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              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC">volume 
                1, issue 27</font></b></font></p>
              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC"> 
                </font></b></font></p>
              <p>  <p><font face="Courier New, Courier, mono"><b><font color="#339900" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today 
                in loonygames:</font></b></font></p>

<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">New!!</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> The Archives have been cleaned up, fead links fixed, and printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments <a href="../../../index.html">on the front page</a>!</font></p>
              
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        <p align="LEFT"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0022A8"><b><a target="" href="../../corner/index.html"><font size="-1">Guest 
          Editorial</font></a><font size="-1">:</font></b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#0022A8"><br>
          History</font></p>
        <p align="right"><font color="#804000"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By 
          <a href="mailto:dsmart@pobox.com">Derek Smart</a></font></b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:randyp@home.com"></a></font></font></p>
        <p align="right">&nbsp;</p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The other programmer did 
          a good job in assisting in the integration of the new 2D front-end menu 
          graphics into the game, using my pre-existing code. Even then, I had 
          to go back and make several modifications because he simply did not 
          have enough time to get up to speed with over 5 years worth of code.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By August 1996 we were already 
          talking separation, at least they were, because I'd had enough and was 
          thinking divorce with full intentions of taking the furniture, the cutlery, 
          the car, the jewelry and the dog. In the end I did just that. Anyway, 
          the Take 2 producer and his gang were getting heat from NY. I wasn't 
          getting heat from anyone because I wasn't listening. Period. Every member 
          of the Take 2 team had access to the same task schedule that I did. 
          In fact, it's part of the contract amendment that was done in 1996. 
          There were no hidden agendas and everything that needed to get done, 

          was in there.</font></p>
        <p> </p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By mid September 1996, we 
          still did not have a beta and in fact, the four Take Two testers were 
          complaining because they had nothing tangible to test as there was no 
          game. The artists, under my supervision, had long since built all the 
          new 3D models and 2D screens. All of which ended up being a remarkable 
          piece of work. As I have said time and time again, I have no problems 
          with this aspect of their assistance because the artists adhered to 
          the design specs for the game's theme and also came up with their own 
          ideas. You've already seen the results. </font></p>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>FURTHER ALONG DOWNHILL....</b></font></p>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Then one day it all came 
          to a head when one of the Take Two programmers accused the dynamics 
          engine of causing problems with his chase engine which made the game 
          run at 2 fps. The same version I had was doing in excess of 10pfs under 
          the same conditions. Oh, did I forget to mention that we were working 
          on two code versions? Well, we were. Theirs and mine. Theirs, they were 
          chopping up in order to make their Christmas release. Mine I was working 
          on according to my specs. Anyway, I told them that the anomaly was not 
          in my version simply because I was not using the chase engine. This 
          erupted into a skirmish of sorts. I took my version and ran it on the 
          machine in the QA directors' machine. I was right. All hell broke loose.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Later after Peter, one of 
          my guys and I researched the problem, we discovered the problem in the 
          chase engine. I then showed it to the Take2 programmer. It was too late 
          by then because all hell had broken loose. Anyway, by this time, Mr. 
          Producer was having fits and fights with NY (Take Two head office). 
          He was outside in the main hallway screaming and pounding on things. 
          Anyway, I was never even part of that rampage during which he threatened 
          to call the cops on me if I did not leave the building. He alluded to 
          an incident earlier that week when I was pulled over in the early hours 
          of the morning on my way from work by Latrobe police and questioned 
          for identification, by saying "...I'll call the cops to throw you out 
          and you know what that's like". That incident was later relayed to the 
          press that I had attacked a Coke machine, although Take Two denies the 
          story and the incident. A complete fabrication. I was with the QA director 
          the whole time and we walked to the elevator together right after I 
          found out that Take Two had confiscated my work machine while I was 
          in the QA director's office. Everything on it was encrypted anyway, 
          so it didn't matter.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">People who know me at a personal 
          level know I'm non-violent. Besides, when I set my mind to doing something, 
          I usually do it right. If I were upset then, attacking a Coke machine 
          would've been the last thing on my mind because it would not solve the 
          problem and give me the satisfaction that I would be craving.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At this point, they knew 
          they couldn't ship 'their' version. Take Two, NY called me up and said 
          that they were going to be shipping what they had the following week. 
          At this point, I told the CEO, that it was crazy thing to do and that 
          it would be the biggest mistake he would ever make. He had release rights 
          he said, so the matter was out of my hands. I called my attorney who 
          told me not to leave until I received a performance of contract letter. 
          He was concerned that the incident earlier and my abrupt departure would 
          give them leverage for a breach of contract because I could be sued 
          for abandonment. Take Two, who knew they were going to ship anyway, 
          had no problems with this. They drafted the letter, signed it and faxed 
          it to me. It simply used a lot of legal jargon to indicate that I had 
          successfully provided Take Two with a Beta tested version of the game 
          and that I had satisfied the terms of my contract, that I could pack 
          up and go home, etc. This was accurate because the game had been in 
          Beta since 1995 and was still not finished nor tested. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The next day, I packed and 
          left but not before I uploaded my current version of the code, to the 
          Take Two bulletin board system we used for secure file transfers. That 
          version fixed several things and did not use the chase engine. They 
          never touched it. I'm assuming that they thought I had sabotaged it 
          somehow to prevent the release. I hadn't.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>ROCK BOTTOM....</b></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That week, they mastered 
          the game, without notifying me and shipped it and the Take Two 'BC3K 
          team' was given the week off. </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The first time I saw a copy 
          of my game was when I went across the street and bought a copy after 
          being told on AOL that the game had shipped. That was when I realized 
          that they had not created a manual from the manuscripts I had provided. 
          </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">From that point on, I knew 
          that my life as I knew it was over. The game shipped and it was unplayable 
          out of the box. The first patch I did and released a few days after 
          I returned was based on the version I had left on the Take Two BBS. 
          It brought some stability to the game. However the damage was already 
          done. I was beaten, broke and out there was a game with my name on the 
          box in the hands some poor gamer who bought a game that had been hyped 
          for so many years. How would you feel?</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I could have walked away 
          from this title there and then. But I didn't. My friends and I held 
          a meeting and I told them that I had no intentions of quitting. Neither 
          did they. Whatever I needed to do, would get done and whatever time 
          they had for testing, development, support etc, was mine to do as I 
          pleased. That was all I needed.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Take Two could not support 
          this game. The testing department does not know how to play the game. 
          Don't believe me? Call 'em up and ask the most basic question. Every 
          tech support call was routed to me.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">They printed my phone number 
          in the pamphlet they called a manual. I had to field phone calls, respond 
          to email, put out fires, deal with the on-line debacle, deal with my 
          bank that thought that by first quarter 1997 my account should be in 
          the green, etc.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font> </p>
        <p align="right"><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(<a href="index5.php">Continued 
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    <td height="22"><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"><b>Credits:</b> 
      Guest Editorial logo illustrated and is &copy; 1999 Dan Zalkus. This Guest 
      Editorial is &copy; 1999 Derek Smart. All other content is &copy; 1999 <a target="_self" href="http://www.loonyboi.com">loonyboi 
      productions</a>. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited and not 
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