Topic: Paramount hath spoken  (Read 66441 times)

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Offline Harry

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #80 on: July 11, 2004, 11:28:51 am »
Quote
I understand Paramount is a corporation and they have thier interests with regards to profitbility and disclosure. I work for one myself and i dont think they would none too pleased if i were to be posting sesnsitive information of thiers on any posting board for whatsoever. Im not going to ask you to hand out information that would jeapordize your position, no one wins in that situation.

My issue is that just once.

Just Once.

We could do without the hyberbole, buzzwords and corporate visions. If youre going to do something do it, if youre not don't. If youre going to say something, say it and if you either can't say it or wont

Dont.

Sorry again if you feel that way.  I was approached to do an interview.  I agreed and answered the questions given me the best I could at this time.  If I had nothing to say and Trek gaming was dead, I would not have agreed to the interview or be here right now.  I wanted to let people know that there are things going on behind the scenes.  I'm sorry if I'm not at liberty to give specifics at this time, but I was able to give some hints and at least tell you when to expect something more.  That's better than nothing I would think.  How many licensors share this kind of information with the community?

I understand your reservations with the big corporate giant...but we're listening and hopefully will regain those who's trust have fallen away.

Offline Hyperion

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #81 on: July 11, 2004, 12:07:09 pm »
Fair enough

                      :soap:
Ill get off my                    box now ;D
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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #82 on: July 11, 2004, 12:10:39 pm »
^^^Well said.


Trek gaming is alive still. Thats all that matters.


If it was dead, Harry wouldnt have agreed to an interview.


I would recommend the questions end guys- the more time Harry has to spend answering questions, the LESS time he has to help get another Star Trek game out....  ;)


Thanks for listening  8)


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Offline AdmWaterTiger-11thFleet-

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #83 on: July 11, 2004, 12:22:01 pm »
Harry,

TrekToday, Trek Nation, GameSpot, SFC3files, Blue's News, HomeLanFed, Computer Games Online, STGU did their grand reopening with your statement. Startrek.com was notified.

Looks like it got good play and some positive responses.

http://www.trektoday.com/

http://bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/blammo.pl

http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=24588

=====

For another look, see Harry's responses to CGOnline:

http://www.cgonline.com/features/010731-f1-f1.html

==========

All good, positive "stuff."

<S>

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« Last Edit: July 11, 2004, 12:32:47 pm by WaterTiger »
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Offline Crusader

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #84 on: July 11, 2004, 01:05:13 pm »

I would recommend the questions end guys- the more time Harry has to spend answering questions, the LESS time he has to help get another Star Trek game out....  ;)


Fair enough.  No more questions from me.

Frankly I'm excited.  I love Star Trek and if Paramount has plans for more of it....that can only be good. ;)

Offline EmeraldEdge

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #85 on: July 11, 2004, 01:27:44 pm »
I don't want to ream on anyone or anthing, or make them feel unwelcome.  I really appreciate the fact that Harry is willing to drop by and comment on things, but isn't the article at the end pretty darn old?  Like before SFC3 and EF2 came out?   Yet it still talks about how "The fans are never far from Harry Lang's thoughts, and it's clear he considers them with every decision he makes regarding the direction of a game's development."   It says he is responsible for giving the go ahead at pretty much everystage of the game, from concept through concept art, textured models, seeing individual builds and so forth.  It also talks about all the things that ATVI should be able to do with the license now that they will have all eras.  Now, like I said, I don't want to discourage anyone from talking out or coming here, but doesn't this tend to lend credence to the "been there, heard that" folks, seeing as Trek games were still kind of lacking (albeit they generally functioned better than some of the stuff way, way back in the day).   I wonder just what is actually going to change.   I also wonder about the comment "By creating Star Trek games that make sense. We're working on an initiative that is very exciting and by its nature, embraces the Star Trek gaming community." when asked how to get back gamers who have left Trek gaming behind.   Did they think the previous games made now sense, and if so why were they made in the first place?   I tend to think that a lot of games made sense, but just lacked in execution.   Bridgecommander, Starfleet Command series, Elite Force series, even Armada, made sense as a game concept, but the execution of a lot of these was lacking as if they were just developed really quick and shoved out the door.  Some had more content than others and managed to buck the stigma of a Trek game a little more than others, but a lot of them felt like, as I've said before, just a quickly manufactured mod of another game and no better than 1000's of other games on the market so why not buy the original so you can get all the mods, if you are an online player?  Doesn't make sense, so I guess perhaps that's where the making games that make sense thing comes in.


I do find myself interested in this new method of listening to the communities and allowing them input, and just how the licenses are going to be handled since they aren't likely to be with one publisher anymore.  I had heard rumour that they would be dividing the Trek license up by game type or something, which would make sense if they are willing to entertain a multi-era game since if different companies held licenses by era that would seem to throw a wrench in the works of that idea.

Anyhow, I've got a lot of stuff to get to and can't really get too deep into anything, but I find myself skeptically hopeful that something will change and that we will see quality games, full of content rather than lacking, in all genres of Trek gaming.

Offline Harry

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #86 on: July 11, 2004, 02:18:28 pm »
I don't want to ream on anyone or anthing, or make them feel unwelcome.  I really appreciate the fact that Harry is willing to drop by and comment on things, but isn't the article at the end pretty darn old?  Like before SFC3 and EF2 came out?   Yet it still talks about how "The fans are never far from Harry Lang's thoughts, and it's clear he considers them with every decision he makes regarding the direction of a game's development."   It says he is responsible for giving the go ahead at pretty much everystage of the game, from concept through concept art, textured models, seeing individual builds and so forth.  It also talks about all the things that ATVI should be able to do with the license now that they will have all eras.  Now, like I said, I don't want to discourage anyone from talking out or coming here, but doesn't this tend to lend credence to the "been there, heard that" folks, seeing as Trek games were still kind of lacking (albeit they generally functioned better than some of the stuff way, way back in the day).   I wonder just what is actually going to change.   I also wonder about the comment "By creating Star Trek games that make sense. We're working on an initiative that is very exciting and by its nature, embraces the Star Trek gaming community." when asked how to get back gamers who have left Trek gaming behind.   Did they think the previous games made now sense, and if so why were they made in the first place?   I tend to think that a lot of games made sense, but just lacked in execution.   Bridgecommander, Starfleet Command series, Elite Force series, even Armada, made sense as a game concept, but the execution of a lot of these was lacking as if they were just developed really quick and shoved out the door.  Some had more content than others and managed to buck the stigma of a Trek game a little more than others, but a lot of them felt like, as I've said before, just a quickly manufactured mod of another game and no better than 1000's of other games on the market so why not buy the original so you can get all the mods, if you are an online player?  Doesn't make sense, so I guess perhaps that's where the making games that make sense thing comes in.


I do find myself interested in this new method of listening to the communities and allowing them input, and just how the licenses are going to be handled since they aren't likely to be with one publisher anymore.  I had heard rumour that they would be dividing the Trek license up by game type or something, which would make sense if they are willing to entertain a multi-era game since if different companies held licenses by era that would seem to throw a wrench in the works of that idea.

Anyhow, I've got a lot of stuff to get to and can't really get too deep into anything, but I find myself skeptically hopeful that something will change and that we will see quality games, full of content rather than lacking, in all genres of Trek gaming.

Yes that article is old...we're at a different stage now.  All I can say is that when we finally are able to share more concrete news, you'll see that we really are taking a different approach from the way things were done in the past and it will be very focused.  Some may agree with what we do, some won't.  But I'm doing everything I can to influence changes.  Part of that is community involvement. 

Skepticism is ok.  Just keep an open mind. 

Offline SghnDubh

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #87 on: July 11, 2004, 04:38:23 pm »

Harry, we're very excited by your words. Having the community involved in a new Trek gaming experience is a great and welcome move!

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Offline EmeraldEdge

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #88 on: July 11, 2004, 04:42:39 pm »
Definitely have an open mind.  There is so much that can be Trek but just hasn't been.   I certainly hope the quality of content and gameplay will be up in a big way.   I look forward to seeing what's coming (I love Trek games, as a concept at least) and I'd jump at the chance to help through whatever means, I've got a lot of input to give. ;)

Offline Rod ONeal

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #89 on: July 11, 2004, 06:58:19 pm »
Harry,

Thanks for taking the time to share with us. I hope that trek gaming comes back strong.

Two statements, not meant to be taken overly critical, I hope.

1, I hope that we don't get some rushed out for Christmas games this year. The "in a few months" could be interpreted as such.

2, I hope that old arguements don't stand in the way of things. Hopefully cool heads will prevail and whatever differences there are can be put aside for the betterment of Trek. If it's good for the fans then it's good for the franchise. Give the people what they want and don't listen to the accountants who say that it isn't profitable enough.

It's very good to see you around again. I hope that you don't go away any time soon. ;D
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Offline NannerSlug

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #90 on: July 11, 2004, 07:27:39 pm »
boy.. take a vacation and look what happens.. that said there are a couple things I would like to throw into the ring.

Harry, thank you for taking time to do an interview. I sincerly hope that people take the fact in a positive manner. Many companies and devs just do not do that anymore as they spend time working on a game instead of answering every message tit for tat.

thank you.

Secondly, to some in here who think that sfc2 is the end all to be all and that "90%" wanted another sfc2 - you are wrong. Lets not try to get into another flame war - but even in the situation it was released in - if more support had been given - and the game had not been RMA'd - it would have done a lot better than what some think. in fact, from my knowledge of the situation - it was A LOT better than what some around here believe.

IMO, the problem with sfc3 is that they took too much out. had time been given i think that more important things would have been added back in to add the levels of detail. Look at some of the popular sfc3 mods out there - including my own - all which people love and enjoy.. the key to many of them was an increased level of detail..

that all said, what i am trying to say is that I hope that paramount - when they talk to a developer and publisher - will talk to them in simple terms to make sure there is an adequate ammount of detail in the game. It does not need to be as rule anal retentive (and non star trek) as some of the sfb stuff (and let me be clear - sfb stuff is NOT trek..) - but i do believe that sfc 1(which blows away all copies of sfc) proved that people were looking for a trek combat sim with a good level of detail.

we can debate the rest until we are blue in the face and it will be nothing more than speculation since we do not have the marketing report/survey in front of us.

Bottom line is Harry, I think a lot of us cannot wait to see a detailed RPG game or another killer space sim. Too bad Bridge Commander ended up the way it did. Add in a lot more ships/variations and a good number of changes on multiplayer and I think it would be a good game (especially being 3d driven - join in progress combat and true warping from system to system).

One last thing.. Victor - I do not think it is right for you to speak for harry. He is a grown man who can talk for him self. 

The one thing I do agree with you about Victor is that if and when the next big (and i do mean successful/decent) trek sim comes out, sfc will be gone. In the end it is all about game play.

Harry. I would like to thank you for the guidence on sfc3. For us Trek fans, it gets us the closest to trek cannon as we can get. I love the correct primary/heavy weapon configuration among the good things.. So SFC3 is not as bad as some might content. It simply needed more detail and content. Please remember that! Please take note about what made these games so successful.

I cannot wait to see what you might have up your sleave.
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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #91 on: July 11, 2004, 09:00:47 pm »
Nanner, I think you make some good points. I played SFC3 for a while and then lost interest. I've recently started playing again with the Dominion war mod and I am enjoying it again. I think SFC3 could have been made into a great game with a little more time and effort.  It is vitally important to remember what made SFC and SFC2 great. To be sure it didn't appeal to everyone, but I think it's the best game ever made. I hope Paramount's next efforts are a worthy successor and they stay on my hard drive for more than a few weeks.

Offline E_Look

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #92 on: July 11, 2004, 09:38:19 pm »
I have an open heart!!

If it's SFC and any good at all, I'll bite... though like others, I will keep one squinted eye on the reviews and rantings of our posters on our board.  If they complain and shout, not bad... if they yawn, oops, very bad.  Of course, if they praise it...

Offline Sirgod

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #93 on: July 11, 2004, 11:22:25 pm »
Nanner that Was Alot Better then I could have Ever posted Given The Hell A few have put us through.

Like you said , I'm A grown Man, and I hope they Meet with such a Grandiose Situation as they have Promoted.

Stephen the Pissed.

PS. Harry that was not Directed at you.

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Offline Harry

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #94 on: July 12, 2004, 12:22:58 am »
Harry,

Thanks for taking the time to share with us. I hope that trek gaming comes back strong.

Two statements, not meant to be taken overly critical, I hope.

1, I hope that we don't get some rushed out for Christmas games this year. The "in a few months" could be interpreted as such.

2, I hope that old arguements don't stand in the way of things. Hopefully cool heads will prevail and whatever differences there are can be put aside for the betterment of Trek. If it's good for the fans then it's good for the franchise. Give the people what they want and don't listen to the accountants who say that it isn't profitable enough.

It's very good to see you around again. I hope that you don't go away any time soon. ;D


"in a few months" does not mean the release of a game.

Nice to see you again Nanner, and all you old timers...thanks for the welcome.  I really do hope you guys like what comes next.  I'm excited.

Offline SkyFlyer

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #95 on: July 12, 2004, 12:47:56 am »
Please harry, dont rush the developers, and if the publishers try to... put them in check. I've seen way too many buggy games come out, especially trek games... For another --good-- game, not buggy, but was put out too early, visist http://www.shogo-mad.com    Good game, see if you can buy it... people still play it on the net, but only like 10-20 uber 1337 people who will own u like youve never touched a mouse before.
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Offline Tulwar

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #96 on: July 12, 2004, 01:43:00 am »
Harry, I am truly impressed that you have spent so much time in this forum.  You doubtlessly have some idea of the history of SFC, so you must have an idea of what we are holding out for.

I don't want to start a flame war with Nannerslug, but he wants a new and completely different game.  Something in SFC3 appeals to him.  If that were what you were alluding to in projects on the horizon, I doubt you would bother with this form.

The fact that you are here demonstrates that negotiations along the lines of a successor to the SFC series are ongoing.  I am trying not to read too much into this, but you definitely have my attention.
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Offline FPF-DieHard

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #97 on: July 12, 2004, 11:34:32 am »

I don't want to start a flame war with Nannerslug, but he wants a new and completely different game.  Something in SFC3 appeals to him.  If that were what you were alluding to in projects on the horizon, I doubt you would bother with this form.


It's the moddability that makes SFC3 cool.

I would stick with SFB as the "core" fo the next "SFC" game.   Make it OP++ with everything us grognards want.

BUT . . . .

Make it moddable so the visionaries who made SFC3 cool can still do this with the new game. 

There is no need to re-invent the wheel, SFB gives us a great universe to start with.  Let the modders recreat it it in their own image.

Oh, and you you go 3D in a Trek sim, TOTALLY abandon SFB.
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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #98 on: July 12, 2004, 12:03:27 pm »
The only way to make ALL peeps happy....

Two game engines and rules sets in one release....

The buyer chooses one installation...or both...

If you can cover the whole crowd with one release it will be a SURE hit...

Call it....Star-Trek: Return to Eden ;D

Offline Harry

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Re: Paramount hath spoken
« Reply #99 on: July 12, 2004, 12:20:41 pm »
Harry, I am truly impressed that you have spent so much time in this forum.  You doubtlessly have some idea of the history of SFC, so you must have an idea of what we are holding out for.

I don't want to start a flame war with Nannerslug, but he wants a new and completely different game.  Something in SFC3 appeals to him.  If that were what you were alluding to in projects on the horizon, I doubt you would bother with this form.

The fact that you are here demonstrates that negotiations along the lines of a successor to the SFC series are ongoing.  I am trying not to read too much into this, but you definitely have my attention.

I do have some history with the SFC series being involved with it since the very first pitch meeting.

But I think you are reading too much in to it...I posted to clarify a few things on my interview.  And then answer a few quesitons.  My hope is you guys are open to anything that is going to push Trek gaming forward, not if it's only SFC related.