Chris Roberts Back in your wallet - STAR CITIZEN

[Paelos]

There is a certain excitement and exhilaration in being, and acting yourself, rather than putting on airs for the public. It’s called freedom. It’s amazing.

Serek Dmart, just like the founding fathers. Stop putting on airs for your oppressors and toss that Virtual Tea off your spaceship!

Most who don’t understand how the industry works, the technical challenges etc, were quick to discount this as just another Serek Dmart rant, or hyperbole. Regardless, even those who doubted the statements, were forced to stop and think.

Serek Dmart, points so salient that they hold the minds of doubters at gunpoint.

Most of the noise about this impending train wreck, has mostly come from smaller media, who, even though we all know each other, have more at stake in terms of being honest, and forthcoming, than those who just want to exist in the status quo and hope it blows over. However, once my article hit, and set practically every single gaming community ablaze about the state and fate of Star Citizen, it opened dialog in all corners of the industry.

Serek Dmart, setting all corners of the incestuous cesspool that is gaming journalism ablaze with his dialog.

All hail the Smart. All hail dear leader of Star Citizen deniers.  

[Yegolev]

I think it would be "whom" instead of "who" in that last quote.

[Sir T]

I found the story. Its actually very sad, but this is a reminder that this is not a victimless crime.

This entire thing is such a cynical commentary on humanity.  Jesus fucking Christ.  I hope he gets sued to hell and back by some dumb asshole's wife after said asshole spent their kids college money on fake spaceships.  

I mentioned a guy earlier in this thread, whom I have worked with extensively over the last decade. I still talk to him and his wife, since they were both friends. She has divorced him, and has full custody of his kids. Their youngest kid and mine play together frequently.

I bought him a beer the other day during our usual get together with a group of other guys. He confessed to now being well over the 20 thousand dollar mark on money spent on star citizen. He is convinced that it is going to be so amazing that he thinks he literally will not have to play any other games for the rest of his life.

I know this story is unbelievable, you don't have to trust me. However, I swear by its truth. The guy literally evangelizes the game to everybody he talks to. He reminds me of those people who get completely sucked into a religious group, his entire life revolves around star citizen right now.

Quote from: Falconeer on February 26, 2015, 07:32:10 PM
I do believe you, but how did he spend 20k? Isn't the "Completist" box only 18600$? Did he buy the whole thing and then some stuff doube, "just in case"?

He has multiple accounts. He has multiples of all of the super limited stuff. He believes there is going to be a market for those ships he has collected in the future.

About the whole divorce being related to star citizen purchases, I can say for sure that was the reason his wife left him, since I am friends with her too.  He basically used school loan money on star citizen and dumped what little remaining retirement savings they had into star citizen. She tried to have an intervention for him using myself and a few of his other friends and family. He went off the deep end and accused us of not understanding how important his investment was. By this time she had already moved into her own place, and a few days after the failed intervention, she served him papers. My wife and I still have her over frequently because our kids play together. I only see him on rare occasions when my small group of friends gets together for beers. However, over time he shows up less and less.

Edit: Since my wife is in the loop on star citizen she just about freaked out when I told her I spent like 45 bucks on it while it was still in kickstarter. I had to show her that was all I have spent before she would calm down.

[Lantyssa]

That's not a crime though, it's a gambling problem.

[Fabricated]

On SA, they've moved all Star Citizen discussion to a new forum.

Which Smart is now the moderator of.

Ahahahahah

[angry.bob]

Oh lord, oh lord. I can't even imagine where this could go.

Guys... we have to start a Kickstarter for The Doctor. Say it's to set up an organization to fund him digging into Roberts' dark closets and whatnot. Or to make an even better version of Star Citizen. He can use the money to hire John Romero to do design work. And Stevie Case to be Senior President of Marketing. No VP title for her, nope.

[schild]

Is it possible RSI or whatever the fuck they're called hired Dmart to market for them?

[Montague]

Ok having read through all that bullshit could a non-self important blowhard with some industry cred write something similar without the eyebleeding SirBrucing and Walken commas?

[HaemishM]

On SA, they've moved all Star Citizen discussion to a new forum.

Which Smart is now the moderator of.

Ahahahahah

Oh God... the humanity! 

This thread has now delivered.

[Lucas]

Post made by Community Manager Ben Lesnick in relation to the "unsolicited" refund that Mr. Smart received:

https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/comment/5304637/#Comment_5304637

Hey guys!

I believe I can clarify this. We refunded Mr. Smart’s package because he was using Star Citizen as a platform to gain attention as part of a campaign to promote his ‘Line of Defense’ space game. Our ToS (or in this case, the Kickstarter ToS) allows us to refund troubled users who we would rather not have interacting with the community. The process lets us entirely disable their accounts, preventing them from playing the finished game. Think of it as the video game equivalent of a ‘we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone’ sign in a restaurant. We’ve used this ability a limited number of times in the past, always with the aim of improving the community (until today, the most famous example being our old friend jcrg99/Manzes/PonyMillar/he of many other alts.)

I do now want to stress that that is not to say you can get your money back by simply being as obnoxious as possible; we’re also able to ban accounts from the forums without requiring a refund. But sometimes we take a look at a user and decide that they’re so toxic or their intentions are so sinister that we simply don’t want them associated with Star Citizen.

As for refund requests working the other way: per the ToS, we’re not required to offer them. We do try and work with backers who are facing hardships, but the hard truth is that the money is by necessity being spent to develop a game rather than sitting unused somewhere (that being the significant difference with Steam; those refunds are taken out of their games’ profits rather than their development budgets.)

Now, beside all the other stuff Pennilenko's (was him?) friend got into (divorce, etc.) I think he could attempt asking for a refund, even if that means telling all about his troubles to customer service (but, granted, that's quite a high sum to refund). Even before this whole ridiculous mess started, I frequently read on the forums about ppl getting a refund on a personal basis.

[Falconeer]

Now you know what's funny? Have you checked Line of Defense on Steam? It's so bad I can't believe it's serious (I know it is). 21% positive reviews could be the lowest score I've ever seen. As soon as people start googling it after Lesnick very cleverly dropped the name in that Star Citizen public statement everyone will understand that Smart is a joke, even those who didn't know him. Interesting to see how the best way to undermine Smart and deflate his arguments is to do free advertising for his game!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/266620/





 

[Lucas]

 

[Furiously]

Did they just say they don't want black people playing their game?

[KallDrexx]

This is turning out even better than I could have imagined

[Lucas]

Did they just say they don't want black people playing their game?

hahahhaha , brilliant 

Here's another interesting reply from the topic posted above, made by Eric Peterson (nickname "WingMan"), long time business partner of Chris Roberts since the Origin days, who recently left CIG to run his own studio (Descendent Studios; they ran a successful KS campaign to fund a "spiritual successor" to the "Descent" series):

https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/comment/5304823/#Comment_5304823

Look, I am no longer at CIG, but I recall when Chris and I were working at Origin, Serek Dmart sent several negative emails accusing us of stealing his ideas etc, the guy is just not worth the time to read.

He is just trying to get attention - something none of us should ever give him.

IMHO, I think CIG did the right thing here, that guy is just not worth the trouble.

WM

[jakonovski]

Finally, a company is truly at steak.

[schild]

Ugh. Derek is not the person we want or need to attack Chris Roberts and his gang of shitheads.

This is just going to end miserably and with not even a whimper.

[Lantyssa]

Hahahahaha.

It's a brilliant strategy the good doctor has come up with though.  If you can't get a massive kickstarter going, sue someone who did!

[Yegolev]

Prediction: Roberts initiates a program to let people donate to his legal fund.

[Trippy]

And donators get in-game items.

[Paelos]

And donators get in-game items.

Legal Beagles as pets.

[Sir T]

Ugh. Derek is not the person we want or need to attack Chris Roberts and his gang of shitheads.

This is just going to end miserably and with not even a whimper.

yep. After reading the golden letters from his nostrils I have to say this will may in fact add 6 months to the time before Star citizen collapses.

[penfold]

Been following Derek for a while now on Twitter. What I expected isnt what I got. A hint of Derek yes, but reasonable, fairly chilled, likeable and up for some banter, but in the last few days he's started a crusade against RSI and its been classic Derek all the way, right down to classic Derek classic lawsuit. Top stuff.

How in the fuck RSI dude hadn't heard of Derek and said not nice things on a public forum I dont know.

[schild]

They really shouldn't have given him a refund. That admits a lot of fault, regardless of what they say on the PR front. That said, Derek is gonna completely fuck this shit up because that's his entire life up to this point. Fucking shit up (and not in the incredible hulk way).

[ajax34i]

Lawsuits against vaporware, heh.

[Trippy]

Can both sides lose a lawsuit? I'm having trouble deciding who is the lesser of two evils in this case.

[Paelos]

Can both sides lose a lawsuit? I'm having trouble deciding who is the lesser of two evils in this case.

It's fairly simple in this case. Chris Roberts is ruining people's lives. DSmart is never going to stop being stupid regardless of outcome.

[Trippy]

Yeah but if he wins I'm not sure the universe would be able to contain the size of his ego.

[Margalis]

Can both sides lose a lawsuit?

We can only hope!

[schild]

Yeah but if he wins I'm not sure the universe would be able to contain the size of his ego.

Doesn't matter, everyone will still hate him.

[Nija]

I've been struggling the past week or so to answer this:

You know the phrase, "the lesser of two evils", right? Which one is it in this case?!

Right now I believe I'm firmly in the DSmart camp.  Which, frankly, scares the shit out of me.

[schild]

I can't respond to that without Godwinning the thread, so we'll just go with even the worst people can find something to do/say which everyone can agree with.

[Rasix]

[schild]

I want the predator to win. Lesser of two evils. Doesn't breed. Kills for literal sport.

[schild]

I guess that makes Smart the Predator, cuz he ain't breeding.

Huh.

This just got a level deeper than I expected.