f13.net

Apparently making the best mod for a popular game really is a thankless job (http://www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=240).

So Trauma Studios, makers of the Desert Combat mod for Battlefield 1942, had been so successful that DICE gave them their own offices. They had been doing some work on Battlefield 2 as well as some unnamed project. DICE just handed them their walking papers, thanks mostly to EA having decided after their majority purchase of DICE earlier this year that having 3 offices would not be viable. The 12 employees of Trauma were offered a relocation to FUCKING SWEDEN as compensation for the lack of lube they'd be getting on their ass reaming.

Does anyone else need any more evidence to determine that EA truly is the King of the Douchebags?

Goddamn, I'd take that relocation to Sweden!

Yea, saw this yesterday. Swedish chicks are hot.

Edit: I think Shockeye and I may be the same person. I haven't figured it out yet. When I do, there will be frontpage news.

I wasn't aware that this was even up for debate any longer.

They can't be stopped though, people need sports games and apparently they can just buy exclusive licenses if the competition gets anywhere near them...

But it's Stockholm! Oh wait... Stockholm is actually pretty nice.

And as in every DICE thread.. *ahem* Make a new Pinball game fuckers!

Their money hat contract with EA prohibits the making of non-derivative of Battlefield games.

A-FUCKING-MEN.

I know, I know. It just needs to be said...

Been a good month for the Swedish dev houses so far. DICE gets to shut down their American branch ( when everyone here in Sweden was semi-expecting DICE to pack their bags and travel over to become part of the nameless blob of EAGAMES ), and Starbreeze won MTV's Best game based on a movie award for Chronicles of Riddick.

I know it's cool to hate on EA and all, but relocation to Sweden is not bad.  Unless you hate Sweden and/or those who live there, I guess.  Or "relocation" isn't being used in the usual job-related sense of "paid relocation".  If it means "Your desk is in Sweden now, if you don't show up for work tomorrow, you're fired," then that really sucks.

Yes, but you're European where hopping countries is as efficient as hopping states here.  If your company gave you the 'choice' of relocating to the US and uprooting your family (if any) as well as separating from your extended family or losing your job, you'd probably see it as a shitty choice.

Particularly if you didn't speak the language.

Don't get me wrong.  Relocation is shitty.  I mean that not everyone gets a relocation deal.  It's better than just being cut loose if only because you have options.  Best case would be to keep your job in the first place, but hey....

My company keeps adding staff to our Manilla office, for example, but there's not way in hell I'm going to Manilla even though I know I'd live like royalty.  Fact is, I have built a house that my wife and I (mostly my wife) designed and are near family.  Moving just isn't an option, so I would be out of work if it were me.  If I was single, though... who knows?

Got GBA? Just play the old ones (http://prismdirect.co.uk/pinball_challenge.html).

I've got them on my Amiga. I still enjoy them. I just want a new one! I've yet to play a computer pinball game that comes close to the ones they did.

I need to find an original copy of Pinball Illusions for the PC on CD because the CD version has an extra table that was quite a bit of fun.

Yes, but it is still interesting to watch how they can stoop even lower.

I suspect (no proof) that the relocation offer is the best DICE could do for Trauma after a higher-level decision was imposed on them.

Look, forced relocation or lose your job from Austin to California = cock move, but acceptable.

Forced relocation from New York to fucking Sweden = absolute douchebaggery.

There is no comparison. First, you're being asked to move to a country whose first language is not your own. Second, you're being asked to uproot yourself and your family to another fucking continent, where, by the way, your nationality is hated (though it's not as bad as say France or China). In most cases, that's going to be just unacceptable. It's a pigfucker move of the highest order. I'm pretty sure there weren't any kind of requisite bumps in pay, but that's just instinct. It was probably the absolute least they were required by law to do, and was probably only offered because DICE wanted to not be total douchebags.

Just par for the course.

First we swedes don't really hate you americans... Sure some lefty teenagers might hate you, but most of us don't. Secondly, boohoo, they made a mod, it's not like DICE bought out an existing ( paid ) dev house and then closed it.

That's my one hangup for pity here. Trauma, afaik, was one of dems fake dev houses you hear about. Like 3D Realms Infinium Troika Blizzard.

"How Sean.  How's it going?"
"Not bad, just working on some concept art."
"Cool, cool.  Hey, you ever thought about going to Sweden?"
"Uh, not really, why?"
"Let's say I gave you the chance right now to move to Sweden permanently, what would you say?"
"Well, I wouldn't do it.  That's a long ways away and a hell of a decision to suddenly make."
"I see.  Well, in that case, YOU'RE FUCKING FIRED."

Hilarious, but I cannot avoid the Office Space version.

"Hey, John.  How's it going?  Greeaat. Yeeah, listen.  I'm gonna go ahead and need you to come in this weekend.  Some schedule changes came down from EA corporate.  Oh, and one more thing.  Can you go ahead and move to Sweden?  It's just that if not, we're gonna let you go.  Ok, great.  Thanks."