MicroProse Rumors and Facts: updated 6-10/96
Kuo-Sheng Kasey Chang
MicroProse rumors and facts
(The HTML version of this article can be found at
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang/gamec01a.htm)
First things first: some of the items here are facts, some are rumors.
Both are clearly marked as such. And I've taken out my comments so feel
free to make your own judgement.
RUMOR: [6-10/96] The latest rumor is that all current members of
MPS Quality Assurance Department will be resigning together to start a QA
Company.
FACT: [6-9/96] HOT! HOT! Following is an e-mail from Brian
Reynolds, confirming a lot of the rumors listed below!
Hi Kasey,
Since you've got so many rumors up on your site, I thought you might
be interested in the following official fact.
Brian Reynolds
Civ II Designer
----------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MICROPROSE MASTERMINDS REBORN AS FIRAXIS SOFTWARE
Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds, who comprise one of the most
successful development teams in the software development industry have
left MicroProseR Software to found FIRAXIS SOFTWARE, INC.
Jeff Briggs, FIRAXIS President and Chief Executive Officer, spent nearly
nine years at MicroProse, managing, designing, and producing products.
For the past four years, he served as Producer of Sid Meier products, in
addition to serving as Director of Product Development for MicroProse, and
maintaining a career as a composer.
Brian Reynolds, Vice President of Software Development, is a leading
programmer/designer with a brilliant career ahead. Reynolds has two hit
titles to his credit already, Sid Meier's Colonization(R) and Sid Meier's
Civilization II (R), which is currently one of the world s top-selling
titles, having sold over 260,000 units in its first two months of release.
Sid Meier, Chairman of the Board and Director of Creative Development, has
been called the "father of the computer gaming industry." Meier is the
visionary whose ideas have generated many gaming genres enthusiasts
internationally. His career is truly a story of "firsts." Titles of Sid
Meier games include: F15 Strike Eagle (R), Pirates!(R), Silent Service(R),
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon (R) and Sid Meier's Civilization (R).
Meier is co-founder of MicroProse software, still a leader in the
international software games market, which merged with Spectrum Holobyte
four years ago.
FIRAXIS SOFTWARE will be a product development house only. Marketing,
sales, and distribution of products will be handled by a publishing
partner. FIRAXIS founders are currently negotiating with leading software
publishing and distribution firms, seeking a partnership for producing
first-rate innovative software in the tradition established at MicroProse.
FIRAXIS will have a small staff of 15-20 of the best minds in the
business. Each individual in the intimate working group has a proven track
record of success and has shown skill at creating games, from concept to
product. These tested alliances, from the highest leadership levels of the
company to each and every employee ensures FIRAXIS' success in the
marketplace.
Founder/President, Jeffery Briggs, said, "FIRAXIS SOFTWARE will be a
unique environment where the most talented programmers, designers,
artists, and musicians work as equals to produce innovative software which
is synonymous with the Sid Meier brand. We will look at all types of new
technology and will chart a new course for computer gaming in the 21st
century."
Sid Meier noted, "What we are after with FIRAXIS is the continuation of a
great tradition of creating cool, fun, games."
FIRAXIS SOFTWARE's offices will be in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
Firaxis Software is a leading developer of entertainment software. For
more information contact: Deborah Plutzik, PR Manager; 410-329-6216 Phone;
410-357-5908 Fax.
MicroProse, Sid Meier's Colonization, Sid Meier's Civilization II, F15
Strike Eagle, Pirates!, Silent Service, Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon, and
Sid Meier's Civilization are registered trademarks of Spectrum Holobyte,
Inc.
FACT: [6-8/96] EA/Origin's Janes' Combat Sim team have indeed
hired several members of MicroProse's sim team that was responsible for som
eof the best sims from MicroProse, including F-15 Strike Eagle III, Fleet
Defender, and other titles. See C|Net article.
FACT: [6-8/96] Steve Case, CEO of Spectrum HoloByte, admits that
he had underestimated the power of Internet. See C|Net article.
FACT: [5-24/96] Arnold Hendricks, who had developed many of
MicroProse's hits, is now at Interactive Magic, and he will be designing
iM1A2 Abrams tank simulator for IM. As for other notable former MPS
employees... Andy Hollis is busy finishing up AH-64 Longbow for EA/Origin's
Jane's Division, having left before the merger (see history below).
RUMOR: [5-24/96] Jeff Fletcher (head of the Air War series),
who's probably the next highest designer after Tony Parks, Jeff Briggs, Sid
Meier, and Brian Reynolds, have ALSO resigned from MPS. This is expected to
cast great doubt on the completion of the "European Air War" project,
sequel to "Pacific Air War".
RUMOR: [5-24/96] Spectrum HoloByte have given up on the idea of
finding a person in charge of what's left of MPS, and have established an
executive committee, of which Mr.Fletcher (see above) was a member.
FACT: [5-24/96] Spectrum HoloByte is indeed in enough financial
trouble that they owe their duplicators money. I cannot say which company
the money is owed to, but let's just say I know the controller and the
president of the duplicator, so this is no joke and no rumor. While it may
sound like a nasty rumor, it's absolutely true.
RUMOR: Spectrum HoloByte will announce at E3 Expo that they will
change the name of the entire company to MicroProse Software, Inc.
UPDATE: [5-14/96] Just heard from a reliable source that there will be
indeed no more Spectrum HoloByte products. All existing Spectrum HoloByte
products will be relabelled MicroProse products once the boxes and stuff
run out, and all new products will belong to MicroProse as well. This is
hearsay of course.
UPDATE: [6-8/96] News above has been confirmed by a C|Net news report.
FACT: Tony Parks, president of MicroProse US, and Rob Davies,
President of MicroProse UK, have both resigned as of mid April. Also
resigned is the head of Quality Assurance at MicroProse US. He is believed
to have moved over to another game-related company in Maryland.
FACT: Spectrum HoloByte (SH) has terminated all non-developement staff
at MicroProse Software (MPS). This includes EVERYBODY (marketting,
production, customer support, on-line support, etc.) that are not
programmers, programming support, artists and musicians, designers, or
playtesting. In addition, half of the playtesting department are also given
the "pink slip" (dismissal). Spectrum HoloByte has taken over all of the
terminated operations out of their Alameda, California office. SH have
listed MPS's new support number on their website , which is a number in the
510 area code (Alameda).
FACT: Steve Race, President and CEO of Spectrum HoloByte, Inc., the
parent company of MicroProse US, MicroProse UK, and SimTex, sent out a
letter to all remaining staff at MicroProse US asking for patience as he
continues to make changes for the better of the company.
RUMOR: Jeff Briggs, one of the top producers at MicroProse who worked
with Sid Meier on many bestselling MPS titles, was offered the position of
Presdient, MicroProse US. Instead of accepting, he handed in his
resignation as well.
Note: It is clear that Jeff's no longer at MPS. Whether the scene
above happened or not is the only thing in doubt. See Latest
RUMOR: Half of the current artists at MicroProse have resigned as
well. This is expected to severely affect existing projects. Many remaining
MicroProse employees are demanding the removal of Steve Race, CEO of SH,
before they will deal with SH.
RUMOR: Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. for the past few weeks have tried to
sell MicroProse US and MicroProse UK, but have received no offers they
would accept. The asking price was not known, but is expected to be several
times the price SH paid for MPS during the takeover/merger, which was US$10
million (US$10,000,000.00).
NEW INFO [5-28/96] Anonymous source indicated that only one offer was
made, and it was made by a Sony subsidiary. I'll leave it to you to figure
out who.
NEW INFO [5-28/96] Anonymous source above also indicated that another
company, wishing to make a bid, asked an independent firm to evaluate the
net worth of MPS and SH, not counting the name recognition. The value was
FAR BELOW expectations, barely hitting 8 figures. This is just a RUMOR, of
course.
RUMOR: Sid Meier is rumored to be leaving the company soon to form a
new developement house with other former MicroProse game designers and
producers, such as Jeff Briggs. Behind Sid, Jeff is probably THE producer
at MicroProse. It is quite clear that Sid had left the company, after
finishing his piece in Magic: The Gathering. See Latest
FACT: Gilman Louie, chairman of Spectrum HoloByte, is NOT at his
Alameda, California office as of April 25th, 1996. According to his
secretary, he has been out of the office almost the whole week. I
was e-mail corresponding with him the week before and he promised to grant
me an interview about the situation at MicroProse.
RUMOR: Unnamed sources indicate that he is at MicroProse US, which is
in Maryland, trying to settle down the employees.
RUMOR: Spectrum HoloByte is offering "carte blanche" to Brian
Reynolds, designer/producer of Civilization II. It is not known why this is
so, but the expected reason is: Sid Meier had made up his mind to leave.
FACT: Brian Reynolds and the CIV2 team have released CIV2 V1.11, which
fixes additional bugs and adds additional enhancements. So Brian's team is
still hard at work.
RUMOR/FACT: I have talked to a reporter who is also following this
story. He has CONFIRMED that Brian Reynolds have indeed resigned from
MicroProse, and this is straight from Brian's mouth, but it's hearsay
though. See Latest
COMMENTARY: All in all, the MicroProse that we used to know is GONE.
While the name may remain for a while, the "soul" of MPS is gone.
SimTex may churn out good games for a while if SH keeps piling on more
money, but that will not be sufficient to keep MPS going.
COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
--Kasey Chang / kas...@discopy.com
=========================================================================
Kasey K. S. Chang (a guy) | Paradox for Windows Programmer
kas...@discopy.com ksc...@sfsu.edu | Star Trek Fan General PC Expert
URL> http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang | X-COM Guru among other things...
=========================================================================
Thomas M. Holsinger
kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
> MicroProse rumors and facts
>(The HTML version of this article can be found at
>http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang/gamec01a.htm)
That was very helpful. Please keep us posted on the implosion of SH.
How long do you think it will keep going?
Jean-Michel Forhan
kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
>COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
>at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
Where this article can be found? (URL preferred)
--
(E-mail : Jean-Mich...@cert.fr)
Rob Snow
Het what about F1GP2 - Will it ever materalise ??
Rob
Scott A. Colcord
Jean-Michel Forhan (for...@cert.fr) wrote:
: kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
: >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
: >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
: Where this article can be found? (URL preferred)
Try:
http://www.cnet.com/Gamecenter/News/June96/060796a.html
----Scott
--
Scott A. Colcord http://www.cs.mtu.edu/grads/Colcord/Home.html
M.S. Cand. Artificial adaptive systems Dept. of Computer Science
Michigan Technological University E-mail: saco...@mtu.edu
--
D Israels
: >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
: >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
I wrote the article on c/net's gamecenter site, which was headlined
"Gamer's powerful internet voice."
I object to Kasey Chang's characterization of my piece as "apologetic." In
the story I clearly placed the blame for the screw ups after the layoffs
with Spectrum. And I made it clear, with several striking contrasting
examples, that other companies had handled their relationship with
net-savvy gamers far better.
Chang appears to want to creat some some kind of journalistic role for
himself with his web page and posts to this newsgroup. Which is
great--anyone can try and be a publishing giant thanks to the wonders of
the web. But it would be nice if such self-appointed publishers would
adhere to the basic requirements of good journalism. Like not indulging
yourself by posting rumors that no respectable journalist would allow to
appear under his or her name.
Such actions bring into question Chang's credibility. I checked out his
rumors and "facts" and found many of them to be wrong. I didn't want to
single this kid out by name in my story because his reporting skills were
so pathetic. I felt that would be unfair. But perhaps it would have been
in the public's interest to warn them about this source of
misinformation.
I caution folks to take Chang's posts and the stuff on his web page with a
large dose of skepticism.
You can also read my follow up on the Spectrum story in next Wednesday's
(6/18/96) edition of the San Francisco Bay Guardian in my column Plug &
Play. If you can't get the tree-dead version of the paper you can find it
on the web. Point your browser to www.sfbayguardian.com. Click on SF
Lifestyle>Plug & Play.
I also believe there will be a follow up tomorrow on the Spectrum story
(6/13/96) on c/net's gamecenter page. It should be up by 4 pm California
time.
--David Israels
David Israels
Adam
Excuse me? What the hell is this? Here is a devoted person, a computer game
fan and a person who wants to keep us informed, and you needless lambaste him
for a comment which _might_ have been received as an insult! First of all,
you insult him for his "pathetic" journalism for posting rumors. Well, he
clearly labels them as rumors, and indeed many of them did turn out to be
true: Sid Meier's resignation, for example. And his facts were just about
all true as well. You scorn him as "not meeting the basic requirements of
good journalism". I think he absolutely does; his posts were complete and
intelligent, his interview with Mr. Louie was interesting, and above all he
seems like a dedicated person. You, meanwhile are a killjoy who insults
needlessly his hard work. You say that he has no good journalism skills? I
thought that one important skill would be respect- and if it is, then you are
devoid of journalism skills, not him. Why would you self-righteously insult
a student?! I don't understand.
Adam (sorry about the mail address, my server is down)
InThane Walkup
hols...@ix.netcom.com (Thomas M. Holsinger) wrote:
>kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
>> MicroProse rumors and facts
>>(The HTML version of this article can be found at
>>http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang/gamec01a.htm)
>That was very helpful. Please keep us posted on the implosion of SH.
>How long do you think it will keep going?
Hopefully long enough that SimTex gets out Moo:Baa and releases enough
bug patches that the thing works well...
Paul Stephanouk
In article <4po10v$5...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, disr...@aol.com (D Israels)
>: >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
>: >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
>
>I wrote the article on c/net's gamecenter site, which was headlined
>"Gamer's powerful internet voice."
>
>I object to Kasey Chang's characterization of my piece as "apologetic." In
>the story I clearly placed the blame for the screw ups after the layoffs
>with Spectrum. And I made it clear, with several striking contrasting
>examples, that other companies had handled their relationship with
>net-savvy gamers far better.
>
> Chang appears to want to creat some some kind of journalistic role for
>himself with his web page and posts to this newsgroup. Which is
>great--anyone can try and be a publishing giant thanks to the wonders of
>the web. But it would be nice if such self-appointed publishers would
>adhere to the basic requirements of good journalism. Like not indulging
>yourself by posting rumors that no respectable journalist would allow to
>appear under his or her name.
And I object to you just attacking Kasey without providing any facts to back
up your claims. Sounds to me like you're just sour grapes because he made an
unflattering comment about your C|Net article.
I personally enjoy Kasey's page. Obviously Mr. Reynolds felt his page had
enough merit to provide him some additional material for it (and you would
think that if there were any "facts" that offended the fabric of the universe
he would know).
What's the big deal? Coming down so hard on Kasey seems awfully self-serving.
If you are going to tell us that Kasey's info is bad I'd like to hear what you
base that on. It would be nice if such self-appointed critics would adhere to
the basic requirements of good criticism. Like not indulging yourself by
attacking the person and not the content.
>I caution folks to take Chang's posts and the stuff on his web page with a
>large dose of skepticism.
Let's hear *your* facts and then we'll form our own opinions.
And you can make all the unflattering remarks you like about my C|net
contribution if it makes you happy. ;)
Paul
pa...@paul.com
D Israels
RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
Stephanouk) writes:
>>And I object to you just attacking Kasey without providing any facts to
back
up your claims. Sounds to me like you're just sour grapes because he made
an
unflattering comment about your C|Net article. <<
>>Let's hear *your* facts and then we'll form our own opinions. <<
Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
1. Misinformation: Kasey discusses Jeff Fletcher s resignation from
MicroProse.
Fact: The man s name is Ed Fletcher
2. Misinformation: Kasey writes that Fletcher was top designer working on
European Air War.
Fact: He was the producer not designer.
He has taken a job with Electronic Arts in Canada, according to Spectrum s
spokesperson, Holly Hartz.
3. Misinformation: Kasey claims that Fletcher s resignation "is expected
to
cast great doubt on the completion of the "European Air War" project,"
Fact: Hartz, told me "European air war has a producer and team and it s
going forward."
4. Misinformation: Kasey wrote that Steve Case, CEO of Spectrum HoloByte,
admits that he had underestimated the power of Internet
Fact: Steve Case is the head of America Online. Steve Race is the
president of Spectrum HoloByte.
5. Misinformation: Kasey wrote: "Spectrum HoloByte have given up on the
idea of finding a person in charge of what's left of MPS, and have
established an
executive committee "
Fact: According to Hartz, Spectrum denies that they have given up on the
idea of finding a person to head the studio and are seeking to fill that
position. Stretch Andersen, senior vice president operations, has been put
in charge of managing MicroProse in the interim, Hartz said. An executive
committee of "senior MicroProse people" Hartz said is overseeing day to
day operations.
Hartz noted there are some 100 employees at the MicroProse office in Hunt
Valley Maryland.
6. Kasey wrote "Spectrum HoloByte will announce at E3 Expo that they will
change the name of the entire company to MicroProse Software, Inc."
Fact: Spectrum made no such announcement. They announced that all their
products would be issued under the MicroProse brand name.
Perhaps, as posters have noted, I came down too hard on Kasey. But the
important point to note here is that the Internet provides anybody with a
computer and modem the ability to "report" on something. But with that
right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
under rules of fairness and balance. I think posters on the net should as
well.
Fairness requires that you do not print rumors. Just labelling something a
rumor does not justify printing it. If you have a rumor, you dig up
sources that can either confirm or deny it. If you can't get a
confirmation, you don't publish.
Balance requires that you make a good faith effort to get all sides of a
story. So if as Chang recently wrote Spectrum is in so much financial
trouble it has failed to pay a duplicator, it's Chang's responsibility to
go to Spectrum and get their response. In the interests of fairness it's
also his responsiblity to try to get a confirmation from the company.
I have no stake in defending or attacking Spectrum HoloByte. In my recent
pieces I have praised them when I thought appropriate and knocked them
too.
My job is to report and comment on the news. But I try to do so in a fair
and balanced way. Again, I believe that others who wish to do so should
adhere to the same rules. Otherwise we will be awash in fantasy
masquerading as fact.
But in some of Kasey's stuff and among other posters to newsgroups and
online services, I get the sense that some people have an almost rabid
desire to knock a company, product or designer. I believe this ardor comes
in part because people take their gaming so seriously. And that's not bad.
But I think there is also a kind of "crazed fan" phenomenon that occurs.
Some of those people seem to want desperately to be a part of the gaming
industry and are frustrated that they're not. Their frustration sometimes
turns to venom as they take delight in a company's or product's problems.
That troubles me.
In my five years of covering gaming, I've found that most game companies
are staffed and owned by honorable people who have two goals in mind:
Making fun games and making money. I can't see anything wrong with that.
It's true that the two goals too often compete with each other and the
result is dreck. But even in those cases, the folks and institutions
creating the games are rarely evil. Just kinda stupid, I think.
And in many cases the two goals come together and we all benefit because
we get to indulge in the fun of play--and isn't that what it's all finally
about.
David Israels
qch...@gameshark.com
Actually I found Kasey's post spot on with many of the reported rumours now being fact. Company mouthpieces and
spindoctors will never provide the information that Kasey has access to due to the unrest at all studios.
-Quentin
Thomas M. Holsinger
int...@oz.net (InThane Walkup) wrote:
>hols...@ix.netcom.com (Thomas M. Holsinger) wrote:
>>kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
>>> MicroProse rumors and facts
>>>(The HTML version of this article can be found at
>>>http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang/gamec01a.htm)
>>That was very helpful. Please keep us posted on the implosion of SH.
>>How long do you think it will keep going?
>Hopefully long enough that SimTex gets out Moo:Baa and releases enough
>bug patches that the thing works well...
I sure hope SH lasts long enough to release MOO2. I expect Steve
Barcia would release bug fixes on his own if SH thereafter went out of
business, barring legal complications. Bankruptcy trustees can be
touchy. This should not be a problem if SH is sold.
Kuo-Sheng Kasey Chang
In article <4po10v$5...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>: >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
>: >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
>I wrote the article on c/net's gamecenter site, which was headlined
>"Gamer's powerful internet voice."
>I object to Kasey Chang's characterization of my piece as "apologetic." In
>the story I clearly placed the blame for the screw ups after the layoffs
>with Spectrum. And I made it clear, with several striking contrasting
>examples, that other companies had handled their relationship with
>net-savvy gamers far better.
Well, there's goes my big mouth (or is that itchy hand?) again. :-\
Here's your apology, David. Your article was NOT apologetic. I am sorry I
wrote it that way. Your coverage of the "lack of Spectrum HoloByte presence
on net and on-line service during reorganization" is right on the money. My
objection was for something ELSE within your article. I'll cover that
later.
And for those who wishes to read his article, here's the complete URL:
http://www.cnet.com/Gamecenter/News/June96/060796a.html
Ki-Rin
D Israels wrote:
>
> : >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
> : >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
>
> I wrote the article on c/net's gamecenter site, which was headlined
> "Gamer's powerful internet voice."
>
> I object to Kasey Chang's characterization of my piece as "apologetic." In
> the story I clearly placed the blame for the screw ups after the layoffs
> with Spectrum. And I made it clear, with several striking contrasting
> examples, that other companies had handled their relationship with
> net-savvy gamers far better.
>
> himself with his web page and posts to this newsgroup. Which is
> great--anyone can try and be a publishing giant thanks to the wonders of
> the web. But it would be nice if such self-appointed publishers would
> adhere to the basic requirements of good journalism. Like not indulging
> yourself by posting rumors that no respectable journalist would allow to
> appear under his or her name.
>
> rumors and "facts" and found many of them to be wrong. I didn't want to
> single this kid out by name in my story because his reporting skills were
> so pathetic. I felt that would be unfair. But perhaps it would have been
> in the public's interest to warn them about this source of
> misinformation.
>
> large dose of skepticism.
>
> (6/18/96) edition of the San Francisco Bay Guardian in my column Plug &
> Play. If you can't get the tree-dead version of the paper you can find it
> on the web. Point your browser to www.sfbayguardian.com. Click on SF
> Lifestyle>Plug & Play.
>
> I also believe there will be a follow up tomorrow on the Spectrum story
> (6/13/96) on c/net's gamecenter page. It should be up by 4 pm California
> time.
>
> --David Israels
> David Israels
Stop being such a poor sport!
The kid beat you to a story... a lot of his Microprose stuff turned out
to be true, even Brian Reynolds seems to acknowlege it. And the SH
finance story is apparently happening to come true too...If he's as
shoddy as you say he is he'll screw up soon enough and no one will
believe him. Why don't you do some serious reporting work and tell us
here:
A. what's going on with the Gametek vs. the War College people...did
lawyers cause the sudden turnaround?
B. When is BC3000 REALLY coming out or is Derek Smart lying...Do a Mike
Wallace on him and make him cut the Don King school of hype stuff.
C. How bad was Pax Imperia II, and is Blizzard gonna scrap it?
D. Will MOO2 come out before Microprose/SH is history? How finished is
it in case of disaster?
E. What is Quakes status now? Is Duke making them retool a few
things...?
F. Any hard info on C&C sequels, Diablo, Starcraft, Daggerfall...etc...
Falcon 4 has been delayed so long and there have been so many other
excellent flight sims that that I could care less about it now. SH gets
the Star Trek license and they make Kings Quest type games with it!
(Which is ok to play once, but nearly zero on replay value!)
Jack Christensen
In message <4pq38k$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com> - disr...@aol.com (D Israels)13
Jun 1996 18:04:04 -0400 writes:
:>
:>RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
And thats good.
:> But with that
:>right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
:>become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
:>under rules of fairness and balance.
Yeah, right. While I personally like Cnet and find their reporting pretty
good, saying that the press (whether the computer press or not) is fair and
balanced is downright tripe.
While I could mention numorous political or operating systems example, that
would undoubtably degenerate this thread to some people comparing Bill Gates
to Hitler and Rush Limbough to a fat pig.
:> I think posters on the net should as
:>well.
Not really. The net thrives on rumors. Anyone who believes everything they
here on the net is a complete idiot.
:>
:>Fairness requires that you do not print rumors. Just labelling something a
:>rumor does not justify printing it.
Why? especially seeing as alot of HIS rumors seem to be coming true.
:> If you have a rumor, you dig up
:>sources that can either confirm or deny it. If you can't get a
:>confirmation, you don't publish.
:>
:>Balance requires that you make a good faith effort to get all sides of a
:>story.
Too bad most of the press doesn't do that.
:> So if as Chang recently wrote Spectrum is in so much financial
:>trouble it has failed to pay a duplicator, it's Chang's responsibility to
:>go to Spectrum and get their response. In the interests of fairness it's
:>also his responsiblity to try to get a confirmation from the :>company.
Like a company is going to talk to a guy that runs a rumor sheet. And even
more unlikely is that publically traded company (BTW doesn't tacking SH's
stock symbol all over MPS and SH web pages look dumb) would admit to being in
deep trouble unless they had to.
:>
:>I have no stake in defending or attacking Spectrum HoloByte. In my recent
:>pieces I have praised them when I thought appropriate and knocked them
:>too.
:>
:>My job is to report and comment on the news. But I try to do so in a fair
:>and balanced way. Again, I believe that others who wish to do so should
:>adhere to the same rules. Otherwise we will be awash in fantasy
:>masquerading as fact.
~~~~
Hey, he labels the stuff as RUMOR!
:>
:>But in some of Kasey's stuff and among other posters to newsgroups and
:>online services, I get the sense that some people have an almost rabid
:>desire to knock a company, product or designer.
Like BC3000 and Derik not so Smart. :)
:> I believe this ardor comes
:>in part because people take their gaming so seriously. And that's not bad.
:>
:>
:>But I think there is also a kind of "crazed fan" phenomenon that occurs.
:>Some of those people seem to want desperately to be a part of the gaming
:>industry and are frustrated that they're not. Their frustration sometimes
:>turns to venom as they take delight in a company's or product's problems.
:>That troubles me.
Huh?
:>
:>In my five years of covering gaming, I've found that most game companies
:>are staffed and owned by honorable people who have two goals in mind:
:>Making fun games and making money. I can't see anything wrong with that.
:>
:>It's true that the two goals too often compete with each other and the
:>result is dreck. But even in those cases, the folks and institutions
:>creating the games are rarely evil. Just kinda stupid, I think.
:>
:>And in many cases the two goals come together and we all benefit because
:>we get to indulge in the fun of play--and isn't that what it's all finally
:>about.
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>
:>David Israels
I haven't even read your article so I didn't make any comments about it, but I
have read his rumor sheet occasionally and I don't like some self-proclaimed
media watchdog come down and blast the guy for printing some clearly labeled
rumors.
Jack
--
Jack Christensen
kena...@ix.netcom.com
I throw rocks through Windows!
Adam
I hope you're enjoying your power trip, acting like the founding father
frowning down on poor little Kasey's bad journalism. Well, it is somewhat
pathetic. You railed about "misinformation"- well 3/4 of it are typos which
qualify not as malicious, unjournalistic printing but "whoops... I spelled it
wrong". The other 1/4 are things that you say Spectrum denied. Well of
course they would deny them! Did they not deny Sid Meier's resignation? Did
they not deny many of the other problems that had fallen on them? If EAW
ever gets finished, it will be an utter miracle. And considering the mass
firings/ resignations at MPS, I very much doubt that there are 100 people
still working there.
They may be rumors that Chang prints, but we all know full well that they
will be come in some way fact. Spectrum actually posted to this group
denying that they would use the brand name "MPS". In essence, Chang has the
story when it is fresh, and your wonderful journalistic ways cause you to
print the story after Spectrum confirms it well after the fact. I honestly
think that he is providing far better coverage than you are, and considering
his numerous disclaimers about "rumors", I would classify him as a real
journalist in his own right. Considering your malicious and deprecating
words, I might not do the same for you.
Old Salt
kena...@ix.netcom.com (Jack Christensen) had this to say about Re:
MicroProse Rumors and Facts: updated 6-10/96:
>>Not really. The net thrives on rumors. Anyone who believes everything they
>>here on the net is a complete idiot.
The sky is falling, the sky is falling. I heard it from
Chicken Little So it must be true.
___________________________________________________________________
Notice. Spelling mistakes left in for people who need to correct
others to make they're life fulfilled.
I rather be right, then Politically Correct-...@worldnet.att.net
____________________________________________________________________
Thomas M. Holsinger
disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation ...:
Your second post criticizing Kasey Chang undermines your first.
It is public record that SH is in dire financial condition, having
lost 60 cents per dollar of sales for the past year, and that SH
utterly bungled the downsizing of MPS. Almost everyone worthwhile
there has gone into competition with SH in less than 90 days.
You didn't deny Kasey's story, based on his personal knowledge, that
SH hadn't paid a duplicator. All you said was that fairness required
that he ask SH to comment on that.
GMAFB. All they could do is admit or deny it. Admitting it proves
his point. A denial would have no credibility unless backed up by
data which a company in trouble like that is most unlikely to divulge
to an ordinary outsider which is what you paint Kasey as.
And if Kasey is only an ordinary game fan, why did Mr. Gilman give him
that interview? You didn't contend that Kasey made that interview up.
Or that Brian Reynolds sent him the press release.
Kasey bet the farm on his duplicator story. He labelled it as fact,
not rumor, and said it was based on the duplicator's president and
controller telling it to him personally.
If Kasey made the story up, it's libel city with malice and punitive
damages which aren't dischargeable in bankruptcy. Ditto the
duplicator's officers lied to him - they just donated all their
company's equity to SH.
If the duplicator story is true, it means the end is nigh for SH given
the above public record problems. Officers of a publically held
company on the ropes like that are not going to make any comment at
all on stories that the company is stiffing its creditors. The SEC's
Enforcement Division frowns on misleading public statements.
Tim Brutton
disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
> RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
> Stephanouk) writes:
>
> >>And I object to you just attacking Kasey without providing any facts to
> back
> up your claims. Sounds to me like you're just sour grapes because he made
> an
> unflattering comment about your C|Net article. <<
>
> >>Let's hear *your* facts and then we'll form our own opinions. <<
>
> Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
> has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
>
[Enormous Snip]
Whoa there... now lets just wait a minute. I never saw anything in any
FAQ about any aspect of the internet anywhere in all the time I've
been on-line that said what anyone posted on Usenet or published on
his own personal web pages actually had to be in any way shape or form
TRUE. You just gotta be careful about libel suits if what you write is
potentially damaging - but that sorta thing is self-regulating; you
write something libelous, you get sued, you don't write anything
libelous again. Also people hear about the suit and no longer believe
what you wrote.
I found Kasey's "info" to be somewhat informative, somewhat
entertaining, more than a little tongue-in-cheek, and, as with
everything else I've read of his, *worthwhile*. I read it, will
continue to read it, and hope he continues to publish it. But thats
just me.
On the other hand, you don't like it, consider it to violate some
journalistic "code of honour" (surely a contradiction in terms, given
many of todays irresponsible journals & journalists). Thats fine. So
don't read it. If you feel strongly enough about it, post your own
"info". But *don't* start telling people what they can and can't do,
it's nothing more than a troll, intentional or otherwise.
Obviously this is all just my opinion, but isn't most of what's posted
on usenet just someones opinion?
(Quick, someone call him a Nazi, then this can turn into a real
flamewar *big grin*)
See ya!
--
Tim Brutton - Now on the WWW! - http://www.blackpool.net/Oneiros/
"The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a
proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and
oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us." - Paul Vale'ry, 1895
dav...@earthlink.net
On 13 Jun 1996 18:04:04 -0400, disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
>Stephanouk) writes:
>Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
>has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
>Perhaps, as posters have noted, I came down too hard on Kasey. But the
>important point to note here is that the Internet provides anybody with a
>computer and modem the ability to "report" on something. But with that
>right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
>become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
>under rules of fairness and balance. I think posters on the net should as
>well.
>Fairness requires that you do not print rumors. Just labelling something a
>rumor does not justify printing it. If you have a rumor, you dig up
>sources that can either confirm or deny it. If you can't get a
>confirmation, you don't publish.
Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.... BULLSHIT if I hear a rumor and want to
tell others and label it as a rumor there is nothing you can do and certainly no
onus on me to become a detective and check it out. I present the information
and If you are so all fired interested then yopu can dig into it.
For example ... (RUMOR) People using AOL are being hypnotised into believing
that spending all that extra money is worth it by the use of subliminal messages
by AOL software. I heard this in a bar while in a bar from a drunk who Claimed
to be named Steve Race. I better let you more able bodied journalists know
about this and you can dig into it and find out if its true.
David W. Maddocks
dav...@earthlink.net
Kuo-Sheng Kasey Chang
In article <4pq38k$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
>Stephanouk) writes:
>Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
>has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
>1. Misinformation: Kasey discusses Jeff Fletcher s resignation from
>MicroProse.
>Fact: The man s name is Ed Fletcher
Fixed. In fact, it was fixed 3 days ago. :-)
>2. Misinformation: Kasey writes that Fletcher was top designer working on
>European Air War.
>Fact: He was the producer not designer.
>He has taken a job with Electronic Arts in Canada, according to Spectrum s
>spokesperson, Holly Hartz.
That news was broken by me two days ago.
>3. Misinformation: Kasey claims that Fletcher s resignation "is expected
>to cast great doubt on the completion of the "European Air War" project,"
>Fact: Hartz, told me "European air war has a producer and team and it s
>going forward."
Oh, please. When the PRODUCER of a project resigns, wouldn't there be some
doubt? Okay, I admit it. I got a commentary in there. I'll go take it out
right after I post this.
>4. Misinformation: Kasey wrote that Steve Case, CEO of Spectrum HoloByte,
>admits that he had underestimated the power of Internet
>Fact: Steve Case is the head of America Online. Steve Race is the
>president of Spectrum HoloByte.
Darn, another typo. Fixed.
>5. Misinformation: Kasey wrote: "Spectrum HoloByte have given up on the
>idea of finding a person in charge of what's left of MPS, and have
>established an executive committee "
>Fact: According to Hartz, Spectrum denies that they have given up on the
>idea of finding a person to head the studio and are seeking to fill that
>position. Stretch Andersen, senior vice president operations, has been put
>in charge of managing MicroProse in the interim, Hartz said. An executive
>committee of "senior MicroProse people" Hartz said is overseeing day to
>day operations.
In other words, they denied half of rumor but confirmed the other half.
This means that they cannot find any one WITHIN MPS who are senior enough
to take the job. Not TOO far from the rumor, I have to say...
>Hartz noted there are some 100 employees at the MicroProse office in Hunt
>Valley Maryland.
And how many "senior"?
>6. Kasey wrote "Spectrum HoloByte will announce at E3 Expo that they will
>change the name of the entire company to MicroProse Software, Inc."
>Fact: Spectrum made no such announcement. They announced that all their
>products would be issued under the MicroProse brand name.
And that was added in the update on June 12, PLUS a pointer to the C|Net
article confirming the fact. In fact, I even have a link in there to the
Gilman Louie interview where he basically says the same thing.
>Perhaps, as posters have noted, I came down too hard on Kasey. But the
>important point to note here is that the Internet provides anybody with a
>computer and modem the ability to "report" on something. But with that
>right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
>become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
>under rules of fairness and balance. I think posters on the net should as
>well.
Perhaps our definition is different, David. I'll go read up on some
journalism books and take a few courses. :-)
>Fairness requires that you do not print rumors. Just labelling something a
>rumor does not justify printing it. If you have a rumor, you dig up
>sources that can either confirm or deny it. If you can't get a
>confirmation, you don't publish.
It's interesting how many of these rumors was later confirmed by one way or
another, but I guess that's beside the point.
>Balance requires that you make a good faith effort to get all sides of a
>story. So if as Chang recently wrote Spectrum is in so much financial
>trouble it has failed to pay a duplicator, it's Chang's responsibility to
>go to Spectrum and get their response. In the interests of fairness it's
>also his responsiblity to try to get a confirmation from the company.
Okay, I'll go ask Mr.Louie (chairman of SH). Just wait...
>I have no stake in defending or attacking Spectrum HoloByte. In my recent
>pieces I have praised them when I thought appropriate and knocked them
>too.
Your article "Gamer's Voices" is on the money ONLY AS FAR AS THE TOPIC IS
CONCERNED. But I guess that's all that matters, right?
>My job is to report and comment on the news. But I try to do so in a fair
>and balanced way. Again, I believe that others who wish to do so should
>adhere to the same rules. Otherwise we will be awash in fantasy
>masquerading as fact.
>But in some of Kasey's stuff and among other posters to newsgroups and
>online services, I get the sense that some people have an almost rabid
>desire to knock a company, product or designer. I believe this ardor comes
>in part because people take their gaming so seriously. And that's not bad.
>But I think there is also a kind of "crazed fan" phenomenon that occurs.
>Some of those people seem to want desperately to be a part of the gaming
>industry and are frustrated that they're not. Their frustration sometimes
>turns to venom as they take delight in a company's or product's problems.
>That troubles me.
>In my five years of covering gaming, I've found that most game companies
>are staffed and owned by honorable people who have two goals in mind:
>Making fun games and making money. I can't see anything wrong with that.
>It's true that the two goals too often compete with each other and the
>result is dreck. But even in those cases, the folks and institutions
>creating the games are rarely evil. Just kinda stupid, I think.
>And in many cases the two goals come together and we all benefit because
>we get to indulge in the fun of play--and isn't that what it's all finally
>about.
Well, I don't see what is there to be "fair" about the current MPS/SH
situation. In summary: In order to stem the flood of red ink, SH attempted
some cost-cutting measures and consolidations, which resulted in the
resignation of most top designers and producers, among other employees, at
its MicroProse division. Am I dealing with facts so far? Good.
For those of us in c.s.i.p.g.strategic, can we agree that without Sid
Meier, MicroProse will not be MicroProse as it was? I believe we do.
So is there anything "good" to report amidst the decline (I was about to
write "demise", but I have to be FAIR now) of MicroProse? All the news are
bad. First we have a product support vacuum over all the net and on-line
services caused directly by the layoffs of tech support in Maryland and
consolidation. Then came the various rumors, but let's IGNORE those for
now. The FACT is the HEART of the company is GONE. ALL THE TOP DESIGNERS
AND PRODUCERS ARE GONE. Those are the facts. They either started their own
company (Firaxis) or hired by competitors (Ed Fletcher and the sim team by
EA), and we don't even know of the rate of transition (defection?) among
the lower ranks.
Spectrum HoloByte can say anything, but the fact of the matter remains that
they HAVE gutted MicroProse. Not gutted as in budget, but the
cutbacks prompted enough people to leave that what remains is
merely a shell, so the end result is "gutted". Obviously that was NOT their
intent, as no company is dumb enough to kill the goose which lays the
golden egg, but does intent matter? When you're hit by a car and died, does
it matter whether it was an accident or did someone purposely run you over?
Obviously not, since you're just as dead. Same with MicroProse. The company
is for all intents and purposes, dead. Of course there's still XCOM3, MOO2,
and a few other titles, but they're done by studios within the SH/MPS
group, not MPS itself. A game with MPS label does NOT mean it's good. In
fact, any one played "This Means War!"? One of the few true MPS stinkers
done by outside developement houses. SH can relabel as many games they
want, but it will not help repair the damage. We loyal gamers will buy
Magic, XCOM3, MOO2, and SuperHeros when they come out, but in our hearts we
know that these are not really MicroProse games, but Mythos games (XCOM),
SimTex games (MOO2), etc.
Perhaps the "wake" that you mentioned in your article was not premature
after all.
Which brings me to my objection about your article, David. Why did I at
first say it was apologetic? It wasn't. I finally found the right word. You
"overcompensated". In order to be "fair and balanced" in a story that has
no positive sides, you gave the impression that the net was filled with
malicious rumors that causes companies to spend efforts defending
themselves against shadowy accusations that could have been better used on
developing games. At least that's the way I read your article. Netizens,
tell me if you think I read too much between his lines..
THAT is just not true at all. I do not deny that there have been a few
"disgruntled ex-employees" on the net "spilling dirty laundry", as you put
it in the article, and I admit that some of the content in this "Rumors and
Facts" list are based on those "dirty laundry", but one knows that the
company itself or any of the top officers are like professional witnesses:
they only say what is necesary, and as they need to be responsible to
shareholders in a publicly traded company like SH, they will NOT say
anything that would jeopardize their position, both as an individual and as
a company. One of the "ground rules" of my interview with Gilman Louie,
chairman of SH, was "no discussion about specific people coming or
leaving." There's quite a few other things that he cannot comment on, and I
left those out of the interview.
Now about this "crazed fan" theory... I assure you I don't fit the
description. Perhaps when I first started college, but not now. I'm
employed on the side as a database programmer (Paradox for Windows, in
fact) and have established a good reputation for myself already.
Let me put another notion to rest: I am NOT against Spectrum HoloByte. In
fact, I am a FORMER EMPLOYEE OF SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE, and have NOTHING BUT
FOND MEMORIES of working in Alameda (I was a QA guy, in case you want to
know, had great time playtesting Stunt Driver and Flight of the Intruder.
In fact, you'll find my name in both products). I left because my school
schedule does not permit me to work there any longer, and that's that. I'm
not disgruntled, nor do I wish ill to SH. However, the cutbacks at SH have
prompted the implosion of MicroProse, and that is very sad to see. I have
almost every game MPS and SH makes, and watching the company losing its
"soul" (top echelon) in 90 days is hard on any gamer who have purchased MPS
games from way back to Solo Flight and the original F-15 Strike Eagle. I
WANT MPS and SH to survive and keep making good games, but is there any
good news to report? Some headlines like "Brian Reynolds decides to stay
with MPS despite Sid Meier's departure"? No, there just isn't any good
news! That's that!
I'll now step off the soapbox, go fix up my page, take out any remnants of
commentary, and we'll see will MPS and SH survive.
Kuo-Sheng Kasey Chang
In article <4pt5je$s...@colombia.earthlink.net>, dav...@earthlink.net wrote:
>On 13 Jun 1996 18:04:04 -0400, disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>>RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
>>Stephanouk) writes:
>>Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
>>has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
>>Perhaps, as posters have noted, I came down too hard on Kasey. But the
>>important point to note here is that the Internet provides anybody with a
>>computer and modem the ability to "report" on something. But with that
>>right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
>>become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
>>under rules of fairness and balance. I think posters on the net should as
>>well.
[snip]
>Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.... BULLSHIT if I hear a rumor and
>want to tell others and label it as a rumor there is nothing you can do
>and certainly no onus on me to become a detective and check it out.
Dave, and many others, thanks for sticking up for me, but I don't believe
it is necesary. I've already apologized for the "apologetic comment".
David's article was offending in some OTHER way. You all go read his
article, then my ADDITIONAL REPLY here in the newsgroup, then make up your
own mind.
David Israels' article is at
http://www.cnet.com/Gamecenter/News/June96/060796a.html
My MicroProse Facts and Rumors Page is at
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kschang/gamec01a.htm
Rob C. Johnson
uhm, far as I know, respect has been a big part of journalism for
the last 10-15 years, maybe longer. Ah well.
I for one was quite impressed of journalistic respect for FDR did
for him.
Rob sez 'Hi!' (rcjo...@prairienet.org)
Thomas M. Holsinger
kas...@discopy.com (Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang) wrote:
> MicroProse rumors and facts
Note that SH found a way to turn a wholly owned subsidiary into a
competitor in ten weeks. Without sellling it.
David K. Lee
I also like to add to many other's responses that I belive D. Isreal's
comment to be unpersuasive.
As many have pointed out, your so-called proof of "misinformation" did
not really contain one iota of misinformation. If denial by one party
were to be sufficient to make a story unture, then Nixon would have
served his second term, and Clinton can forget about dealing with the
Whitewater stuff.
Also, I like to know where you get this power to tell us what to believe
and how to believe it. It's people like you who misinform and
mis-instruct people and create propaganda whenever possible.
HERE'S MY CHALLENGE - RESPOND TO ALL RESPONSES TO YOUR SECOND POST WITH
SOME INFORMATION; otherwise, you are just an arrogant bastard who just
got lost in the Net.
qch...@gameshark.com
Regarding Kasey's rumours ...
:>1. Misinformation: Kasey discusses Jeff Fletcher s resignation from
:>MicroProse.
:>Fact: The man s name is Ed Fletcher
The fact remains Ed is gone.
:>2. Misinformation: Kasey writes that Fletcher was top designer working on
:>European Air War.
:>Fact: He was the producer not designer.
Ed was in fact producer, programmer and designer of the game in the same way of 1942. This again is true.
:>He has taken a job with Electronic Arts in Canada, according to Spectrum s
:>spokesperson, Holly Hartz.
:>3. Misinformation: Kasey claims that Fletcher s resignation "is expected
:>to
:>cast great doubt on the completion of the "European Air War" project,"
:>Fact: Hartz, told me "European air war has a producer and team and it s
:>going forward."
Yes, but it has been seriously impacted as the game due Spring 96 and now will be lucky to get out by Xmas 96.
:>4. Misinformation: Kasey wrote that Steve Case, CEO of Spectrum HoloByte,
:>admits that he had underestimated the power of Internet
:>Fact: Steve Case is the head of America Online. Steve Race is the
:>president of Spectrum HoloByte.
Actually after the job Steve Case has done for AOL, everyone present and absent from MicroProse wishes it would have been him.
:>5. Misinformation: Kasey wrote: "Spectrum HoloByte have given up on the
:>idea of finding a person in charge of what's left of MPS, and have
:>established an
:>executive committee "
:>Fact: According to Hartz, Spectrum denies that they have given up on the
:>idea of finding a person to head the studio and are seeking to fill that
:>position. Stretch Andersen, senior vice president operations, has been put
:>in charge of managing MicroProse in the interim, Hartz said. An executive
:>committee of "senior MicroProse people" Hartz said is overseeing day to
:>day operations.
Well, actually they have a steering commitee of some of the guys who are left. They are presently looking for a new studio head due
to the fact that everyone who could have run the studio has resigned or turned the offer down. Currently SH is sending a different
babysitter each week to keep the moral up. <g>
:>Hartz noted there are some 100 employees at the MicroProse office in Hunt
:>Valley Maryland.
:>6. Kasey wrote "Spectrum HoloByte will announce at E3 Expo that they will
:>change the name of the entire company to MicroProse Software, Inc."
:>Fact: Spectrum made no such announcement. They announced that all their
:>products would be issued under the MicroProse brand name.
Still pretty close to the truth here. My guess is the cost of actually changing the corporate name was too steep to
go all the way.
Best,
-Quentin
Thomas M. Holsinger
kena...@ix.netcom.com (Jack Christensen) wrote:
>Like a company is going to talk to a guy that runs a rumor sheet. And even
>more unlikely is that publically traded company (BTW doesn't tacking SH's
>stock symbol all over MPS and SH web pages look dumb) would admit to being in
>deep trouble unless they had to.
They did talk to Kase. I doubt they will again, but OTOH SH probably
won't last long enough to deny him the opportunity.
Darrell Rudolph
t...@arcady.demon.co.uk (Tim Brutton) wrote:
>disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>> RE: My comments on Kasey Chang's misinformation pa...@traveller.com (Paul
>> Stephanouk) writes:
>>
>> >>And I object to you just attacking Kasey without providing any facts to
>> back
>> up your claims. Sounds to me like you're just sour grapes because he made
>> an
>> unflattering comment about your C|Net article. <<
>>
>> >>Let's hear *your* facts and then we'll form our own opinions. <<
>>
>> Here is a list of just a half dozen mistatements of fact that Kasey Chang
>> has chosen to publish instead of properly checking out.
>>
>[Enormous Snip]
>Whoa there... now lets just wait a minute. I never saw anything in any
>FAQ about any aspect of the internet anywhere in all the time I've
>been on-line that said what anyone posted on Usenet or published on
>his own personal web pages actually had to be in any way shape or form
>TRUE. You just gotta be careful about libel suits if what you write is
>potentially damaging - but that sorta thing is self-regulating; you
>write something libelous, you get sued, you don't write anything
>libelous again. Also people hear about the suit and no longer believe
>what you wrote.
>I found Kasey's "info" to be somewhat informative, somewhat
>entertaining, more than a little tongue-in-cheek, and, as with
>everything else I've read of his, *worthwhile*. I read it, will
>continue to read it, and hope he continues to publish it. But thats
>just me.
>On the other hand, you don't like it, consider it to violate some
>journalistic "code of honour" (surely a contradiction in terms, given
>many of todays irresponsible journals & journalists). Thats fine. So
>don't read it. If you feel strongly enough about it, post your own
>"info". But *don't* start telling people what they can and can't do,
>it's nothing more than a troll, intentional or otherwise.
>Obviously this is all just my opinion, but isn't most of what's posted
>on usenet just someones opinion?
Wow someone with my views on censorship. If you don't like it don't
read it, view it or look at it. Censorship is best left in the hands
of the individual. ie If you don't want you kids looking at something
you stop them. It shouldn't be my job to stop your kids from looking
at something.
Michael Zwahlen, SYSTOR AG
In article <4pq38k$p...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, disr...@aol.com (D Israels) writes:
> right comes responsibility. Since there is no licensing necessary to
> become a reporter, journalists have taken it upon themselves to operate
> under rules of fairness and balance. I think posters on the net should as
> well.
That's nonsense, David. About 90 per cent of all newspapers being sold in this
world are based on the fact that bad lies are much more interesting than good
news. There is no rule that these "journalists" believe in.
But even serious papers and agencies publish rumors - just declaring that they
are rumours, not more. I am working for an agency on computer news collecting
information from the US an Europe, and about every second message we get is
just a rumour. Some of them become true, some don't.
In my opinion, he has done a good job, based his facts (mostly) on a valid
background like interviews, personal contacts and publishments. He's absolutely
allowed to share what he thinks and we've heared with his readers and these
readers know that it might not be true.
Mick
******************************************************************************
* Michael Zwahlen * *
* Martinsbruggstr. 33 * 9264...@sgcl1.unisg.ch *
* 9016 St. Gallen * Zwahlen...@ch.swissbank.com *
* Switzerland * *
******************************************************************************
* I am collecting postcards *
* It would be nice to send one to the address above if I helped you *
******************************************************************************
Don Rinker
In article <4ppfj7$h...@masters0.Internex.NET>,>>In article <4po10v$5...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
>> disr...@aol.com (D Israels) wrote:
>>>: >COMMENTARY TOO: For those of you who're also on the web, take a look
>>>: >at the C|Net's article and see how apologetic the article is...
>>
>>>I wrote the article on c/net's gamecenter site, which was headlined
>>>"Gamer's powerful internet voice."
>>
>>>I object to Kasey Chang's characterization of my piece as "apologetic."
>>
Don't worry about it D. Israel is an asshole. We tend to ignore him.
Keep up the good work....