Save the Forest!

March 27, 2012 - 1:16pm — Michael Samyn

Mudam is ending its support for The Endless Forest, after having hosted the game server for 7 years.

The Musée d'Art moderne Grand-Duc Jean in Luxembourg commissioned us to make a work of art for their online gallery in 2003. In response, we created the original prototype for The Endless Forest. In 2005 we were ready to launch the first iteration of the game and Mudam agreed to pay for the server required for allowing all players to interact with each other. Thanks to their support, The Endless Forest has been available for free until today.

Now, however, the museum has changed its policies and is no longer willing to sustain the cost.

Even though we haven't been updating The Endless Forest as much as we may have wanted to, and even though we can't promise any changes in the foreseeable future, we do want to continue to maintain the game in its current state and offer it to the public as a place of peace and harmony, free of charge. To do that, we will need to find a way to pay for the server.

The monthly cost of hosting the server is 165 Euros. This is not a lot of money. And we already have a voluntary subscription system in place. All we need is a few more people who are willing to commit to sending us a few Euros every month. And then we can continue as before.

Click "Read more" to see how you can help!

This is not just a question of finances. It is also a matter of principle. We believe that an artist and their audience can have a symbiotic relationship that does not require any interference from the outside. So in a way, we are taking this opportunity to prove a point. Please help us do so.

Select a subscription amount below to make an automatic monthly donation via Paypal.
(You can end the subscription any time that you wish.)

10 Euro/month: Subscribe
5 Euro/month: Subscribe
3 Euro/month: Subscribe
1 Euro/month: Subscribe

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March 31, 2012 - 4:21am — ocean

@parascope: I highly doubt

@parascope: I highly doubt it's a joke, though I am curious why you believe it is. o: Besides, this was posted far before April Fools Day. M&A respect their players, so I don't think they'd do something like that. c:

As for me, unfortunately I don't have much money lying around just now. Dx I might be able to donate sometime in the future or maybe open small commissions; I'll think about it. >u<

Oh haha, I took the page.

Hopefully we raise enough!

March 31, 2012 - 4:21am — GlobalBeauty

This was posted days ago,

This was posted days ago, Parascope. It's no joke.

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Siggies by Carry & Amazengalo

March 31, 2012 - 8:10am — Aivilo

I don't think M&A have ever

I don't think M&A have ever done anything for April Fool's before, and I don't know why they would start now - let alone with something so serious.
I lack faith in most of the Internet, but this place is a tiny corner of hope I still trust.

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♥

March 31, 2012 - 11:02am — BigBunny

I will donate as soon as I

I will donate as soon as I set up a Paypal account and it activates.

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We Are Always Special When We Are With Friends.

April 1, 2012 - 11:20am — Flyleaf

Another bump for the forest !

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Avatar @ Sluggs Siggy @ Amazegenalo

Bouncing Fly by Mary13

April 2, 2012 - 12:20pm — mellion

How much are we still short

How much are we still short or are we already there?

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~ Azugi

April 2, 2012 - 2:13pm — onyxsoulclaw

Hi, I found a way to get

Hi,

I found a way to get free money. I work for Crafts u Print and have an affiliate bar which for every click gives me 2p NOW! if everyone clicked on there (only once a day) that could be up to £1.70 per day and possibly £4.00 a month. This I can then donate to the forest fund. what do you think??

My bloggs at : silverfoxforestdesigns.blogspot.com

If you go to the bottom of the page you will see a purple banner saying about crafts U print (under the a great place to shop bit) click on it (It's safe) and let it take you to their main page and your done feel free to close and walk away.knowing it's given me 2p to give to the forest.

You don't have to do this but it's just a thought to raising some money for the site. Oh for a lotto win that would sort the issue out.

April 2, 2012 - 2:21pm — LittleNo

Awesome Onyxsoulclaw! I will

Awesome Onyxsoulclaw! I will make sure to click it every day. :3

April 3, 2012 - 4:13pm — J!n

I'll subscribe.

April 2, 2012 - 7:15pm — Gujarati

I think it would encourage a

I think it would encourage a lot of people to donate if there were a certain reward for donating.
Eg, you get a certain pelt/mask/antlers. Although you may think this would ruin the purpose of the game, as you probably wouldn't want others feeling left out.

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Gujarati

April 2, 2012 - 11:30pm — Nimariel

I feel as if a lot of people

I feel as if a lot of people on this site are donating just to save it for what it is; maybe I am naive, but I feel as if TEF is such a thing in itself that special pelts and masks pale in comparison, yes.

I will see if my parents let me make a one time donation, anyway! Anyone know how to convert dollars into euros?

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This land is made of love and peace!

April 3, 2012 - 12:20am — Skitties

Nimariel - Here should help~

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Signature by Roo ♥

April 3, 2012 - 12:39am — Nimariel

Thank you, it did!

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This land is made of love and peace!

April 3, 2012 - 10:34am — Michael Samyn

We're at 116 Euro's per month

We're at 116 Euro's per month now.

We will try and make up for the difference to keep the server going. At the moment, we should be able to do that. But maybe not in the future. So to guarantee that the Forest will truly be Endless, the players need to cover the cost. We think this is fair.

April 3, 2012 - 11:16am — Flyleaf

If you need more help ,

If you need more help , inform us

!
All the players and myself surely don't want to let this game die !!

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Avatar @ Sluggs Siggy @ Amazegenalo

Bouncing Fly by Mary13

April 3, 2012 - 12:56pm — Amazegenalo

My paypal has yet to be

My paypal has yet to be activated but I'll subscibe as soon as it does.

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April 3, 2012 - 5:13pm — Butterbrot

damn you paypal i cant donate

damn you paypal i cant donate automatically per month, cause i got no credit card -.-'
but i will make single donations every month, till this [paypal] prob is solved.

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April 3, 2012 - 5:49pm — Amazegenalo

^I just encountered the same

^I just encountered the same problem. ‹_‹ I´ll have too see how I´ll donate without a credit card.

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April 3, 2012 - 5:51pm — GlobalBeauty

You could just deposit an

You could just deposit an amount of money in to your paypal account the equivalent of a few months donations, and then have it automatically donate that way.

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Siggies by Carry & Amazengalo

April 3, 2012 - 5:53pm — Amazegenalo

Okay. I`m new to paypal and

Okay. I`m new to paypal and therefore it´s kinda confusing. ._.

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April 3, 2012 - 5:55pm — Xemi

I'm going to stick to

I'm going to stick to one-time monthly donations until I have a steady job.
Pitched in my $20 for the month. I'm looking forward to subscribing at 10 in addition.
.. As soon as I'm healthy enough to get out and pass my resume around. T___T

April 3, 2012 - 7:08pm — Kaoori

if it comes to us having to

if it comes to us having to support it completely, I'll do my best to be able to up my subscription.

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April 3, 2012 - 11:42pm — Lung

I don't mind supporting it

I don't mind supporting it completely. I just want to be more financially sound before I do that. I'm not free from bills. :/

April 3, 2012 - 11:49pm — SS

Thanks for the translation

Thanks for the translation Flyleaf. Has helped me.
I think anyone who loves or even likes this project and it also employs almost every day, could reach into the pocket of quiet time and maybe pay by 5 € / $.

I try my best, the money is not in my hand. :/

April 5, 2012 - 7:11am — Xandrite

I really wish I could

I really wish I could subscribe, but I'm too young and have nothing to donate. I will try to spread the word though!

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April 5, 2012 - 2:49pm — Laiia

I'd like to help you, really,

I'd like to help you, really, but I can't. But I'll try to see if I can speak about this with my parents.

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Avatar & signature by Shimmyshimmy. ♥

April 5, 2012 - 11:32pm — Faustt

I subscribed to 3 Euros, as I

I subscribed to 3 Euros, as I am a student in college, and unemployed. But if I can get a summer job in the next couple of months, I will donate part of my pay checks to help keep TEF afloat.

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April 5, 2012 - 11:35pm — Aivilo

Had some issues with PayPal,

Had some issues with PayPal, but I finally got them worked out and I finally have a subscription set up, yay~
I can't guaruntee I can do it forever, but so long as I've got a couple extra dollars each month there'll be something for TEF!
I've drifted in and out of the Forest on several occasions, but it's always been a readily welcoming home for me to return to; I would hate to lose it.

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♥

April 6, 2012 - 1:09am — parrotsnpineapple

I honestly wish I could

I honestly wish I could donate more. The Australian dollar to the Euro is something astronomical.

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April 7, 2012 - 5:17pm — Michael Samyn

We have reached 131 Euros per

We have reached 131 Euros per months. Thank you for all your help!

I look foward to seeing all you generous deer at the private Easter Abiogenesis Festival tomorrow! (for donators only!)

April 7, 2012 - 7:10pm — mlha

MORE WEATHER CHANGES!

April 7, 2012 - 7:16pm — Pepsi~

@Michael. If it is for

@Michael. If it is for donators only (and since I'm not old enough to donate) does this mean the non-donators will not be able to access the Forest tomorrow?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I am curious.

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April 7, 2012 - 7:21pm — Michael Samyn

The Endless Forest will be

The Endless Forest will be available as usual.

Deer with a ticket to Abiogenesis will be redirected automatically.

April 7, 2012 - 7:23pm — remmy

Does everyone who donated get

Does everyone who donated get a ticket?

April 7, 2012 - 7:29pm — Evern

I subscried for 1 euro a

I subscried for 1 euro a month, me being only 13 years old, I cannot donate much more from my pockets... but I guess it's better than nothing, right?

[e] Must the email adress be linked to the forest account in order for players to attend? I'd love to come.

April 7, 2012 - 8:45pm — falcon

I have subscribed for 5 Euro

I have subscribed for 5 Euro a month.

April 7, 2012 - 8:49pm — Unplugged

Make sure to get some

Make sure to get some screenshots for us, People With Money and Paypal!

April 7, 2012 - 11:49pm — RikkaChan

So, you're only treating

So, you're only treating those who are throwing money your way? What about those who still support TEF but unable to donate? Some of us are too young or unable to give money, does that make us unworthy?

April 7, 2012 - 11:55pm — Xemi

With all due respect Rikka

With all due respect Rikka they make zero money off this game aside from donations.
If it weren't for all those people "throwing money" their "way" then the servers would go down and none of us would get to enjoy EF anymore.
They're just giving an extra little treat those who were able to help. ^^ They've still done a bunch of abios in the past and I'm sure you'll get the chance to attend a public one in the future. I've only been here for a year and I think I've been to four or five abios already, they've been doing them much more often lately, so I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy one sooner than you know it~

April 7, 2012 - 11:58pm — ocean

I think of it this

I think of it this way:

There would be a limited number of spots anyway. There's no guarantee if it was a free-for-all that somebody who didn't donate would get in. So this is just choosing the group based on a certain characteristic--for example, some have been chosen by what time you're on. c:

I'm sure there will be Abios for the rest of us in the future to attend as well, so hey. Why not give the people who are keeping the forest up something nice? ^^

And ninja'd. Agreeing with Xemi too. c:

April 7, 2012 - 11:58pm — RikkaChan

Yeah, I suppose that makes

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.
Thanks for commenting, you two.

April 7, 2012 - 11:58pm — Mis

It's unfortunate for those

It's unfortunate for those who -can't- donate, but that doesn't make them 'unworthy'. It is a simple thank-you-for-helping-keeping-this-server-running-for-yourself-and-everyone-who-CAN'T-donate-but-so-they-can-still-play. So you don't have to pay, but you still get the game! Whoa! Profit! I mean, did we, even if we have little money, NOT donate, this game would've gone down. So instead of being greedy, you could also think about it that way.

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April 8, 2012 - 12:00am — RikkaChan

For one, I wasn't being

For one, I wasn't being greedy. I would like to see it, but I'm not upset that I can't; I was more thinking of the others who are unable to see it. Though you're correct, it is a bonus that we can continue to play TEF.

April 8, 2012 - 12:33am — Doggyears

I can't give much, but you

I can't give much, but you have my $1.35 a month. I've only just discovered this game and I don't want it to go away before my fawn grows up. There's still so much to see!

April 8, 2012 - 1:16am — Lung

I probably won't be able to

I probably won't be able to see the Abio anyway - 3.31 player here, haha. And I'll be busy tomorrow, unfortunately. :/

April 8, 2012 - 10:11am — onyxsoulclaw

Im with Lung. I got an invite

Im with Lung. I got an invite but wont be attending. I'm I play an older version. I just prefer the freedom of the old version. Even though I miss the Ab's Best wishes to you who go and get somne good Screen shots.

April 8, 2012 - 10:29am — onyxsoulclaw

Hay guys... Thing bout it.

Hay guys... Thing bout it. Thats nothing stopping those not attending or unable to donate going to the Drinkypants and have there own party there, after all the more deer the more effects so why dont people do that. then you can party to?

April 8, 2012 - 6:36pm — Evern

I like that idea! People who

I like that idea! People who can't attend the ABIOGENISIS can have a party at the Drinkplaats. (or however it's spelled) It's been ages since there has been one.

April 8, 2012 - 8:05pm — Mis

Thank you so much for hosting

Thank you so much for hosting this Abio M&A! I had a lot of fun, laughed out loud quite a few times. I've missed the abio-music so it was nice to hear it again

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April 8, 2012 - 8:12pm — Anjali

Yes, thanks so much for the

Yes, thanks so much for the Abio, Michael and Auriea! I've never been to one, so it was just magical.

The music was great; I had a huge smile on my face while we were all running to that acoustic rhythm.