Topic: Paramount hath spoken

[Victor1st]

Ya need to remember though he cant answer questions that would give away any of Viacom and Paramount future plans, that would be commercial suicide

[Hyperion]

Here's your answer...right from Steve's post...


<snip>
We will never allow independent developers to
release such software except through ADB Inc. because Paramount
will insist on this as a condition of their approval, if they ever give it.
<snip>

I dont claim to know what kind of deal was cut the first time,,,but it obviously happend at least once...

So...what Steve said wasnt quite true...was it...

He DID allow SFB material to be distributed by an outside developer in the form of selling license for the material in SFC1..{hell the damn cadet rules and SSD"s come on the CD for christ sake}.....

And the same material was probably used for SFC2 and OP....

Doesnt anyone remember the great SFB modding stink?

When peeps where trying to ADD more SFB stuff like models and stats....

Steve, Erik, and Harry where all involved

I bet Harry cringes every time he's asked about...just like Steve does...

I even have a hunch he's got a reply he can just cut and paste... he's asnwered the question so many times...

Well i know SVC is kind a doob sometimes, he reacts very viloently to people pointing out his mistakes and doesntl like anyone telling him some of his products blow and he also has this thing about "Re-doing" old modules and publishing and making the old ones (which arent that old) obsolete.

So it wouldnt surprise me if SVC and Paramount are not of best of friends and both want to take thier balls and go home

[Crusader]

Ya realise if you keep asking Harry questions he'll just not visit.

Well if we don't ask he won't know what's important to the fans.

[Hyperion]

I can only speak of myself by i grow weary hearing from game developers to just "hang on" the NEXT game is really gonna blow us away.

- just be patient
- just you wait
- just be good

 

[Cleaven]

Ya realise if you keep asking Harry questions he'll just not visit.

But he might know the answers and tell us, which is better than just making them up.

[Hyperion]

Ya realise if you keep asking Harry questions he'll just not visit.

But he might know the answers and tell us, which is better than just making them up.

i thought thats what they did in the first place ?

[FVA_C_ Blade_ XC]

Ya realise if you keep asking Harry questions he'll just not visit.

You dont know Harry very well do ya!

[Hyperion]

Its got nothing to do with Harry but everything to do with Paramount. If he's going to give an interview on behalf of Paramount he shouldnt be to terribly surprised if some people out there give him the big hairy eyeball. They want to rebuild the gaming franchise. Great,wonderful,fantastic.

but if all they give is the same old line of just hold on then they should know better.

Im not asking for them to remake the world of ST gaming right this instant, but what i do want is at least a general outline of where its going

[AdmWaterTiger-11thFleet-]

Its got nothing to do with Harry but everything to do with Paramount. If he's going to give an interview on behalf of Paramount he shouldnt be to terribly surprised if some people out there give him the big hairy eyeball. They want to rebuild the gaming franchise. Great,wonderful,fantastic.

but if all they give is the same old line of just hold on then they should know better.

Im not asking for them to remake the world of ST gaming right this instant, but what i do want is at least a general outline of where its going

Read what Vic said. He's right.

Ya need to remember though he cant answer questions that would give away any of Viacom and Paramount future plans, that would be commercial suicide

Sir, the 800-pound gorilla just woke up.

You guys crack me up.

Read the last line.

This isn't JUST a new game -- this is the remaking of a franchise as Paramount approaches its 100th Anniversary.

This involves mulitiple departments, meetings with numerous game publishers -- the rebuilding of a franchise that knows this last round of Trek games and movies didn't do a fat whoop for the Paramount name, including the Taldren series. (fire away ... hit that negative karma button)

EAW/OP/SFC3 wasn't exactly a best seller, and that ain't Paramounts fault by any stretch. The buck stopped with ACVI/Taldren ... and Taldren got sucked into the middle of the lawsuit vacumn with Viacom/ACVI, and you can't blame them for that. It was ACVI that filed suit and has been trying to degrade the franchise purposefully to prove their point while they took the money and ran to the nearest bank, IMHO

When you wake up the 800 pound gorilla, watch out -- and that is coming on a VERY large scale.

King Kong meets Godzilla.

The interview is the first step, then Harry builds on that with what he can -- which he has done in numerous forums since then, including this one.

His greeting here was -- shall we say -- less than cordial? Fluf's post did a good job lessening the impact of the obvious anger here by Taldrenites, who rightly have been through a lot in recent months. Harry DOES understand that, as he said.

Right now he is probably sitting in Malibu at a restaurant relaxing and sipping Long Island Ice Tea with the wife. Normally, he doesn't even post on weekends, but I see he is here.

When Monday rolls around, he gets on the 101 freeway, fires up the cellphone and begins making calls the second he pulls out of the 4-car garage with his Bee'mer and hits the first stop sign.  The five-car garage is in San Clemente.

Harry has a pattern of what I call "Harry-speak" ... and if you read between these lines, there is A LOT here -- more than he has said -- EVER on the subject.

Quote:
peace, exploration and discovery, infinite diversity in infinite combinations - our goal is to recreate this illustrious franchise for all to enjoy.

This is an evolution of NOT just the gaming side, but the Paramount FRANCHISE, and the games are going to be a LARGE aspect of that ...

<S>

WaterTiger

P.S. Harry, you still owe me lunch, and don't tell me that expense account ain't a fattie.

[Harry]

Its got nothing to do with Harry but everything to do with Paramount. If he's going to give an interview on behalf of Paramount he shouldnt be to terribly surprised if some people out there give him the big hairy eyeball. They want to rebuild the gaming franchise. Great,wonderful,fantastic.

but if all they give is the same old line of just hold on then they should know better.

Im not asking for them to remake the world of ST gaming right this instant, but what i do want is at least a general outline of where its going

How is what I said the same old line?

STGD/STGU:   Given the slow death of the online community for Bridge Commander, Armada 1 and Birth of the Federation and the vast majority of the gaming fleets of Star Trek who keep the online world alive moving to games outside of Star Trek, what will Paramount (or Viacom) do to get these old time gamers back into the Star Trek fold remembering that a lot of them have simply turned there back on Trek gaming?
     
Harry Lang:   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.

STGD/STGU:   What do you say to the folks who think that Star Trek gaming is dead?
     
Harry Lang:   I say wait a few months and they will see it is not.

STGD/STGU:   What do you see the future of Trek gaming to be?
     
Harry Lang:   I see it being very focused. You probably won't see multiple publishers out there releasing numerous titles competing with each other. And likewise, you probably won't see all games under one publisher. We're taking a very different approach this time and I'm confident the community will see the benefits right away. 

A.  We plan to involve and embrace the community - when has Paramount ever said that before?  B - We are taking a very different approach going forward, from anything done in the past.  Those should be some pretty big points.  I can't get more specific right now because as a corporation, things have a way of playing out.  However I have given you at least some sort of schedule of when to expect more details.  There are many variables so I can't nail down a specific day of when you'll get more concrete information.

As to the SFB question, sorry I haven't responded sooner, but it's Saturday afternoon...was spending time with the family.

This situation is above my head, and involves lawyers.  Which I am not.  So unfortunately, it's not my place to discuss...we did work something out for the SFC games but beyond that, I don't know.

So to summarize, what can you get from my answers?  That we are working on something that will embrace the community, is very focued, and unlike anything we've done before.  Originality, isn't that what you want?  In the very near future, you'll find out exactly what this means.

[AdmWaterTiger-11thFleet-]

Harry, no time for family -- God forbid

You are supposed to be sipping martini's in Malibu. First Saturday post I have seen from you in as long as I can remember.

Here is something Harry said at STGU, where he has answered similar concerns:

all I can say is to say be patient and you'll see. If someone came to us and said they wanted to quickly and cheaply bang out a ST game, we'd pass. We're trying to bring you guys back not push you away and nothing would be worse than putting out a subpar product.

The man dropped more hints than $2 cigars.

<S>

WaterTiger

[MBDay]

Harry,

  First let me say welcome to the forums. And thank you for your post here. I'm happy that you are here and that you are answering questions for us. I like this. I also would ask that you forgive us for are frank post. Many feel that those who clam to talk for or speak for many of use are not doing a very good job of it. Now to the point of my post.



  This is a post you might what to pass along to the TV movie side of your company. If they would like the Star Trek community to grow they will need to do one thing. And that is to get Enterprise in to more homes. There is a reason that it has slipped in the ratings. And that is it is only showing on UPN and seeing how UPN sold a lot of there stations it makes it hard for the Star Trek funs to watch it if it is not on in there area. they SHOULD FIND A way to get it in to more homes and to more fans then it is now going to. Just a point here from some one that got in to the show and had it take away one week because the UPN station in his area was sold to the WB network. Less viewers means lower rating. I know you do not work on that side of the company. I just ask that you let them those that do work on that side know what the really fans and really people are saying.



    Now as for the question I will wait and see. But I will say if I do not like what is coming then I will be going.



WaterTiger please let Harry speak for himshelf. Because you really do not know all and making statements for him could cause more problems then it helps.

[AdmWaterTiger-11thFleet-]

WaterTiger please let Harry speak for himshelf. Because you really do not know all and making statements for him could cause more problems then it helps.

Never spoke for the man once; never claimed to know all, but know based on my conversations with him that there is a lot he can't say, which is why I pulled a quote he made on another forum.

There was a series of forum and e-mail interviews which led up to this, which was the point of the Q&A -- to let Harry speak for Harry -- which means Paramount's gaming arm.

**sigh* back to modding.

<S>

WaterTiger

[Crusader]

As to the SFB question, sorry I haven't responded sooner, but it's Saturday afternoon...was spending time with the family.

This situation is above my head, and involves lawyers.  Which I am not.  So unfortunately, it's not my place to discuss...we did work something out for the SFC games but beyond that, I don't know.

So to summarize, what can you get from my answers?  That we are working on something that will embrace the community, is very focued, and unlike anything we've done before.  Originality, isn't that what you want?  In the very near future, you'll find out exactly what this means.

Harry, Just so you know, I was Mr. Hypergol in the Taldren forums....perhaps you remember my endless trumpeting of the "Galaxies at War" and "All Eras Total War-Style" SFC4 concepts.

Harry thanks for the answers you CAN give when it comes to SFB.

I hope what you mean by embrace the community implies that Paramount wants to do a better job of satisfying the tastes of its hard core Trek fans in addition to appealing to the mass market....i.e. dumbing down games and shows is not good.

I think the "Matrix movie series" shows that complexity can have mass appeal.  The Matrix had a fairly complex plot that satisfied the hard core types yet had the action and special effects to satisfy the masses too.  Therefore, a complex story wrapped in great effects can have maximum appeal.  We can do this with Trek also.

I think the problem with Star Trek lately has been that the core fans complaints and desires (i.e. continuity and changing of race characteristics etc.) have been ignored in favor of mass appeal.  Frankly as a hard core Trek fan I like my games and my Sci Fi shows to be complex and engaging.  That's also why I like Star Fleet Battles so much.  Lately Enterprise has been boring and has mostly ignored overall continuity within the Trek universe as a whole.  This really bothers us hard core types and tends to make us roll our eyes and walk away from the franchise.

I'm looking forward to a better future.

Anyway, thanks for the reply.

[J. Carney]

Harry, Just so you know, I was Mr. Hypergol in the Taldren forums....perhaps you remember my endless trumpeting of the "Galaxies at War" and "All Eras Total War-Style" SFC4 concepts.

My Hypergol...

not to hijack a thread or anything... but it's great to see you around here. You would have been sorely missed if you didn't make the trip.

War D*** Eagle!

J. Carney

[RazalYllib]

I wonder if there are any Armadillos in this future?

Oh that is so Funny Cleaven...I wonder how many really know about armadillos dating badgers?

[Hyperion]

Quote
"STGD/STGU:   Given the slow death of the online community for Bridge Commander, Armada 1 and Birth of the Federation and the vast majority of the gaming fleets of Star Trek who keep the online world alive moving to games outside of Star Trek, what will Paramount (or Viacom) do to get these old time gamers back into the Star Trek fold remembering that a lot of them have simply turned there back on Trek gaming?
      
Harry Lang:   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.

STGD/STGU:   What do you say to the folks who think that Star Trek gaming is dead?
      
Harry Lang:   I say wait a few months and they will see it is not.

STGD/STGU:   What do you see the future of Trek gaming to be?
      
Harry Lang:   I see it being very focused. You probably won't see multiple publishers out there releasing numerous titles competing with each other. And likewise, you probably won't see all games under one publisher. We're taking a very different approach this time and I'm confident the community will see the benefits right away.  
"


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.

This community has had a lot of people tell them a lot of things stretching all the way back to SFC1, some of those things came to pass and some rather important ones didnt. Ill give credit were credit is due many of the issues ive seen here have been recitifed.....in time

Also weve been a relatively civil bunch. We may not neccesarily agree with what were told but its rare when the comments go beyond satire into personal attacks (if you want to see personal go to www.toastyo.com and look up taldrenite exiles). But you may forgive some of unwashed players here that when we hear the deep booming voice of Paramount we dont leap up and rejoice, but may suspect that they're talking the talk again.

[Victor1st]

Many feel that those who clam to talk for or speak for many of use are not doing a very good job of it. Now to the point of my post.

...and whos that in reference to Day?

[Crusader]

Harry, Just so you know, I was Mr. Hypergol in the Taldren forums....perhaps you remember my endless trumpeting of the "Galaxies at War" and "All Eras Total War-Style" SFC4 concepts.

War D*** Eagle!

J. Carney

Well thanks.  I figured it was time for a name change.  Perhaps a new start.  Wouldn't miss this forum for anything.  It continues the great Taldren forums well.  I'm amazed you remembered I was an Auburn grad.....War Eagle to you too.

[J. Carney]

Harry, Just so you know, I was Mr. Hypergol in the Taldren forums....perhaps you remember my endless trumpeting of the "Galaxies at War" and "All Eras Total War-Style" SFC4 concepts.

War D*** Eagle!

J. Carney

Well thanks.  I figured it was time for a name change.  Perhaps a new start.  Wouldn't miss this forum for anything.  It continues the great Taldren forums well.  I'm amazed you remembered I was an Auburn grad.....War Eagle to you too.

You never forget the important things. I start classes for the first time since Dec 2000 this fall. It's gonna be a real joy remembering how to be a colege student again. And BTW... They are removing almost all the side roads and cross streets that are not connected to Wire Road or College Street andresodding them or putting down brick sidewalks. They want this place to be a 'pedestrian campus' by 2010. Going to be hard to do, since 75% of the students still live off campus and about 50% live more than 5 miles away (I live in the Wire Road trailer parks... AU's real dorms), but that's what higher-up wants.

So here we go... off to finish a 4 year in history I started in 1996 and then for the real challenge- Pharmacy School!!!