Well that's that then (Mark Jacobs leaves EA)

[Ingmar]

So I don't really understand the sunglasses thing. I understand it was, indeed, a thing but like. Why?

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

[kildorn]

So I don't really understand the sunglasses thing. I understand it was, indeed, a thing but like. Why?

WAR is everywhere. And it's really, really bright. Here's some sunglasses.

[Hawkbit]

I think we should all change our avatars to the paul one.

[Draegan]

Hey. Andy.

I bet a shload of people will resub if you punch this guy in the cock and get it on camera:

http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/newsletter/2009_06/PaulWModels.jpg

And I mean hard. Hard like, the next photo is his medical documents for "Severe Cockpunching."

I would resub for a month to see that.

I will second this motion.

[HaemishM]

http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/newsletter/2009_06/PaulWModels.jpg

The more I look at that picture, the more I want the next frame to be KuChe, the Korean God of Skullfucking, to pop out of that backdrop and make Barnett his bitch.

[Sheepherder]

Now where did I put that starwaffling emote....

I'm hardly worthwhile of that emote.

You're cute.  Let's fuck.

Seriously: beware the entitlement that fan sites / communities feel once you start giving them answers.  I don't want to suggest that you should be completely opaque, but play your cards carefully.

[IainC]

So I don't really understand the sunglasses thing. I understand it was, indeed, a thing but like. Why?

Basically Paul and Jeff were doing a video interview and it was so bright in the office where the interview was taking place that they were squinting all the time so Paul ran across the street to a convenience store and bought two pairs of the most horrible sunglasses he could find. Since then they've been part of the scenery in every interview, press conference, podcast and trade show. Mythic get boxes of them with the WAR logo printed on the arms which they'd hand out with the posters, t-shirts and goodies at cons etc.

[schild]

Now where did I put that starwaffling emote....

I'm hardly worthwhile of that emote.

You're cute.  Let's fuck.

Seriously: beware the entitlement that fan sites / communities feel once you start giving them answers.  I don't want to suggest that you should be completely opaque, but play your cards carefully.

Your first post was in THE Warhammer thread. It would be best if you didn't give advice like that, hombre.

[Sjofn]

So I don't really understand the sunglasses thing. I understand it was, indeed, a thing but like. Why?

Basically Paul and Jeff were doing a video interview and it was so bright in the office where the interview was taking place that they were squinting all the time so Paul ran across the street to a convenience store and bought two pairs of the most horrible sunglasses he could find. Since then they've been part of the scenery in every interview, press conference, podcast and trade show. Mythic get boxes of them with the WAR logo printed on the arms which they'd hand out with the posters, t-shirts and goodies at cons etc.

Thanks for answering! That is the definition of running a joke into the ground, I think, but at least it wasn't someone going YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED, SUNGLASSES out of the blue!

[kildorn]

So I don't really understand the sunglasses thing. I understand it was, indeed, a thing but like. Why?

Basically Paul and Jeff were doing a video interview and it was so bright in the office where the interview was taking place that they were squinting all the time so Paul ran across the street to a convenience store and bought two pairs of the most horrible sunglasses he could find. Since then they've been part of the scenery in every interview, press conference, podcast and trade show. Mythic get boxes of them with the WAR logo printed on the arms which they'd hand out with the posters, t-shirts and goodies at cons etc.

Thanks for answering! That is the definition of running a joke into the ground, I think, but at least it wasn't someone going YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED, SUNGLASSES out of the blue!

It brings up the possibility that he's actually a really nice dude, and everything he does in public is simply furthering thousands of horrible in jokes that we don't get.

Or, he's a tool with an excuse for the sunglasses. <3

[ashrik]

Thanks for ruining that bit of fun, IainC.

This reminds me of my start at f13 which, and I hope you've all forgotten by now, was in that WAR thread when the dev(?) started posting here a bunch. Was I the only survivor of the following carnage?

[schild]

This reminds me of my start at f13 which, and I hope you've all forgotten by now, was in that WAR thread when the dev(?) started posting here a bunch. Was I the only survivor of the following carnage?

No, and don't think that makes you special.

[Rondaror]

Hey. Andy.

I bet a shload of people will resub if you punch this guy in the cock and get it on camera:

http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/newsletter/2009_06/PaulWModels.jpg

And I mean hard. Hard like, the next photo is his medical documents for "Severe Cockpunching."

While I am still playing WAR, I would at least reactivate my wife's sub just to see that.

[Draegan]

This reminds me of my start at f13 which, and I hope you've all forgotten by now, was in that WAR thread when the dev(?) started posting here a bunch. Was I the only survivor of the following carnage?

No, and don't think that makes you special.

But he is special for defending Darkfall.

[ashrik]

I'll take it, dammit.

Anyways, I'll be hitching my horse on the Mortal Online wagon in a week

[schild]

I'll take it, dammit.

Anyways, I'll be hitching my horse on the Mortal Online wagon in a week

You know, if the hopeless stopped buying worthless games, we'd have less of them.

Just sayin'

[Soln]

Hey. Andy.

I bet a shload of people will resub if you punch this guy in the cock and get it on camera:

http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/newsletter/2009_06/PaulWModels.jpg

And I mean hard. Hard like, the next photo is his medical documents for "Severe Cockpunching."

I would resub for a month to see that.

I will second this motion.

+1  

sorry Andy-man but he's the face of your game

One for the road:

[ghost]

I'll take it, dammit.

Anyways, I'll be hitching my horse on the Mortal Online wagon in a week

You know, if the hopeless stopped buying worthless games, we'd have less of them.

Just sayin'

Other than Demon's Souls, which ones aren't worthless, particularly in the MMO variety?

[Arthur_Parker]

sorry Andy-man but he's the face of your game

Nobody would give a crap about anyone employed at Mythic if the game actually worked.

[Soln]

[Arthur_Parker]

Sanya Weathers's MMO Underbelly: No Endgame For MMO Devs

[d4rkj3di]

http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/

[Morfiend]

Sanya Weathers's MMO Underbelly: No Endgame For MMO Devs

Was it just my imagination, or did she basically just say "Fuck you Mark, couldn't of happened to a better guy"?

[naum]

Sanya Weathers's MMO Underbelly: No Endgame For MMO Devs

Was it just my imagination, or did she basically just say "Fuck you Mark, couldn't of happened to a better guy"?

/scratches head

Um, that was a whole lot of words saying little…

[ghost]

Sanya Weathers's MMO Underbelly: No Endgame For MMO Devs

Was it just my imagination, or did she basically just say "Fuck you Mark, couldn't of happened to a better guy"?

/scratches head

Um, that was a whole lot of words saying little…

I know absolutely nothing about the situation, but it surely seems as if Mark Jacobs might have been very good to work for in the beginning, but then lost control of what he created.  Thus you have a lot of people that really like the guy but don't like what he's become.  And maybe it isn't a conscious thing on his part.  Maybe it was the sell out, maybe it was less attention to the lower level guy.  It probably is different for each person that worked for the company.  I thought it was a decent little read that showed obvious mixed feelings that were overlayed by "pissed off".

[Lum]

I know absolutely nothing about the situation, but it surely seems as if Mark Jacobs might have been very good to work for in the beginning, but then lost control of what he created. 

If only someone with first-hand knowledge of the situation had said that explicitly!

[Modern Angel]

The important thing about that picture, the big clue, isn't the shades or the girls or the stupid look on his face. It's his belt buckle. ROCK STAR. That's what he's trying to be. And that belt buckle is three quarters of the problem with the MMO industry. Stop being fucking ROCK STARS and just be a coder/developer/writer/coffee maker/whatever. Shut up, sit down, make a good game. Fuck you.

[DayDream]

So I guess the question to ask, is what sort of MMO can be made with a 25-30 person team?  And how the hell would you do it?  What sort of niche would you try for?  And if you're not trying for a niche, what the hell are you thinking?

[sam, an eggplant]

The important thing about that picture, the big clue, isn't the shades or the girls or the stupid look on his face. It's his belt buckle. ROCK STAR. That's what he's trying to be. And that belt buckle is three quarters of the problem with the MMO industry. Stop being fucking ROCK STARS and just be a coder/developer/writer/coffee maker/whatever. Shut up, sit down, make a good game. Fuck you.

I dunno. I kinda disagree. Celebrity can be a great marketing tool, and it's one that the gaming industry has largely avoided so far. Our biggest celebrity was... who? Sid Meier? Romero, maybe?

Of course he's douchey, all celebrities are douchebags. But your girlfriend buys those trashy magazines to read about them anyway.

[Delmania]

I dunno. I kinda disagree. Celebrity can be a great marketing tool, and it's one that the gaming industry has largely avoided so far. Our biggest celebrity was... who? Sid Meier? Romero, maybe?

Of course he's douchey, all celebrities are douchebags. But your girlfriend buys those trashy magazines to read about them anyway.

Sanya stated it in her article - hype.  People like Paul and his shenanigans build hype for the game.  The real problem is that the MMO industry just sucks.  WoW's success has propelled a formerly niche market into the mainstream, and companies are still playing the same games they did when it was a niche market - either making clones of of the current success (Warhammer) or spending all their time tell how you their game in the anti-clone (Darkfall).  The most sucessful games - LoTRO and EvE, do so because they either didn't hype or they did hype, realized it didn't work, and buckled down and fixed their damn game until the hype was reality and they see an increase in subs.  But that takes time, and investors hate waiting. 

[Modern Angel]

No, Paul and his shenanigans build hype for Paul. I'm sure there's some small subset of a subset of people who got turned on by that but you build legitimate hype through pre-release FAQs, videos and ads. I am not turned off by seeing people talk about their game; that's the job, they're the face. But guys like Barnett, Godager and McQuaid are interested in pimping themselves. They're leeches.

[sam, an eggplant]

Absolutely his shenanigans build up the paul brand. But everybody wins when you cross over. Take Rachael Ray, for example. She parlayed looking like a comfortably doable chubby girl next door on a mediocre cooking show into a multimedia empire in a under five years, and the food channel made an absolute fortune off her.

Lets imagine Paul somehow became a real celebrity. "Real" defined by your girlfriend knowing who he was dating and having seen pictures of him at the beach. You don't think that would be valuable from a marketing perspective? That it wouldn't introduce his game to a formerly unreachable audience?

[Modern Angel]

One, you're assuming that his horseshit would translate to a wider audience. Two, none of this has anything to do with the fact that he's odious and prevents at least me and Haemish from resubbing even if the game becomes the best thing ever.

[Hayduke]

Sanya Weathers's MMO Underbelly: No Endgame For MMO Devs

Whoa, that illustration is ugly.  Sanya doesn't look like Jeff Goldblum in Lara Croft cosplay irl does she?

[Lantyssa]

Absolutely his shenanigans build up the paul brand. But everybody wins when you cross over. Take Rachael Ray, for example. She parlayed looking like a comfortably doable chubby girl next door on a mediocre cooking show into a multimedia empire in a under five years, and the food channel made an absolute fortune off her.

She didn't make an ass of herself in the process and she showed people how to make good food.

Paul just shows how to make an ass of yourself and shit on everyone below you.  It's a terrrible comparison.