To all stakeholders of the SPUFserver:

It is with solemn regret that I must announce the indefinite suspension of operations for the SPUFserver, effective May 18th, 2014.

For a while now, it has been apparent that the SPUFserver has not been receiving any significant traffic outside of specially organized events, and even that traffic has been minimal with waning community participation. Even with the cost optimizations that we have performed, server administration is still not a cheap venture, and there is no justification for keeping up a server which is not seeing any use. Thus, I have come to the incredibly difficult decision of shutting down the server as the best option for all involved.

Rest assured that this does not mean a complete loss of SPUF services, as the SPUF Unofficial Network will continue to operate The Daily SPUF going forward, and will remain committed to serve SPUF in whatever capacities are necessary. However, while this may not be the definite end for the server dream, I cannot expect a future return of the server without extensive community support behind such a move.

I would like to thank this wonderful community for the support they have shown this server, its operations, me, and the rest of the staff in our quest to provide a desirable server experience specifically tailored to this community, as well as the many people that I have been able to personally work and play with in my long tenure as the SPUFserver administrator. I am truly grateful for the chance to have been a major contributor to its long and distinguished two-and-a-half-year history, and wish everyone luck in their future endeavors.

After much talk and deliberation with many members, I have come to the decision that we need to move to an event-driven server as the best option for both the community and for the server's longevity.

Accordingly, several changes will be made in coming days. Our current Chief Admin, Binary, previously stepped down due to lack of time to commit to server affairs, and our current administrative structure is more optimized to maintenance of a server than for planning and execution of events, and so we will likely have to complete a revamp more optimized for the new server.

In addition, the server needs to provide incentives that are more appealing for infrequent events than for frequenting a server, considering the main use of the server would be events. I have a few ideas towards this end, but I don't feel that they're adequate enough as of yet.

If you have any ideas or thoughts that you'd like to share, please comment on this announcement and share them. Every insight helps, so don't be shy. More info will be released as it's determined. Thanks again for your support!

I'll just start by saying that it's no secret that we haven't been performing as well as we would like. We are fairly certain that the current operation of the SPUFserver is unsustainable. If we do not make changes to make the server more successful, it will have to die due to lack of funding or low traffic. This is not a desirable option given that this server is perhaps one of the few resources that SPUF has left as a community.

Thus, I would like to request your help: I need advice on what direction the SPUFserver should take and what revamps need to be made in order to return the SPUFserver to a level of stability. To that end, I will be creating a panel to discuss the issues facing us and determine solutions to help encourage the future success of the server. If you are interested in participating, please contact me on Steam.

Unfortunately, running a server is not free. As such, I must ask for your consideration to help the server. While we do not have astronomical expenses, it is still more than we can handle alone.

If you are enjoying having the server to play on daily, or have participated in an event, and want to continue to do so, please consider donating to help us out.

We accept both keys, and actual funds. More info can be found here: http://spuf.info/contribute

By donating, you support not only the server, but the Daily SPUF, and all the other SUN projects. There are also various benefits for each, such as ad removal on TDS and titles on the server. But in the end, I'd hope that the continued operation of the network be a reward in and of itself.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

For those of you that may not know, the SPUFserver is part of a new network!

SPUF Unofficial Network[spuf.info]

This network encompasses the SPUFserver, The Daily SPUF, the SPUF Event Committee, and superSPUF! I encourage you to check all of those projects out!

To all of you "stranded" due to a certain popular thread getting closed down, superSPUF is your destination.