A tribute to a friend.
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Been thinking much about a friend I met here, Lee Cowley aka leec202 - our "village elder". Just want to pay tribute to a man I very much admired for guidance and wisdom. Very patient man, and his command of technology was respected by a great many here. I sent the man an email requesting help for an issue I was having with one of my mods - real-life props - because they would not spawn in-game, and he quickly answered me, and helped me solved my problem - as I knew he would - because knowing Lee, it bothers him if he can't solve a puzzle.
He was a mentor to me when I first started modding, and one person I quickly grew to love. Lee, I know you can see my post, it was one done out of respect, so I hope you don't mind. I say with confidence, many miss you here. Your content, posts, commentary, and advice was always valuable. If you never come back again, just know your status here was, IMHO, legendary.
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Yeah, leec202 is a wise man who was pissed off by some noobs here without offer to him respect and no anxious pressure at least to knowledgeable people. Great modders left this site for the same reason, but wherever they are, they are remembered and we always wait for their return.
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@eshenk Without a doubt, Lee was the best! And I've never encountered anyone so helpful and patient as he was. He was very knowledgeable to boot! And without him, I would probably not have been able to mod at all, as I really understood very little, at first, and he very patiently explained it all to me (insofar as I was able to grasp it).
Lee was always here, almost day and night, never shying away from answering questions and/or helping ppl out. And -- a quality most endearing to me -- he believed in sharing info -- not just hoarding it for himself. Not a day goes by that I wish he wasn't here again.
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@meimeiriver Never had a man-crush before, but that guy man....he REALLY impressed me from the start. I could find my very first interaction with the guy and post it here - you will see what I mean. Over time, I saw the greatness in his skill and his critical thinking abilities. He was also humble. When he didn't have an answer for a problem, he knew who to reach out to.
We miss YOU Lee - we hope you please come back.
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@eshenk I Agree, The old gem in the industry of Video-Games, one of the Greatest modders, amazing at programming skills, at the same time the guy with the patience of a saint.
I remember, when I started modding probably in the late 2016 or something, I was a complete blank slate at this modding scene, as I remember, I tested his onfoot Cinematic camera mod(which I simply Loved), in which I suggested him couple of ideas which he liked and implemented too(one of the very few modders, who listen to the audience), so, on GTA V forum chat, we used to chat and discuss about how the things should be, and then I pitched him my idea of making a new mod, and this guy said, it's quite easy to make the mods, all you need to have is a basic knowledge of the programming concept and principals and PATIENCE...!!! He gave me couple of links for the quick tutorials
and
Though, not so fancy and it was made long time ago, but Here is the first mod I ended up making -
https://www.gta5-mods.com/scripts/personal-driver-chauffeur#description_tabI was so inspired, motivated by this guy that I dedicated my mod to him. And till this day, I thank him and people like him around this forum. Probably this is one of the reasons, that I made so many long-distance friends, mentor and amazing people!.
So, I too would like to thank LeeC202 and all other great modders, for their great contribution to forming up this community the way it is.!
@LeeC202 (I know the tagging won't work) but in case if you happen to see this, as @eshenk said, We miss you...!!!
@eshenk Thank you for making this thread, finally something I wrote(apart from BAU on this forum) after a while.!
P.s. In case of any misspelling or wrongly written data, kindly correct me, as English is not my primary Language / mother tongue.!
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@ashishcw We clearly miss you Lee, PLEASE come back, we all love you! If you decide not to, we respect your wishes - we just want you to know how much we all miss your presence. There is NOT any among us, who would not love to have you back - I say this with absolute confidence, with everyone behind me.
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Looking back, Lee reminds me of the story of The Giving Tree, a children's book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. The book, in essence, is about the relationship between a young boy and a female Tree. The Tree keeps giving the boy things he wants, throughout his entire life. She does this by breaking parts off of herself, and transforming them into material things (like money). And she continues doing so, until she has nothing left.
In the book, the boy showed no gratitude at all towards the Tree. Lee, fortunately, got praised and thanked many times. Still, in the end, I think he just gave too much.
The man was literally up, day-and-night, ALWAYS watching the forum, ready to help when someone needed it. Even I myself could accost him in chat, at 2 AM even, to ask this or that question. Now -- if for nothing else, my own sanity -- I'd like to believe I wasn't the reason he left. In hindsight, though, I feel a bit like that boy: that maybe we (or certainly I) asked too much of this man. I'm even choking up a bit as I'm writing this, as the man cared deeply for this forum, and I realize that the forum probably sucked him dry. Or, put without the reproach, he probably just gave too much. And I should have seen that.So, @eshenk, thank you again for this tribute! It's never too late to express appreciation for all the things someone has done, even when it's too late (Sic!)
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I always enjoyed the developer talks with him and since we are similar minds and having been through the same bs as he was, I can fully understand his decision to quit. I was almost following him out of the door. It was some of you guys here who convinced me to stay though.
@eshenk Thanks for making this thread.
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@meimeiriver Would like to see our "village elder" back here doing what he did best.Lee, you know all of us admired you. Remember the interactions with CamXXXCore? Remember so many others whose cause was your own. I could dig, and bring up so many memories. You have a place here in the GTA V, and many can testify to that. If you are watching this, know a great many of us would love to have you back.
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@meimeiriver When you're elderly, and had a rough childhood, and after going through a devastating tragedy, no one could possibly be the same again. Lee was open to me a bit more than you guys I think, and while I'm not sharing anything he said without his permission, I'd say I was left heartbroken after hearing his story. That tragic incident changed who he is, most likely severe depression, (I could be very well wrong, but I really don't think anyone would not be depressed if he/she went through the same moments, and I know the symptoms of it too well.)
the forum probably sucked him dry. Or, put without the reproach, he probably just gave too much.
I agree on this one, this and the above reason too, IMHO.
Quoting a line from Fort Minor's "Red to Black" to end my post:
The whole time smiling on the outside to cover the pain
But on the inside all he was trying to do was get away..
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@V4D3R Lee told me his story too (or enough of it, at least, to begin to grasp how troubled his existence was); but I figured to keep it out of the public, for obvious privacy reasons, like you do.
Lee was indeed a man with a lot on his plate, to put it mildly. That he just kept giving under those circumstances was all the more amazing, really. But, at some point, the barrel was simply empty.
