Star Citizen - Chris Roberts, lots of spaceship porn, lots of promises

JeffL · 2015-10-06T15:28:34.000Z

I wish Derek wasn’t such a big part of the story/discussion; just because you don’t like Derek doesn’t mean CIG isn’t a massive smoke and mirrors operation. Clearly Roberts has made Derek his obsession; his response to the Escapist’s article is “DEREK SMAAAAAARTTTTTT!!!”

But I will say that letter from a real attorney did make the letter from Robert’s “attorney” that much more laughable. This is not an attorney that doesn’t even know the difference between libel and slander.

Fifth_Fret · 2015-10-06T16:40:08.000Z

Of all the ways this project could fail, getting involved in an undoubtedly expensive legal (potentially libel) dispute with Derek Smart is probably the last thing I would have expected. Though when I saw Chris Roberts posting responses as open letters, the thought did occur…

And as everyone has already pointed out, why is the lawyer of all people coming across as the only sane and reasonable adult here?

BadSport · 2015-10-06T19:00:43.000Z

Star Citizen - starring Gary Oldman as Chris Roberts?

Who would want them to be boring and just make a game when we have all this?

Outstanding work.

Destarius · 2015-10-06T20:12:39.000Z

Fifth Fret:

Of all the ways this project could fail, getting involved in an undoubtedly expensive legal (potentially libel) dispute with Derek Smart is probably the last thing I would have expected. Though when I saw Chris Roberts posting responses as open letters, the thought did occur…

And as everyone has already pointed out, why is the lawyer of all people coming across as the only sane and reasonable adult here?

You’re referring to Derek’s lawyer right? That is easy - he isn’t invested and is being paid to do his job. And presuming not being interfered with (given Derek’s references about deleting stuff based on legal advice).

JonRowe · 2015-10-06T20:58:30.000Z

Just read the letter from Smart’s lawyers.

oof.

That is how you do lawyerin’.

Timex · 2015-10-07T05:29:46.000Z

But Derek Smart has no actual legal basis for any of his nonsense.

He tried to trick CIG into not refunding him, to preserve some weak notion that he still had some stake in it and was being wronged somehow… but now he doesn’t even have that. They gave his money back. He’s done with it.

No court is going to give him the time of day in a complaint where he gave someone $60, and then they returned that money to him later.

Jason_Levine · 2015-10-07T06:01:05.000Z

I skimmed the letter from Smart’s lawyers and really didn’t see any nonsense in it. It’s a repudiation of SC’s defamation claims and a warning to them not to proceed down that path. I didn’t see any claim that SC owed Smart money for failure to deliver, but I might have missed that. In any case, it kind of turns things on their head from the Battlecruiser 3000/Usenet flame wars days, when it was Derek threatening everyone with libel suits.

ArmandoPenblade · 2015-10-07T06:04:05.000Z

I think I see the width and breadth of it now:

First, the team Kickstarts successfully, scamming money for a nonexistent pre-order.

Then, the team spends 3 years selling virtual ships for a game that doesn’t–and will never–exist.

Then, the team drums up some fake drama with a conspiratorial troll and, in order to cover their legal expenses, runs a second Kickstarter.

Then, when the entire thing flames out and falls apart, they make one last gigantic cash-out by selling rights to their story to Hollywood.

Who directs the resulting picture?

Chris Roberts.

rhamorim · 2015-10-07T06:57:16.000Z

Armando Penblade:

Who directs the resulting picture?

Chris Roberts.

Which, if feature films directed by Chris Roberts are any indication, will be a massive failure…

…starting the cycle anew.

rhamorim · 2015-10-07T07:00:44.000Z

Timex:

But Derek Smart has no actual legal basis for any of his nonsense.

Actually, he has now. If Chris Roberts would keep it quiet and don’t make it personal, you’d be right. But now things have changed.

Timex:

No court is going to give him the time of day in a complaint where he gave someone $60, and then they returned that money to him later.

That will not be his complaint (though he might use that fact as evidence for slander). Read the lawyer letter. Really.

ArmandoPenblade · 2015-10-07T07:03:48.000Z

rhamorim:

Which, if feature films directed by Chris Roberts are any indication, will be a massive failure…

…starting the cycle anew.

Ah, but you see, the movie itself is in fact just a front for a The Producers-style scam.

It’s scams within scams, gentlemen. Scams all the way down.

JonRowe · 2015-10-07T07:03:58.000Z

Timex:

But Derek Smart has no actual legal basis for any of his nonsense.

He tried to trick CIG into not refunding him, to preserve some weak notion that he still had some stake in it and was being wronged somehow… but now he doesn’t even have that. They gave his money back. He’s done with it.

No court is going to give him the time of day in a complaint where he gave someone $60, and then they returned that money to him later.

Except when he fired back at Derek Smart in a seemingly defamatory way.

This is why you don’t have your CEO publish manifestos publically.

JonRowe · 2015-10-07T07:04:51.000Z

Armando Penblade:

Ah, but you see, the movie itself is in fact just a front for a The Producers-style scam.

It’s scams within scams, gentlemen. Scams all the way down.

Sir, I like the way you think.

Timex · 2015-10-07T07:10:02.000Z

Jon Rowe:

Except when he fired back at Derek Smart in a seemingly defamatory way.

This is why you don’t have your CEO publish manifestos publically.

The idea that Derek Smart could actually win a case about someone defaming HIM, when his freaking job seems to be talking trash while pretending to make shitty games, is kind of laughable.

Derek Smart makes legal threats. That’s what he does. He freaking threatened to sue something awful for saying his game was shitty (which it was). He’s not important.

rhamorim · 2015-10-07T07:13:39.000Z

Timex:

The idea that Derek Smart could actually win a case about someone defaming HIM, when his freaking job seems to be talking trash while pretending to make shitty games, is kind of laughable.

Derek Smart makes legal threats. That’s what he does. He freaking threatened to sue something awful for saying his game was shitty (which it was). He’s not important.

Yeah, he’s so not important that Chris Roberts completely ignored him, because why would he bother at all?

Oh wait…

Destarius · 2015-10-07T07:15:57.000Z

Timex:

The idea that Derek Smart could actually win a case about someone defaming HIM, when his freaking job seems to be talking trash while pretending to make shitty games, is kind of laughable.

Derek Smart makes legal threats. That’s what he does. He freaking threatened to sue something awful for saying his game was shitty (which it was). He’s not important.

I think what I find hilarious is that Derek Smart found someone he could possibly win a defamation case against.

hepcat · 2015-10-07T07:18:58.000Z

Stepsongrapes:

Hard? It’s friggin’ impossible to like any of them.

This. It’s like listening to Hitler argue ethics with Stalin.

BadSport · 2015-10-07T07:23:07.000Z

You didn’t read the letter Timex. It’s ok. It’s not particularly edifying anyway.

I know what will make us feel better. Let’s all buy some more ships!

rhamorim · 2015-10-07T07:23:54.000Z

hepcat:

This. It’s like listening to Hitler argue ethics with Stalin.

Heh. Godwin’s Law never fails, though it took longer than I expected to show up in this thread.

And most surprisingly, since Chris Roberts is the most charismatic one, I guess that makes him Hitler? :)

lordkosc · 2015-10-07T07:28:15.000Z

Juan and this very Q3t thread just got mentioned on PCgamesn!

PCGamesN

Star Citizen's pace of funding has accelerated, and it's powered by new backers

Nothing can keep a sufficiently-propelled spaceship down. According to the income tracker on the Star Citizen site, and confirmed by Cloud Imperium, the mammoth space sim’s pace of funding has significantly increased in the past few months. Fancy...

*not PC gamer, yeah I can’t read.