[DCpunk]

Originally Posted by mamamccann

What "positive" talents do you share with others....

For starters, I support a very large, complex website that your students probably interact with frequently during their college career. Aside from that, I share any knowledge I gain (in general) with as many people as I can. Word has it that I'm an excellent teacher as I can determine the appropriate level of communication for each individual that I am instructing.

Aside from that, I've been involved in the local independent music scene for better than 20 years. I've done everything I can to help small, fledging bands on their way up the ladder by doing everything from making music of my own, working as staff in local music venues, producing bands, managing bands, doing PR for them, etc etc etc. If nothing else, it's helping keep kids off the street and giving them a much safer outlet for their angst.

I also play Big Brother to several young people in need of a little compassionate parental guidance in their lives.

Folks, let's keep the personal attacks (toward Sigil employees and bosses and other forum members alike) out of this thread, please.

I've met mamamccann and papamccann in person myself and know for a fact that both are very nice and mature people.

I've also met McQuaid on many occasions...various Fanguards, two E3 events (which included private interview sessions), being interviewed for a job at Sigil back in '04, dropping by "just because" and so forth and I also believe he is a good person. A little abstracted away from what is going on at times, but he really does have good intentions and it is unfair to automatically pull the greed card.

As for "its all ultimately good news..." being PR spin....well duh. No kiddin'. But there may be truth to that which we don't know yet. We just have to wait and see.

[mamamccann]

Originally Posted by DCpunk

For starters, I support a very large, complex website that your students probably interact with frequently during their college career. Aside from that, I share any knowledge I gain (in general) with as many people as I can. Word has it that I'm an excellent teacher as I can determine the appropriate level of communication for each individual that I am instructing.

Aside from that, I've been involved in the local independent music scene for better than 20 years. I've done everything I can to help small, fledging bands on their way up the ladder by doing everything from making music of my own, working as staff in local music venues, producing bands, managing bands, doing PR for them, etc etc etc. If nothing else, it's helping keep kids off the street and giving them a much safer outlet for their angst.

I also play Big Brother to several young people in need of a little compassionate parental guidance in their lives.

Well good....maybe there is hope for you.

[Duzhal]

Originally Posted by Speaker

well here's a few.....

www.solarpower-restoration.com
www.corporateroof.com
www.pactradegroup.com
www.appliedrooftech.com
www.solarsealed.com


Fact, his budget was 20-million, with some of his own capital. Big is not always the best business model. EQ has averaged 350-450K subs for years and has made millions. Wow spent 80-million in development, plus another 40-million in marketing. Two different games, two different markets, two different business models.

holy SHIT these are some terrible looking web sites

[DCpunk]

Originally Posted by mamamccann

Well good....maybe there is hope for you.

Yes, about as much hope as there is for you.

[mamamccann]

Originally Posted by DCpunk

Yes, about as much hope as there is for you.

Indeed ...life is short.

[DCpunk]

FYI:

this is from Brad's bio over at the SOE boards:

Brad later left SOE (2001) and co-founded Sigil Games Online in 2002, which recently released its first MMOG, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (Jan 2007). Brad is currently involved in creative directions regarding Vanguard Live & Expansions as well as community management.

Emphasis mine. Deduce what you will from that.

[HolyAvengerOne]

Originally Posted by DCpunk

Because you posted some links to some websites that are loosely related, we're supposed to believe that they're yours?

LMAO.

www.bellagio.com

That's my business. ph33r m3h!

I don't know if they're his, but these are more than loosely related. All the websites were registered under the name of, or cies owned by, the same person, being:

Michael Gumm
11125 Park Blvd ste 104-131
Seminole, FL 33772
US

So, either he's this guy, or its a friend or some such.

[mamamccann]

Originally Posted by Nólaquen

Folks, let's keep the personal attacks (toward Sigil employees and bosses and other forum members alike) out of this thread, please.

I've met mamamccann and papamccann in person myself and know for a fact that both are very nice and mature people.

I've also met McQuaid on many occasions...various Fanguards, two E3 events (which included private interview sessions), being interviewed for a job at Sigil back in '04, dropping by "just because" and so forth and I also believe he is a good person. A little abstracted away from what is going on at times, but he really does have good intentions and it is unfair to automatically pull the greed card.

As for "its all ultimately good news..." being PR spin....well duh. No kiddin'. But there may be truth to that which we don't know yet. We just have to wait and see.

Thanks dear...hope to meet again.

[Gori]

Aradune and Brenlo are both logged into the SOE Vanguard forums. Incoming?

[Yabumbus]

Originally Posted by DCpunk

....I DJ there because, well, I like to DJ as a hobby...

Whoa - sort of like... the other person, dunno their name, likes to watch a game develop, and look at art programs, wow - astonishing!

[Speaker]

Originally Posted by Kamira

I'll have you know the Michael L. Gumm who owns those businesses is 60 years old. It's all public information. Florida is great for giving up everything about everyone.

Chuckle, nothing wrong with being 60.

[mamamccann]

Originally Posted by Speaker

Chuckle, nothing wrong with being 60.

Sooo true Papa is 68....and a stone cold gamer ....we just came back from cruise through the panama canal....having fun is not just for the young. It is a state of mind.

[Atoyota]

Originally Posted by rhagz

So why would you think SOE would have pushed Sigil into making VG into a EQ2-like game if they already had one?

I think the idea that WoW is a better WoW so don't do anything they do is a very bad philosophy.

WoW didn't say 'okay let's not do anything like EQ did' but instead took the good things and tried to eliminate the bad. That's how you evolve. You work on your strengths and make them stronger, and you minimize your weaknesses.

WoW had already made a successful game out of everyone elses ideas, and Vanguard comes along a year late and about 30 million short and still makes an attempt to compete with WoW.

I know we all felt that WoW's subscribers would begin dropping, but I don't think even Brad felt they'd be foolish enough to subscribe to Vanguard were it a clone of WoW. (WoW does WoW better). The crowd that didn't like the comic look of characters in WoW was substantial but not enough of a group to make Vanguard successful.

No, Vanguard was to be a different game altogether, not WoW, not EQ, but a game that was both challenging and rewarding. The combat system that Oloh wrote about during beta (what he was allowed to speak of) was dumped for the more easier to understand WoW button masher. The compromises just began to flow one after the other, and the game became the WoW clone but without the comic look. The bugs and performance issues you still see should have been worked on in B3 and 4, but instead the changes were going in.

Aside from that the world was lifeless, lacking animation which offset any immersive properties the art could have established making it all moot,

So the initial SOE deal may not have done much harm as it all washes out, but it didn't help as the spin suggested. It was desperation from bad planning and management of resources, getting too big too soon with nothing solid to fall back on. All in a rush to hit the shelves running. They fell on their face.

I'm sure SOE saw it coming, I'm sure they gave Brad all the rope he needed.

[DCpunk]

Originally Posted by Yabumbus

Whoa - sort of like... the other person, dunno their name, likes to watch a game develop, and look at art programs, wow - astonishing!

DJing is quite a bit different than being a groupie.

[Ieranii]

I read the first couple of pages and gave up... so I skipped to the end to just add my two cents.

I love the game. I'd love it more if they'd fix the bugs..and get more people to play. If soe being involved does that then I'll be happy.

IF however they screw around with the foundation of the design...IF they dumb it down... and most especially IF they add real world sales of in game items...then I too will, sadly, be done.

I was worried about subscription numbers... now I'm even more worried about what they will do to the game because, up to this point, Soe has fubared every game I have loved. (1. adding Rmt to their games 2. Putting in quests for flags/classes and then changing the rules, after I put in weeks worth of time to finish he quests, so that anyone can do the same thing with little to no effort 3. Adding one centralized travel point which has the effect of sucking the life out of all the lower level zones 4. Lacking foresight and churning out expansions without considering the effects on the in game economies when gear that came before becomes trivial. The list goes on...)

The soe vision is so clearly NOT my vision but, call me a masochist, I'm going to give them "a chance". Since there is nothing else out there I want to play I'll wait and see what happens to my beloved game.

Not happy about it though. I so hope they don't let me down this time.

[DCpunk]

Originally Posted by Atoyota

The combat system that Oloh wrote about during beta (what he was allowed to speak of) was dumped for the more easier to understand WoW button masher.

Please believe me when I tell you that the current combat system is leaps and bounds better than the one Oloh originally wrote about. That doesn't mean it's great or good or anything, it's just better. The original combat system was like watching paint dry.

[Kamira]

Originally Posted by mamamccann

Sooo true Papa is 68....and a stone cold gamer ....we just came back from cruise through the panama canal....having fun is not just for the young. It is a state of mind.

All the more reason why he'd probably want to focus on a game that he'd live through instead of the type of game that gave him a stroke or was in need of a bed-pan by the time he turned level 50.

[ikaoma420]

Originally Posted by Speaker

Yes, I always want everything my way, and in most cases I get it. I own six corporations in several industries from ranging from construction products to photovoltaics, so yes, I do have a sense of market, and how to run a buisiness. No I rarely compromise, because I don't have to. The game was marketed as a harder more challenging game, unlike WoW or EQ2. We will never know if the harder game model would of worked, because they started softcoring the game right after beta 2.50.

Gotta understand my viewpoint, I am happy to see a niche game of 300-500K subs, instead of a game played by millions. And no I have no bad feelings about a harder game being disliked by the majority of players in the market. The game could have done well, had it stayed within budget, came to market a year earlier, targeted a smaller player base, charged a higher sub fee, and done their own publishing. The game could have made money, as it is they spent 10 million too much in development cost, and lost a year of revenue.

Even EQ2 with its changes, and I can tell you EQ2 in Friends and Family beta was much different then release would have done better if it had not chased the WoW market. As it is, you have EQ classic, a game that is only remotely related to the game in 1999, EQ2, now very softcore, not really growing, and you add Vanguard with the same easy mode model, all you do is end up with three verisons of the same type of game, with a different story line and graphics.

Just out of curiosity with 6 corporation in several industy's how in the world would you find time to play a game like Vanguard in its "original vision"

Also with that much capitol I assume your corporations are worth money. If you believed as much in the Vision as Brad why didnt you offer up your own money? You would be happy with a game with however many subscribers. Pay for it you got the money. Make it 7 corporations now in the MMO industry. Since you have followed this game for so long I'm sure you knew Brad was strapped for cash Specially after having to pay up to buy the right back for his baby from MS. I'm sure Brad and Sigil would have met with you had you told them you were interested in becoming another investor.

[Atoyota]

Originally Posted by DCpunk

Please believe me when I tell you that the current combat system is leaps and bounds better than the one Oloh originally wrote about. That doesn't mean it's great or good or anything, it's just better. The original combat system was like watching paint dry.

I'm not sure how boring it was, I never experienced it. Ominous did, and he was not happy with the change. As for speed, that could have been increased, but the decisions and planning (think on your feet) during a fight may have been why it was enjoyed, rather than watching buttons.

I know you were'nt in beta till after me, so unless you speak from personal experience, I'd rather Oloh or some other that did tell me more about it.