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Post by Xaa on Jan 20, 2006 11:56:36 GMT -5
It's lovely e-mails like this one, received the other day, that completely eliminate any desire to make free games for people.
Consider the following:
1) This is this person's first e-mail to me.
2) It's not really all that unusual. I'm still getting letters like this regarding LoH, several years after I released it.
Yes, certainly, I have gotten e-mails in praise (and still do get them from time to time), and seen many forum posts in praise. But those who complain seem to easily out-scream those who praise.
If it isn't crying and swearing about the EULA, it's crying and swearing about the game itself. It's too hard, it's too long, it's too this, it's too that. If I was getting PAID to do this, I might put up with it. But, I'm not.
And really, folks, I'm 43, now. I've little desire to open e-mails from total strangers that call me a f*ckhead and a moron simply because I made something free, allowed them to download it, and they didn't like it.
So, this is why I don't have a lot of motivation to work on a new game. The annoyance factor outweighs the enjoyment factor by several orders of magnitude.
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Post by Kilarin on Jan 20, 2006 14:41:29 GMT -5
It's too bad that there are so many JERKS out there. <sigh> Anyway, I completely understand why you wouldn't want to go through that. It amazes me that you have done so this far. I'm still hoping, for purely selfish reasons, that you will get that irresistible itch again someday and just HAVE to create a new game, despite the costs. BUT, I certainly don't blame you if you just can't get past the jerks. There is always someone who has to pee in the pool.  |
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Post by Xaa on Jan 20, 2006 15:01:41 GMT -5
There is always someone who has to pee in the pool. That's not the problem. The problem is people who drop their drawers, sh*t in the pool, then tell you how they have a God-given right to do it because you were stupid enough to pay several grand to build the pool in the first place - it's YOUR fault, not theirs.  |
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Post by Diablo on Jan 20, 2006 16:49:05 GMT -5
Well I'd do something, but I don't see how replying to the hate-mailers with 20 different e-mail accounts is going to help =/
Though then maybe they'd know what it's like to be on Maddox's badside, heh.
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Post by Blondin235 on Jan 23, 2006 20:55:58 GMT -5
Hi Xaa -
You shouldn't take any notice of those e-mails - they are way off-beam... I think your ReadMe's are wonderful, nay sometimes hilarious...quote:Mageworld is HARD. No, let me say that again - MAGEWORLD IS HARD. I don't mean "Oh, gee, it's a little difficult", I mean to tell you that the single-player game is a flat-out female dog. It should take the typical player a month to complete the SP game. Some players will take longer. Many people will never complete it at all, because they simply lack the skills and the patience to manage it. You will die and have to restart from your last save literally thousands of times before you figure out tactics that work. If you are expecting a game that's as easy as original DS was, you will be disappointed. No, let me put that a better way: If you are expecting a game that's as easy as original DS, you will be screaming with frustration and tearing your hair out in huge clumps with both hands. Your neighbors will call the police because they will hear your screams and think someone's being murdered in your house. Even if you're smart enough to understand what I'm saying and are expecting the game to be hard, let me tell you, it's harder than you are imagining. MAGEWORLD IS HARD. unquote- good stuff!!  You should reply with one of those horribly polite auto-responses like:-
"Thank you for taking the time to write - your comments are noted and a reply will be sent to you in due course..."
That'd really drive 'em nutz!! ;D
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Post by Kilarin on Jan 23, 2006 23:22:21 GMT -5
Blondin: Indeed! A few of my favorite gems from the LOH3.0 readme:
4) If you simply can't play the game without cheats, if your life becomes meaningless and dull when you cannot type +drdeath and cut through everything like a hot knife through butter or type +checksinthemail and become instantly rich as Croesus, then this siegelet simply is not for you - you should try another. This siegelet was made for people who enjoy a real challenge, not people who simply can't have fun unless the game is something that wouldn't challenge a brain-damaged chimpanzee.
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Q) Why does that strange spider laugh at me when I kill it?
A) It's called foreshadowing. You'll understand a little later on in the story.
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Q) I had a lot of stuff to sell so I followed the signs to Gnashtooth's Trading Post and it was full of hobgoblins and they all attacked me and I died!
A) The signs leading to it said things like "Your One Stop Shop for Human Entrails!" and "Forest Witches Welcome!" What did you expect you'd find when you got there - a K-Mart?
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Q) My hero and/or T'Vril keep making a lot of "pain" noises when they get hit, and it's very annoying! Is there any way to turn that off?
A) Yes, try wearing better armor. If you've kept T'Vril naked because you like looking at her butt, well, you'll have to listen to her cry out in pain when things beat on her.
---
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Post by Liantedan on Jan 24, 2006 6:08:00 GMT -5
Then again, the EULA itself is quite enjoying to read as well. I think this part applies here :
07. NO WARRANTY AND NO GUARANTEES. Any use of the SIEGELET is at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Jim Farris and his employees, agents, associates, affiliates, and assigns disclaim all warranties and conditions, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Jim Farris and his assigns does not in any way guarantee the SIEGELET will even function on your machine, nor that if it does, that the play of the game will in any way be balanced, fair, or to your personal liking vis-a-vis playstyle, political correctness, content, pacing, game interface, overall entertainment value, or any other ordinary standard of judgement for electronic games.
And somehow he still managed to get as far as the readme, without acceptance of this EULA ? Impressive... And very, very sad. Oh, Xaa, chin up. Here's a nice quote from a sane and intelligent person :
"There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who have dreams and aren't afraid to follow them, those who have dreams and are afraid to follow them, and critics. Always strive to be in the first group, help the second, and ignore the third."
He's a published author and a composer, a modding hobbyist, an intresting pool of knowledge,... Well, I guess all of us gathered here might have heard of him and can figure out who I'm referring to. |
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Post by Artamos on Jan 24, 2006 22:20:39 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about the abuse you suffer for your efforts Xaa..Suffice it to say your hard work has made many lives more enjoyable by what you have produced. I for one take my hat off to you.. ;D  |
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gfb
Full Member
Posts: 76
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Post by gfb on Jan 24, 2006 22:46:18 GMT -5
Yup. What everyone else said. And I'm a big fan of #4 from the LoH readme myself. "This siegelet was made for people who enjoy a real challenge, not people who simply can't have fun unless the game is something that wouldn't challenge a brain-damaged chimpanzee." Good stuff. I know you're a fan of dad-quotes, so I'll share one with you from my dad: "Don't let the bastards keep you down"  |
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Post by Blondin235 on Mar 16, 2006 23:26:18 GMT -5
Hey, Xaa - how goes it with the latest project?
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Post by Xaa on Mar 16, 2006 23:32:36 GMT -5
If you are asking about my writing, which is my current project, I am within a few days of completion. If you are asking about the Torque Game Engine, I still have not gotten a model into the game. Torque is not merely low-poly, it is extremely picky about the way a model is constructed. Also, torque has a startling ability to crash at the most unexpected moments, a quality that even exceeds the most impressive efforts by GPG's designers. In short, I am less than pleased with my investment into this game system.
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Post by Kilarin on Mar 20, 2006 19:49:00 GMT -5
Xaa:
Argh. That's too bad. I had high hopes for it.
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Post by myncknm on Jun 10, 2006 22:41:27 GMT -5
I've little desire to open e-mails from total strangers that call me a f*ckhead and a moron simply because I made something free, allowed them to download it, and they didn't like it. So don't. Thunderbird is a nice little email client that lets you train its spam filter to recognize what you don't want to read. You don't need to listen to stupid people who are probably just venting their stress, unhappiness, or plain immaturity on you. I know from personal experience and introspection that complaints get voice much more easily than praises do. People who are faced with something they don't like or understand are much more inclined to take the time to speak up about it than those who do like it. So just know that your work receives more appreciation than it seems. |
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Post by Xaa on Jun 10, 2006 23:04:57 GMT -5
The real problem, I think, is that the anonymity of the internet promotes behavior people would otherwise refrain from face-to-face. Nobody walks up to me on the street and says "hey, [rude]" unless they were interested in losing teeth. Just looking at me, they know that would not be a wise decision. From the anonymous hidey-holes of the internet, however, people feel entirely free to do or say whatever pops into their little pointy heads, with no fear of any kind of consequences. The only effective response I have is to not read their messages (either through mail filters or blocking, etc). This is not a punishment to them - they can still send the message, they can still do whatever they want.
Really, the most seductive temptation isn't money or sex, it's the ability to do anything you wish with no consequences. Few people can resist that kind of temptation.
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Post by Bluespan on Jul 9, 2006 13:37:30 GMT -5
Xaa I totally agree with you on what you said, people really have no limits on tempting to anger one fellow as if they were to do in real life. I honestly wish you would create more amazing mods, like the ones you already have in stored (LoH and Mageworld). But like you said again, you make a game free and use your time and effort and some little punk comes and backfires with no use of judgement, then your stuck back in a little hole wondering what the heck the person had against you and the mod. Well all I really wanted to say is that I feel sorry for you and wish you'd go on creating your "creations" because they are really that good |
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