Dark Nation has gone to a better place....

[DarkDragon]

I was terribly saddened to hear that Greg Phillips, who we know as Dark Nation, passed away (http://www.beggsfuneralhome.net/sitemaker/sites/beggsf0/obit.cgi?user=843558Phillips) a few weeks ago of medical complications.

We all know how much Greg meant to our community, and it was a pure privilege to work with him on Zelda Classic development. He was brilliant, kind, and selfless, and left us far too soon.

His wife CiCi has posted about this tragedy on the AGN Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/groups/armageddongames/) and I am sure she would appreciate any kind words or condolences.

EDIT: Post order got a bit screwed up when I merged the threads. Please read Warlord's post (http://armageddongames.net/showthread.php?95286-Dark-Nation-has-gone-to-a-better-place&p=893119&viewfull=1#post893119) about donations for CiCi.

[Beldaran]

Sad day. Very sad.

It would be cool if a little tribute to him could be embedded in the Zelda Classic game. I know that seems kind of dumb, but you know, whatever. It's something. DN was an awesome dude.

[DarkDragon]

That's a great idea. I completely agree.

[Brasel]

I agree with Beldaran. Something needs to be placed in ZC regarding this. He poured so much time into this project, it's only right.

[Ventus]

May he rest in peace. It saddens me to hear that such a great person has passed away. I'm so sorry about his familly' loss. It must be hard to lose someone so awesome :(.
My prays goes out to his family. I hope that Greg is in a much better place. He deserves it.


I agree with Beldaran. Something needs to be placed in ZC regarding this. He poured so much time into this project, it's only right.
I agree with all that was said so far. Dark Nation was one cool person. He needs a tribute in Zelda Classic

[bigjoe]

I will miss him more as a friend than a ZC developer. It makes me wish I'd kept in touch with him more. You never know when it is someone's time.

I am in agreement with the rest that there should be a tribute for him in Zelda Classic.

[Beldaran]

Maybe we could all contribute a little bit to a quest where there is some cool music playing and you just walk through a straight dungeon and each room has a little message with a memory of Dark Nation or something nice that someone said about him, and the "boss" is just a message that says how awesome he was and how we are thankful he worked so much on ZC.

Then the quest would be packaged with ZC by default.

I don't know. That might be easier than making changes to the binary.

[War Lord]

It's unfortunate that I'm to let you guys know that Dark Nation passed away on December 13th. His wife CiCi passed this message along to our Facebook group earlier this evening:


Hi all....I am Greg Phillips wife....you know him by Darknation or DN....I just want to let you all know that Greg pass away on December 13 because of congestive heart failure, kidney failure and pneumonia....
http://www.beggsfuneralhome.net/sitemaker/sites/beggsf0/obit.cgi?user=843558Phillips

Greg meant a lot to all of us here and elsewhere as well. This is pretty terrible news and I can't imagine how CiCi is handling this.
I will be accepting donations to help her out through PayPal and will be mailing her the check. If you'd like to help her out, send a payment to ebay (at) armageddongames.net - I would prefer if you gifted it, as it will not deduct fees then and we can get as much money as possible to her.
I will collect through January 31st, and then send the check out. Let's show CiCi how much DN meant to us all.

Any fond memories anyone would like to share? He was a pretty awesome guy who I know always put his wife before anything else upon still finding time to squeeze in programming and community stuff.

[XMuppetSB]

This a very sad day indeed. :frown-new: Dark Nation was the main developer after Phantom Menace left the team, and now, with Dark Nation gone forever out of our lives, the question is, who's going to take over as the main developer?
Either way, may he forever be remembered for all the features and such that he (and many other current and former developers) had brought to ZC over years, and most importantly, may Zelda Classic live on forever in his memory.

[me2]

Rest in peace, to a staple of the forums for the past decade.

[MottZilla]

I was shocked to see this. While I haven't kept up with what is going on around here I had never heard that he had gotten ill or anything like that. It's terrible to lose such a nice person so young. I only talked to him very much a few times probably a decade ago, and maybe briefly from time to time after that. I did get the impression that his wife was very important to him.

[Gleeok]

:( :( I'm at a loss for words right now. I didn't know him personally but he was a great person on these forums and a huge contributor to ZC. He was too young to die. May he rest in peace.

[King Aquamentus]

How old was Darknation? When was he born? I ask because it would help immensely in setting up a memorial to him.

[DsS Game]

I came back on here to pay my respect. It's still hard to believe he is gone and will be truly missed.....

[DarkDragon]

I don't know his exact DOB but he was 36 this year.

[Xyvol]

I am saddened by this news. He was a big name in ZC, and it was always a pleasure to see him post in the forums. He will be missed.

[Glenn the Great]

I extend my deepest condolences to CiCi and the rest of Greg's family. I only hope that their knowing how many lives he touched will offer them some form of comfort.

Greg Phillips greatly enjoyed his privacy and was not one to stand in the limelight. The unfortunate consequence of this was that not many got to know the man behind the code.
I want to let you know that Dark Nation is likely the smartest person I've ever had the privilege of coming in contact with. In spite of his intellect, talents and achievements, he always had the strength of character to remain humble in the face of an adoring community of thousands who deeply respected him not only for his work but because of the good person he was.
I will always fondly remember the times that Dark Nation and I conversed on AOL Instant Messenger and collaborated on ideas and beta testing for Zelda Classic.

Dark Nation's true legacy lies not merely within the Zelda Classic product, but within the very friendships we share among this community. This extends even to those among us who may have had little or no prior involvement with the product, for his work was the bedrock for the stage that allowed us to come together and form the friendships that we have and to experience positive moments that we will forever cherish.

[SUCCESSOR]

Well, I guess I am drinking to you tonight, Greg. It's said that I finally learn your real name this way. I knew you very briefly but when I did I considered you a close friend. Godspeed.

It would be really cool to add a splash screen to ZC and dedicate 2.5 to him.

[KJAZZ]

Wow... I can't believe it. I decide to check on the forums on a whim, and this sad news awaits me. It's truly unfortunate to lose someone with so much of their life ahead of them. Witnessing him taking up ZC from PM and taking it to new heights, those were exciting times. I remember one day finding out that he was also a Jazz Jackrabbit fan, and so we ended up played a bit of JJ2 together one night, which was the only time I really got to talk to him on a personal level. Every other time involved beta testing and ZC. Greg, Dark Nation... you will be deeply missed.

[mrz84]

DN was one of my fav guys here. Its truly sad to hear that he's gone now. My condolonces to his wife and family.

[ShadowTiger]

Agreed, Glenn. It was an absolute pleasure to interact with him, and I have no doubt in the slightest that anyone and everyone who ever had the honor of knowing him in person feels the same way. Copy-paste from the AGN Facebook group, but still.

There are good people, and there are GOOD PEOPLE. Greg is above and beyond any such possibility for description.

Created a memorial for him in Dreams of Yesterday. Touching music.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b117/BH4/ZC/RememberingDarkNationInDreamsOfYesterday.gif

[Shane]

I never met him, but he must have been an amazing person to talked to and I'm sad I never got to chance to meet him. May he rest in peace, my thoughts and prayers to Cici and family.

[erm2003]

It's awful to hear this news. DN was a major contributor here and I am thankful for all the hard work he put in to make ZC what it has become today. My condolences to his wife, family, and all in the ZC community who had the opportunity to know him personally. He will be missed greatly.

[Gerudo]

I only knew DN from seeing his posts on here over the last decade, and that he was the definitive driving force that made ZC what it is today.

He dedicated effort beyond measure for the enjoyment and benefit of not only this community, but several others created in the years gone by. It absolutely is heartbreaking that such a kind man had to be taken from us. Rest in peace, my good sir.

[Glitch]

Damn this is truly saddening news. I never was involved in the coding or development aspect of this site/zc but I had quite a few encounters with him throughout the years. Many fond memories of late nights in agn-irc with him and other old school members.

[Erasul]

I haven't been here in years and was never really involved with ZC, but just wanted to offer my condolences after receiving the e-mail. He was always a central part of the AGN experience.

[Fausch]

It's a damn shame. DN was an awesome guy.

[cbailey78]

It's a damn shame. DN was an awesome guy. He definitely was. He was an awesome ZC Developer for many, many years and he was very well-honored member. It just breaks my heart and brings me depression to see such an awesome member of AGN die such a horrible death. Dark Nation will be missed and may he rest in peace and be presented to a better place. Best hugs to all members that have experienced such a big loss. *cries*

[hellebeest]

Like most I was a bit shocked to read this, I'll be back says so in my signature, saddens me that it is for this reason.
My condolences to Cici, and the family, may he rest in peace.

[War Lord]

If anyone does not have PayPal and wants to help out, send me a message and I'll get you an address to send a check or money order.

[Din]

I can't say that I got to know him too well, but even so, I can say he was a fine man. In the past, I tended to often put my foot in my mouth when discussing things on these forums, due to this being my first real foray into an internet community. Even when I said things that, to this day, I would regret, Dark Nation tended to look past that, treated me as he would anyone else. As his work shows, he had a brilliant mind and a kind heart, a balance most can only dream of achieving, and a balance that truly improves the lives and welfare of those that know them, some subtly, others largely.

Dark Nation, you are a wonderful man, and God be with you.

[Chris Miller]

I feel terrible that I didn't see this until now. :(

I never knew him personally, but everybody knew how professional and hard-working he was, and a really decent person. Even back when he was a struggling computer programmer barely able to make ends meet, he still found time for ZC and the very demanding commmunity, but he didn't let it make him bitter or discouraged. You just don't meet a whole lot of people like Gregory.

[DarkFlameWolf]

Wow...just wow. I've spoken to DN quite a few times and he was always willing to help. Always willing to go out of his way to make sure you got what you needed. A great man indeed. May he rest in peace and may he be singing praises to God forevermore!

[trudatman]

I very much like the idea of an intro screen (or maybe credits) proclaiming his excellence. something....

[Dark Knight]

Not exactly something I wanted to see in my inbox. If I recall correctly my only interaction with him was when I first joined way back when ZC still used DOS. He helped me fix a sound issue when most other options failed. Beyond that, I only knew him through his posts. He appeared to be, and judging by the other posts, was a genuinely nice and helpful person. It is a shame that the world is now one less something it could use more of. My heart goes out to his family and others that were close to him.

[rocksfan13]

Wow. Another unexpected loss. Like others here, I had spoken to DN quite a few times. Quite possibly the coolest guy I had the privilege to work with.

I would recommend we also change his profile into a memorandum as well.

[mooshki]

This is very sad news. My best wishes are with his family.

[Prrkitty]

Death is never an easy aspect of life to deal with. May God bless his wife, family and friends and may all the happy memories of him push away the darkness of sorrow and loss.

[CJC]

He will be missed.

[s2dve]

I really didn't know a thing about him. I guess it's my fault for not at least trying. Just want to say I appreciate the work and the dedication to ZC over the years. Rip DN.

[jerome]

I don't recall many interactions with him, but I do appreciate the endless amounts of work he gave for all of us to enjoy ZC. It's sad to hear he's gone, he sounded like a great guy.

[The Desperado]

Very sad news. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

[Phantom Menace]

So sorry to hear Greg passed away. I'm also sorry I didn't know him better, and I appreciate the comments and memories you all have posted. My prayers are with Cici and their families.

It's hard to overstate DN's importance to ZC. We've all relied on him. He will be missed.

[Aliem]

I didn't know Dark Nation well, at all. I mostly just knew of him, and his work with Zelda Classic. When I first joined these forums I think ten years ago, he was one of the first people to help me get started with ZQuest. I really wish I would have gotten to know him better, reading through all these posts shows just what an incredible person he was, and how important he is to so many.

[Jojo]

Yes, I am another that did not know him well, yet, every few years, as a very novice player, when I had questions or got stuck he always did his best to help me. Thank you, I will be enternally grateful that he was instrumental in providing a place for me to get a Zelda fix.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

May he rest in peace.
Jojo

[Prrkitty]

It does a sorrowful heart good to read such positive and happy memories of such a wonderful person as DN was. Keep all these good memories close to the heart. That will help make sure that he's always close as well. <hugs>

[ciciphillips]

Thank you all for your kind words about Greg/DarkNation, I wish he could read all of this from heaven.

[Majora]

Awesome guy. Like most others I didn't know him on a personal level. In fact the only interaction was checking for bugs in ZC I had previously reported. But he was diligent and awesome and he stuck with this hellish program for like a decade almost. The simple fact that he had such dedication makes it sad that he succumbed to nature's ravages. At least he is at peace now, his body to be returned to the earth and then into the cycle of life and death for living things around him. Perhaps it'd be comforting to some to think that he's "in a better place". Hard to imagine that a place ruled by the abrahamic god could be "better", but I digress.

DarkNation isn't truly gone. He lives in in the memories/minds of those who knew and loved him, as well as a good number of people on AGN and anywhere else he hung out at, both on and offline.

Since no one has any proof of any kind of actual afterlife, I'll just assume he's partaking in some version of the norse mythos where he's getting drunk and feasting in preparation for some grand cosmic battle a bajillion years from now. Much more interesting than the abrahamic mythos.

[Shadowblazer]

So saddened by this. He was truly a great guy and I'm sorry that I never got the chance to meet him in person. I wholeheartedly agree that some sort of dedication to him in Zelda Classic would be nice as he put so much of his heart and soul into the game. I may not have known him as well as I would have liked, but I do know from our discussions about the game that he really cared about it and about making it as awesome as possible for everybody who played it and he worked so hard to make that goal a reality.

[classylady565]

As a long time "lurker" (as most would refer me as) and long time fan of the site, I am sad that this turns out to be my first post on the forum.

My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

[Zim]

I don't believe I had ever had a conversation with Greg.. Although being so computer-apt as he is, he was probably one of the people that watched over and responded to some of the stuff I was dilly dallying with over the years when it comes to ZC. Apparently I like the things that he had done for us all by developing this software.. I am grateful for it. He is an appreciated person, and I hope everyone who has/had a more direct role in his life all finds ways to live and love even through this loss.

[Phazite]

DN was actively working on ZC around the times when I was actively learning ZC and playing quests. I never had never communicated with him directly, but his work did directly affect my experience in this corner of the internet. It is thanks to DN and everyone else that has contributed to Zelda Classic in any way that I have been able to exercise my creativity in a way that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to. I am very thankful for this.

[Brasel]

I was thinking about DN over the weekend. He was always very supportive of my military career and even sent me PMs from time to time to see how I was doing. I'll always remember that and respect that. I also can't forget to respect the enormous amount of time and dedication he placed on the ZC project and the AGN community. He always seemed to find time to keep this project going, despite whatever else was going on in his life. I'll miss him and I'm sure the rest of the community will as well. Rest well, Dark Nation.

[Reimu]

I never really knew Dark Nation that well. As a lurker of the forums since early-mid 2011, it is very unfortunate to hear this news; seeing as a relative of mine had pneumonia and passed away on Thanksgiving of 2010. My condolences goes to his family, and may God bless them.

[Fiyerstorm]

I'm saddened to hear about his passing. I recall a few random chats with DN back when I frequented the IRC channel years ago and he was a very nice man. My thoughts go out to Cici and her family.

This community was a staple of my early adolescence which was brought to my attention to the greatness that is ZC and the hard work DN and the other devs put into it. For that I am always grateful and humbled to be part of something that has brought a lot of folks together.

Sidebar: I'd love to see some type of memorial added to ZC. That is an excellent idea.

[Ganonator]

RIP old friend...

[vegeta1215]

I read the email from War Lord a little while ago... I didn't really know what to expect upon opening it, but it turned out to be a shock to me and very sad to read that DN passed away. After Jer (Phantom Menace) stepped down as the lead developer for Zelda Classic, DN breathed new life into it and made for some exciting times. I never did get to meet him like I did several other members during one of the AGN conventions, but I wish I had. My best wishes are with his wife and family. You will be missed DN.

[War Lord]

Last few days to donate and help out his wife. Paypal to eBay (at) armageddongames.net. Pay as a gift to ensure no fees are taken by paypal.

I'll be mailing the check in a few days.

[Sam Atoms]

Oh, my gosh. I didn't find out about this until just now. Zelda Classic was a big part of my stay here, and Dark Nation was a big part of Zelda Classic. I still remember his prank as Master Hacker. May he keep on his hacking in the next reality. My prayers go out to his wife and family.

[Petoe]

I just found out about this and I feel devastated. This is a huge loss for the ZC community.

I had some great chats with him and he always helped with ZC issues even though he was busy. He was a great great man.

To me Dark Nation = Zelda Classic

[J.J. Maxx]

Rest in peace, old friend. I know not even the bounds of this mortal life will keep us apart forever. See you on the other side.

~ J. J.

[ciciphillips]

Thank you all for the kind words, prayers, and the generous donation that you sent in memory of Greg. It meant a lot to him, and your support means so much to me. Thank you all again, may God bless you all.

[AtmaWeapon]

I completely missed this and I'm very sorry to hear it. Were it not for DN, most of us wouldn't have met and had all the times we've had.