Oddworld Library

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Revision as of 15:12, 9 January 2011 by Max (talk | contribs)

The Oddworld Library is an Oddworld fansite created and run by Max the Mug and Xavier. Subsites on the Oddworld Library include OddBlog, a blog for Oddworld news; the Oddworld Encyclopædia, with articles on in-universe and real-life Oddworld topics; and several Oddworld Archives subsites specializing in different types of media, e.g. TOGG for images, the Oddworld Cinema for video. The Oddworld Library was officially launched on 1 April 2006[1]—although some of its subsites have been online for longer—and has remained active since then.

Despite its name, it also covers topics other than Oddworld, such as other work by Oddworld Inhabitants (Citizen Siege, Pound Dog and, should it not be set on Oddworld, The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot), OddMobb, and some work of current and existing Inhabitants (particularly Lorne Lanning, Raymond Swanland and Michael Bross).

History

Max the Mug had been trying to put together an encyclopædic fansite since 2000, a project which had by 2002 become known as ‘The Oddworld Encyclopedia’. He had more success with OddBlog, originally a personal blog before it started reporting news under the advice and, later, contribution of Xavier, who had previously been a reporter of Oddworld news on Oddworld Maniac, Oddworld News and Oddworld-Web. Xavier had himself been planning on launching an Oddworld image gallery. During a three-way conversation between Max, Xavier and Oddsville, the three decided to combine their sites (with Oddsville running The Oddworld Archives, the original name of the Oddworld Scriptures) into one, initially calling themselves the Shaman Network.

Oddsville’s involvement in the group diminished and Xavier took over The Oddworld Archives. OddBlog launched in February 2004,[2], and TOGG and the Archives launched in February[3] and September[4] 2005 respectively, both hosted on Alcar’s Oddworld Universe until it went down February 2006.[5] TOGG and the Archives returned on the Library’s server the following month[6][7], in time for the opening of The Oddworld Encyclopædia to mark the official launch of The Oddworld Library.[1]

The Oddworld Library relaunched in October 2006 with the Oddworld Archives name now applying to the collection of media archives, initially TOGG and the new Oddworld Cinema.[8] The interview archives were removed to be redeveloped, only returning as The Oddworld Scriptures in April 2008.[9]

References

  1. a b Max the Mug (1 April 2006). ‘The Oddworld Library - grand opening’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  2. Max the Mug (1 February 2004). ‘OddBlog’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  3. Xavier (28 February 2005). ‘TOGG - Grand opening!’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  4. atusiya@ (2 September 2005). ‘Xavier 's The Oddworld Archives !!’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  5. Oddworld Forums members (20–22 February 2006). ‘What happened????’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  6. Max the Mug (12 March 2006). ‘The Oddworld Graphics Galliry Returns!’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  7. Xavier (5 March 2006). ‘The Oddworld Archives are back’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  8. Max the Mug (26 October 2006). ‘The Oddworld Library Relaunched’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.
  9. Max the Mug (1 April 2008). ‘The TOL Thread’. Oddworld Discussion. Oddworld Forums.