The Driggs Factor 12/31/09

(Insert generic opening line here, as Driggers isn’t creative enough to come up with something that doesn’t sound repetitive and overused. ) As promised, this will be a semi-normal entry, but unlike the others, it will be a look back on the moments that have shaped and molded MRG into what it is today. In no particular order of course.

Before I start, however, I do want to say a couple of things. The last two weeks for me have been the best of times and the worst of times – I cannot say what exactly is going on but, in regards to the best of times…the post I made about the revolution in sim painting is as much a prophecy as it is a humble prediction. I can’t give out too many details, but I have put sim painting on a hold for the time being in order to pursue the opportunity that has been presented to me and the designers of C2C Racing Designs. Not to worry though, I plan on returning to sim painting soon.

So, with that out of the way, let’s have a look back, shall we?

Artists Begin Joining MRG in Droves

Obviously MRG would be nothing without the quality work that the artists put out, but it wasn’t until a major influx of talented artists, both with Photoshop and 3Ds Max, started to come onboard as “Official Site Artists.” While some artists joined in 2008, the most significant number of them joined this year.

Site Membership Increases

In a year’s time, MRG’s membership grew from a couple of hundred people to over 2,500 – signifying that the site had grown from a few guys wanting to do things their way to a full-fledged hub for NASCAR 09 art and artists. MRG literally becomes a household name in the NASCAR 09 community.

The Rise and Fall of BigAlGrafx

BigAlGrafx was easily the sire of the NASCAR 09 painting community. It was there from the very beginning. In fact, that’s where a good number of the administrators started out at. In July of 2008, BigAlGrafx was, without a doubt, the biggest N09 sim painting site on the ‘Net. However, it was short lived and would not live to see its one-year anniversary – at least, not in its original form. Al turned over control to Shinerunner around the one-year anniversary, and Shine merged with Shady Graffix. Because of the fall of the original BigAlGrafx, more members and artists came to MRG to lend their experience and talent, officially making MRG the biggest N09 sim painting site.

Goodbye to Mayo Racing Designs

While it did not directly affect MRG in terms of site membership or artists, it was a sad day when one of the staples of the general sim painting community, Mayo Racing Designs, shut its doors. The site owner made all of the site’s resources available to anyone who would want to use them.

Bloodtaker Joins MRG

Maybe I’m biased, but when Bloodtaker joined the site, the render department on MRG took a turn for the awesome. Combined with M0R0NI’s N09 models and Bloodtaker’s knowledge of 3DS Max, the site saw a great increase in presentation quality. Since then he’s helped me and many others learn the ropes concerning 3DS Max and has contributed so much to the professionalism this site is known for.

Midnight Racing Graphics becomes Midnight Horse Racing Graphics for a day

In what will forever be one of the greatest (if not the most effective) April Fools Day dupes, MRG shed its NASCAR 09 focus and instead led many to believe that it had switched to Barbie Horse Adventures. The prank was completed with fake “schemes” that could be used in the game. Obviously it was a joke, but there were a handful of people who thought it was real.

MRG 3 is launched

Seeing that the future of MRG lay within the NR2003, rFactor, and iRacing communities, MRG 3 was launched to broaden the horizons of the site and diversify its involvement in sim painting. While still having a strong core group of artists focused on NASCAR 09, many artists took the opportunity to branch out and start painting for new games, lending their talents and creativity to the biggest sim painting communities around.

There are always going to be moments that each member of MRG will remember on their own, but these are probably the most important things that this site has gone through or been able to bear witness to. I have plenty of personal moments that I can recall from this year that have tested me, lifted my spirits, crushed them, aggravated, infuriated, helped and harmed me in some way – and not just here on MRG.

So tonight, as we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another, I will count my blessings. I will look back on this past year with a sense of humility. 2010 will be the best year yet, for myself, for MRG, and, I pray, for you.

Happy New Year!