Topic: That's not really him, is it??

[FPF-AJTK]

No, its nothing to do with SFC per se, its an inherent dislike, or better said disgust with the PC platform. He has not liked PC/windows at least since oh, 95? (when the Pentium 90 came out, and prior to the F-BB being introuduced) as I tried to submit a design for the F-BB and had to fax it to him as his mac wouldnt read my stuff if I emailed it to him.

Lepton, you dont like Rush (just an ANALOGY, ok? ) and some mac people dislike pc/windows boxes in the same way.

[Kroma BaSyl]

For me the most important thing was that he doesn't have a single problem or objection to voice about us using SFB based material.

Actually, I think he does have an issue with us using it, but he realizes there is little to no recourse to prevent us from using it, since we are not doing it for commercial gain, and have both paid for our copies of the SFC software and SFB materials. I would think he is also shrude enough to understand that while the SFC2/OP community is small (a few hundred souls at best) it still has within its numbers a significant portion of his core market, and that it would be unwise to antagonize that group.

I also believe (and this is just my opinion) that he may underestimate the positive marketing/advertising effect that SFC still has on his produce line. In fact, I believe he may be harboring the belief that when FS (or other modders) adds new ships to the OP+ list from the latest module that it could detract materially from sales of said module. Personnelly I think that is completely untrue, as it is unlikely that a potential SFB customer (which at this point is a small hardcore fan base) would for go the purchase of said new module because FS already added those ships to the OP+ list. I would argue that the exact opposite is true, which is to say that the infusion of new SFB ships into the OP+ list actually encourages more sales of the SFB material to customers that wouldn't buy them as they have no intention to actually play the pen and paper game, but rather enjoy the background information and more detail description that can only be found in the SFB material.  I know that I have spent a small fortune on SFB material in the last 2 years and haven't played the game since 1981 or so, with no plans to play it in the future.

just my 2 cents.

[Rod ONeal]

I really don't think that Steve Cole harbors all these ill feelings that you attribute to him. Not only did he post in the sourcecode thread, but he even took the time to respond personally (3 times to 2 e-mails that I sent him) to me and said in one, "Let me know if I was helpful and/or what else you need from me", in reference to his posts. While it doesn't seem like much, I asked him to come by, and he did. He didn't have to and probably wouldn't have if he felt as you say, IMO.
The last Capt. Log had an article on SFC and SFB based mods for it, as well. I haven't read it, but OP+ was mentioned as well as others, from what I understand. Plus there is an SFC forum still at ADB's sight. None of this sounds like he doesn't like or appreciate the SFC community.

He gets very gruff and short when people criticise SFB and it's staff or contributers on ADB's site. He doesn't hesitate to say that if you don't like it then don't buy it and go away. I think that's where a lot of people get their negative ideas about him.   

[Kroma BaSyl]

I really don't think that Steve Cole harbors all these ill feelings that you attribute to him.

I never said he was harboring ill feelings. That is your value judgement not mine. I simply said that it is my opinion that he may be harboring the belief that adding more of his intellectual property to SFC would be negative rather than positive to future sales of SFB products. I don't think there is anything negative about that human desire to be compensated for your efforts. I just believe that the opposite is actually true. I base my belief on direct statements that have been made on the forums (both here and there) recently and several years of seeing similar post over at ADB about his stance on copyright (he has always been very adament about people not scanning and diseminating SSDs and such online) as it relates to SFB material. Now don't missunderstand what I am saying again, because there is nothing negative about his position in my mind. SFB is the mans bread and butter and he deserves to be paid for it IMO. 

Steve is also a very shrud business man and understands that there is a very fine line between aggressively protecting your IP and allowing those that have purchase a copy to use it fairly. I have to admit that it could be interpreted that adding the specs of ships from new modules into shiplist mods is a violation of fair use, even though no commercial value is derived from it's distribution. This would be on the basis that said redistribution of his IP in the form of a freely downloadable shiplist might detract from his ability to market and sell his product.

In any case, I don't think you need to be so defensive in support of him. As you mentioned SVC can be a bit gruff at times and I'm sure if he doesn't like what I post he will bitch slap me silly all by himself just fine. ;-)

Kroma

BTW, I too have always thought it very peculiar if not down right impossible to believe that he would never have even seen a video game which is based on his lifes work, based simply on his stance on the PC/MAC schism. If true that he has never bothered to even see it, there has got to be some deeper reason than an aversion to the PC behind it, like bad blood between him and the developer/distributer. Otherwise why ever agree to license your IP to such evil WinTel developers.

[Julin Eurthyr]

BTW, I too have always thought it very peculiar if not down right impossible to believe that he would never have even seen a video game which is based on his lifes work, based simply on his stance on the PC/MAC schism. If true that he has never bothered to even see it, there has got to be some deeper reason than an aversion to the PC behind it, like bad blood between him and the developer/distributer. Otherwise why ever agree to license your IP to such evil WinTel developers.

Maybe Mr. Shrewd Businessman SVC knows that trying to market a SFB-derived game on a purely Macintosh platform would not dream of making enough $$$ to pay the printing costs of the software, nevermind trying to pay for development or even coming close to making a profit.

I remember someone was supposed to convert it to a MAC platform, but it was too complicated to port...

[Kroma BaSyl]

BTW, I too have always thought it very peculiar if not down right impossible to believe that he would never have even seen a video game which is based on his lifes work, based simply on his stance on the PC/MAC schism. If true that he has never bothered to even see it, there has got to be some deeper reason than an aversion to the PC behind it, like bad blood between him and the developer/distributer. Otherwise why ever agree to license your IP to such evil WinTel developers.

Maybe Mr. Shrewd Businessman SVC knows that trying to market a SFB-derived game on a purely Macintosh platform would not dream of making enough $$$ to pay the printing costs of the software, nevermind trying to pay for development or even coming close to making a profit.

More likely that the developer/producer of the game that approached SVC about licensing his IP already new that and never offered it as a technical option I would imagine. Unlikely SVC had any input into the technical platform, and was only presented with the 1 option, which he desided to take.