[Patch] Patch, where art thou?!
- Thread starter Plasmatic
- Start date
Stupidity in the corperate world is unfortunatly the norm... not the exception.
If they were to release the patch without PunkBuster (including only the bug fixes) people would scream and rant and rave about false advertising. If they hold off on releasing it until the deal goes through, then we get the current state.
Realisticly, until they manuver into a position where they have their arses covered, it's prolly best for them to remain silent... as much as it gulls me to say it.
I am generally perty intollerant of publisher cock-ups, but after the whole VUG vs Valve thing, I see how both sides can be jerks. What Valve pulled on VUG was dirty, rotten, and has prolly hurt T:V indirectly since VUG was screwed out of large amounts of capital that really was rightfully theirs.
If they were to release the patch without PunkBuster (including only the bug fixes) people would scream and rant and rave about false advertising. If they hold off on releasing it until the deal goes through, then we get the current state.
Realisticly, until they manuver into a position where they have their arses covered, it's prolly best for them to remain silent... as much as it gulls me to say it.
I am generally perty intollerant of publisher cock-ups, but after the whole VUG vs Valve thing, I see how both sides can be jerks. What Valve pulled on VUG was dirty, rotten, and has prolly hurt T:V indirectly since VUG was screwed out of large amounts of capital that really was rightfully theirs.
Well, if you look at it this way:Got Haggis? said:
There's two parties, VUG (the publisher), and us (the publisher's audience). VUG needs to deliver a patch to us. But because they can't make the patch on their own, they hire IG (a third party) to make it, so that they can release it to us. They also hire the PB crew (another third party) to cooperate with IG in including PB in the patch.
So yeah, you got your two third parties right there.
Havok... doesn't paying the license mean that you are free to use it in any way you want? I suppose you can't change it, but why would IG change anything about it?
As for the game engine, they licensed it as the Vengeance Engine, so no legal issues there (probably).
Got Haggis?
Veteran XX
really cuz i have some 'insider info' that vug was screwing valve out of a large amount of money owed them
also, vug/sierra are notorious for pushing games out early, before they are finished.
also, vug/sierra are notorious for pushing games out early, before they are finished.
I'm sure it was a both ways butt plugging, but Valve did intentionally hold up development while Steam was being worked on so they could get a bigger piece of the royalties. The result of them focusing their sales on Stream is that VUG lost out on a big part of their bread and butter... box sales. VUG also payed for a long and expensive development cycle.Got Haggis? said:
Basicly the whole thing was a sorted mess. Both sides pulled some dirty crap, but I do feel that VUG for the worst of the shafting.
Google for it. Some of the court notes are amusing as hell to read.
Ok... too lazy to Google?
Here ya go: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/20/news_6107712.html
It's a perty good artical covering both sides and not taking sides.
It's perty lenghty and hard to pull good exerpts from since it's all very context sensitive, but the clifffs would be something like this:
-Valve sues VUG for using CyberCafes as bases for product placment.
-Valve downplays the impact of Steam on the sale of retail boxes, while stalling the release of the game until Steam development is complete.
-VUG discovers internal documents that point towards Valve being much more confidant about the sums of money Steam will generate.
-VUG slaps Valve for Misrepresentation.
Result: Big arse furball that delayed HL2's release and has left both companies spending money in court instead of on development.
Observation: Greedy people suck. Do does corperate politics.
Recomendation: Shoot 'em all and let God sort it out while smaller companies
become free to do some good stuff.
Here ya go: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/09/20/news_6107712.html
It's a perty good artical covering both sides and not taking sides.
It's perty lenghty and hard to pull good exerpts from since it's all very context sensitive, but the clifffs would be something like this:
-Valve sues VUG for using CyberCafes as bases for product placment.
-Valve downplays the impact of Steam on the sale of retail boxes, while stalling the release of the game until Steam development is complete.
-VUG discovers internal documents that point towards Valve being much more confidant about the sums of money Steam will generate.
-VUG slaps Valve for Misrepresentation.
Result: Big arse furball that delayed HL2's release and has left both companies spending money in court instead of on development.
Observation: Greedy people suck. Do does corperate politics.
Recomendation: Shoot 'em all and let God sort it out while smaller companies
become free to do some good stuff.
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I'm sure they can release the patch without PB support and just state it in readme or during patch install that PB support was promised but until issues get resolved with licensing it won't be added until then. Simple, direct, and honest. I don't think people will have a problem with that if the situation is explained honestly.
That's a good thought, but is unlikely to happen for a couple reasons.
a) it would take work to remove the PB support already written in.
b) once a release canidate has been aproved, large companies like VUG tend to hang on to it like a pitbull hangs onto a 5 year old's face.
a) it would take work to remove the PB support already written in.
b) once a release canidate has been aproved, large companies like VUG tend to hang on to it like a pitbull hangs onto a 5 year old's face.
BitRaiser said:
You really need to smoke less crack or whatever it is you're taking. Valve has taken the right approach, in fact, the only viable future-proof option they can take. It is, after all, their game, and their talent that produced the game. What the fsck has VUG ever offered any game in their stable except for sh1tty tech support, printing low-quality CD's laced with sh1tty protection schemes, inserting them into budget covers and shipping them off to every Walmart in the country?
The similarities between the way that big record companies extort money from musicians, and the way big game distribution companies screw over game studios is an exact match buddy.
Wake up and smell the fscking roses. Valve simply took the best route, to get control of THEIR game back in THEIR hands, whilst still honoring a STUPID contract they had signed with VUG back in they days when they were still called Sierra.
VUG are ze french jerks. Stop sucking their asses.
Rodent: I didn't mean to imply that I'm a VUG fan in any regaurd. They pulled just as much crap and their track record stinks to high heaven. I think Valves consept wasn't bad, but their execution of it was basicly sinking to VUG's level. Let's not forget that it was VUG that paid for the development cycle. Valve didn't have to sign up to make HL2. They could have gone off and made a completely new engine and produced a game independantly... but then they'd have to get $$s from someplace, right?
I do hope to see freer dev houses in the future and would like to see the big publishers topple and die for the stupidity they have created in the industry, but how does the quote go...?
"When fighting monsters one must take care not to become a monster"
I do hope to see freer dev houses in the future and would like to see the big publishers topple and die for the stupidity they have created in the industry, but how does the quote go...?
"When fighting monsters one must take care not to become a monster"
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True, Amadeu5.
My point was only that there was stupid sneaky crap going on on both sides and as a result, VUG is no doubt distracted with the goings on in court. Thus they've got less time and money to invest in other things.
In the end, it's the gamers that suffer.
That's what blows.
My point was only that there was stupid sneaky crap going on on both sides and as a result, VUG is no doubt distracted with the goings on in court. Thus they've got less time and money to invest in other things.
In the end, it's the gamers that suffer.
That's what blows.
BitRaiser said:
If it's the only way you can win, why not? Corporate litigation is an area I've had some experience with, unfortunately. When there is big money involved it's no holds barred.
I'm on the side of whoever laid out the creative talent, sweat blood and tears to produce an awesome game. Dynamix is a case in point. There are PEOPLE in Dynamix, and Valve. CREATIVE people. People who are programming gods, and PEOPLE who worked their asses off to create some of the best legacies of Science Fiction gaming the world has ever seen.
All VUG have is a bunch of litigous lawyers on retainer, a few good(rare) product managers, crappy tech support, and a corrupt CEO that was under investigation for corruption and publishing misleading information. Their ex-CEO's actions defines everything we've seen from VU so far.
I don't mind if Gabe Newell sues them till kingdom comes. Hell, I'll donate a few bucks towards getting a class action suit established - if need be. The system is stacked against the creative people in gaming studios and in favour of litigous publishing houses. One needs to only look at the numerous studios that have been decimated by the likes of VUG, EA, etc...
Which is probably one of the reasons this patch is so bloody late, and Irrational is so quiet.
The real loser is the gamer, yes. But only because we're too afraid to buy the shazbot directly from the studios, over the internet instead of skipping this corrupt distribution system. Look at iTunes, for example. Valve has taken this bold step, and I think it will pay off for them. Which means, in the end it will pay off for the gamer.
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As long as publishers provide money for development and getting the game on store shelves and there are developers who take it, the publisher will always have ultimate authority. Valve is big enough and strong enough to cut out the middleman ie the publisher. That helps them make more money and is good for the consumers, so far. It's all about money in the end and everyone tries to grab as much as they can. This fact alone does not separate Valve from VUG.
I personally hope that cutting out the middleman has the highest probability of being good for the consumer. So the more middlemen that are cut out, the better.
Now where is the damn patch. Near the end of January VUG will say "sorry but the patch has now been postponed till February" and will continue to string along the few T:V players that remain, while IG remains silent.
I personally hope that cutting out the middleman has the highest probability of being good for the consumer. So the more middlemen that are cut out, the better.
Now where is the damn patch. Near the end of January VUG will say "sorry but the patch has now been postponed till February" and will continue to string along the few T:V players that remain, while IG remains silent.
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