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UC Dev Status - Ship it or give it another month?


Supreme Cmdr
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sorry..just crashed. "SC" is correct in 3 items regarding ongoing dispute with publisher:

1. I voted to release before rc1/2 dispute. If the publisher releases #1 I will make this the 1st BC3K game that I won't purchase.

2. A publisher that knowingly publishes a defective product w/o the designer's ok will never sell either me or my associates another title.

3. I'm FAR from an "SC" advocate or defender but to suggest in another board that this board is closed is stupid, silly, and obiviously wrong.

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There are a few hard core detractors and what I would call stalkers who have abolutely NO access to this site. The security on this board won't even let them access the main page, it kicks them right back out with a nice little page that must be seen to be appreciated.

Anyway, couldn't help but post some of my views over on the DC forum, hope I wasn't too harsh, but those 2, Takvah and Havefun(Bill Huffman) are starting to get irritating, Bill has ALWAYS been an irritant, but Takvah is moving up for 2nd place.

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quote:

Originally posted by Michael R Lyons:

As i've said many times i'm not a "core supporter" and I have been a critic when I felt it was just. Apparently not enough [to date] to be kicked off [yet]. Whatever "SC"

Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a critic. Critisim is good to a degree and in most part helps with the development of future products. As long as it's done in an intelligent fashion. I've not been too long on the BC forum myself and have never joined any other forum because I see the infantile stuff that goes on at other places IE Flamming messages etc.. It's gotten to a point where I think a good percentage of people on those other forums forgot how to talk in a civil manner. Which is why I joined this forum, other than buying than game, because that stuff is just not tolerated here and that irritates them I think more than SC ever will. So there these guys sit around feeling dejected and mad because they got booted from here calling everyone else, on the forums they haven't got booted from "yet", that has not gotten the boot from here "Fanboys".

Oh well, everyones a critic.

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Guest drdespair

ItÔÇÖs a shame that neither the publisher nor the developer (in most cases) seems to have any obligation these days to deliver a complete product. The whole patching business seems to have given the publishers an ÔÇ£unquestionable rightÔÇØ to publish what they want, when they want, without any thoughts as to the consumer. I feel truly sorry for those that do not pay attention to what is going on in the background (I donÔÇÖt know for sure but I thinks itÔÇÖs the majority out there, just look at the number of participants on the publishing question), they will in the worst case get a product which, although probably usable, will be unsupported, unofficial (as far as DSP is concerned) all together a waste of money.

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I thought I'd add my 2 cents... atleast once.

I voted to release it, but that's purely so that I can start playing it. I am dying in anticipation. But, If this game only comes out in jan,feb,march... whenever, I'll still buy it.

Actually, I'll be buying it, and bcm. I only have bc300 v2. And well, to save on shipping ....

It's too late now to make a christmas release (22 dec). A christmas release would definitly make a good sale, but I do think it's too late. When the game comes out, I buy it.

And about releasing it for free, if something is messed up, try not doing that. After seeing everything SC has gone through... make some money.

And while were waiting for the next release...

Why dont we start posting some imaginary experiences of UC ? I'm dreaming at night about it, so why not some good stories that we all can read Would be great. The experiences of BCM was good to read, and this will definitly keep us hyped up.

Anyways, proud supporter, got my cash in hand, and I will delay any form of death of me, just so I can atleast once kill something in UC.

Anyways, I could go on for another hour talking nonsence . In the end, I hope everyone is happy, for what could be the most bug free game ... hows that ? hehe

Later

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Just a quick early morning update because today is probably going to be one of those apocalyptic days.

Here is how things stand, and with a little recap of the sequence of events since 12-17-03

  1. On 12-15-03, DC received an RC1 build on CDROM. I remained in a holding pattern, working on RC2 in between taking care of other personal issues.

    My next scheduled update (which would have been based on the RC2 code which was WIP) was for today.

    A word about updates. For major updates, I always send off a CDROM. For minor updates, I always give access to a patch download. The RC builds are an exception. They are always CDROM burns because then the entire picture of the game [as if it were going in a box] is available. So, that RC1 CDROM was the first to have all the shortcuts (though has two problems stemming from the reconfiguration of the Beta Installshield scripts), documents (e.g. Gallion's appendix data, my manual revisions and other PDF filesc etc)

    Also bear in mind that DC cannot create a GM master because (1) they do not have the Installshield config scripts (2) they do not have the SafeDisc license. In all my games, going back to the BC3K v2.0 with Interplay, I do everything and send out a GM ready CDROM, complete with production materials on CD. I am and always have been, a one stop shop.

  2. Thinking that the game would go into duplication this week (or next) for an early January shelf, I created a poll (this thread), to see how the gamers felt about this. The idea was that the RC2 build would be sent out as either a normal build (like the RC1) or as a GM build i.e. with my DRM removed, SafeDisc encoded etc etc.
  3. At 11:30AM on 12-17-03, I got this from the DC tech support manager, via MSN.

    quote:



    [11:30] Clockwork Mike: hi derek u there?

    [11:31] Derek Smart: yeah, on my PDA and stuck in traffic. whats up?

    [11:31] Clockwork Mike: do u have that patch to send me which completes all the missions?

    [11:32] Derek Smart: you mean my current build? yeah, but I was waiting to get feedback about the RC1 before I built a new patch. The new patch for your version will only contain a new executable, the scenarios.zip file (with the final missions) and some updated docs.

    [11:33] Derek Smart: well??

    [11:33] Derek Smart: Mike, hurry up, because this signal will drop at any time, I'm on a WiFi connection!

    [11:34] Derek Smart: ok, screw it, I'm gone. Send email

    [11:34] Clockwork Mike: the build looks great and we will be declaring gold today, but do you want to send a patch before we do.

    [11:34] Derek Smart: declaring Gold today? Have you folks been drinking??



  4. I forwarded it to the DC primaries (read: suit) and awaited a response.
  5. At 11:56AM, in response to my email (above) I got this from suit #1 (big cheese)

    quote:



    So what are you saying below?



  6. At 2:31PM when I got back to my office, I got the email (above) and responded.

    quote:



    uhm, that nobody told me about it? And Mike's message was the first

    time I'd heard of it? Which - all things considered - isn't too

    surprising.


    Anyway, I called shortly and left both suit #2 and the Producer (
    name edited
    ) a msg to call

    me back so that I could be better advised about the situation and this

    decision. That was two hours ago and nobody called me back. So I went about

    my business and I just got home for lunch. I'm leaving again at 2:45pm

    and can be reached on my cell phone (you folks should have that number).


    Basically, I don't want *any* gold announcement being made without

    my input.


    At any rate, if we're going Gold with what we have (i.e. the RC2

    build), I need to be advised by a company [DC} primary (e.g. suit #2

    or you suit #1), not a manager. Not tech support. Not Producer. Not PM (
    name edited
    ).

    And certainly not the office cleaner. Throughout my dealings with

    DC, I have tried to always maintain the chain of command and it is

    something I don't take at all lightly. You guys need to get better

    organized (To wit: this most recent fiasco in which neither you nor

    suit #2, knew what hell was going on), IMO. Back here, I'm boss. It

    comes from God to me then the next person (Peter) in the chain. Nothing

    ever breaches that because when something goes wrong, I only have myself

    to blame.


    As for going Gold, if the announcement is going to be made, I would

    prefer that it get done on Monday the 22nd. Between now and then,

    I would have given Mike and crew a patch for RC1 to RC2 and will

    dispatch a GM master to arrive that week.


    Frankly, given that Mike and his crew have complained incessantly about game

    stability issues (I didn't have to do *anything* to fix them, since I wasn't

    getting such problems on our end) in previous Beta versions (as recently as the

    November 0.05.35 build). Then all of a sudden (in 0.06.25 RC1) I get an MSN like

    he just sent. I find that *highly* suspicious. So, somebody had better

    get geared up to explain to me, just *exactly* how we go from "seriously unstable"

    to "....the build looks great and we will be declaring gold today, but

    do you want to send a patch before we do.". Either that, or someone back

    there things I'm an idiot and will just ship this game so I can get buried at

    retail. So, suit #2, suit #1 - assuming you two still have no clue whats going on,

    I suggest you grab Robert, Mike and their crew and find what's going on - because you

    probably don't know that they've been complaining about the game's instability and I

    have since been waiting for info on exactly how to reproduce them, when, on 11 machines

    (my dev machines), nobody has reported such.


    I am on vacation starting on 12/22 and my flight out to Europe is not until the night of

    12/23. So, I would need to send off a GM master prior to my departure or build it when I

    arrive in the UK (I have now installed both ISX and SafeDisc on my laptop).


    So, I have no problems going Gold next week, but I want to know wtf is going on back

    there and how this Gold issue came up overnight!!


    DS


    ps: No, I'm not crazy. I just like to act it because it catches everyone off guard

    when they find they're not dealing with a fool.



  7. On 12-18-03, 08:48AM, I got this from suit #2 (Mr nice guy. He really is. Unless they've got God Cop/Bad Cop down to an artform. And it was him who convinced me to go ahead with the BCG to UC branding)

    quote:



    Derek ? What patches can you send to us tonight, i.e. to arrive electronically by tomorrow morning? We will likely be making a call on this tomorrow and any updates between now and then may ultimately help the sales of UC.


    Please advise.



  8. My reply went out at 09:05AM the same day. I have snipped the first part because it contains personal info about why I was not in my office that morning (daughter's birthday etc etc)

    quote:



    *snip*

    Anyway, my current version is based on the RC2 build. I am about to check

    the testers (my testers) DB to see if anything came through yesterday/last

    night, then I will update the version control file and investigate any

    new issues. I didn't do any programming yesterday, so the vcf remains as

    it was yesterday morning.


    At any rate, let me get my act in gear and get my bearings.


    In the meantime, I still need someone to answer my question about how we went

    from "highly unstable" in the 0.05.35 build, to Mike's assertions

    via MSN yesterday. I don't like mysteries and since I know for a *fact* that

    I didn't do *anything* between 0.05.35 of 11/11/03 to 1.00.06.25 of 12/08/03,

    to address stability issues (the builds in between were completion of WIP

    items, bug fixes etc) I wasn't experiencing, I am very curious about this. If

    there are underlying stability issues in the game - anywhere - I'd like to address

    them before we go GM (assuming we're going GM with the currently known issues

    indicated in the vcf).


    "We will likely be making a call on this tomorrow and any updates between now and then may ultimately help the sales of UC."


    Oh? Please call me so we can discuss it or send email directly to my email address

    (not the list). I'm curious about this, because I was made aware that Walmart had

    pushed their order into January '04. And I'm not aware of any other retailer

    canceling their order.



  9. At 10:14AM on 12-18, in response to my question about stability issues, I got this from one of the suits.

    quote:



    Derek ? I?m told that there are no major stability issues that would prevent us from calling our current build gold. Again, with that in mind, any updates that you care to send to us today would be appreciated.


  10. 11:58AM on 12-18-03 I sent this out

    quote:



    Mike,


    suit #2 has asked me to build you guys an RC1 to RC2 patch. I need

    the following please :


    1. Did you guys find anything in the RC1 build not already listed

    in the VCF I sent?


    2. Have you guys tested the game on machines without a Pixel and/or

    Vertex shader (e.g. with a GF2 card)? And if so, were there any

    problems? On cards without a Pixel Shader (e.g. GF2), high-end fx

    such as shields, planetfall etc use the legacy fx from BCM Gold. And

    if the card does not have a Pixel/Vertex shader, the game should

    quit and refuse to run. For more about shader requirements, please

    look at the FAQ includes in the RC1 build. This file (ucfaq.html)

    is located in the DOCS folder but has a shortcut pointing to it

    from within Programs/Dreamcatcher/Universal Combat/Docs


    In all my tests here, the results were as expected


    3. Do you guys want an rtPatch based update or shall I sent out

    a new RC2 CDROM. I can have Fedex pick it up for expedited

    delivery by tomorrow.


    4. One new critical problem appeared last night (as per the tester's

    DB) and I'm going to look into it (and some other minor ones) later

    today. That is : if you select Roam or Campaign from the main

    menu, go to the Start New Game screen, then change your mind,

    go back to the Main Menu and select Instant Action, a crash

    will occur. Looks like something is not being reset - but I

    have not yet debugged it, as I am looking into other non-critical

    issues atm. Once I'm done, I will update the VCF and send along a

    revised version, but so far, nothing critical (apart from this)

    has come in. Can you reproduce this on your end as well?


    DS



  11. 12:18PM on 12-18-03 I got this from the head suit

    quote:



    Derek,


    Mike is away today. Please send whatever patches by both FEDEX and by FTP. Replication starts tomorrow morning.


    Thanks



  12. 12:53PM, my response

    quote:



    suit #1 (real-name edited out),


    Replication of what?!? You guys don't have a full GM build. You don't have

    a SafeDisc encoded GM. So what *exactly* are you replicating? The RC1 build which

    has an expiration DRM signature and known (as per the VCF) problems? I hope you're

    kidding.


    You guys ship this game without my sign-off, we're going to have a serious

    problem. So please don't do it.


    I gave you [DC] several options to resolve this issue, pick one. We DON'T

    have to go down this path. Believe me, you DON'T want to do this.


    DS



  13. 1:13PM, I got this from suit #2

    quote:



    Derek ? suit #1?s away from the office but I know he?s not kidding. I strongly recommend that you compile a new GM disk and get it down to the Miramar FedEx counter today for delivery to DC tomorrow morning.



  14. 1:59PM my response

    quote:



    suit #2,


    I have turned this over to Eric now. You should be hearing from him

    shortly. And considering that this is the stance you folks have decided

    to adopt, I'm not sending you **anything** until advised by my attorney.


    You guys ship this game without my consent, you'll get into a legal problem

    which will eclipse the ongoing BCMG licensing/royalties issues.


    You guys ship the game with a DRM signature which expires (as this is how I protect

    non-GM builds), you will be facing a class action lawsuit because you all know - and

    I advised again today - that the RC1 build which you have, like all Beta builds, has

    a DRM signature which will eventually expire.


    You guys ship the game without adequate protection (since I have the SafeDisc signature

    and license for it), I will consider it a violation of my IP rights.


    *snip confidential contractual dispute related to BCMG licensing/royalties reporting.*


    We're done.


    DS



  15. From that point on, Eric called them up and they started a dialog between him, the two suits and their legal counsel.

    At the end of that day, Eric asks me to consider burning a CDROM of the RC2 build and sending to them, in order to avert any unpleasantness. I told him that I had to think about it, and we agreed that until they sent over my contractual waiver of compliance, along with some other things they needed to provide, they weren't getting anything.

    That night - with my daughter (some of you here know this already, since we've been talking via email), down with the flu and posting fevers which peaked at 106 deg at one point, I proceeded to do a code rollback in order to burn them a new CDROM based on the RC2 build, sans the DRM, SafeDisc encoded etc etc. The original plan was to send out three copies. One to Eric, one to DC and one to the replicators (suit #2 had sent along the shipping address earlier that day). By late afternoon, the paperwork they were supposed to have faxed over, had not arrived.

    On early Saturday morning, after running some tests (incl. testing the SafeDisc encoded GM I had burned) on the build, it was ready to roll.

    I called Eric at home, talked for a bit and he told me to send it out and that hopefully the paperwork was in his office fax machine.

  16. At 7:45AM on 12:19, I advised them via email (I can't post the email because it contains contractual info regarding licensing etc). But here is how it begins

    quote:



    Eric,


    I'm going to try and send them this RC2 build for tomorrow (Sat), but,

    as I told you, I will try my utmost and make no promises. As you

    know, my daughter is sick and I'm home alone with her. Until 3.42pm

    yesterday, nobody told me they were going to replication today. You

    know the story.


    *snip*



  17. At 1:15PM on 12-20-03, I got this from their legal counsel.

    quote:



    Derek,


    Thank you for the email clarifying this. As we did not receive the RC2 build that Eric confirmed we would receive by today, we are proceeding this afternoon to replication of the RC1 build, as we previously informed you.


    Regards,




  18. At which point, it was all over. The decision was then made to contact one of our associate attorneys in Canada in order to obtain a TRO preventing them from distributing the RC1 build into the retail channel.

As it stands, we're not sending them anything. That advisory from them of Saturday, opens up a another can of worms. One of them being that if I sent them the RC2 build, it won't matter because they had already replicated a massive amount of RC1 builds. There were several contractual things that they were supposed to have done and which they hadn't up to that point. And if they agreed to not ship the RC1 builds, unless there was a contract ammendment in place, I could be charged back (quite a bit of money) for that expense. Even if there was a situation where they would send out replacement RC2 discs to everyone who purchase the RC1, someone has to foot the bill for it. Since they did this on their own, thats their expense. And since they've continued to act irresponsibly, they'd have to put in writing that they would foot the bill.

By shipping RC1 without my permission, they violate their licensing rights, my IP, and God only knows how many FTC regulations (think about the condition of the RC1 build and you'll get the picture). Not to mention leaving us open to a class action lawsuit.

Apart from their advisory that they were going ahead with the replication of the RC1, if I don't legally advise them of a breach and let something major like this slide, I sort of indemnify them of any and all claims, making me (the contract is personally guaranteed by me btw, hence the reason they were to send a contractual waiver of compliance) an accessory to their action.

Today, Eric and my attorneys in Canada are going to advise them via paperwork of their breach and my desire to protect my IP from damage and at any/all costs. Obtaining a TRO is not a big deal because my contract shows that I own the IP, that my company, rep, IP etc would be damaged if this RC1 build were to be allowed into the retail channel. With a TRO (which for expediatry reasons has to be taken out in Canada), they can replicate a million units, but will never ship them. And since a TRO requires a hearing in order to either (a) have it removed of (B) have it extended, if successful, the RC1 build will never enter the retail channel until the case is heard. Which could be 3-4 weeks, depending on the Canadian court system.

BUT. In the meantime, if they want to negotiate and get out of this mess, we are still offering them the RC2 burn, but only under the condition that if in fact the RC1 burn has been replicated, that they sign a document agreeing to destroy and never ship them and also that they do so at their expense. Unless and until officially confirm/deny the replication of RC1, we can't do anything.

Thats how things stand. And NO, nobody was holding them over a barrel about this product. I never wanted to ship the game in the RC2 state, but now I find myself forced to. If I don't do it, I come off looking difficult. And if I don't do something and the RC1 build ends up in the retail channel, I would have to patch it (thats what they are rather foolishly counting on), despite their breach of my IP and their illegal action of shipping a CRIPPLED game into the retail channel.

Because of this mess and give my daughter's condition, my vacation (to the UK, and which was planned and they *knew* about going back to Sept this year) is off and I'm stuck on this rock for now. I'm not doing any more new work on UC because I don't want to taint the RC2 build. Instead, I am going to work with the attorneys in order to avert this disaster and spend much needed time with my family. And possibly go back and work on the demo, using the RC2 code base.

At some point, someone in this industry HAS to take a stand against this sort of practice by publishers. And since I am faced with another recap of the 1996 Take2 fiasco, I'm going to do everything in my power to prevent it from ever happening again. Fact is I have shipped no less than four games since 1996 and NEVER had a SINGLE contractual or delivery problem with Interplay (BC3K v2.0 1998), EB (BCM 2001), nor Dreamcatcher (who shipped BCM Gold in March this year)

That's how things stand.

[ 12-22-2003, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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Jez I have to say when I heard you[sC]had signed the deal with Dreamcatcher for BCMG and BMG I thought it was a good thing. They seemed to know what they were doing with the release of BCMG and seemed releaxed enough about the work you were doing with BMG (now UC) but now I see they are just like every other publisher out there.

Consumed with numbers/profits and willing to screw over whomever they need to get a product out when they think they can make the most out of it, not seeming to care if it's finished or not.

GIVE EM HELL SC! and all I can say is that I and the community are behind you in WHATEVER you decide to do. Many of us have been here since the begining (not me but close after) and we have no intentions of abandoning you now.

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SC, I missed the whole Take2 disaster. I'm here for this one though.

Not that you need reminding, but let me just say this:

Your daughter and you are #1. DC can piss off because frankly you don't need them, they need you.

I gladly second Emmett in saying than I damn sure behind you in this 100 percent. Fight these twits till the bitter end.

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I dont want to repeat what everyone else has said but i think this is a really really ba situation, i never thought something could lead you guys there. The thing is, that they (DC) should know every bit of the contract Mr. Derek Smart made with them, and they, knowing what they can do and what the cant, do what the cant do.

I'm not anyone with a voice in that case but like i use to say (and pardon me if thats a bad traduction from spanish to english) "eye for sight and tooth for teeth" (instead of eye for eye, tooth for tooth)

I hope time shapes the tale to your side SC, all this trouble has cost you a lot , enen your own vacation, I hope for the best to happen to you!!!

Cheers

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My only regret is that I let them talk me into rebranding my franchise; only to be faced with a situation where the very first title in a new franchise (I own the Universal Combat IP as well) stands the risk of being tainted.

I never asked for this and I could have just refused back when they suggested it. Would the game have been delivered on time back then? Dunno and I can't speculate. All I know is, the game wouldn't have been subject to a Christmas rush if that were the case.

And some people seem to think that just renaming a game like BCG to something else is perfectly legal. Renaming a BC game as something else and putting it in a box in order to attract unsuspecting buyers, is bad enough as it is. That was the reason why I gave conditions under which I would agree to the name change. i.e. I would be allowed to revise some areas of the game for a more combat oriented focus that is in line with the new focus. I discussed all of this in interviews. Had I just gone ahead and renamed the game without adding the development time, we'd be faced with a different problem : shipping a Battlecruiser gaming and passing it off as something else. When the hardcore BC vets play the game, I am quite sure that the revised elements (which were NEVER in my original design) will be immediately identified as not being a style for the Battlecruiser games. I did try for a synergistic approach to catering to both the hardcore Battlecruiser fans and the casual action gamer. Now they want to ruin it all, piss away my hard work - and money - by shipping such a crippled build of the game.

I simply cannot understand this.

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Well IÔÇÖve been peering through the looking glass at all this trying to see a light at the end of it all but itÔÇÖs looking pretty bleak. Has there been any confirmation that DC has in fact replicated the RC1? If so, IÔÇÖm going to go ahead and cancel my pre-order. I certainly donÔÇÖt want to get stuck with a crippled game that will expire and never be patched. Too bad really. I had finally worked up the courage from the Take 2 fiasco to venture back to BattleCruiser only to relive it all again. Good luck SC and IÔÇÖll be looking in from time to time to see if UC ever sees the light of day. I sure hope it does.

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quote:


Originally posted by dirt12:

Has there been any confirmation that DC has in fact replicated the RC1?


No confirmation yet. Its only 09:38AM here and since its between the attorneys now, I suspect that I will hear something later today. As I said earlier, I will post news when I get it.

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btw

I just checked. The RC1 to RC2 patch is 3.5 MB because it only contains two executables, a new mission archive (missing from the RC1 build) and some revised docs.

And btw, because of the incorrect multiplayer executable in the RC1 build, multiplayer won't work out of the box without the RC2 patch. Which makes me wonder HOW they could possibly send me the all clear to go Gold on the RC1 burn.

Apart from that, since the RC1 burn won't have the SafeDisc signature, if I encode the RC2 patch executables with the SafeDisc license, they won't work.

EDIT. And just to keep track of everything, here is a post I made about the RC1 build which was sent to DC and the Gold status of the game. That post was carried by most of the online media on that day.

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This just sucks SC, you had to cancel your vacation because of this, well, one way to get you to do the Demo before the game is released, huh?

This must be REALLY aggravating, I know that I am a bit aggravated, I have never seen so much BS in my life, the GG threads, the DC threads etc, are pretty much trying to blame you for all this nonsense, when in fact you have told us exactly what you have been expecting to happen, and then DC tosses a curve ball for no apparent reason but to make you life miserable.

You have said EXACTLY what was going on, and EXACTLY what you have been expecting, people have called you dishonest, and to say that I went off is probably a bit of an understatement.

Anyway, I'm behind you 100%, you were totally honest with us, told us exactly what you were doing and exactly what you were expecting, it is DC that tossed in the curve ball and has createdc this little fiasco.

Keep to your guns, this is just too important to allow DC to pull another Take2 on you.

We're behind you SC, not a lot we can do but morally support you and defend you where we can, hopefully it will be enough.

Good Luck!!

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I'm very sorry for your daughter, I hope she'll be fine soon.

I'm sorry that you had to go through all this too!!!

However merry Christmas to you and all your dears.....hoping that the next year will bring a better situaiton.....

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This is about as bogus as it gets.

Sorry to say I have added another publisher to a growing boycott list.

I won't be giving them any of my money for fear of getting another unfinished product out of the box. Sorry SC.

"Load lawyer tubes 1, 2, and 3."

Prepare to fire!

Anyone wanna show some suits how the airlock functions?

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Sorry to hear about your daughter and loss of holiday, SC. Good luck with the arbitration/ lawsuit/ whatever ends up happening, but if they still won?t listen to reason?

As far as I can see, If most people here don?t think you?re going to release UC for free, then probably DC are going to think it?s an empty threat as well, and ignore it. I had an idea for a way of making it seem more of a real threat, or a plan of action if the worst comes to the worst.

*DISCLAIMER* This is only an idea, feel free to ignore, insult, modify it as required.

*snip*

EDIT: Thanks for your suggestions, but lets not get carried away Ben

[ 12-22-2003, 04:03 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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Hehe, nice ideas! However I just dont see an internet version being released. I've said before the ball is in your court SC. Say DC have replicated the RC1 already (which I find doubtful), who is going to buy a totally crippled game/coaster?? Nobody. DC are totally at the mercy of you SC. The NEED you to sell a single successful unit of UC.

Are you still taking a vacation to the UK? Not sure what you have planned but you should come to Wales on your visit (it's country within the UK for those who don't know). Your welcome to a guided tour! lol

Peter

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Quick update. I'm actually sitting at a Pediatrian right this minute sending this on my iPaq. Thank God for Sprint 1xRITT network. Anyway...

  1. This morning DC confirmed to my attorneys that they did in fact replicate the RC1 build.
  2. They've had several talks today and we've asked them for some legal paperwork to be done in exchange for me sending them an RC2 GM for replication. Part of the agreement is that - at their cost - they will destroy any/all replicated copies of RC1 and never release them into the retail channel. There are several other conditions we asked for, but once its all ironed out and signed, I will send out the RC2 build via Fedex. For contractual reasons, I can't be more specific, but rest assured, I'm doing EXACTLY what I set out to do - with or without their cooperation - and that is to 100% ensure that the RC1 build NEVER enters the retail channel and onto your HDD.

I hate this thumb keyboard, so I can't type any more. Will provide more update when I get back to my office later this afternoon.

Stay tuned!

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I dont believe what they did even when they know that the RC1 build is not capable to go public.If the game goes public with the RC2 build Mr.Smart will you release a patch for the rest of the fixes?Also is there a faq I could read for various questions about the new game besides searching the forums?Good luck.

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You know, it really amazes me -- you think DC's own QA team would be screaming at their bosses "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT EXPIRING MEANS?" Internal communication problems at DC in addition to the external ones?

SC's e-mails did seem to be English... Maybe they needed to be Elbonian.

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Long story short. We ALL win, like this:

  1. An unauthorized version of my game never enters the channel.
  2. Unsuspecting gamers (especially my very, very long time fanbase) don't get - yet another potential dud-in-a-box
  3. Dreamcatcher gets to avert a nasty lawsuit they stood ZERO chances of winning. EVER.

According to my attorney, the legal arrangements are final and a fax signed agreement will be dispatched hopefully by morning.

RC2 will be delivered to them upon receipt of the signed document. No, I'm not doing ANY cross shipping.

RC1 - all 30K (their numbers, not mine) copies they replicated - will be destroyed (at their expense) and never ship into retail. If even ONE of those copies enters the retail, well, lets not go there. Besides, any patches following the official 1.00.00 game version (RC2) will never patch any other version.

WARNING: If you receive a copy of the game and the version as displayed on the main menu reads 1.00.06.25, that is RC1. Contact me asap for a reward!!

We're done.

I know that a lot of people are going to turn this into a Derek Smart thing. Frankly, I don't give a toss. My main goal was to put enough pressure (public or otherwise) on DC in order to prevent this UNAUTHORIZED version of MY game from ILLEGALLY being stuffed into the retail channel.

Someone had to stand up to this rubbish and prevent it from happening again. I'm but one guy - the industry rebel and bad boy - but the industry can thank me later. Unfortunately, most devs don't own their own IPs, so some publishers are still going to be doing this crap.

This thread will self-destruct by tomorrow and be archived away from the public.

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