Aw c’mon Chet, clam up already!!! We get your point, m’kay?!?
Sorry to hear about your job loss Alan. Hang in there…it can’t get any worse.
You know what, Chet? Usually your “tell it like it is asshole” mode is kind of endearing.
But I have to wonder if you’ve ever had a “grown-up job.” If so, ever work for a company that has done things you didn’t agree with? Made bad decisions? Were you in a position where you could just say “screw it” and quit? Probably not, with rent to pay and a family to feed. And who knows, maybe you’d want to stick around and try to help keep the company from doing something else stupid in the future.
If Alan had been the one to say “ah, ship it, we need the cash,” then your attitude would be warranted. But he’s one employee of a larger company, and just because that company has done some boneheaded stuff (more than once) doesn’t mean the man deserves to be shit on when he’s looking for a little sympathy. Strategy First obviously has some execs who deserve to be reamed with hot pokers after the WW2OL and Strike Fighters BS, but that doesn’t justify your harping here.
And as for WW2OL, if you’re too much of a dumbass to read the online reaction threads or wait for a review before shelling out your $48.83, then how is that Alan’s fault?
“I’m not defending the release of a broken game, but why didn’t you wait for a demo or some reviews? Was someone holding an M1 carbine to your head and forcing you to buy the game on the day of release?”
You’re arguing that if Chet wasn’t forced to purchase the game, he has no room to complain? That’s some crazy obfuscating.
I find myself agreeing with Chet. The marketplace should punish companies that put out shoddy product and reward those that put out quality product. I wish it happened more often.
I don’t think his comments were aimed at Alan personally, at least initially, and Chet took pains to make that distinction.
I have mixed feelings, really. Did the game ship in the condition that it was promised? Not at all. But, from what I heard, they were dependable about issing patches, and with each patch bugs were fixed a new features were implemented. Does that excuse their shoddy release? Not at all. But a lot of companies have shipped stuff in almost as bad condition, and not bothered to fix it, or at least not in as timely a fasion.
My strongest criticism of Chet’s comments would be that he chose to make them in this thread, where Alan was looking for sympathy, rather than starting his own little “rant” thread. At least, that’s what I would have done.
And while he did make the point “at a personal level I feel bad for anyone laid off or having to look for work in this economy,” he focused very little on Alan’s personal situation.
So, while I don’t disagree with anything he said, and don’t think he was necessarily out of line on any level, I think he could have been a little more tactful. But, Chet’s not known for that. :)
Thanks for your comments, even you Chet :) … I appreciate them. Don’t worry I’ll bounce back some way…
As long as there’s still QT3! :)
— Alan
I don’t necesarily agree with the way Chet addressed this topic, but I do agree with his point. I have been a fan of 3DO’s High Heat series since day one. This year’s version was basically unplayable (I won’t go into detail, just read any review). But what pissed me off the most was the fact that 3DO did not release ANY patch to fix the myriad of problems within the game. They basically gave a big “FUCK YOU” to all of us that bought the game. And there seems to be nothing I can do about it except not purchase anything else from that company.
Does anyone have the CEO’s e-mail?!?
I was wondering how long it would take the Cover-Chet’s-Ass-Brigade to show up.
Just to point out: I’m not part of the brigade. I’ve never defended Chet before.
> was wondering how long it would take the Cover-Chet’s-Ass-Brigade to show up.
Well, nothing’s as annoying as anonymous pot-shots.
You’re arguing that if Chet wasn’t forced to purchase the game, he has no room to complain? That’s some crazy obfuscating.
If Chet really gave a damn about his $48, he wouldn’t blindly plop it down on a game in a high risk genre by an unknown developer. How long does it take to wait for the reader reviews to come in? Two-three days at most? It’s not like he was buying a Blizzard or Id title here with some reasonably guaranteed level of quality.
This is like going to a B movie on opening night, then complaining that it sucks and robbed you of your $7, everyone involved in it should lose their jobs, their dogs should be sodomized, their mothers should be shot, etc etc etc.
I understand the desire for developers to release competent games because it devalues the entire PC gaming market when clearly broken titles are released. Joe Public doesn’t know that Cornered Rat or whoever the hell developed it is an unknown developer… Joe Public doesn’t know that online-only games are one of the hardest kinds of games to develop… Joe Public just sees a fancy box on a shelf and assumes it’s going to work at least reasonably close to the way it says it will on the box. In that sense, I agree with what he is saying. On the other hand, I have a hard time seeing Chet as this erstwhile champion of the people, nobly defending them from broken games. Chet doesn’t care about any of that. It’s just another opportunity to trot out his tired old “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more” routine. But this time, he really means it.
I have zero sympathy for Chet’s $48. Chet isn’t Joe Public. He should absolutely know better-- this title was the junk bond of gaming. Ultra-high risk.
“This is like going to a B movie on opening night, then complaining that it sucks and robbed you of your $7, everyone involved in it should lose their jobs, their dogs should be sodomized, their mothers should be shot, etc etc etc.”
No, it’s more like going to a B movie on opening night, then several months later someone in a social gathering says to casual acquaintances at a party that he was just laid off from an unrelated job at the movie studio that released that movie, and he’s worried about his future now that he doesn’t have a job in a competitive industry. While other people are normal human beings, and offer the guy sympathy for his plight, there’s this one total nerdfreak who starts harranguing the guy about how this guy he’s never met is “responsible” for the loss of the money spent on the ticket months ago, and how he’s GLAD the guy is out of work, and won’t let go of this point, monopolizing the conversation, and coming off as a complete social retard. It’s something like that. One of those situations where everyone at the party is embarassed for even being in the same room.
I’ll put on some really sad violin music for Chet… no, wait, I won’t.
I think I’ll put on something with a ‘for whom the bell tolls’ attitude going. That’s where you’re headed, buddy. OMM fell apart, this site has fallen apart (again), and needless to say, some of the other “700” sites you host are falling apart.
Has-been. Never-was? Grow-up and get a real job, you lousy sack of shit. Otherwise, I’ll be knocking on your door when your “webmaster/hosting job” (emphasis on job) goes under. Laugh it in your face. Walk away happy.
Hey Alan,
I’m really sorry to hear this. When I was ‘working’ for Playnet, you were straight up with me the whole way, even cutting me loose from having to write a promised article for you when it became evident that Playnet couldn’t (or didn’t want to) pay me. I remember stuff like this.
You’ll bounce back. Hang in there. Best of luck.
DeanCo–
Alan,
Sorry to hear about the layoff. Lots of good people on the beach right now…
My recommendation is to contact Mark Mencher or Melanie Cambron at Virtual Search (www.vsearch.com). To my experience, they have the greatest sense of honor in the industry and honestly try to match you up with valid positions, instead of shot-gunning your resume to every possible job listing. They are also discreet and have tons of experience and contacts in the industry.
Good luck!
-Jess
Naturally, but of course
I don’t think his comments were aimed at Alan personally, at least initially, and Chet took pains to make that distinction.
…and therein lies that rub - thats what most of us take exception to. Its not like, Alan, or most of the lower echelon, have much say in release decisions anyway.
Yep, Mark’s a great guy - known him over the years. Give him a call, Alan!
Alan, sorry to hear about you getting laid off. And Chet whining about WW2OL in this thread is just stupid. Christ companies I have worked for have done tons of stupid things but I would still expect people to be understanding if I got let go especially since I had no control over those things. It is classless for you to bring it up in this thread.
Alan drop me a line from your current email when you get a chance.
– Xaroc
This thread’s funny. People are decrying what they consider to be a personal attack…by making personal attacks! Everyone loses!
Ok officially registered now :)
I think some people absorbed the whole “I hope everyone that works for the company never works in this industry again” vein of rhetoric and decided that perhaps Chet went a little too far.
Anyway I dunno what to say, but to say thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions, I really appreciate their support and input.
— Alan
Yeah, because those from a “Met_K,” “Xaroc,” or a “deanco”, etc., have so much more resonance and credibility because they’re man enough to sign their Internet handle to their post. They are truly brave men. Or women. Or kids.
What’s annoying to me is dismissing anonymous posts solely because they’re posted anonymously, particularly if they make a valid point.
(Not that this is a particularly good example, but anyway, I’ve seen other cases where people make a valid point anonymously, and rather than address them, people will merely dismiss them outright and comment on their anonymity, thereby ducking the issue. Which bugs me.)
Blah. “Ralph Nelson” may have been lurking on the forum for years and may have posted hundreds of messages under various handles. Or it may be Tom Chick posting from an Internet cafe in Prague, where he’s apparently wearing a beret and smoking cigarettes while hanging out with stringy haired and tattooed Eurotrash.