It's not for me to read Sombre's mind or understand his motivations
I doubt he'd appreciate the attempt, in any case.
And it wasn't meant to be enlightening, it was just meant to bump the post, and not to leave Amos hanging. I'm a fan of Amos's mods, as is Sombre--that's something he's publically stated.
So, just possibly, it's thanks for taking an interest in something we mutually enjoy?
In any case, I try to think the best of someone, until and unless they give me a clear reason not to. And I'm certainly not about to make judgements upon a person for simply clicking my 'thanks-o-meter' without explanation. If someone does something nice, that's a good thing. I don't have to look it in it's mouth. If they did it out of less than pure motivations, then they have to live with that burden on their conscience, not me. Life's too hard, short, and brutal to waste time on second-guessing the good bits
It's not always an easy standard to hold myself up to, and I've been known to jump to conclusions, but it's better than distrusting everyone automatically. Ofcourse, it's a much easier and more valid way of life on these boards where we're physically safe from harm.
We seem to find ourselves in a society where showing gratitude or appreciation is viewed as showing weakness. I think the opposite is true, because any situation where an intelligent, confident person can afford to appear soft-by choice-in any way, is one where that person already has the upper hand.
Whether or not simply saying "thank you for this free mod you've created with your time and talent" is showing weakness--well, if you have to ask yourself that question, it's in itself a sad commentary on the times we live in. But we still don't find ourselves in Feudal Japan, surrounded by ninjas, where death might come from any direction, at any time, for anyone.
Nobody's twisting my arm, and Amos lacks any key to my fate. And-think of me what you will-I'll vouch for Sombre being atleast a reasonably intelligent person who doesn't do things out of pure berserk randomness very often. It's just politeness and respect to show someone that they're valued.
I choose to value Amos, and Sombre, for that matter, for the work they've done to make the game better and more enjoyable for everyone, and in turn, I choose to feel valued, myself. Whatever else I might be, I'm not afraid of that.