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.
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.
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!
I very much like the idea of an intro screen (or maybe credits) proclaiming his excellence. something....
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.
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.
This is very sad news. My best wishes are with his family.
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.
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.
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.
Very sad news. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
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.
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.
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
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>
Thank you all for your kind words about Greg/DarkNation, I wish he could read all of this from heaven.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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