Posts from Погиб Docent Picolan

I come to you with tragic news: on November 7, 2020, the founder and leader of the "Horn of the Abyss" project, Docent Picolan, passed away in a traffic accident.

From the VKontakte group:

Friends,

a great misfortune has befallen us. On November 7, 2020, the founder and coordinator of the Horn of the Abyss project, a wonderful artist and composer, known throughout the Heroes community as Docent Picolan, tragically passed away. HotA can, without exaggeration, be called his brainchild, because it was he who created most of the visual and fundamental concepts that formed the basis of the project, and it was his endless enthusiasm that was our driving force for 13 years of development. The Docent was not only the project leader but also performed a huge amount of practical work on the graphics, maintained contact with the community, wrote music, and simply, by his example, helped all of us not to lose our desire and interest in our work. It will take some time before we understand how to live and continue working without him. Nevertheless, the HotA Crew team promises that the development of the project will continue. The Factory, to which the Docent devoted all his energy for the last three years, will be completed and released in memory of our friend and colleague.

We cannot guarantee that this will happen soon. However, if you want to help us complete the development of the Factory faster and have a talent as a 2d/3d artist or other useful skills in the field of programming, writing texts, or sound design, please contact Tevye in a private message here or on VK (vk.com/gretzky), or by email at hotacrew@gmail.com.

The Professor was the epitome of enthusiasm. I can confidently say that I was inspired by his example and the entire Hota project. He was a rare example of a truly idealistic and non-commercial person. The Professor dedicated a significant part of his life to a project from which he gained nothing tangible. I wasn't close to him, but I observed his communication style and heard what others said about him. His tragic death is a great loss for the entire community, and, of course, for the Hota project. We must remember the example he set and honor his memory. I believe that the project will continue, but a sense of loss will remain. Every major modder and content creator should take note of the principles that the Professor followed. After all, he worked for us and for the immortal Heroes. I was lucky to see this news late, when the project wasn't as active. I even took it somewhat unemotionally. But I still couldn't escape the feeling of emptiness... What happened? Was it an accident or someone's negligence? It's always heartbreaking when a creative person dies in a traffic accident. It seems they are strangely prone to it, even historically. It's a nightmare, of course. I feel sorry for the entire Hota team. Many of them probably knew the Professor from the very beginning and lost not just a project leader. I won't even mention his family.

I've been in shock for the past two hours; it's just terrible news. An irreplaceable loss for the community. I'm sure that Hota Kryu will immortalize him as one of the heroes of the Factory and will also find the strength to continue working on, and I won't be afraid to say it, the Professor's brainchild.

No - no... Just say it's a joke, okay? This person was so dedicated to their passion... If the Horn of the Abyss team shuts down the project after the release of the Factory, it will be unfair to the deceased.

Yes - no... Please tell me this is just a joke!
This person was so dedicated to their passion...
If the Horn of the Abyss team closes the project after the release of the Factory, it will be unfair to the deceased.

Unfortunately, this is a fact, confirmed by the Professor's family. I don't think it would be ethical to try to find out the details; it's too difficult. It's an irreplaceable loss, and the team needs time to recover. But I'm sure that, motivated by and with respect for the legend, the community will release 1.7.0 with the Factory. What will happen next is unclear; a new leader is needed, but the question is whether one can be found.

A huge loss for the Heroes community.

It's incredibly sad. The Professor was an excellent coordinator and composer. And in general, he was one of the best modders in the world, perhaps. A talented and hardworking person. He was. He understood like no other how to create music for new Factions, landscapes, and cities, he had a perfect understanding of the dramaturgy and theory of music, the smooth transitions, cadences, tonics, all of that, so that it would fit harmoniously. He didn't hold back even when dealing with Paul Romero himself.

I spoke with him just 2 weeks ago; we were planning to meet in St. Petersburg in December, and we talked about HotA in general, the forge... and a new Campaign. About 5 years ago, I did QA/QC for HotA Campaigns and wanted to do it for the new one as well. Sigh. I didn't even think I would be so upset by this news. We weren't close, but I valued him very much; there are very few people like him. He worked on HotA with pure enthusiasm for 13 years! Think about that number. He started working on the project in 2007, and HotA as a project was formed in 2008...

In many ways, the Heroes community is what it is today, in part thanks to Pikolan.

RIP, buddy.

I communicated with him on VK. He was a very knowledgeable and polite guy. It's a shame. The community there is suggesting they make him a hero for the Cove (his creation) and also introduce him as a statue.

It's disgusting and vile to joke about such things! It's better to delete the topic before it's too late, don't anger the Almighty!
UPDATE: unfortunately, this is not a joke. I don't know what's going on! My condolences to the family and friends!