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Author Topic: Cheyenne Mountain Death Watch  (Read 164527 times)
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Reply #175 on: April 08, 2009, 06:51:51 PM

I think "the lights are still on" is the worst grasping-at-straws PR statement I've ever read. "The lights are on" is the bare minimum required for functionality.

Instead, how about "The article was in error - we are all working full steam ahead to deliver this title to you". Still vague, but makes it sound like CME aren't running on fumes.

Triforcer
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Reply #176 on: April 08, 2009, 06:54:16 PM

I hope that programming cat doesn't demand overtime. 

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Ratman_tf
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Reply #177 on: April 08, 2009, 06:56:45 PM

"Team members are in the office seven days a week to deliver Stargate Worlds."

Epic fail.

I'd like to agree, but in game development, that's status quo.



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Reply #178 on: April 08, 2009, 07:12:45 PM

I hope that programming cat doesn't demand overtime. 

Programming cat is lucky to get into the industry on such a prestige title. Also, there is a programming gerbil that would love to have programming cat's job and is a whiz on C+, so programming cat better pull his head in.

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Reply #179 on: April 09, 2009, 12:07:19 PM

"Team members are in the office seven days a week to deliver Stargate Worlds."

Epic fail.

I'd like to agree, but in game development, that's status quo.

And one wonders why most MMOG's suck horribly at release.

Ratman_tf
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Reply #180 on: April 09, 2009, 12:14:15 PM

"Team members are in the office seven days a week to deliver Stargate Worlds."

Epic fail.

I'd like to agree, but in game development, that's status quo.

And one wonders why most MMOG's suck horribly at release.

From my experience, it's no benchmark of competency. Sometimes shit happens and people have to stay late. Sometimes management is subpar and people spend the first half of a project playing air hockey instead of working, etc.
Although with this economy, the impetus to limit overtime is stronger than ever...



 "What I'm saying is you should make friends with a few catasses, they smell funny but they're very helpful."
-Calantus makes the best of a smelly situation.
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Reply #181 on: April 09, 2009, 03:21:59 PM

Until I left at least, it would be safe to say "Team members" = people who meet with potential investors, not the programmers, designers, or artists. 

As a programmer at CME, while there were occasional nights where we would crunch, they were very few, and generally to make specific milestone targets we thought reasonable at the start of the milestone.  Nobody at CME ever asked me to work a 85+ hour week (which did happen, once, at Sigil).
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Reply #182 on: April 13, 2009, 09:11:08 AM

We all have to do overtime at some point. It's certainly the nature of... well, most things. My problem is with the game industry's unwritten rule that says "Thou shalt always have crunch time and thou shalt like it. 60 hours a week is normal. 80 hours a week is expected. 100 hours a week is necessary. Asking why is heretical."

Fuck that noise. If I get asked to work late, it's either because I fucked up, someone else who was supposed to get me stuff fucked up or the client fucked up by pulling their puds instead of getting me the stuff I need to finish. There is nothing inherent in game design that makes 60 hour work weeks necessary other than fuckheaded project management.

Ratman_tf
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Reply #183 on: April 13, 2009, 09:56:41 AM

We all have to do overtime at some point. It's certainly the nature of... well, most things. My problem is with the game industry's unwritten rule that says "Thou shalt always have crunch time and thou shalt like it. 60 hours a week is normal. 80 hours a week is expected. 100 hours a week is necessary. Asking why is heretical."

Fuck that noise. If I get asked to work late, it's either because I fucked up, someone else who was supposed to get me stuff fucked up or the client fucked up by pulling their puds instead of getting me the stuff I need to finish. There is nothing inherent in game design that makes 60 hour work weeks necessary other than fuckheaded project management.

Preaching to the choir. Although cashing that OT paycheck can be rather nice.



 "What I'm saying is you should make friends with a few catasses, they smell funny but they're very helpful."
-Calantus makes the best of a smelly situation.
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Reply #184 on: April 13, 2009, 10:01:28 AM

We all have to do overtime at some point. It's certainly the nature of... well, most things. My problem is with the game industry's unwritten rule that says "Thou shalt always have crunch time and thou shalt like it. 60 hours a week is normal. 80 hours a week is expected. 100 hours a week is necessary. Asking why is heretical."

Fuck that noise. If I get asked to work late, it's either because I fucked up, someone else who was supposed to get me stuff fucked up or the client fucked up by pulling their puds instead of getting me the stuff I need to finish. There is nothing inherent in game design that makes 60 hour work weeks necessary other than fuckheaded project management.

Preaching to the choir. Although cashing that OT paycheck can be rather nice.

Paid overtime? Are you some kind of Communist?

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Reply #185 on: April 13, 2009, 10:54:53 AM

If it's paid overtime, he can't be working in the games industry.

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Reply #186 on: April 13, 2009, 11:03:08 AM


Paid overtime? Are you some kind of Communist?

Working for free? Are you some kind of socialist?

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Reply #187 on: April 13, 2009, 06:18:26 PM


Paid overtime? Are you some kind of Communist?

Working for free? Are you some kind of socialist?

Asking questions? Are you some kind of anarchist?

Musashi
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Reply #188 on: April 13, 2009, 06:38:24 PM


Paid overtime? Are you some kind of Communist?

Working for free? Are you some kind of socialist?

Asking questions? Are you some kind of anarchist?

Typing words on the internet?  Are you some kind of asshole?

AKA Gyoza
Ratman_tf
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Reply #189 on: April 13, 2009, 06:38:32 PM

I am just a QA monkey. I don't do salary.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly? Yet.  ACK!



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Reply #190 on: April 13, 2009, 07:05:46 PM


Paid overtime? Are you some kind of Communist?

Working for free? Are you some kind of socialist?

Asking questions? Are you some kind of anarchist?

Typing words on the internet?  Are you some kind of asshole?

Isn't that obvious?  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

raydeen
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Reply #191 on: April 13, 2009, 08:33:32 PM

Continuing to play MMO's after a decade of disappointment? Are you some kind of masochist?

Well..yeah, kinda.

I was drinking when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes astray.
Zhiroc
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Reply #192 on: April 16, 2009, 08:44:02 PM

Another "days since payroll" site has popped up. A little fancier this time :)

Also, there are reports that the CEO of MMOGULS, Brent Barton, has resigned after having only been announced as the new CEO around Feb 25. I have also heard that the VP of marketing, VP of business development, IT director, and member services manager have also gone, but that is sketchier info mentioned on a forum at scam.com.
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Reply #193 on: April 16, 2009, 11:48:53 PM

I'm trying to decide if the Navy recruitment ad at the top is ironic, tasteless, or apropos.
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Reply #194 on: April 16, 2009, 11:51:07 PM

I know Zhiroc knows about this, but this blog is full of hilarity:

Quote
3. We cannot talk about the Stargate Worlds game in meetings. For the time being, MGM is being protective of that franchise name, and is taking a 'wait and see' posture (for lack of a better word). When MMOGULS is up and running, they might view that differently. This statement DOES NOT mean that Stargate Worlds will not be available for play in the MMOGULS network when the game launches, so please don't misinterpret that.

4. We can tell people that Cheyenne is one of the game companies that will be in the network along with the games that they produce.

6. The Law firm representing MMOGULS is Grimes and Reese.

10. THIS IS IMPORTANT. There is an annual fee for being in the business end of MMOGULS, and that is $49 per year. Anyone that is already in the binary matrix by midnight (Mountain Standard Time) this Saturday, 2-28-2009, and accepts the new terms and conditions, and activates their account by paying the $249.95, will have the $49 waived. Just click on the box that says $249.95 and follow the instructions when the new website launches tomorrow. In shortened terms, new MMOGULS enrollees coming in from March 1st and after will have to pay the additional $49 fee.

13. There are 3200 in MMOGULS as of noon today.

15. MMOGULS will be conducting some contests. The first is that on a monthly basis the top 10 recruiters will be listed on the website. Secondly, the top 5 recruiters from today thru end of March will win a trip to spend a day with Frankie Muniz. Frankie is/was an actor and starred in the sitcom 'Malcolm in the Middle'. He has since left acting and has become a professional race car driver. He is now the face of MMOGULS!

This is going to sound cold, but just die already CME. Or find a new set of investors to clear out the current management.


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Reply #195 on: April 17, 2009, 08:25:46 AM

 swamp poop Ohhhhh, I see. ACK!
Zhiroc
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Reply #196 on: April 17, 2009, 12:36:00 PM

I know Zhiroc knows about this, but this blog is full of hilarity:

Quote
13. There are 3200 in MMOGULS as of noon today.

FYI, that blog was dated Feb 28. So, if you use the figures that a Platinum membership costs US$250 plus US$50/month, this means that MMOGULS has bilked earned US$800K and if they managed to keep them all, US$160K/month. This was probably why they managed to "keep the lights on" even with a good profit off the top.

But it was likely never enough to restart beta. And I've heard rumors (completely unsubstantiated) that MGM recently showed up for an "audit", whatever that means. Is it coincidence that MMOGULS execs left around the same time as this rumor, along with paychecks supposedly stopping as well?
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Reply #197 on: April 17, 2009, 01:38:22 PM

The whole thing smacks of a pyramid. 
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Reply #198 on: April 17, 2009, 01:40:57 PM

The whole thing smacks of a pyramid. 

WHAT

SERIOUSLY?

IT WAS SO WELL HIDDEN.
Hawkbit
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Reply #199 on: April 17, 2009, 02:18:20 PM

Apologies.  I have a tendency to state the obvious when I'm preoccupied posting.   Ohhhhh, I see.
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Reply #200 on: April 17, 2009, 03:41:39 PM

Do you honestly believe that 3200 number is real paying members?  :) As I recall, every employee of CME got a free "membership" (that none of us wanted) and I would be shocked if there weren't other groups out there that got the same...

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Reply #201 on: April 17, 2009, 04:11:16 PM

Do you honestly believe that 3200 number is real paying members?  :) As I recall, every employee of CME got a free "membership" (that none of us wanted) and I would be shocked if there weren't other groups out there that got the same...
You mean you weren't interested in all that phat lewt? A million subscribers giving you $500K/year!?!
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Reply #202 on: April 17, 2009, 08:10:01 PM

You mean you weren't interested in all that phat lewt? A million subscribers giving you $500K/year!?!
Don't forget the new car I was going to win playing the racing game too! ;-p

While I do miss CME / SGW / AZ a bit, it's hard to express just how much happier I am to be in a stable, normal job here in MD at ZeniMax.

I do wonder what the MGM audit was...  Is the Stargate license gone now (or soon)?
schild
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Reply #203 on: April 17, 2009, 08:11:29 PM

I don't like that MMOGULs had more subs than f13.

You all need to correct that. Just sayin.
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Reply #204 on: April 17, 2009, 09:09:12 PM

I've actually run the numbers on what it would take to sell a pig in a poke (build an MMO off of the money from gamers who wanted it so bad they'd contribute to potential vaporware).  It doesn't work.  Putting it into an MLM "matrix" scheme wouldn't help any, anything you gained from viral motivation you'd lose in overhead.  Now, it's not *guaranteed* to fail, but you're not going to fund a AAA grade project that way, and you're not going to get a high enough interest level if you're not aiming at AAA.  If you had a game that was right on the verge of launch, had a large active player base and a clear time target, you might manage to push it over the line that way.

This is more of a demonstration of how MLM architects are continuously looking for virgin fields to exploit than anything else.  The surprising part is that they managed to get MGM involved, although it appears they didn't start the shenanigans until after they already had the license.

--Dave

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Zhiroc
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Reply #205 on: April 17, 2009, 09:59:26 PM

I've actually run the numbers on what it would take to sell a pig in a poke (build an MMO off of the money from gamers who wanted it so bad they'd contribute to potential vaporware).  It doesn't work.
You're just not thinking big enough. Here's what they are going out and selling...

100K Platinum members, generating $25mil plus $5mil/month, and then on top of that, the 150-200 million paying subscribers (conservative estimate)!

 Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?
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Reply #206 on: April 18, 2009, 02:19:29 AM

Until I left at least, it would be safe to say "Team members" = people who meet with potential investors, not the programmers, designers, or artists. 

As a programmer at CME, while there were occasional nights where we would crunch, they were very few, and generally to make specific milestone targets we thought reasonable at the start of the milestone.  Nobody at CME ever asked me to work a 85+ hour week (which did happen, once, at Sigil).

No offense intended for you at all but I've heard sigil were a joke. I have played vanguard one of sigil's title for a month then quit and would say one most of the worst at launch of a game ever.

Venkman
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Reply #207 on: April 18, 2009, 03:39:21 AM

Old discussion.

As to the main (current) topic: sucker born every minute. I've long felt you can get at least 1,000 people to agree to just about anything, particularly in this genre. For every person whose been there and done that since M59, you've got hundreds of people coming off their first MMO looking for somewhere to channel their love for this "new" genre they "discovered".
Lantyssa
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Reply #208 on: April 18, 2009, 08:37:59 AM

I don't like that MMOGULs had more subs than f13.

You all need to correct that. Just sayin.
You're the one who deleted all the Jacobs' star fuckers...

They're the same types that are going to put money down on vaporware ponzi schemes.  You really want your numbers boosted that way?

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
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Reply #209 on: April 18, 2009, 01:17:21 PM

Until I left at least, it would be safe to say "Team members" = people who meet with potential investors, not the programmers, designers, or artists. 

As a programmer at CME, while there were occasional nights where we would crunch, they were very few, and generally to make specific milestone targets we thought reasonable at the start of the milestone.  Nobody at CME ever asked me to work a 85+ hour week (which did happen, once, at Sigil).

No offense intended for you at all but I've heard sigil were a joke. I have played vanguard one of sigil's title for a month then quit and would say one most of the worst at launch of a game ever.
You must be lost, lemme help.
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