Old Reliable SES
eddys...@hotmail.com
Who do you turn to when news is slow ?
That's right - our ol' pal JR has been at it again
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?97890-Computer-Crash-reactivating-licenses
The usual stuff : HD crash, can't get the game to run again, contact
SES support, no response, indications of an insanely complicated
(re)activation system, calling people who point that out trolls etc.
One thing to note though : there's going to be a new DRM scheme - the
third already after the first was definitively declared to be etched
in stone. Let's see how they again manage to screw it up in a novel,
never seen before way. <picks up a bag of popcorn>
SES & JR : DRM free entertainment for the whole wargame family.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
21g2000prv.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> One thing to note though : there's going to be a new DRM scheme - the
> third already after the first was definitively declared to be etched
> in stone. Let's see how they again manage to screw it up in a novel,
> never seen before way. <picks up a bag of popcorn>
I loved the bit as the new DRM is characterized by, "Norm has been
busy."
Is that what fans of the game want Norm to be busy on?
If there are any "fans" left besides the obvious, of course.
--
Giftzwerg
***
"If only there were some ... natural mechanism by which to explain
variations in global temperature. It would have to be massive, though.
On the scale of our own Sun."
- Ace of Spades
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <26e02d63-9764-4c3c-b66c-39fd5c2ef571@
>
> > One thing to note though : there's going to be a new DRM scheme - the
> > third already after the first was definitively declared to be etched
> > in stone. Let's see how they again manage to screw it up in a novel,
> > never seen before way. <picks up a bag of popcorn>
>
> I loved the bit as the new DRM is characterized by, "Norm has been
> busy."
My top rating goes to JR trying to explain there's a difference
between sending a mail to sessu...@stormeaglestudios.com and
sup...@stormeaglestudios.com.
They're a *huge* company you know, with thousands of products, so
their helpdesk staff is split-up into various divisions spread out
over multiple locations.
> Is that what fans of the game want Norm to be busy on?
Given the amount of problems with their DRM, the answer just might be
"yes" on that :)
As the second incarnation of the DRM was actually *worse* from a
customer pov than the first I'm really looking forward to this 3rd
version. DNA/blood testing isn't all that unlikely anymore.
> If there are any "fans" left besides the obvious, of course.
I'm always amazed by the amount of crap some people are willing to
accept and endure. Sheep will be sheep I guess.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
Turns out the guy who suffered the breakdown is actually the moderator
for the SES forum :)
"No other company supports its products like we do." - JR
Nope, they sure don't.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@u6g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> My top rating goes to JR trying to explain there's a difference
> between sending a mail to sessu...@stormeaglestudios.com and
> sup...@stormeaglestudios.com.
>
> They're a *huge* company you know, with thousands of products, so
> their helpdesk staff is split-up into various divisions spread out
> over multiple locations.
<laughter>
... and your call may be monitored to assure quality service. By the
Call-Monitoring Division, HR Branch, Headquarters block, Administration
Building C.
It's just behind Conference Center III.
> > Is that what fans of the game want Norm to be busy on?
>
> Given the amount of problems with their DRM, the answer just might be
> "yes" on that :)
I just transferred to a new, lightweight laptop, and the contrast
between the three levels of DRM is just amazing:
(1) BATTLES FROM THE BULGE. I connected to my home server, opened my
registration code .txt file, copied my serial, double-clicked on the
installer, inserted my serial at the prompt. Done. Game installed and
100% fully playable.
(2) Windows 7 itself. Installed and clicked on "Activate." The
routine ground for a few moments as the activation server counted my
installs, found it to be less than XX, and gave me "Successful." Done.
(3) Adobe Photoshop.
And here we go. First, pull up PhotoShop on my old laptop - which,
thank god, was still working - and go to the routine to deactivate my
license. Now, in this history of software, this has *never* worked, and
it didn't work this time. It tells me "NO CONNECTION."
OK, so I use this "NO CONNECTION" PC to surf to the Adobe site and open
a chat window. To make a long story short(er) about a half-hour later I
had my PhotoShop installed and working. Spent about as much time
getting PhotoShop working as installed Windows, Office, and my games.
> As the second incarnation of the DRM was actually *worse* from a
> customer pov than the first I'm really looking forward to this 3rd
> version. DNA/blood testing isn't all that unlikely anymore.
>
> > If there are any "fans" left besides the obvious, of course.
>
> I'm always amazed by the amount of crap some people are willing to
> accept and endure. Sheep will be sheep I guess.
Yep. And Adobe I need. SES I don't.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <7f29ec97-49a3-4969-8df8-5429f12ffd63
> > They're a *huge* company you know, with thousands of products, so
> > their helpdesk staff is split-up into various divisions spread out
> > over multiple locations.
>
> <laughter>
>
> ... and your call may be monitored to assure quality service. By the
> Call-Monitoring Division, HR Branch, Headquarters block, Administration
> Building C.
>
> It's just behind Conference Center III.
I think it's just hilareous how SES employees try to keep the fiction
alive there's actually multiple people working in their support
department alone
SES == Jim Rose, Norm Koger, Jim Weller and Steve Estes. That's it. I
wouldn't be at all surprised if their "support department" is actually
just JR looking at a mailbox every couple of days during lunch, and if
you're lucky, update your activation database entry from "stinkin'
pirate" to "barely tolerated customer"
Let's do the math here people : at least 2 people work in support (if
you believe a SES employee), 5 years at 40K each a year makes 400K.
And that's without the infrastructure/hardware. I'm ROTFL that the
sheep actually believe that crap about support for a game that barely
sold a couple of thousand units at $80 a pop.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
29g2000prb.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> > > If there are any "fans" left besides the obvious, of course.
> >
> > I'm always amazed by the amount of crap some people are willing to
> > accept and endure. Sheep will be sheep I guess.
>
> Turns out the guy who suffered the breakdown is actually the moderator
> for the SES forum :)
<laughter>
Yah. I noticed that, too. Nice to see that SES doesn't discriminate
when it comes to serving up exactly the same fine support experience to
both loyal fanboys *and* poor schmucks who just happened to buy the
game.
Even-handed, this.
> "No other company supports its products like we do." - JR
'Tis true.
Jaz
news:26e02d63-9764-4c3c...@21g2000prv.googlegroups.com:
> http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?97890-Computer-Crash-reactiv
> ating-licenses
What a jerk. It's satisfying to know that I've never sent him as much as a
red cent (thanks to the group here!). Yet I have gotten some good
entertainment from JR/SES (and from all the Harpoon stuff, as well).
Considering I didn't spend a single dollar on their products, I'd call that
a major win.
What do you say about people who keep going back for more beatings at the
hands of JR?
eddys...@hotmail.com
> What do you say about people who keep going back for more beatings at the
> hands of JR?
Well, they're certainly not quitters :)
I know someone who got himself the game - he knew fully well what he
was getting into, but his argument was : know any other 3D Jutland
game ?
I kinda see his point, so if you're a naval buff you might grit your
teeth and bare it as there's no alternative.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@c39g2000yqi.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> > What do you say about people who keep going back for more beatings at the
> > hands of JR?
>
> Well, they're certainly not quitters :)
>
> I know someone who got himself the game - he knew fully well what he
> was getting into, but his argument was : know any other 3D Jutland
> game ?
>
> I kinda see his point, so if you're a naval buff you might grit your
> teeth and bare it as there's no alternative.
True enough. There are games that I'd "grit my teeth" and buy even at
the expense of DRM - just as there are applications (the aforementioned
PhotoShop) that I can't see myself doing without.
And perhaps there's hope yet. Lots of publishers release games with
heavy DRM and then relax it down the road when interest in the game is
at such a low ebb that piracy is virtually non-existent (if it ever
existed in the first place...). My CD copy of HTTR, for example, has a
"need-CD" routine, but one of the patches along the way removed this. I
would hope that every publisher would do something along those lines.
DISTANT GUNS, for example, is ... what, six years old now? How much
interest can there be in stealing something that's so outdated? If
anything, you'd think it would end up on GOG.com for $4.99 and gamers
could check it out for "app" pricing.
KG_Jag
> In article <2507c818-03c7-4fc4-b5f6-17b929326d97
One week and counting since the opening email of this thread and still
no working game. Hell--no email for the prize winning SES "support
staff" has been received by the star crossed gamer/GS forum mod/long
time defender of SES and its DRM.
Somehow I don't think that SES DRM v3.0 will be a serial number
activation system.
Exactly how much cost/gross (much less net) income does that tiny
outfit need to bare until they smell the coffee? Or maybe their DRM
has become "a mission from God."
Graham Thurlwell
<eddys...@hotmail.com> wrote:
<snip>
> I know someone who got himself the game - he knew fully well what he
> was getting into, but his argument was : know any other 3D Jutland
> game ?
Peter Turcan's Dreadnoughts, although it isn't the full number of
ships - computers back in 1992 couldn't handle a battle of that size.
If it wasn't for the DRM, I probably would've been interested in both
of those SES naval games.
--
Jades' First Encounters Site - http://www.jades.org/ffe.htm
The best Frontier: First Encounters site on the Web.
nos...@jades.org /is/ a real email address!
HermanH
Wonder if SES would consider just buying out the Harpoon developers,
AGSI, so that all the clowns could be under the same tent. :-)
Giftzwerg
5e62cb...@i25g2000prd.googlegroups.com>, wbur...@netscape.net
says...
> One week and counting since the opening email of this thread and still
> no working game. Hell--no email for the prize winning SES "support
> staff" has been received by the star crossed gamer/GS forum mod/long
> time defender of SES and its DRM.
>
> Somehow I don't think that SES DRM v3.0 will be a serial number
> activation system.
I'd give you better odds that the Dallas Cowboys can somehow pull out an
NFL championship on Super Sunday 2011...
Wait, what?
> Exactly how much cost/gross (much less net) income does that tiny
> outfit need to bare until they smell the coffee? Or maybe their DRM
> has become "a mission from God."
I think you're exactly right; there's a tendency in business to "double
down" on previously-made decisions. At this point, any backsliding
would be seen - by such lunatics - as a tacit admission that the
original DRM was a huge mistake.
Can't have that. Wouldn't be prudent.
But hope springs eternal. I truly wouldn't mind owning (*owning*,mind
you...) DISTANT GUNS. I still extend my original position; I'd pay good
money for any Norm Koger game.
I hope to buy one in my remaining years. A long time ago, I voiced a
sad lament:
"Dammit! I should be Koger's best customer!!!"
I'd like to be that again.
Giftzwerg
265af7...@a28g2000prb.googlegroups.com>, herm...@gmail.com says...
> > What do you say about people who keep going back for more beatings at the
> > hands of JR?
>
> Wonder if SES would consider just buying out the Harpoon developers,
> AGSI, so that all the clowns could be under the same tent. :-)
In my secret heart-of-hearts, I was hoping that the agreement between
Matrix and AGSI could mean AGSI was out on the street and that Matrix
could assign real programmers with real credentials to the project.
I'm thinking along the lines of the amazingly good update to TOAW that
Ralph Trickey and the TOAD bunch meant for that excellent game.
Best money I ever spent. And I was already happy indeed with all the
TOAW games I had already bought.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In my secret heart-of-hearts, I was hoping that the agreement between
> Matrix and AGSI could mean AGSI was out on the street and that Matrix
> could assign real programmers with real credentials to the project.
Was that a secret ? I think more than one poster in here wrote the
above wish verbatim.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
> One week and counting since the opening email of this thread and still
> no working game. Hell--no email for the prize winning SES "support
> staff" has been received by the star crossed gamer/GS forum mod/long
> time defender of SES and its DRM.
Update : it's working now, and in true sycophantic style he's now
claiming that "SES was doing nothing wrong" and that it was all his
mistake.
> Exactly how much cost/gross (much less net) income does that tiny
> outfit need to bare until they smell the coffee? Or maybe their DRM
> has become "a mission from God."
If you describe your DRM with the words "etched in stone" - literally
- one may wonder ...
A fact that needs to be kept in mind : JR is a millionaire - he can
afford to spend some money on a hobby project.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Vincenzo Beretta
> at the hands of JR?
That probably they cannot afford beatings from both Harpoon and JR.
Vincenzo Beretta
> your teeth and bare it as there's no alternative.
Uh? Beside WC:NAW, even HPS's "Jutland" is better once you install the free
patch that gives you all the other navies (thus de facto upgrading the OOBs
for the scenario editor to WC:NAW's standards)
Vincenzo Beretta
>> between Matrix and AGSI could mean AGSI was out on the street
>> and that Matrix could assign real programmers with real
>> credentials to the project.
> Was that a secret ? I think more than one poster in here wrote
> the above wish verbatim.
Did I mentioned that on Matrix's Harpoon board this NG is "Persona Non
Grata"?
I voted for the NG as "'Pooner of the Year" for "...The most perceptive,
continued, non partisan and insightful analysis of Harpoon over the years,
and expecially during difficult times". They didn't took this well :o)
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
Those ain't got those lovely 3D ship models and here your magic eye in
the sky can fly over the line and admire the view of battleships
broadsiding each other.
Some in here tend to discount good graphics, I don't - they're a major
selling point.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
> >> In my secret heart-of-hearts, I was hoping that the agreement
> >> between Matrix and AGSI could mean AGSI was out on the street
> >> and that Matrix could assign real programmers with real
> >> credentials to the project.
> > Was that a secret ? I think more than one poster in here wrote
> > the above wish verbatim.
>
> Did I mentioned that on Matrix's Harpoon board this NG is "Persona Non
> Grata"?
Yup, you already did.
To be fair, it's reciprocal as for many in here Harpoon is "Programma
Non Grata" :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
> Somehow I don't think that SES DRM v3.0 will be a serial number
> activation system.
The cat is out of the bag.
SES DRM 3.0 : one-time activation upon install.
Which still means you're up a manure-filled creek without a propellant
device when (not if) JR shuts it all down.
I seriously fear for the day they finally get the clue that having a
system based on customer faith in a company doesn't work well with
their openly disdainfull attitude towards customers.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@s28g2000prb.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> > Somehow I don't think that SES DRM v3.0 will be a serial number
> > activation system.
>
> The cat is out of the bag.
>
> SES DRM 3.0 : one-time activation upon install.
>
> Which still means you're up a manure-filled creek without a propellant
> device when (not if) JR shuts it all down.
>
> I seriously fear for the day they finally get the clue that having a
> system based on customer faith in a company doesn't work well with
> their openly disdainfull attitude towards customers.
Still, though, this is a (small) step in the right direction - that
insane, Byzantine scheme they've been using is a crawling horror.
I know, I know; that's like saying lethal injection is preferable to
being broken on the wheel, but perhaps as time passes the "Gold" version
might just have a serial.
At that point, I might give it a look.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <b6b860f6-4975-4cd6-a6a2-d7c2c0d915b1
>
> > > Somehow I don't think that SES DRM v3.0 will be a serial number
> > > activation system.
>
> > The cat is out of the bag.
>
> > SES DRM 3.0 : one-time activation upon install.
>
> > Which still means you're up a manure-filled creek without a propellant
> > device when (not if) JR shuts it all down.
>
> > I seriously fear for the day they finally get the clue that having a
> > system based on customer faith in a company doesn't work well with
> > their openly disdainfull attitude towards customers.
>
> Still, though, this is a (small) step in the right direction - that
> insane, Byzantine scheme they've been using is a crawling horror.
It's so Byzantine I doubt even JR fully knows how it works given how
poorly he's been able to explain the procedural difference between
trying to activate a game and re-activate it.
> but perhaps as time passes the "Gold" version
> might just have a serial.
I just don't see it happening. Dropping the activation would mean a
total loss of face so given his personality I expect to see pigs
develop wings first.
> At that point, I might give it a look.
Who wouldn't ? It's a Norm Koger game after all.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@x5g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> > Still, though, this is a (small) step in the right direction - that
> > insane, Byzantine scheme they've been using is a crawling horror.
>
> It's so Byzantine I doubt even JR fully knows how it works given how
> poorly he's been able to explain the procedural difference between
> trying to activate a game and re-activate it.
It would be easier to explain solving systems of quadratic equations
than try to wrap my noodle around their ridiculously overcomplicated
scheme.
The world has come to a pretty turn when we'd need Bletchley Park to
fully understand a game's activation system.
> > but perhaps as time passes the "Gold" version
> > might just have a serial.
>
> I just don't see it happening. Dropping the activation would mean a
> total loss of face so given his personality I expect to see pigs
> develop wings first.
The maddening thing is that if SES were as responsible as Microsoft (!),
I wouldn't hesitate to go with a one-time / install activation. I just
transferred to a *second* new laptop (the first was was DOA), and had to
call the MS phone support line to activate Office. Took five minutes to
get fixed up; the only thing they asked for was the product code.
Looked it up, discovered I hadn't installed the thing 500 times, gave me
the unlocker. Done.
> > At that point, I might give it a look.
>
> Who wouldn't ? It's a Norm Koger game after all.
I'm pretty sour on the whole thing, though.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <098aaa73-8825-4d27-a315-cda0b09011b6
>
> > > Still, though, this is a (small) step in the right direction - that
> > > insane, Byzantine scheme they've been using is a crawling horror.
>
> > It's so Byzantine I doubt even JR fully knows how it works given how
> > poorly he's been able to explain the procedural difference between
> > trying to activate a game and re-activate it.
>
> It would be easier to explain solving systems of quadratic equations
Oh, but *that* is pretty simple :) - those got drilled into me when I
was 15 and I still know the formulas by heart :)
[Insert rant against math teachers who insist on making things
abstract instead of showing their pupils why a working knowledge of
combinatorial math is helpful and useful in life - brought on by me
having spend last Sunday morning teaching that to a friend's kid. Same
bloody teacher that fubar'ed the math education of his oldest daughter
too - why can't we just fire those who are totally inept at
teaching ? ]
> than try to wrap my noodle around their ridiculously overcomplicated
> scheme.
>
> The world has come to a pretty turn when we'd need Bletchley Park to
> fully understand a game's activation system.
Yup, and if we'd let them : a different cypher for each game too.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Holdit
81f271...@m27g2000prj.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> On 1 feb, 11:54, Giftzwerg <giftzwerg...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > In article <098aaa73-8825-4d27-a315-cda0b09011b6
> > @x5g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, eddyster...@hotmail.com says...
> >
> > > > Still, though, this is a (small) step in the right direction - that
> > > > insane, Byzantine scheme they've been using is a crawling horror.
> >
> > > It's so Byzantine I doubt even JR fully knows how it works given how
> > > poorly he's been able to explain the procedural difference between
> > > trying to activate a game and re-activate it.
> >
> > It would be easier to explain solving systems of quadratic equations
>
> Oh, but *that* is pretty simple :) - those got drilled into me when I
> was 15 and I still know the formulas by heart :)
>
> [Insert rant against math teachers who insist on making things
> abstract instead of showing their pupils why a working knowledge of
> combinatorial math is helpful and useful in life
I remember having a lightbulb moment many years ago when reading about
WW2 submarine fire control solutions in the manual for Silent Service on
the C64. "So trigonometry really can be used for something useful...
fancy that..."
> - brought on by me
> having spend last Sunday morning teaching that to a friend's kid. Same
> bloody teacher that fubar'ed the math education of his oldest daughter
> too - why can't we just fire those who are totally inept at
> teaching ? ]
>
An old maths tacher of mine in secondary school had an unfortunate habit
throwing theorems up on the blackboard at breakneck speed then erasing
ir and giving homework based on it. Her explanations were so rapid-fire
and user unfriendly that people just stopped asking. One morning, not a
single student had completed his homework because they just didn't
understand what had been taught the previous day. Even the class swots
were flummoxed. This resulted in a loud "For fuck's sake..." and she
stormed up to the blackboard to repeat the previous day's lesson. She
must have learned something from the experience, though, because I seem
to remember it got easier after that.
I suppose it's true of many teachers, but I always got the impression
that she really knew her stuff when it came to maths, but that she just
didn't know how to teach it effectively.
Holdit
--
"The army works like this: if you hang a man and he dies, then keep on
hanging him until he gets used to it."
(Spike Milligan)
eddys...@hotmail.com
> I suppose it's true of many teachers, but I always got the impression
> that she really knew her stuff when it came to maths, but that she just
> didn't know how to teach it effectively.
The problem is : we're not paying them to know math, we're paying them
to teach it. And math teachers overwhelmingly suck at that so there's
something seriously wrong with the selection process. That, or there's
a world-wide conspiracy going on.
As to my friend's kid : I happen to know that math teacher - back when
we were kids she was the weird girlfriend of the brother of a good
friend of mine - and anyone who thinks she was ever fit to teach math
to kids should get his head examined.
Talking about getting his head examined : I recently learned that my
old math teacher got put on disability leave - serious mental problems
- didn't surprise me at all - that guy once flunked our entire class -
well, he didn't exactly outright flunk us, he just gave a bunch of 16-
year old highschool students the exact same questions he got in
college on that subject and scored us accordingly. Cuckoo even back
then.
The end result of this ? Innumeracy - mathematical illiteracy - is
rampant among the general population. What this leads to and why it
effects me so much is stuff for another rant :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
HermanH
wrote:
Old Reliable SES? How about "Old Reliable AGSI"? Say what you will
about SES, but at least they are open about the activation
requirement. It seems as though AGSI is selling a game that is
restricted by some kind of time deadline.
"Meeting same problem even if I didn't reinstalled HUE. Got the
message "temporary version ending on 02/01/2011"."
and
"AAAARGH!!!! I just bought this last night and I am getting the same
messages. I havn't even been able to play yet. HELP!"
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2711795&mpage=1&key=�
eddys...@hotmail.com
> It seems as though AGSI is selling a game that is
> restricted by some kind of time deadline.
What's the problem ? - that is pretty standard practice for beta
products :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
81f271...@m27g2000prj.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> > It would be easier to explain solving systems of quadratic equations
>
> Oh, but *that* is pretty simple :) - those got drilled into me when I
> was 15 and I still know the formulas by heart :)
>
> [Insert rant against math teachers who insist on making things
> abstract instead of showing their pupils why a working knowledge of
> combinatorial math is helpful and useful in life - brought on by me
> having spend last Sunday morning teaching that to a friend's kid. Same
> bloody teacher that fubar'ed the math education of his oldest daughter
> too - why can't we just fire those who are totally inept at
> teaching ? ]
Exactly. I never seemed to get those teachers who could tie the math
(except geometry) to the real world in some meaningful way. I still
haven't the foggiest clue what "trigonometry" is for - and I *aced the
course*!
I felt like a Cargo Cultist.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <94da267d-789d-4351-a553-
> 81f27133f...@m27g2000prj.googlegroups.com>, eddyster...@hotmail.com
> says...
>
> > > It would be easier to explain solving systems of quadratic equations
>
> > Oh, but *that* is pretty simple :) - those got drilled into me when I
> > was 15 and I still know the formulas by heart :)
>
> > [Insert rant against math teachers who insist on making things
> > abstract instead of showing their pupils why a working knowledge of
> > combinatorial math is helpful and useful in life - brought on by me
> > having spend last Sunday morning teaching that to a friend's kid. Same
> > bloody teacher that fubar'ed the math education of his oldest daughter
> > too - why can't we just fire those who are totally inept at
> > teaching ? ]
>
> Exactly. I never seemed to get those teachers who could tie the math
> (except geometry) to the real world in some meaningful way. I still
> haven't the foggiest clue what "trigonometry" is for - and I *aced the
> course*!
>
> I felt like a Cargo Cultist.
Some years ago my brother in law had a problem. There's a woods behind
his house that's not maintained (judicial dispute) and the trees in it
are getting really old and really tall. He wondered whether or not one
of those trees falling in a winter storm could reach his house. I said
"that's easy, just measure how tall the trees are, then measure the
distance to your house" - he looks at me and says "sure, I'll get the
tape measurer, you climb the tree"
That's when I explained to him that measuring the height of a tree
from the ground is pretty easy : just keep some ruler in a 45 degree
angle in front of your eyes - walk back from the trees and stop where
the top of the tree lines up with the ruler. The distance you're now
from the base of the tree is its height. Basic trigonometry. He was
amazed - they never told him any practical use of trigonometry in
school either.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@g1g2000prb.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> That's when I explained to him that measuring the height of a tree
> from the ground is pretty easy : just keep some ruler in a 45 degree
> angle in front of your eyes - walk back from the trees and stop where
> the top of the tree lines up with the ruler. The distance you're now
> from the base of the tree is its height. Basic trigonometry. He was
> amazed - they never told him any practical use of trigonometry in
> school either.
Geometry, innit? Ye Olde right triangle theorem, so long as your tree
is basically standing straight up. Trig is that nonsense with sines,
cosines, and ... I forget.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <36d35490-1e53-41cd-9133-3e18d819c9a6
>
> > That's when I explained to him that measuring the height of a tree
> > from the ground is pretty easy : just keep some ruler in a 45 degree
> > angle in front of your eyes - walk back from the trees and stop where
> > the top of the tree lines up with the ruler. The distance you're now
> > from the base of the tree is its height. Basic trigonometry. He was
> > amazed - they never told him any practical use of trigonometry in
> > school either.
>
> Geometry, innit? Ye Olde right triangle theorem, so long as your tree
> is basically standing straight up. Trig is that nonsense with sines,
> cosines, and ... I forget.
Yes and no.
That rule of measuring the height of something is easiest to implement
with a 45 degree angle, but it works with every angle, where the
triangle theorem doesn't apply.
The height of the tree is sine of the angle of the rule from the
horizontal times the distance to the tree divided by the sine of 90
degrees minus that angle - easy ain't it ? :)
(At 45 degrees the sines cancel each other out)
Ok, a more wargamey example : ever seen a WW2 vintage optical distance
measurer ? 2 occulars spaced a known distance from each other and the
angle they make lining up to the same point in the distance give you 2
angles and a base which allow you to calculate all the measurements of
a triangle, including the "height" of it. The trick is that the
underlying calculations can be done mechanically so that you can read
the distance to the target on the device itself without having to whip
out a calculator or sine tables.
Another wargame example : Battle of Britain - distance and heading of
incoming raids was based on triangular calculations on data from
coastal radar stations and listening devices.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Ramble
wrote:
Reflex is a printing paper supplier in Australia. It has come to
light that they use Native Forests to make their sheets of paper. The
following was reported on Crikey.
"No complaints paper trail at Reflex. Australian Paper, makers of
Reflex, are not too keen on customer feedback. When their customers
started asking them via their Facebook page about their role in
driving native forest destruction, their response was to delete all
the comments they didn't like. Then they deleted their entire Facebook
profile. Then they turned off comments on their blog. Is there any way
customers CAN ask these questions without being censored?"
I seems to me the best way is to chat about it, online, to each other,
pesky critters that they may be.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> Then they deleted their entire Facebook
> profile. Then they turned off comments on their blog. Is there any way
> customers CAN ask these questions without being censored?"
People have described me as strange because I take the character and
attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
that.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
HermanH
wrote:
>
> People have described me as strange because I take the character and
> attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
> buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
> that.
>
> Greetz,
>
> Eddy Sterckx
I'll be sure to remind you of this statement if/when Red Pill appears.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> On Feb 4, 1:31 am, "eddyster...@hotmail.com" <eddyster...@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> > People have described me as strange because I take the character and
> > attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
> > buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
> > that.
>
So far their attitude looks to me as cocky/confident - given they've
got a number of people on board who know their stuff, they just might
pull it off.
You seem to have a different opinion - did they ban you already ? :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
HermanH
wrote:
People who go through this much effort to sabotage the gameplay of
others earn themselves an eternal blackmark
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?23874-Unannounced-Database-changes
Sadly, technical aptitude does not equate to moral rectitude, but
ymmv. :-)
Giftzwerg
e15944...@u14g2000vbg.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> > Then they deleted their entire Facebook
> > profile. Then they turned off comments on their blog. Is there any way
> > customers CAN ask these questions without being censored?"
>
> People have described me as strange because I take the character and
> attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
> buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
> that.
I feel this way only with "marginal" designers and game systems. IE,
the guys who have built the FALLOUT franchise - all of them - could kill
baby rabbits with ball-peen hammers, and I'd still buy their games. I
wouldn't like their behavior, but I'd swallow my ethics and go for the
sheer entertainment value.
It's the same in media. Roman Polanski is probably a vile rapist, but
that doesn't mean CHINATOWN and THE PIANIST aren't truly great films
which I shouldn't deny myself.
Does this make me a "bad" person?
Giftzwerg
@w7g2000pre.googlegroups.com>, herm...@gmail.com says...
> > People have described me as strange because I take the character and
> > attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
> > buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
> > that.
> I'll be sure to remind you of this statement if/when Red Pill appears.
Why? Are the RED PILL guys evil or something?
Giftzwerg
d73769...@b8g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> > I'll be sure to remind you of this statement if/when Red Pill appears.
>
> So far their attitude looks to me as cocky/confident - given they've
> got a number of people on board who know their stuff, they just might
> pull it off.
>
> You seem to have a different opinion - did they ban you already ? :)
Heh. Probably, Job #1 among naval warfare developers is banning
Hermann.
Tradition.
Vincenzo Beretta
(Waves)
My experience at finding bugs and problems in things run by them led exactly
to that :o)
Bostonmyk
>
> Sadly, technical aptitude does not equate to moral rectitude, but
> ymmv. :-)
This would be our take on it
http://www.warfaresims.com/?cat=129
Thanks
Bostonmyk
wrote:
Bottom line is we're developing the game we want to play and
everything else comes after that. The testing plan does include waves
of testers starting with people we know and and ending with people we
really don't. A couple of the guys have mentioned pitching Usenet at
the end as you guys are the sample population and less apt to hold
back due to history and the medium.
Will try and be a little better with posting screenshots and the
"what's up" posts but been a few births, marriages etc. the last few
that have impacted how much time we have to do that. Those are good
things! If you can think of anything we can do to better communicate
let us know though! The PR part of this is really one of the hardest
things and there's no manual.
Thanks Eddy!
MM
Mike Kreuzer
> In article<82b99704-3b92-42c4-a64b-
> d73769...@b8g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
> says...
>
>>> I'll be sure to remind you of this statement if/when Red Pill appears.
>>
>> So far their attitude looks to me as cocky/confident - given they've
>> got a number of people on board who know their stuff, they just might
>> pull it off.
>>
>> You seem to have a different opinion - did they ban you already ? :)
>
> Heh. Probably, Job #1 among naval warfare developers is banning
> Hermann.
>
> Tradition.
>
Rum, buggery, the lash & banning Herman - it's often misquoted. <g>
Regards,
Mike Kreuzer
www.mikekreuzer.com
Vincenzo Beretta
No. The history of the arts is full of masterpieces done by people with a
sordid life or worse: Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Baudelaire... and we don't
really know if the architect of Cheope's pyramid was a saint.
The mixing of private life with artistic expression is a recent thing: but
should we apply the same principle to the arts as a whole I guess we could
ditch half of the history of the world.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <eed563e4-9d87-4acd-90a2-
> e15944f9d...@u14g2000vbg.googlegroups.com>, eddyster...@hotmail.com
> says...
>
> > > Then they deleted their entire Facebook
> > > profile. Then they turned off comments on their blog. Is there any way
> > > customers CAN ask these questions without being censored?"
>
> > People have described me as strange because I take the character and
> > attitude of a developer or company into account when making the buy/no-
> > buy decision on a product. I find it weird that not everyone does
> > that.
>
> I feel this way only with "marginal" designers and game systems. IE,
> the guys who have built the FALLOUT franchise - all of them - could kill
> baby rabbits with ball-peen hammers, and I'd still buy their games. I
> wouldn't like their behavior, but I'd swallow my ethics and go for the
> sheer entertainment value.
>
> It's the same in media. Roman Polanski is probably a vile rapist, but
> that doesn't mean CHINATOWN and THE PIANIST aren't truly great films
> which I shouldn't deny myself.
>
> Does this make me a "bad" person?
I'm absolutely not in the business of forcing my own precious belief
system onto others - that would be contradictory as well because it's
basically "live and let live" - but I'm the sort of guy who threw away
his Cat Stevens records after I heard him make excuses for the 9/11
terrorists.
And yes, Roman Polanski has been on my blacklist for years too - I
don't care how great his movies are.
In a sense I'm killfiling particular nasty people out of my real life
too.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
Ain't it typical that the 2 biggest pain-in-the-butt guys for naval
wargame developers are well-respected in here ? :)
.. either we *really* get the flotsam or else the cream - pick your
choice :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
> > Does this make me a "bad" person?
>
> No. The history of the arts is full of masterpieces done by people with a
> sordid life or worse: Michelangelo,
What did he do except being a Scrooge ?
> Van Gogh
A miser, but that's hardly a crime
> Baudelaire
Apart from a couple of thousand people he bored to death with his
tripe, what did he do ?
> The mixing of private life with artistic expression is a recent thing: but
> should we apply the same principle to the arts as a whole I guess we could
> ditch half of the history of the world.
We could discuss percentages until we're blue in the face, but I never
fealt I missed something by ditching the more sordid characters
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
> I just don't see it happening. Dropping the activation would mean a
> total loss of face so given his personality I expect to see pigs
> develop wings first.
Even SES fans are now making fun of his DRM fetish/paranoia
I found this extremely funny :)
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?95564-New-release-eh&p=1361820&viewfull=1#post1361820
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Vincenzo Beretta
> never fealt I missed something by ditching the more sordid characters
Try reading this: youy could be surprised :o)
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Under-Saturn-Character-Classics/dp/1590172132
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
A wargame buddy just lend me his classic collection of books from
Stuart Asquith, Donald Featherstone and other wargaming giants so I'm
happy reading those for the moment instead of tales of how weird and
whacky artists are ... as if I didn't know that :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
> What a jerk. It's satisfying to know that I've never sent him as much as a
> red cent (thanks to the group here!). Yet I have gotten some good
> entertainment from JR/SES (and from all the Harpoon stuff, as well).
> Considering I didn't spend a single dollar on their products, I'd call that
> a major win.
He did it again !!!
Guy buys the game, game won't run, submits a ticket - nothing.
Then he posts about "Mickey Mouse Support" and JR goes ballistic :)
Enjoy :
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98535-Jutland-Activation-Problem&p=1362628#post1362628
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Jaz
news:badc44cb-7c1b-42e0...@u17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:
> http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98535-Jutland-Activation-Pro
> blem&p=1362628#post1362628
Where would Jim Rose be without his lab rats (aka "paying customers")?
eddys...@hotmail.com
> "eddyster...@hotmail.com" <eddyster...@hotmail.com> wrote innews:badc44cb-7c1b-42e0...@u17g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:
>
> >http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98535-Jutland-Activation-Pro
> > blem&p=1362628#post1362628
>
> Where would Jim Rose be without his lab rats (aka "paying customers")?
Distant Guns came out 5 years ago and their ambition was to conquer
the wargame world once again, become a, if not *the* major publisher,
just like they did with Talonsoft.
5 years later and they've published 1 additional game. Major fail.
Predictable and predicted in here. They supposedly got a new game
coming out shortly, but who cares ? These days I just check them out
for their forum antics.
I know they read this ng, so here's one to ponder : ain't it a bit sad
when people are more excited about what screw-ups will be in your next
DRM version than in your next game ?
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
HermanH
<eddyster...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I know they read this ng, so here's one to ponder : ain't it a bit sad
> when people are more excited about what screw-ups will be in your next
> DRM version than in your next game ?
>
> Greetz,
>
> Eddy Sterckx
And the same for Harpoon. The game's too buggy to even bother
playing. The real fun lies in finding the bug(s) most embarassing to
AGSI. :-)
eddys...@hotmail.com
> Where would Jim Rose be without his lab rats (aka "paying customers")?
Here's what happened to another paying customer.
Guy notices there's a new ship pack out and posts about it on
GameSquad
http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98738-What!-No-mention-of-this-yet.
"What! No mention of this yet.
Downloading in about 15 minutes..."
His next post :
"OK, I am confused already...
The Dogger Bank website says 24.95
The cart/order page says 54.95...
What am I missing? "
[SES accidentally left the "buy" button active on their test page -
with a wrong price to boot]
Clearly we have someone here who was jumping at the gun to buy the
game, a cherished customer as it were
When he gets the explanation as to why *he* is wrong and not SES he
replies :
"I'm just saying I am not sure I have ever seen a company have so many
small screw ups and poor PR combined, regardless of size."
which makes JR go so ballistic he answers this same post twice
The first :
"heh woody,
Heres how much I know about making computer games...
Want to see my awards?
NJAWARDS_01_lg_2.jpg
These include 4 Wargame of the Year awards from PC Gamer & Computer
Gaming World.
Norm & I were making PC Games while you were still in diapers and the
Russians were still Communist.
BTW: This does not show my 1994 cover of Computer Gaming World.
Wanna see it?"
The second :
"You have no idea what your talking about.
All you see is a tiny little bit of the Bowsprit sticking out.
There are litteraly THOUSANDS and Thousands of items and actions that
must take place for everything to go like clockwork.
This does not include the hundreds of thousands of lines of code.
You know nothing about what it takes to make and publish computer
games.
Have fun around here. Soon you and your flunkys will have this place
all to your self. You and the tumble weeds have fun!
Were really gonna miss you.......NOT!
PS: Dont bother following us when we leave...."
-
These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
greener pastures.
JR moderating his own forum - think about how great that would be :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Holdit
@k18g2000vbq.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> On 21 feb, 18:36, Jaz <j...@jaz.jaz> wrote:
>
> Norm & I were making PC Games while you were still in diapers and the
> Russians were still Communist.
>
Meanwhile, the poster has grown up and the Russians have moved on...but
JH on the other hand...
Even better quote: "Ya know, we could find a cure for cancer and you
would find something wrong...."
Hmmmmmmm. If he found a cure for cancer I'm betting it would make chemo
and radio therapy look like attractive options. :-)
Holdit
--
"The army works like this: if you hang a man and he dies, then keep on
hanging him until he gets used to it."
(Spike Milligan)
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <5d741525-fe69-471d-8cef-610a2dc15328
>
> > On 21 feb, 18:36, Jaz <j...@jaz.jaz> wrote:
>
> > Norm & I were making PC Games while you were still in diapers and the
> > Russians were still Communist.
>
> Meanwhile, the poster has grown up and the Russians have moved on...but
> JH on the other hand...
... is busy creating fake awards for his game
Here's what he claims :
"Cyberstrategy Awards Jutland Prestigious Golden Laurels"
http://www.stormeaglestudios.com/public/html/se_news_v3.html
Here's what he actually got : a plain ol' silver award - about as rare
as bugs in Harpoon :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@k18g2000vbq.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> "I'm just saying I am not sure I have ever seen a company have so many
> small screw ups and poor PR combined, regardless of size."
>
> which makes JR go so ballistic he answers this same post twice
>
> The first :
>
> "heh woody,
>
> Heres how much I know about making computer games...
>
> Want to see my awards?
>
> NJAWARDS_01_lg_2.jpg
> These include 4 Wargame of the Year awards from PC Gamer & Computer
> Gaming World.
>
> Norm & I were making PC Games while you were still in diapers and the
> Russians were still Communist.
>
> BTW: This does not show my 1994 cover of Computer Gaming World.
>
> Wanna see it?"
It always delights me when some gomer goes off on all The Mythical Shit
He Was Up To In 1994. In a computing context, it's especially delicious
- like someone from Microsoft responding to a bug in Windows Server 2008
by starting to gabble about the wonders of DOS 5.0.
> The second :
>
> "You have no idea what your talking about.
>
> All you see is a tiny little bit of the Bowsprit sticking out.
>
> There are litteraly THOUSANDS and Thousands of items and actions that
> must take place for everything to go like clockwork.
True of every business venture since the first flint-knapper opined, "I
bet Kroog would give me a whole elk-hide for one of these spearheads!"
> This does not include the hundreds of thousands of lines of code.
>
> You know nothing about what it takes to make and publish computer
> games.
And b'rer Kroog, of course, wasn't interested in *making* spearheads -
he wanted only to *buy* a spearhead ... and get one that worked as
advertised ... and get back to his elk-stalking gig.
> Have fun around here. Soon you and your flunkys will have this place
> all to your self. You and the tumble weeds have fun!
>
> Were really gonna miss you.......NOT!
>
> PS: Dont bother following us when we leave...."
I can only marvel at this. Here at $ork, any erstwhile "salesperson"
who treated a customer in this fashion would ... well, we'd have to
anchor The Big Boss down so he didn't (literally) enter low-Earth orbit
from the steam shooting out of his ass.
> These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
> example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
> trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
> greener pastures.
>
> JR moderating his own forum - think about how great that would be :)
Ripped from the pages of He Who May Not Be Named.
--
Giftzwerg
***
"Congressional ethics:
Texting shirtless pictures = reason to resign in disgrace.
Spending $1.5 trillion you don't have = Wednesday."
Giftzwerg
c1103c...@a5g2000vbs.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> Here's what he claims :
>
> "Cyberstrategy Awards Jutland Prestigious Golden Laurels"
>
> http://www.stormeaglestudios.com/public/html/se_news_v3.html
>
> Here's what he actually got : a plain ol' silver award - about as rare
> as bugs in Harpoon :)
>
> http://www.cyberstratege.com/magazine/blog/2009/01/11/jutland-la-nouvelle-reference-du-combat-naval/2/
I hear you get the silver for keeping your bowel movements regular.
Jaz
news:5d741525-fe69-471d...@k18g2000vbq.googlegroups.com:
> These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
> example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
> trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
> greener pastures.
I love this comment, there are people out there that will put up with
anything; JR's success, I suppose, is in making them his customer base:
"Hey, $25 is a real bargin for this series, never mind the knockers Jim, you
have enough real customers who will stick with you guys."
This comment is a warning to all of us about the dangers of excessively
narrow focus in life (a familiar type in all forums):
"Oh man! Whoo-hoo! Fantastic news! Awesome! Brilliant! Thank you SES!
Hahaha, I'm still punch-drunk. German ACs! Yes! YES! YESYESYESYESSS!"
Who would ever have thought that German ACs could inspire such rapture?
HermanH
> In article <5d741525-fe69-471d-8cef-610a2dc15328
>
> > On 21 feb, 18:36, Jaz <j...@jaz.jaz> wrote:
>
> > Norm & I were making PC Games while you were still in diapers and the
> > Russians were still Communist.
>
> Meanwhile, the poster has grown up and the Russians have moved on...but
> JH on the other hand...
>
> Even better quote: "Ya know, we could find a cure for cancer and you
> would find something wrong...."
>
> Hmmmmmmm. If he found a cure for cancer I'm betting it would make chemo
> and radio therapy look like attractive options. :-)
>
> Holdit
>
> --
> "The army works like this: if you hang a man and he dies, then keep on
> hanging him until he gets used to it."
> (Spike Milligan)
If SES found a cure for cancer, they would 'license' the cure and
charge you $$$ / month via their 4th generation DRM system. Failure
to pay would result in them re-introducing the cancer back into your
system.
KG_Jag
fishing) trophies.
So JR--no mention of your great business success with SES and one of
the greatest wargame designers on the planet?! Why not?
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <5d741525-fe69-471d-8cef-610a2dc15328
> It always delights me when some gomer goes off on all The Mythical Shit
> He Was Up To In 1994. In a computing context, it's especially delicious
> - like someone from Microsoft responding to a bug in Windows Server 2008
> by starting to gabble about the wonders of DOS 5.0.
Look at it this way : what stellar achievements can he point to in
this millenium ?
- no thousands upon thousands of customers flocking to the SES banner
like back in the Talonsoft days
- no developers lining up to let SES publish their games
He's a has-been and he knows it. If we weren't mentioning his antics
in here his games wouldn't get talked about at all outside the very
tiny circle of The Faithfull.
> > There are litteraly THOUSANDS and Thousands of items and actions that
> > must take place for everything to go like clockwork.
>
> True of every business venture since the first flint-knapper opined, "I
> bet Kroog would give me a whole elk-hide for one of these spearheads!"
I do happen to know a thing or two about developing software and
releasing it to a couple of thousand of customers. But "Thousands and
thousands" of items on the release checklist ? Is he starting up a
newly build nuclear powerplant or simply adding a new sales item to
his existing store ? A dozen items to check - maximum - so little in
fact that I think they didn't even bother with a real checklist and
were winging it, resulting in the fubars as described.
> > This does not include the hundreds of thousands of lines of code.
>
> > You know nothing about what it takes to make and publish computer
> > games.
>
> And b'rer Kroog, of course, wasn't interested in *making* spearheads -
> he wanted only to *buy* a spearhead ... and get one that worked as
> advertised ... and get back to his elk-stalking gig.
The funny thing being that the guy he's insulting here actually *does*
know what it takes - he's a software engineer as well.
> > Have fun around here. Soon you and your flunkys will have this place
> > all to your self. You and the tumble weeds have fun!
>
> > Were really gonna miss you.......NOT!
>
> > PS: Dont bother following us when we leave...."
>
> I can only marvel at this. Here at $ork, any erstwhile "salesperson"
> who treated a customer in this fashion would ... well, we'd have to
> anchor The Big Boss down so he didn't (literally) enter low-Earth orbit
> from the steam shooting out of his ass.
At some point I wonder if the reward JR is seeking with this SES
business venture is not money and recognition, but the ability to
insult people and get away with it.
> > These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
> > example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
> > trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
> > greener pastures.
>
> > JR moderating his own forum - think about how great that would be :)
>
> Ripped from the pages of He Who May Not Be Named.
A dim-witted and watered down version of it - the original is always
better than the wannabe :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
3863c4...@d12g2000vbz.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com
says...
> > I can only marvel at this. Here at $ork, any erstwhile "salesperson"
> > who treated a customer in this fashion would ... well, we'd have to
> > anchor The Big Boss down so he didn't (literally) enter low-Earth orbit
> > from the steam shooting out of his ass.
>
> At some point I wonder if the reward JR is seeking with this SES
> business venture is not money and recognition, but the ability to
> insult people and get away with it.
See, I mention The Big Boss partially because he wouldn't trust himself
to interact with one of $ork's customers, and so employs professional
Customer Service people to respond to complaints and concerns. It
amazes me to see a business that depends on customer service allowing
the owner to get pissed off and flame at those very customers.
> > > These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
> > > example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
> > > trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
> > > greener pastures.
> >
> > > JR moderating his own forum - think about how great that would be :)
> >
> > Ripped from the pages of He Who May Not Be Named.
>
> A dim-witted and watered down version of it - the original is always
> better than the wannabe :)
I'm waiting for The Attack On The Coke Machine, 2011 version.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <a3de2e98-1bbc-4114-a678-
> 3863c4ada...@d12g2000vbz.googlegroups.com>, eddyster...@hotmail.com
> says...
>
> > > I can only marvel at this. Here at $ork, any erstwhile "salesperson"
> > > who treated a customer in this fashion would ... well, we'd have to
> > > anchor The Big Boss down so he didn't (literally) enter low-Earth orbit
> > > from the steam shooting out of his ass.
>
> > At some point I wonder if the reward JR is seeking with this SES
> > business venture is not money and recognition, but the ability to
> > insult people and get away with it.
>
> See, I mention The Big Boss partially because he wouldn't trust himself
> to interact with one of $ork's customers, and so employs professional
> Customer Service people to respond to complaints and concerns. It
> amazes me to see a business that depends on customer service allowing
> the owner to get pissed off and flame at those very customers.
>
> > > > These last couple of sentences are pretty interesting. Not only as an
> > > > example of how not to address a guy who posted about his problems in
> > > > trying to buy your game, but also that they're leaving GameSquad for
> > > > greener pastures.
>
> > > > JR moderating his own forum - think about how great that would be :)
>
> > > Ripped from the pages of He Who May Not Be Named.
>
> > A dim-witted and watered down version of it - the original is always
> > better than the wannabe :)
>
> I'm waiting for The Attack On The Coke Machine, 2011 version.
To refresh the memory :)
"Computer Gaming World Magazine - December 1996 Issue 149 p.34
Battlecruiser Captain Makes Last Stand
BC 3000 Designer Protests Game's Release, Citing Bugs
(graphic consisting of photo cut-out of DS, standing hands in pockets
with thought balloon filled with bugs/insects)
Seven years in development, Derek Smart's BC 3000 finally shipped in
mid-October, but not without a last-minute fight from the game's
embattled creator. According to sources within Take 2, designer/
programmer Smart was removed from Take 2's Latrobe, PA, production
facility following a heated
dispute over the company's plans to release the game.
Smart was subsequently banned from Take 2 's offices, and the company
reportedly hired a security
team to guard their offices for the last week of production.
Officially, Take 2's offices had no comment on the incident.
Privately, however, sources within the company indicated that Smart
was removed by police and that he attacked a Coca-Cola machine during
the incident. Smart confirmed that a blowup had occurred, though he
denied any physical violence.
According to Smart, the confrontation occurred as a result of Take 2's
intention to master and ship the game in spite of a number of known
bugs in the final copy. "They just wanted to make their release date,
and instead of waiting two weeks [for patches] they are shipping the
game without a bug
test," he said. "Seven years of development went into making this
game and now it is going to ship with bugs. It is stupid not to take
two more weeks."
Smart did not refer to his online comments of last year at this time
that all that was keeping the game from shipping was "the manual."
BATTLECRUISER has a long and interesting history in the industry,
having gone through numerous revisions and changes of personnel and
producers before being signed by Take 2. Smart confirms he has
acquired a reputation of being "eccentric and difficult to get along
with."
A source near the development team who refused to be named said that
working with Smart was like being in the movie Apocalypse Now.
"You're on a boat ride and you can't even imagine what is lying at the
end of the ride," the source quipped."
-
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Jaz
news:MPG.27d8199e95fa0a389896d1@localhost:
> It amazes me to see a business that depends on customer
> service allowing the owner to get pissed off and flame at those very
> customers.
>
Classic tinpot in action.
Vincenzo Beretta
Shoud JR decide that *everybody* has to follow the same rules, he will be
unable to post on his own forum :^D
This reminds me of a Politics forum we have in Italy. Of course the
moderators promise hell and the lash to anyone posting things that contain
"turpiloquy, racial offences, instigation to violence, personal menaces
etc." First thing everybody points out is how these rules effectively ban
the posters from reporting the words of any Italian politician :^D
Vincenzo Beretta
The standard, approved answer over here is "They make the current fumble
even more amazing".
Vincenzo Beretta
> by police and that he attacked a Coca-Cola machine during
> the incident.
For some reason this always reminded me of Valentina Cortese's character in
"Day for Night" by Truffaut: a burned out, has-been actress that - an her
swan song - battles against a door and is defeated by it. One of the
funniest scenes I have seen at the movies.
Vincenzo Beretta
> you SES!
> Hahaha, I'm still punch-drunk. German ACs! Yes! YES! YESYESYESYESSS!"
> Who would ever have thought that German ACs could inspire such
> rapture?
This is a common reaction shared by many gamers - usually when the broken
game they support gets a patch that fixes three bugs, moving the code from
"early alpha" to "mid-alpha". I guess it has something to do with Stockholm
syndrome
eddys...@hotmail.com
The even more correct answer being : these awards were won by the game
*developers*. Back in the Talonsoft days he was credited on their
games as "Executive Producer" - the money guy/owner - and Talonsoft
went from a 20 employee company to a 50 one so one could say that as
long as he wasn't personally in charge of handling mundane release
tasks himself all went well and the awards came streaming in. Now he
is and there's fubars all over the place.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
topher
eddys...@hotmail.com
> Now it looks like they let their domain expire. Priceless...
Couldn't believe it but they actually did ! - it expired today
http://www.stormeaglestudios.com/
ROTFLMAO
I wonder if he'll get an award for this - something like the Darwin
Award, but then for wargame publishers
What's their PayPal account ? - I'm sending him $5 for all the
entertainment he provides.
.. what would be cool is that someone is so pissed off by JR that he
picks up the domainname :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
> I wonder if he'll get an award for this - something like the Darwin
> Award, but then for wargame publishers
He's getting sloppy in his old age - the trademark for Age of Rifles
expired too
http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78682300
This means anyone could bring an "Age of Rifles" game on the market
today ...
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
topher
Unfortunately GoDaddy will hold the domain for the owner for a period
of time before allowing others to purchase it. I think it's at least
30 days from the date of expiration. The truly amazing thing is that
you can set it auto renew, so you don't even have to think about it.
Even if it isn't set to auto renew, they email you a bunch of times
before the expiration date reminding you to renew. So someone had to
miss all those emails too.
Gives you a lot of confidence in them as a company ;)
topher
HermanH
>
> - Show quoted text -
All those warning e-mail notices probably went to the same place his
customers' desperate pleas for help go. And JR will be more than
happy to prove that his server never received any such e-mail.
Jaz
@i39g2000prd.googlegroups.com:
> Unfortunately GoDaddy will hold the domain for the owner for a period
> of time before allowing others to purchase it. I think it's at least
> 30 days from the date of expiration. The truly amazing thing is that
> you can set it auto renew, so you don't even have to think about it.
> Even if it isn't set to auto renew, they email you a bunch of times
> before the expiration date reminding you to renew. So someone had to
> miss all those emails too.
Those emails went into the junk folder. Along with all the customer support
emails coming in.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> He tried to play it off as a server switch. Too funny...
>
> http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98847-Oh-Jim....
How stupid does he really think his customers are ?
I also like the way he repeatedly informs his customers that they are
extremely happy about leaving GameSquad and are saying bye bye to all
of them. Must be really comforting to those poor sods depending on his
goodwill to keep "their" game running.
My guess is that they're going to set up their own forum so that he
can play King again and decide who gets to post and who is banished
from the land. I don't think I need to apply :)
It's a bit funny that I just realized that of all the people with a
superiority complex I've ever come across, his is the least warranted.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Dimensional Traveler
> On 3 mrt, 17:21, topher<pdqp...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> He tried to play it off as a server switch. Too funny...
>>
>> http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98847-Oh-Jim....
>
> How stupid does he really think his customers are ?
>
customers. :-D (I'm joking! I'm joking!!)
--
"There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a
stick."
eddys...@hotmail.com
> On 3/3/2011 11:41 PM, eddyster...@hotmail.com wrote:> On 3 mrt, 17:21, topher<pdqp...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> He tried to play it off as a server switch. Too funny...
>
> >>http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?98847-Oh-Jim....
>
> > How stupid does he really think his customers are ?
>
> If you have to ask, you're almost stupid enough to be one of his
> customers. :-D (I'm joking! I'm joking!!)
I think it's easily visible in the forum that JR is the *least* mature
person in there both in tone, (naval) knowledge and even spelling/
grammar.
The most obnoxious kid on the block is just allowed to play along
because he owns the football, not because he's fooling anyone.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
topher
Very. He has strong supporting evidence in the fact that they continue
to deal with him.
> My guess is that they're going to set up their own forum so that he
> can play King again and decide who gets to post and who is banished
> from the land. I don't think I need to apply :)
I'm sure they have a lengthy 'prebanned' list that includes anyone
posting to this group. Rose's enemies list.
eddys...@hotmail.com
Some say he's paranoid, I say that you're not paranoid if there are
*really* people out there out to get you ...
What I hear from industry insiders is that he screwed over so many
people and made so many enemies in the business that he's rightly
worried.
But those are not the people in here or in "his" forum but what
happens is that in an Ebenezer Scrooge kind of way he's seeing ghosts
*everywhere* and interprets *everyhing* as a move against him, even
where people are genuinly trying to help as in that "your domain
expired" thread.
Same thing happened in here with Norm Koger - we tried to warn him for
what has happened : that he'd become marginalized as a developer and
drop from a household name to a virtually unknown. We were right, yet
we are the Bad Guys in his eyes.
Maybe he's fine with that, maybe a steady, monthly wage from JR is all
that he really needs. Oh, well, tonight is gamenight and I'll be
playing wargames all day tomorrow at the Ghent wargame convention so I
don't really need his stuff
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Vincenzo Beretta
> for what has happened : that he'd become marginalized as a developer
> and drop from a household name to a virtually unknown. We were
> right, yet we are the Bad Guys in his eyes.
I saw the same thing happen twice (at least as far this NG is concerned):
with Norm Koger and with Matrix & Harpoon. Both cases share some key
elements: the "obviousness" of which argument is better, the high level of
intelligence and insight usually shown by the people involved (Koger and
Matrix), and how the two things somehow failed and still fail to connect -
even after the "it will not end well" prophecies started to into their
respective real bad endings. Maybe it's a sort of behavioural archetype.
topher
wrote:
> Same thing happened in here with Norm Koger - we tried to warn him for
> what has happened : that he'd become marginalized as a developer and
> drop from a household name to a virtually unknown. We were right, yet
> we are the Bad Guys in his eyes.
>
> Maybe he's fine with that, maybe a steady, monthly wage from JR is all
> that he really needs. Oh, well, tonight is gamenight and I'll be
> playing wargames all day tomorrow at the Ghent wargame convention so I
> don't really need his stuff
I think he probably is okay just getting his steady paycheck. He gets
to work on one game at a time, essentially a game of his choosing, and
he can do it quietly in the background. Despite JRs abrasive public
persona, I'm sure he and NK get along well. From NKs perspective, it
must be a pretty sweet job as long as JR keeps cutting the checks.
HermanH
wrote:
Just as futile as trying to tell Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan that
"Drugs are bad for you."
KG_Jag
Battlefront's Steve Grammont), it's sad to see the self made demise of
a former luminary in the wargaming community. Both are truly managers
who you do not want anywhere near a customer, potential customer or
any form of direct communication with same.
I too have heard from reliable sources how JR dynamited his bridges
with wargame designers during his reign at Talonsoft. Now it appears
that the only way he can get a quality wargame designer to work with
him is to buy one. And one is apparently all he can afford--at least
for a time.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> I too have heard from reliable sources how JR dynamited his bridges
> with wargame designers during his reign at Talonsoft. Now it appears
> that the only way he can get a quality wargame designer to work with
> him is to buy one. And one is apparently all he can afford--at least
> for a time.
He's actually got 3 people working for him full-time
Jim Weller - the history buff, scenario creator
Steve Estes - the graphics guy / 3D modeller
Norm Koger - the coder
Anyway, today should be D-Day for his new DRM scheme - the suspense is
killing me :)
As to his remaining loyal customers - I'm starting to think there's
something wrong with those guys :
"I hear the young-un (okay my teens) chant how great download stuff
is. That was until steam wouldn't let my son play empire total war for
an entire college semester and my daughter lost her HD to a virus and
trashed all her I-tune downloads...lol
Ya, I'm old fashion. Give me the disks...lol I like the product in
hand, at least I get the "feeling" like to have some control on all
these flakey distributors "
That guy is so pro-SES conditioned that he just does not seem to
realize that the very same brick wall his kids ran into is right
before his nose as well. Of course, idiocy being genetic would explain
a lot.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
topher
<eddyster...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Anyway, today should be D-Day for his new DRM scheme - the suspense is
> killing me :)
>
> As to his remaining loyal customers - I'm starting to think there's
> something wrong with those guys :
>
> "I hear the young-un (okay my teens) chant how great download stuff
> is. That was until steam wouldn't let my son play empire total war for
> an entire college semester and my daughter lost her HD to a virus and
> trashed all her I-tune downloads...lol
>
> Ya, I'm old fashion. Give me the disks...lol I like the product in
> hand, at least I get the "feeling" like to have some control on all
> these flakey distributors "
>
>
> That guy is so pro-SES conditioned that he just does not seem to
> realize that the very same brick wall his kids ran into is right
> before his nose as well. Of course, idiocy being genetic would explain
> a lot.
>
> Greetz,
>
> Eddy Sterckx
They keep pushing the date on the new release. It's now Mar 18-25 (you
need to click through to the full Ship Pack 2 page here:
http://www.stormeaglestudios.com/public/aspp/games/5872/index.asp ) I
liked this one reponse:
"March 18-25th now.. Why not just put.. "so yeah... whenever.. I
dunno..". At least I'd get a kick out of that."
It's hilarious how the chimps are lauding SES for updating the site
every few days with a new release date. The customer relations are so
miserable that changing date's is actually consider a major
improvement!
And I agree it is absolutely priceless that the SES fanboys are
bitching about the flaws and risks of Steam and digital downloads and
can't grasp that it is exactly the same with SES.
eddys...@hotmail.com
> And I agree it is absolutely priceless that the SES fanboys are
> bitching about the flaws and risks of Steam and digital downloads and
> can't grasp that it is exactly the same with SES.
It's even more ironic than that. The original bitcher about Steam was
Bullethead, a full-time SES employee who in the past has written that
even he hasn't got access to the SES authorization server. I bet JR is
the only one with the keys to that.
The day they kick him out - which is half a second after he ceases to
be usefull as the company's WWI naval buff - even he will only be able
to play the game at the mercy of JR.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
eddys...@hotmail.com
wrote:
> On 18 mrt, 21:05, topher <pdqp...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > And I agree it is absolutely priceless that the SES fanboys are
> > bitching about the flaws and risks of Steam and digital downloads and
> > can't grasp that it is exactly the same with SES.
>
> It's even more ironic than that. The original bitcher about Steam was
> Bullethead, a full-time SES employee
Just found some time to read the SES press release about their new DRM
- and it's hilarious
"... represents a major milestone for Storm Eagle Studios, and
portends to challenge even the largest digital distribution players!"
No kidding - he's taking on Steam ! only problem : he's only got 1
game, but no fear because
"In addition, we now have the capability,
and the deals currently in negotiation, to begin selling and
distribution of the plethora of high quality Video Games from the top
game publishers
and developers. Often overlooked by the big digital players, we
fully intend to provide our STORMPOWERED™ digital distribution
service
for smaller Indie developers and publishers as well. "
Reality check : they haven't managed to sign a single one in 6 years
of trying.
However, the icing on the cake was this :
"the hostility by Gamers for limited unlock based systems"
I think he might have caught on to something here ... :)
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
Giftzwerg
@v31g2000vbs.googlegroups.com>, eddys...@hotmail.com says...
> No kidding - he's taking on Steam ! only problem : he's only got 1
> game,
Well, heck, but didn't Steam launch with only one game? Of course,
their "one game" was a franchise monster like HALF-LIFE ... but still.
--
Giftzwerg
***
"Barack Obama has launched more missiles than all other Nobel Peace
prize winners combined."
- bennyb
eddys...@hotmail.com
> In article <174da3a6-2741-4adc-8dbd-e9b445b8e2a3
>
> > No kidding - he's taking on Steam ! only problem : he's only got 1
> > game,
>
> Well, heck, but didn't Steam launch with only one game? Of course,
> their "one game" was a franchise monster like HALF-LIFE ... but still.
He, if you can get 4000+ imaginary customers to switch to the new DRM
system in the first couple of hours it's up, you can do *anything* :)
IRL it's desperation time - he needs to start selling other games
through his download service because there's no way his games alone
can fund 4 full-time employees.
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx
HermanH
"I at least get Jutland and DG to run somewhat, but what is going on
at SES
The SES forum seems a little unstable...not remembering logins and
outages
The games seem OK, but if I launch them through SP, they crash.
Missing scenarios
My SP patch crashed several times before it took
It pains me to say it, maybe we were better off with the old DRM."
HermanH
consulting services branch.
A customer shows up trying to report problems and is told to shut and
and go away. Stuff like this normally takes 3-5 minutes to confirm
one way or another for a competent development team.
http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?showtopic=13385&view=findpost&p=28666
"So, your assertions that I'm not willing to do the legwork are
grossly unfair, to say the least. I'm beginning to understand loud and
clear why my "imaginary friend" became so upset... and so I will
comply with your request for a full stop. Everything stops right here
and now."
Why does AGSI seem to attract incompetence like flies to a flame?"
eddys...@hotmail.com
> Can you believe that they would actually MISS the old DRM!? ROTFLMAO
>
>
> "I at least get Jutland and DG to run somewhat, but what is going on
> at SES
>
> The SES forum seems a little unstable...not remembering logins and
> outages
> The games seem OK, but if I launch them through SP, they crash.
> Missing scenarios
> My SP patch crashed several times before it took
>
> It pains me to say it, maybe we were better off with the old DRM."
The natives are starting to get *very* restless
"Likewise. I just get a nice blank black screen either way, and am now
getting seriously p*ssed, not least because of the total BS in that
email. I'm afraid Norm and Jim are living on a different planet to the
rest of us.
PLEASE, SES, can't you just forget all the cr*p and devote your
energies to the games, and sell them via Steam, or something? You must
see that the idea of you running a Steam or GG-like service is an
absolute joke; you clearly have nobody there sufficiently competent in
that area, let alone numbers of people sufficient to provide adequate
support for a significantly enlarged customer base. And, yet again,
your paying customers find they can't actually play the games they
have paid for"
-
Pass the popcorn will you ?
Greetz,
Eddy Sterckx