Some conspiracy theories

[dragonflythecat]

I am running the game and its subsequent beta versions on two systems – a lesser system and a greater system to compare how the game works. Currently I just have a couple of little computers in my home – nothing spectacular – just average units:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1 2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
Dell OptiPlex GX260 Tower
Intel 1800Mhz
Ram: 768mb
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphic Controller
Ram: 64mb

Microsoft Vista Home Premium Service Pack 2 Build 6002
Compaq Presario CQ Notebook
AMD Athlon Dual Core QL 62 2000Mhz
Ram: 2gb
Nvidia GeForce 8200M G
Ram: 256mb

These units are tied to a standard Ethernet network connected to a Broadband connection at 1.5m from Clearwire. So I am going to have a pretty good idea if this game is working properly or not from one Beta release to the next between both systems.

I don’t know if the rest of you found this to be necessary but when I started playing this game it was on a lark – accidentally ran into it. At first it was hard to understand, it seemed so over whelming – what with all the researching that has to be done and not knowing in what order to click on those buttons or even know what clicking on those buttons meant – so I went out to a couple of different sites to find out as much as I could about this game – because it seemed readily apparent that this game had a history – a bad one. Like that girl with the reputation, this game has been passed around the block a few times.

Everyone who arrives here has life experienced and a bit of baggage with him or her. Inside my suitcase I, wait I have to dust it off – a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications Management degree from ’97. I understand technology fairly well but I understand business better. So when I read about the history of this game, those who created it, those who tried to resurrect it, and those currently playing with it – I knew the beta testers were screwed.

Has anyone ever seen either version of a picture called “The Producers” with either Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane or Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder? The plot of the movie is that these individuals put on a Broadway show whose sole intention is to fail so that the failure can be used as a tax write-off at the end of the year – happens in business all the time.

After I got to looking at the information, I remembered this game when it was for PC and Playstation but I was busy doing other things at the time, so I never got around to playing it. It begs the question why a game this good was dropped from two platforms?

This is the official statement:

“It is with extreme sadness I have to announce the closure of Pumpkin Studios, effective from the 13th March, 2000. This is due to the cancellation of the Saboteur project that we inherited from the game developer Tigon. Despite the considerable work and improvement that Pumpkin was able to effect in the five months it had the product, Eidos felt it was necessary to cancel the product due to its projected release date and the dwindling Playstation 1 market.”

I hadn’t noticed that the Playstation market had dwindled. If you go here you can find out more about this game: http://www.mobygames.com/game/warzone-2100.

If this game was created to fail that would go a long way to explain the internal bugs this game seems to have that the current programmers aren’t capable of finding or fixing or just don't have the time - spread thin probably; I suspect they are masked as something else – it’s not surprising – creating a Broadway show or a game to fail is illegal. It is considered Fraud Against the Investors. Not something you want to get caught at – it could get you blacklisted from the industry you work in, do you think?

So if my comments cut sharply to the bone don’t take it personal you’d be wasting your time. It is simply the game. Any argument I can make to speed up game play – I will make the argument – a beta tester can not be your YES man – it don’t work that way.

[Zarel]

“It is with extreme sadness I have to announce the closure of Pumpkin Studios, effective from the 13th March, 2000. This is due to the cancellation of the Saboteur project that we inherited from the game developer Tigon. Despite the considerable work and improvement that Pumpkin was able to effect in the five months it had the product, Eidos felt it was necessary to cancel the product due to its projected release date and the dwindling Playstation 1 market.”

I hadn’t noticed that the Playstation market had dwindled. If you go here you can find out more about this game: http://www.mobygames.com/game/warzone-2100.

If this game was created to fail that would go a long way to explain the internal bugs this game seems to have that the current programmers aren’t capable of finding or fixing or just don't have the time - spread thin probably; I suspect they are masked as something else – it’s not surprising – creating a Broadway show or a game to fail is illegal. It is considered Fraud Against the Investors. Not something you want to get caught at – it could get you blacklisted from the industry you work in, do you think?

...what are you trying to say? You know, I remember you were criticizing others' English earlier, but you seem to have trouble forming a coherent statement yourself.

[KukY]

...what are you trying to say? You know, I remember you were criticizing others' English earlier, but you seem to have trouble forming a coherent statement yourself.

His English is pretty good.
But I don't understand what is the point of all this???

[crux]

So if my comments cut sharply to the bone don’t take it personal you’d be wasting your time. It is simply the game. Any argument I can make to speed up game play – I will make the argument – a beta tester can not be your YES man – it don’t work that way.

you can say that again.
it seems that they only want positive feedback and the moment someone says something they consider is wrong they get hostile towards that person and the 'yes men' jump on the bandwagon as well. :rolleyes:

we are only trying to help this game get better.

[Zarel]

you can say that again.
it seems that they only want positive feedback and the moment someone says something they consider is wrong they get hostile towards that person and the 'yes men' jump on the bandwagon as well. :rolleyes:

we are only trying to help this game get better.

No, it's more that we only want feedback. "This game sucks" is not feedback. "This aspect of the game should be removed", or "There is a bug here" is feedback.

You'll notice that some other threads proposing improvements, or reporting bugs, receive quite a positive response. You'd do well to learn from them. It's your own, that state nothing of substance, that are reacted to negatively.

[lav_coyote25]

i seem to remember this type of commenting and getting everyone all up in attitudes... cant quite remember the individual(s) involved but, suffice to say, this never goes anywhere. with that have a happy... xD

[Terminator]

could somebody tell me what dragonfly trying to say......in two words..

[KukY]

could somebody tell me what dragonfly trying to say......in two words..

And to me. I just don't get it.

[Michal]

Ok ppl, simplyfied:

1. This game fails
2. It was intended to fail.
3. Point 2 is illegal.
4. Trying to get warzone to work is pointless - see points 1 & 2
5. You are trying to fix something that never worked, there are too much bugs (which are features!!) and so.
6. It is sad .

[lav_coyote25]

which is exactly what i already said... in fewer words.

[Zarel]

Ok ppl, simplyfied:

1. This game fails
2. It was intended to fail.
3. Point 2 is illegal.
4. Trying to get warzone to work is pointless - see points 1 & 2
5. You are trying to fix something that never worked, there are too much bugs (which are features!!) and so.
6. It is sad .

Well, um, if that's what he was saying... he's wrong.

I mean, what else do you say in reply to that? o_O It's obviously wrong. Where's your evidence? That some other unrelated game was cancelled isn't evidence at all.

[Terminator]

Seems like DragonFly is talking not about our favourite game. I think he is confused

[Saberuneko]

Hehe, very possible. Confusion...

[Ceiling Cat]

Dragonfly, Warzone wasn't GPL'd because the developers couldn't finish it - it was, because the team has disbanded.
WZ2100 was released as a legit full game, earned good reviews and sold a fair amount of copies. I remember still playing it on PSX, screwing around with the missions, debug mode and whatnot. Nothing seemed unfinished, or out of order - it was a pretty nice game, and the only RTS that could be played on a console - since it's all managed by AI instead of the tiring micromanagement.
The mission to 'fix' Warzone is here because the game isn't exactly perfect(hell, even Starcraft wasn't for a long time). Also, the PC port of Warzone seems to be more glitched than PSX, because of netplay, different interface, and the old-as-the-world struggle with everchanging hardware. For now, the gameplay is perfect, there's enough maps and mods for everyone - all we need is compatibility and new visuals so the reputation of an old glitched game would go away.

[lav_coyote25]

ya know... what really gets me is this. people put forth a host of ideas and this and that and then what? they do not contribute anything. no coding, no scripting, no maps, no mods. just long , long, long posts about why the game sucks or what could be done to improve it. this i have seen since the very first forums. N.E.W.S.T. a great bunch of people - was a great day when i first discovered them. and then it went and was lost due to ( whatever...i know but it takes too much to go back.) anyways, then the next site - great forums, eventually, another group of people. it also went due to ( again - whatever). now this site - excellent group of people bright and highly motivated at times and at times at logger heads with the code... any one delving into this nasty old C (stands for crap i think...maybe not...) will know that it aint easy correcting others errors and misadventures with the C language.
what it all boils down to is we have only so many actual coders that are WILLING to work with this code and at LEAST attempt to correct what is there and maybe improve the end product. WHAT are YOU willing to do to help in the overall effort...?? if you have skills with coding or any of the other areas that need work - join in and have at it. if your just going to complain and nag... dont bother. i realize that there are games out there that are older - but how many have the people comming back time and again to play this game over and over... and still not get tired of it.

this is not a rant nor is it an attack on anyone. just what i have observed over the years. have a happy...
kim(lav_coyote25)metcalfe . xD