Pssst! Infogrames & Prima....Important Information!

Velociryx · December 12, 2001, 10:43

Dear Sirs:

It has come to my attention that one of my co-workers looks uncannily like "Alexander," the head of state of the civ "Greece" in your fine game.

Recommend that you highly consider suing this individual, as this is CLEARLY a conspiracy that means to rob you (Infogrames) of some of the profits from the sale of this game and spinoff products it may derive. What if, God forbid, this man started printing and selling tee-shirts with his face on it?! This must be squelched before it even gets started. Call your lawyers and have them on standby.

It has also come to my attention that people are holding public conversations about the inner workings and mechanics of Civ3. This stands in CLEAR violation of Prima's rights as the sole distributor and dispenser of information about anything to do with anything relating to Civ3. I know it'll be tough to sue several tens of thousands of people, but it's about protecting your rights after all, and these leeches must be taught a lesson!

Oh, and some Chinese guy....Sun....somethingorother. He's standing over my shoulder looking mightily pissed off. I may have missed something in the translation, but I *think* he wants very much to know how, exactly, you guys define the word "strategy."

Something tells me he ain't looking for lessons tho.

Regards,

-=Vel=-

PS: If you're gonna run roughshod over the gaming community, *expect* them to get right back in your face...in one way or another.

Zizka · December 12, 2001, 10:55

One of your co-workers looks like alexander.. my humble sympathies to the poor guy.. along with bottle of Maalox..

Z

Expatriate · December 12, 2001, 11:03

Great post. Very funny

Thoth · December 12, 2001, 11:14

LOL

Well said.

Nikolai · December 12, 2001, 11:21

Well, but what about Alexander's Horse?

Zealot · December 12, 2001, 14:38

You have a good sense of humor Vel.

Skanky Burns · December 13, 2001, 10:01

Im just wondering if infogreed or prima actually have people reading these forums....
Then again, What was i thinking?? Them actually taking an interest in their customers?!?

yin26 · December 13, 2001, 10:22

I think this thread should be moved to the complaint forum ...

Yes, this kind of corporate behavior honestly makes me feel ill. But will gamers actually talk with their money? Vel: Consider leading a boycott. I bet a number of people would join you.

Zealot · December 13, 2001, 10:38

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
Im just wondering if infogreed or prima actually have people reading these forums....
Then again, What was i thinking?? Them actually taking an interest in their customers?!?

There used to be a user called BooHooHoo (or BlueHooHoo, don't remember quite well) that used to surf Apolyton and chat a little. But since Civ 3 came out and everyone saw what Civ 3 was really like, he never posted again.

Don't know if he still surfs the forums, though.

Velociryx · December 13, 2001, 11:54

Howdy Yin! Good idea re: the Boycott of Prima, but I suspect that many who have read about the shenanigans will decide on their own that they simply don't want to help finance a preadatory company like that....::evil grin:: plus, in a related thread on the matter, word is that Prima's "strategy" guide is almost as helpful and beneficial as Kudzu....

My hope is, that when the day comes that my own work is ready....when that particular ship sets sail, that enough people are taken with its depth and usefulness that we simply blow Prima's offering out of the water.

::Cut-Scene to two Galleons turning broad-side to each other, and the smaller ship (flying this image on it's flag:

) opens fire, ripping a gaping hole into the side of Prima's flagship::

Yep....that should get their attention....

-=Vel=-

Ozymandous · December 13, 2001, 15:19

Well...

Any strategy guide (and I lose the term loosely) that Pima has ever printed was worth the paper it was printed on for layering the bottom of bird cages, that's about it.

The only strategy guides I have thought were worth the money for value to game play was "Rome on 640k a day" and the MOO 'bible'. Strangely both were written at least in part by Alan Emerich.

Every other strategy guide I have bought since those two come out either made for some very good fictional reading (since the game changed radically once it was out with a patch or two) or were essentially step-by-step walk throughs of the game, i.e. Icewind Dale guide, Baldurs Gate 2 guide, etc.

Not many of them offer real "strategy", but are glorified manuals.

From the posts you have written so far Vel (having not played SMAC since the first few weeks it came out and not reading your guide for it), I'd say that you seem vastly better than almost anything Prima has ever published, or at least published in a very long time.

Good luck to you.

Skanky Burns · December 13, 2001, 23:12

Quote:

Originally posted by yin26
But will gamers actually talk with their money? Vel: Consider leading a boycott. I bet a number of people would join you.

I have already made the decision to never buy an infogreed or prima product.

Apoligies in advance to the MOO3 team

Sarxis · December 13, 2001, 23:18

I have been boycotting Prima for a while now...

Not because of corporate policy, but the low quality of their products.

yin26 · December 14, 2001, 01:34

I don't mean you should actively campaign or something. For your plan to work, of course, you'll need to get the thing published rather quickly. As you know, the brilliant SMAC book was finished only when 99% of the players had moved on. This is too sad, I think.

Any chance people can help you out to get a Civ3 strat guide published right after the x-pack? I say that because you can have 85%+ of the guide written before the x-pack then just take a week or two to update it with x-pack info and then be one of the first guides out for the x-pack?

Capt Dizle · December 14, 2001, 01:54

I don't see why Vel doesn't just call up Prima and go to work for them.

Travathian · December 14, 2001, 01:57

Vel,

How dare you! Do you realize what you are doing? By promoting the free flow of ideas between fellow gamers you're destroying an entire industry! What will the children of Prima employees do on Christmas when they have no toys, cause big bad Vel put their daddy or mommy out of business! The kids will grow up in a loveless home by bitter parents, they'll turn to a life of crime. That's what they'll do! They'll rob, and pillage and burn and they'll have you to thank. Then the rest of us will have to pay to have them institutionalized for the rest of their lives, think how much that will cost me! Its a shame you didn't think things through Vel, look at the havoc and chaos you will bring forth. Damn you, damn you and your free speech! You will cause the downfall of civilization with what you've started!

Or so Prima's lawyers would have everyone think.

Velociryx · December 14, 2001, 02:06

Couldn't stay away...LOL...was already in bed, and just couldn't resist one more post!

Good idea Yin, on having it pretty much ready to roll when the x-pack comes out. Don't know if I'll be happy with it by then or no, but I'll certainly shoot for that!

JT...

Good plan on calling up Prima....don't know if I could stand to give up the creative freedom tho....as it stands, I can work on what I want, when I want....no boss looking over my shoulder...heh...I'm too much of a hippie I guess

Trav....lol....that's good. Been told I oughtta be burned at the stake before, but never that I was gonna bring about the fall of civilization....I kinna like it....

-=Vel=-
(niters all!)

Zorkk · December 18, 2001, 21:38

I thought this thread could use some revitalization, as it's dissapeared from the top page, and nothing from infocrap has been reported yet. Perhaps that wasn't enuf for them, who know...

BUT

It has come to my attention that this months issue of PC gamer magazine (well actually the jan 2002 issue) has 3 pages FULL of civ screen shots, and civ3 strategy. Being as this is a BLATENT copyright issue, perhaps we need to let infograms know right away. Their right to profit is being infringed upon... unless of course they supplied the material for the article, which woudln't surprise me considering the basic strategies they put in there... and even some MIS information.. really pathetic.... and i must quote...

Quote:

Raw Resources....... if they're outside of your area, though, you'll need to employ your workers. Once you've located a resource, send a worker to it, and orer him to make a colony; once the colony is competed, build a road so that it's connected to the rest of your roatds.......

K.. first of all, how long did it take them to make a colony in their game?!?! 5 turns? 10 turns? take me less than 1...

secondly, why would they not say, use your worker to build a road to the resource before building a colony, as obviously that's the logical thing to do....

ohwell.. more crap from pcgamer, i knew there was a reason I cancelled my subscription.. anywaz.. infogram/prima! GET ON THESE GUYS!!!

Z

Velociryx · December 18, 2001, 21:45

LOL! Thanks for the revival Zorkk! And you're right! Recommend we send mail with a link to this thread to Infogreed with all speed! Give their hungry lawyers something to do....you know....maybe trash a bit more goodwill.....

-=Vel=-

The Eliminator · December 19, 2001, 00:58

Love your strat posts, and I would be the first to buy your book. But I am wondering how you plan on marketing the book? They own the "Civ 3" moniker, and they probably wouldn't let you use any screen shots, graphics, or direct references to the acutal game of Civ 3 (like civilopedia, etc). Just wondering if you have given any thought to how you are going to approach this?

Keep up the great work!