
[20:09:42] <@Sazpaimon> that doesn't detract my second point
 
−
[20:10:01] <voice> oh I understand the skins problem
 
−
[20:10:08] <@Overlord> oh
 
−
[20:10:26] <@Overlord> Sad to hear, it's the end of an era
 
−
</nowiki>
 
−
 
 
−
===Current Status===
 
−
Visitors to the website today are greeted by a GIF animation of Joe Montana from the Sega MultiMedia Studio demo. While no other content is directly accessible from that webpage, certain areas of the old site are still accessible to those that recall their URLs.
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
* [http://www.sonic-cult.org Sonic CulT's home page] (currently links to a embedded GIF of Joe Montana from the [[sega:Sega MultiMedia Studio (demo)|Sega MultiMedia Studio]] demo)
+
* [http://www.sonic-cult.org Sonic CulT] - Featuring an embedded GIF of Joe Montana from the [[sega:Sega MultiMedia Studio (demo)|''Sega MultiMedia Studio'']] demo)
−
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19990219152607/http://members.tripod.com/pasofami/ Web Archive copy of website from 1999]
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19990219152607/http://members.tripod.com/pasofami/ Sonic CulT] - Earliest known capture, February 1999
−
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180407062332/http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php]Final version of website captured by Web Archive
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180407062332/http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php Sonic CulT] - Last full capture, April 2018
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Latest revision as of 19:00, 13 May 2024

Cultmain.png
Sonic CulT
Current owner(s): Sazpaimon
URL: http://www.sonic-cult.org
Type of site: Research
Created on: February 1999
Current status: Offline

Sonic CulT was a Sonic the Hedgehog fansite created by PACHUKA in February of 1999. Inspired by the discovery of the first known prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Simon Wai's Sonic 2 Beta Page, and other websites in the "Sonic secrets" community,[1] Sonic CulT eventually became one of the largest repositories of information regarding the Sonic game franchise. It primarily focused on unused content and early prototypes, though other general game information and opinion pieces were also hosted there.

The site would be run by Sazpaimon from August 2004[2] until updates ceased in 2012. The site closed in April 2018.

History

In February of 1999, the earliest form of Sonic CulT was uploaded on the free webhosting service Tripod.[3] The site featured a smattering of information related to the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games, including prototype information, cheat codes, and save states for the Sega Mega Drive emulator Genecyst. Shortly after, this page was made part of a larger emulation website called EmuCult, created by PACHUKA and goomba. The "Sonic CulT" section would be resurrected after the closing of EmuCult: first on the site CultChyldren, then as its own standalone Sonic fansite.[4] The goal of Sonic CulT was to be the "number one compiled source of Sonic research." Originally gathering information from sites such as Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51 and Tom's Hacking Station,[1] the site focused on cataloging existing prototypes from the Sonic series, unreleased content, and unlicensed games. Eventually, the website would feature content not sourced from other, similar sites. Early unique content included interviews with the producer of Sonic X-treme, Mike Wallis, and voice actor Ryan Drummond.[5][6]

In 2002, the website moved to its own dedicated domain, sonic-cult.org. That same year, PACHUKA was hired on as a game tester for a six month stint at Sega of America.[1] Among the games he worked on were Sega Smash Pack for the Game Boy Advance and Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube. His work on the latter gave him opportunity to record early footage of the collection, which he would later share on his website. Of note was evidence that Sonic the Hedgehog CD was intended for the final release, but was removed for emulation reasons.[7][8] It was also the first site to release the ROM for Sonic Eraser.[9]

An image created at the height of one of the many inter-community conflicts Sonic CulT found itself in.

Before the release of Sonic Heroes, Sonic CulT leaked the twelve CG renders of the playable cast, as well as unfinished FMV footage from all four playable campaigns.[10] This content, originally acquired by Solly of the website Dream Avenue,[11] was not meant to be shared with the public before the game's release, and was published without consulting her.[12]

During its height, Sonic CulT was seen by some as a polarizing, if not controversial, website.[13] The site featured a disclaimer that it was for "mature audiences only,"[14] and contained strong language, adult content, and crude humor. The original owner of the site, PACHUKA, would often get into conflicts with other members of the community in public settings, antagonizing them further by addressing these issues on the main page of the website.[15] Other staff members would also post on the main feed of the site, targeting individuals in over-the-top manners. The original owner would also purposely forgo crediting the work of others when making updates,[1] resulting in further controversy.

The site was briefly offline in early 2004 to allow a redesign. Former co-admin of EmuCult, goomba, created a new Content Management System called "Greenegg."[16] This dynamic software allowed for ease of organization and updating which the previous static HTML pages did not provide. On July 26, 2004, PACHUKA announced he was selling Sonic CulT.[17][18] The site would be purchased by member Tigress, with assistance from other members of the community. It was decided that Sazpaimon would become administrator of the site,[2] with InsaneSonikkuFan serving as co-admin. PACHUKA continued to offer hosting during this transitionary period, briefly becoming the face of the site once more in December of 2004.[19]

In January of 2005, PACHUKA was arrested,[20] leaving the admins unable to access the domain. The site would soon be taken down by the webhost. On February 3 2005,[21] the site returned at the domain sonic-cult.net, which was purchased by Tigress. Sazpaimon and InsaneSonikkuFan would reassume co-admin duties for the site. On June 1, 2005, Sazpaimon would announce the opening of a spin-off site, X-Cult, a video game research community covering unreleased content and early prototypes outside of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The two sites, while featuring different content, would share a single news feed.

On November 22, 2005, the sonic-cult.org domain would be recovered,[22] Sazpaimon able to gain access to PACHUKA's domain administrator account. The site would continue to be run by Sazpaimon, and feature new updates to its information database. Among these updates was new information on the development of Sonic X-treme, provided by hxc[23] and Biggestsonicfan.

On February 22, 2009, it was announced that Sonic CulT would cease being updated, focus shifting exclusively to X-Cult. Soon after, a permanent statement would be at the top of the main page, stating that "This site remains as a tribute to all of those people who came and went over the years, helping us have a better understanding of a series we enjoyed."[24] The news feed on the main page would continue to show updates from X-Cult until 2012, when it was replaced with a YouTube video created by PACHUKA.[25] This embed would remain even after the video was removed from YouTube.[26]

Sonic CulT, along with X-Cult and its related forums, would finally go offline on April 22, 2018. Having upgraded the php on the server the sites were hosted on, Sazpaimon found the aging site and forum code was no longer compatible. Instead of trying to retrofit the old code to work, it was decided to remove the site entirely.[13]

Forums

The infamous "DUST HILL IS FAKE" avatar that PACHUKA used during one of many "flamewars" on a number of Sonic community forums.

The Sonic CulT forums opened in 2002. Using the Ikonboard software, the message boards were only visible if one had a registered account. The original forums were shut down in May of 2003 during a period in which PACHUKA claimed he had no interest in running the main website. They were reopened a week later as "SCARD," which featured a subforum called "Community Forum." This new forum invited all users on the site to create polls and determine who would be allowed in unique forum groups such as "CulT Family," have moderator privileges, or even suggest who should be banned.

This experiment did not last long, with the community opting for a more traditional forum experience. This third iteration of the forums was called "Sonic Cult Advance Research Zone," or simply SCARZ. Readers of the forum still needed to register, and were given posting privileges by first making a topic in the "Validating Forum."[27] Eventually, some subforums were made viewable to visitors of the site without needing an account.

The forums had three main subforums:[28]

  • General Discussion, focusing on the Sonic the Hedgehog series
  • X-Cult, focusing on gaming research outside the Sonic series
  • Hacking Forum, focusing on ROM disassembles, game mods, and ROM hacks

There were also a number of "off topic" subforums, some of which were viewable only to registered members or those part of specific member groups.

The "SCARZ" moniker was retired in January of 2006[28]. In March of 2008, the forums were relocated to the X-Cult domain. Though initially containing the same forum structure[29], the Sonic-focused boards were quickly retired from public view.[30] The forums would continue to exist long after both Sonic CulT and X-Cult were regularly updated, with some posting until the website's closure in 2018.[31]

CulTNET

The logo of CulTNET.

CulTNET is the name of the hosting service owned and operated by Sazpaimon. The service was officially introduced in April of 2005[32] as a for-pay hosting service to help cover the costs of the main website. The first site hosted on the server was NiGHTSIntoDreams.com.[32]. Eventually, a new server was purchased by a friend of Sazpaimon who allowed him to use it free of charge. For established sites within the Sonic community, CulTNET became a free hosting service. Eventually, Sazpaimon purchased his own server, moving the sites he hosted to a network run, maintained, and funded by him.

The websites hosted included:

Staff

Administrators

Main

Art

Additional

  • goomba (Site Design)
  • drx (Contributor)
  • hxc (Contributor)
  • RyogaMasaki (Contributor)
  • SSUK (Contributor)
  • CautionIAmBoozer ("Personal Security Ninja")

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.sonic-cult.org/articles/about/ (Wayback Machine: 2004-08-12 12:34)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=222 (Wayback Machine: 2004-08-23 13:48)
  3. ↑ http://members.tripod.com/pasofami/ (Wayback Machine: 1999-02-19 15:26)
  4. ↑ http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=221 (Wayback Machine: 2004-08-11 12:13)
  5. ↑ Interview: Mike Wallis (2002-06) by Pachuka
  6. ↑ Ryan Drummond interview by Pachuka
  7. ↑ http://sonic-cult.org/smc/soniccd.html (Wayback Machine: 2003-04-10 06:51)
  8. ↑ http://sonic-cult.org/dispart.php?catid=3&gameid=10&subid=1&artid=5 (Wayback Machine: 2015-07-25 10:33)
  9. ↑ https://sonichq.net/article/news/sonic-eraser/ (Wayback Machine: 2024-05-12 08:08)
  10. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog/c/_oYJwZHLMq0/m/z9HE21nPBWgJ (Wayback Machine: 2024-05-12 08:14)
  11. ↑ https://sonichq.net/article/news/insane-amounts-of-new-sonic-heroes-infopics/ (Wayback Machine: 2024-05-12 08:15)
  12. ↑ https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/page-3 (Wayback Machine: 2024-05-13 03:59)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/ (Wayback Machine: 2018-05-26 12:00)
  14. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org/ (Wayback Machine: 2006-01-03 17:35)
  15. ↑ https://www.resetera.com/threads/sonic-cult-shuts-down.37952/page-2 (Wayback Machine: 2024-05-12 08:30)
  16. ↑ http://www.green-egg.net/ (Wayback Machine: 2004-06-11 19:37)
  17. ↑ http://sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=219 (Wayback Machine: 2004-08-10 05:50)
  18. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org/sale.html (Wayback Machine: 2004-08-09 21:04)
  19. ↑ http://tssznews.com/ (Wayback Machine: 2005-01-28 16:54)
  20. ↑ http://www.tssznews.com/story.php?subaction=showfull&id=1104957921&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5& (Wayback Machine: 2005-03-12 20:31)
  21. ↑ http://sonic-cult.net/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2005-02-10 01:29)
  22. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2005-11-28 02:51)
  23. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org/newsx/fullnews.php?id=97 (Wayback Machine: 2006-09-09 13:47)
  24. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org:80/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2009-07-21 18:54)
  25. ↑ http://sonic-cult.org/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2012-07-17 10:51)
  26. ↑ http://www.sonic-cult.org/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2018-04-07 06:23)
  27. ↑ http://forums.sonic-cult.org:80/ (Wayback Machine: 2004-11-24 09:05)
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 http://forums.sonic-cult.org:80/ (Wayback Machine: 2006-01-10 23:40)
  29. ↑ http://forums.x-cult.org:80/ (Wayback Machine: 2008-03-04 15:45)
  30. ↑ http://forums.x-cult.org:80/ (Wayback Machine: 2008-04-06 12:13)
  31. ↑ http://forums.x-cult.org/ (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-28 00:00)
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 http://www.sonic-cult.net:80/index2.php (Wayback Machine: 2005-05-18 02:25)
Retrieved from "https://info.sonicretro.org/index.php?title=Sonic_CulT&oldid=374191"