I’ve been mostly silent about this new game.  You may recall that I mentioned it in my Fall 2009 wish list thread.  At the time of that post, the 23rd of August, I was really looking forward to that game.

Unfortunately, time and more current developments in the game’s pre-release days and weeks have changed my mind.  I won’t be playing Modern Warfare 2.

What brought about this change of plans?

To begin, let me state that I was not really satisfied by COD: World at War.  I haven’t played it much since the first few weeks it existed.  To sum my feelings on the subject, here’s my quote from that wish list thread.

“not what I hoped for. The lag in multi-player is unnecessary, the single player campaign(s) are disjointed and bland… but the Russian story was fairly fun, and the zombie mode was not worth much unless you play it in coop. Most folks I know of that still play it play for the zombie mode and updates. I personally stopped playing it after finishing the single-player stories.”

Admittedly, I’ve never really been a big Call of Duty fan.  I prefer the Battlefield franchise.  But I can play a number of different games and game play formats.  This one just didn’t quite find the mark.

It is my understanding that World At War developer Treyarch has actually addressed many of my complaints and mods may well make this game great.  Glad to hear it.  From my understanding, even now they are still patching the game and working to make the PC version more of the game it should have been out of the box.

This pleases me as it shows that the company is interested in its players and working to better their franchise.  Though World At War did not match up with COD 4 in my opinions, the developers are at least trying to improve.

Which is more then I can say for Infinity Ward.

Activision has been on the defensive for a few weeks now and Infinity Ward has effectively alienated the so-called hard core gamers of the PC platform.  Basically, that’s anybody that expects a PC game to play like a… well… PC game.

Allow me to retreat in time for a moment, dear reader.  I want to look back at the start of this apparent feud.

It began with a heightened level of silence on the part of Activision and IW.  News releases were abnormally rare, but the ad campaign was building a great deal of hype, particularly around the single-player campaign.

We saw cryptic trailers that revealed many secrets under close scrutiny.  Every thing from a snowmobile to an apparent group of Russian terrorists exiting an elevator and attacking someone.

As the hype machine rolled along, we soon saw game play that showed us mountaineering and snowmobiles at E3.  Later there was combat in various parts of the world.  Then something of a PR speed bump when the first footage of combat in Washington DC appeared.  It wasn’t anything too serious, but some of the more extreme types felt a bit sensitive about terrorism in the DC area.

Me?  Oh I just chalked it up to a more interesting story in SP.  It reminded me a bit of Fallout 3 and I thought, this could really get interesting.

The latest trailers, including the release trailer, show even more interesting events.  Something happening in an airport and something that causes a space station to explode and the apparent player to be carried away by the blast.

All this could really make a single-player enthusiast really feel good about this game.

Unfortunately, the negative blows, at least among PC gamers such as myself, have continued as well.

Activision increased the price by $10.  That’s not too bad, but for PC gamers that provide their own rigs and hardware support, we feel a bit cheated.  One of the best reasons to buy a PC version, beyond customization and details, is the lower price.  When a PS3 or XBOX 360 game costs $60, a PC gamer in a pinch can save $10 by purchasing PC games.

It isn’t much and I think that is pretty forgivable too.  If only MW2 wasn’t the only franchise to decide their game was worth more.  Battlefield Bad Company 2 isn’t going up in price and neither are other PC titles.

But I myself could forgive this.  The hype machine made this look like the “must-have” title.  I could maybe shell out another $10 despite economic depression events.  So I just sort-of shrugged that point off.

Help, somebody got jelly all over me!

The “Big One” hit when, during an interview with the Bash and Slash podcast, Rob Bowling of Infinity Ward stated that dedicated servers would not be used for MW2.  When I heard that bit of news, I knew immediately that I would not be purchasing MW2.

For me, a big part of any FPS game is the multi-player aspect.  And COD 4 was an excellent game in that respect.  I do not expect MW2 to follow in those footsteps.

Here’s a brief run-down of the revealed negatives, as I view them, over the past few months.  MW2 will not offer dedicated server support.  Though it will use steam for distribution and VAC support, players will be required to use the iwnet service to play online… in conjunction with steam.

fourzerotwo has gone on to post additional information… but in the end, it all sounds a bit like “It’s better because we say so.”   The biggest argument in support of the new system is that consoles have used this for years.

Of course, to that I say “a console is a console is a console.  They are made nearly identical in every way.  PS3’s are mostly the same with the exception of hard disk space and bulk as sleeker models appear.  So are XBOX 360’s.  And they can get fairly laggy by themselves.  PC’s are vastly different and some are better equipped for hosting then others.  You can’t really compare PC’s to Consoles when it comes to net connections and online gaming.  PC’s are good because they have dedicated servers to join to equalize the playing field and operate under better ideal configurations.”

But there’s more.  Modding will not be available.  Customization, beyond upgrades, streak bonuses, and weapon selection will not be available.  Multi-player games will be capped at nine player teams.  Players with a speed or configuration setting that is too low will never be able to host a server.

Hosting will be determined based on match-making for ping and skill level with exception of “private matches” which will be moderately controllable.  And that is the closest to a dedicated server that the game will allow on release.

IW’s representatives have gone so far as to suggest that server admins simply “slap” a graphic card in their servers and install the game and start private matches as a solution to the dedicated server issue.

And to top the entire matter off, after an overwhelmingly negative response from PC gamers, IW responded with a poorly worded message that seemed to target server admins and so-called hard core gamers as bad influences on the rest of us.

This business has been followed most closely by the Bash podcasts which can be found at this address.  They make a fairly good case for player outrage and also try to find the positive in these matters, hoping that IW will listen to player feedback and update with correction for these mistakes.

I… am less forgiving.

One of my coworkers, a PS3 lover, has been amused by PC backlash and can’t understand why PC users are so upset.  His impression was that PC users have been spoiled to all of this “good stuff” and aren’t used to being treated like the consoles.

I’d say that’s a fair statement.  And why should we settle for console quality when we build and maintain our system on our own?  Why should we PC gamers expect less of a game developer when we make the mods that keep these games alive?  We have built the franchise for Call Of Duty and other titles.

Should we ignore that now because IW says “boo”?

Without dedicated servers, I can’t really play a game like MW2 online.  My connection isn’t good enough to host and playing on someone else’s listen servers in other games becomes laggy after the fourth or fifth person joins.  And a single-player campaign isn’t worth $60 to me.  Especially not with outstanding titles such as Left 4 Dead 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 on the way.  Not to mention the already released Borderlands.

Even more icing on this sickeningly bad cake comes in the revelation that MW2 took mod code from COD 4 and implemented it in MW2 without giving the mod developers credit or recognition of any kind.

I simply look to VALVe as an example of how such mods should be handled.  Counter Strike, Day of Defeat, indirectly TFC, even hltv were developed by the community.  What did VALVe do?  They recognized the talent at hand and hired them to turn their projects into profitable merchandise franchises of their own.

IW has really shown a lack of judgment, or as one of the BASH podcast guests stated it, a lack of class.

Now, the most recent stink has arisen over an illegal copy of MW2 that was somehow obtained by a French gamer and posted.  IW and Activision have been fighting to have these video clips removed since they first surfaced, but this is the internet.

Be warned, the rest of this post contains spoilers.

Here are a couple of links that seem to be keeping up with these videos.
http://www.modernwarfare2forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1472&p=8514
http://www.mapmodnews.com/article.php/Forced-kil-civilians-Modern-Warfare-2 – german version?

To summarize, during the opening of the game, the player is informed that they are an undercover CIA operative infiltrating a terrorist organization.  They are offered a warning of impending graphic violence and/or harsh images and given the chance to skip that campaign.

Then they are treated to that elevator and airport hinted at during those early trailers.  The player and three terrorists, heavily armed, exit an elevator in an airport and begin gunning down masses of civilians.

The player apparently does not have to shoot anyone, and the German variation of the game may actually give the player a sort of “You Loose” screen if you do kill a civilian.  At the end of the rampage, the player largely looses the need to continue controlling the player as we are treated to the game’s villain revealing that he knows you’re a spy and shooting you.

All of this is intended to set up an emotional experience for the player, but many are disturbed by this.  Many of the “hard core” gamers actually dismiss this scene as being cinematic and motion-picturesque.

My favorite comments come from gamers that say things like “It’s people like you that keep games from become a more mature form of entertainment.”  They usually say this to people upset to see a mass killing portrayed in their game.  Sorry folks, but this isn’t “mature” or “grown up” entertainment.  It’s “shock value”.

And of course, many gamers are baffled as to why any one would be disturbed by an event that occurs daily.

Well, first of all, no… it doesn’t.  Killings happen daily, but not mass slaughters of this nature.  And just because this is intended to replicate a potentially real event, that doesn’t deny anyone the right to feel uneasy about its inclusion in a computer game.

Correction… console game.

And, need I point out that the game apparently includes a space battle or explosion on a space station of some sort during this gripping and realistic storyline?

Of course, there are then those that branch out into movies such as Rambo 4 or games like Grand Theft Auto.  These gamers sadden me.  Rambo is rescuing people from a militaristic regime and most recent GTA titles only have kill streaks for villainous types such as rival gangsters.  Oh, but the original GTA titles didn’t make that distinction?

Well, no… but then again… you’re talking about games that looked like this…

Even then, I can still dismiss this moment in the game.  I think it is incredibly distasteful and could have been handled in a better manner.  It really only marginally strengthens my resolve to avoid this game.

I think the matter of this clip is mostly an opinion discussion and thus isn’t as relevant as shoving PC gamers under the metaphorical bus.  However, I do see much trouble for PC gaming in the near future.  This WILL hit the major media outlets.  CNN has already shown an interest.  And the Jack Thompsons of the world now “appear” to have a more sound argument that these games are “murder trainers”.

How shameful is that?

Some of the supporters of MW2 have even gone so far as to post videos on YouTube in which they play GTA 4 and, using cheat codes mind you, run around killing civilians to prove that MW2 is no worse then GTA.

*sigh*

Do you guys really think that’s such a good idea?

And beside that, GTA 4 was not that great.  San Andreas was better.

In the end, this “scandal” has drawn only idle comments from Activision about how the scene is taken out of context and how the scene doesn’t reflect the scope of the game and how the copy used to make the video was illegally obtained.

*sigh*

Do YOU GUYS [Activision and IW] really think THAT’s such a good argument?

Take it from me, I would never include such a game play element as this in any storyline.  I don’t hold it up as a horrible, despicable, evil action on the part of the developers as many WILL soon.  But… It’s very irresponsible on the part of the developer and should have been handled differently.

Here’s one of a million alternatives of the same scene.

The player could have started, unarmed and waiting in line in the airport itself.  You would move around, visit the check-points and progress through on your way to your gate.  While waiting at the last security checkpoint, the elevator behind you opens to reveal the Russian Terrorists who proceed to gun you down.  Laying there, for a few last fleeting moments, you see the terrorists continue shooting and walking past you as you hear the gunfire and screams.

The violence doesn’t need to be shown as it can be more powerful when implied and this doesn’t make the player an unlikable character from the outset.  You’re not a murderer… your one of the hapless victims.

But I digress. Love the scene or hate it… or, like myself, simply add it to the list of questionable decisions by IW and Activision.  That’s your prerogative and your opinion.

Nevertheless, this may have major political ramifications for gamers and only adds to my distaste for MW2.

Why is it that the official screen shots aren't really screen shots but are PhotoShopped poses?

I will NOT be buying this game.  Perhaps, in a month or two, should the game turn more PC friendly I may consider purchasing it then.  But for now, I hope IW and Activision choke on lousy PC sales.  I say this not because I horribly resent them for making a console game, but because I am sick of developers essentially ignoring their players.

This is particularly disturbing when they ignore the players that built their franchise.  It shows arrogance I don’t plan to support and it shows a lack of interest in improving their games.

COD 4 is still popular, partly because of good game play and partly because of the mod community.  World At War may actually be in that same boat.

Did I mention that the next COD title is already planned for 2010.  Apparently we’re supposed to shell out $60 per year to buy annual games now.  At least the next title will be developed by Treyarch.  I wasn’t impressed by World At War, but they seem to be really trying.  They’ve shown more interest in PC gamers and in developing better games, and not simply throwing greater levels of shock value at us.

In the end, it’s business decisions that make me draw my support away from MW2.  And its business decisions that make me unhappy with developers of games like the modern Sonic titles [I'll explain this on my DA blog] or the infamous Duke Nukem Forever.

Come along now children… are we the modders and creative minds of you’re supposed fan-base really going to be forced to show YOU how to make games…

…because I will.  I have a darker, more grown up Sonic story concept already in the works.  It’s meant for a comic or fan-novel, but I have a mod plan in mind too.  Die hard Sonic fans will likely hate it, but people interested in a grown up, mature version of those games will love it.  I have ideas for a special BWL Duke Nukem Forever also.  A heavy story that remakes Duke in a proper fashion rather then simply ripping off Evil Dead catch phrases and passing strippers around.

I can write circles around your airport holocausts if I really want to.  And the community can produce more talented developers then you currently employ.  Clean up your act, or we the gamers… yes, especially the PC gamers… will replace you with someone better.  Such is the beauty of a free market system and capitalism.

We… the consumer… have the real power.

- End of Rant -

I had intended to avoid this sort of complaining post during all of the FileFront host service fiasco.  And I think I did fairly well.  But now they’ve irritated me.

Pardon any typos or errors.  I’m actually very tired and need to go to bed.  But I wanted to make sure that I both explained the issues with the Resource Depot forum and our broken file download links… and to complain about how sorely out of touch FileFront has become.

I received an email today, warning that I had files about to be deleted.  I had four days to request that my files remain, starting at nearly 11:00 pm on the 8th of June.

I only received the email today, but I jumped into action and followed the link to save my files.  The only problem is, the link was outdated already.  All of my files… the custom re-skins, the maps, the old GargArena FGD and prefabs… everything… had been deleted.

It’s all gone.  Wiped out by a process that Google reveals to be fairly common.  Particularly of interest were statements that indicated that logging in could be a prerequisite.  Specifically, if you don’t log in often enough, you could loose everything.

But I also found a number of gamers that had a similar experience.  I could now go into just what I think of our former host, their communication skills, and their current state of service.

However, I’m tired and don’t feel like being so negative.  So I’ll just leave my coments to the important statement… the downloads are all down.  And worse, I have not had occasion to update a few of my file backups.

Files such as Devil1’s Young barney re-skin, and the GargArena FDG are all gone.  For now, none of the links work.

I will be using my ModDB account for some of the fileage, as soon as it

EDIT:

I told you I was tired.  You can’t tell by the post, but the Soprano’s style ending was not the only error.  I’ve just corrected some of the spelling mistakes.  I also made many mistakes that I caught while typing the original post.  I was trying to go to sleep at the keyboard, so random words would pop-up or my text would degenerate into letters and garbled words.

Anyway, the point was that our download links are all down and I will be using ModDB to post some of the files when I get around to it.  I also have plans to possibly use the forum software’s attachment options for smaller files.

As for FileFront, I have no intention of trusting them with my files again.  Not until such time as they clean up their act.  When I tried to host videos there, they would last days at best and then be deleted because fifty or so views weren’t enough.

None of the issues I’ve experienced or described are terribly new.  And many people have had these problems before.  But since the entire April Fools incident, this has become more common practice as the company tries to save money by alienating their users.

Good Job folks!

Okay, so if you’ve followed this fiction over the years then you know it is now effectively a finished story.

In fact, it was finished in April.  Written by SquirrelKing, the original Full Life Consequences was epically scrambled.  According to SquirrelKing’s profile and forum posts when it first appeared at FanFiction.net he was learning English and used the writing to help.  He also demonstrated some more simple concepts in writing and imagination, which would lead some of us to the conclusion that he was also very young.

Originally, topics about the series were posted in forums such as the fan fiction forum on PHL.  The story was ridiculed and people such as myself often defended him by pointing out the likely age and ESL issues.  The story was also picked up for a rather famous YTMND “epic reading of an epic fan-fiction”.

This story was amusing and the reading made it great.  A second story appeared as well and then the story remained “to be continued?” for years.

But in the past couple of years, YouTube has brought even more attention to SquirrelKing and his fictions.  There have been several flash animations, gmod videos, and even hand drawn animations depicting the first two stories and some of the other works including Halo: Halos in Space, and Metal Gear Solid: Fight of Metal Gears.

Most notably, Icton Entertainment (creators of the Idiots of Garry’s Mod videos) made an adaptation of both stories.  These adaptations were fairly amusing and worked quite well.

Now, by this time SquirrelKing had been inactive for years.  Halo: Halos in Space 2: Aliens attack was his last story which was published in August of 2007.   Suddenly, a new chapter in the Full Life Consequences saga appeared in February of this year (2009).  Do the math.

Most notable about the later 2 chapters of Full Life Consequences is the recognizably deliberate effort to make them “so bad its funny”.  It is possible that someone may have obtained the account and finished the story.  But I think it is more likely that SquirrelKing was responding to his internet fame.

Basically, there are too possibilities.  Either SquirrelKing was a less successful artificial character, like Peter Chimera, or he was legitimately a kid trying to write and practice his writing that has since turned into a “sock puppet” or fake writer due to internet fame.

I happen to think that he falls into that second possibility.  Why?  Mainly because if this was always a fake writer, he did a terrible job setting up the character.  Using Peter Chimaera as an example, the author created a character that could not grasp the English language and didn’t know much about his subject matter.  Sounds a lot like SquirrelKing right?  The difference is that Chimaera is supposed to speak English as a primary language and not have spent much time reading or understanding the plot of his subject matter.  In short, he’s a newbie, a llama, and a childish writer all rolled into one.

Conversely, SquirrelKing started out as a kid who was learning the English language and seemed to have at least some understanding of his subject matter.  He was believable as an author.  That is, believable at first.  With his latter stories, such as the Halos in Space tales, he seemed to be trying to make bad stories.  And since he suddenly reappeared his two latest stories feel even more forced.

Irregardless, the stories of John Freeman, and eventually his son Henry, are funny.  And the Icton videos are fairly popular, well made adaptations that have undoubtedly been the reason for SquirrelKing’s reappearance.

In fact, these are popular enough that many YouTube patrons have been trying to beat them to the cliched punch by making adaptations as soon as a new chapters are ready.

I won’t bother you with these wannabe-Icton videos… instead I’ll just link you to the real thing.

The complete saga:
Half-Life: Full Life Consequences
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxyZaZlaOs

Half-Life: Full Life Consequences 2 – What has to be Done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8yHguvYYyQ

Half-Life: Hero Begining
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NiCYPrAoB8

Half-Life Full Life Consequences: Free Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULWgEnnmcv4

I recently linked to an article on shacknews regarding the apparent closure of 3D Realms.

This article was confirmed a few times and… well… Take-Two interactive, the company with distribution rights for Duke Nukem Forever, decided to sue 3D Realms / Apogee for not finishing the game.  It was basically a claim of breach of contract for millions of dollars.

The project, Duke Nukem Forever, was the only title in development at the time by the actual 3D Realms portion of the company and had reportedly cost around $20 million dollars at the time of this issue.

Also, it is worth noting that 3D Realms has used internal funding for the project.  They have not had funding for development from Take-Two.

But now things have become interesting.  Executives of “3D Realms” have released a statement.  In that notice, the claim that the company has NOT shut down and has only temporarily halted development on the project.

“Despite rumors and statements to the contrary, 3D Realms (3DR) has not closed and is not closing. 3DR retains ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise. Due to lack of funding, however, we are saddened to confirm that we let the Duke Nukem Forever (DNF) development team go on May 6th, while we regroup as a company. While 3DR is a much smaller studio now, we will continue to operate as a company and continue to license and co-create games based upon the Duke Nukem franchise.”

Instead, according to 3DR, this was a strong-arm tactic by Take-Two interactive.  In the statement, 3DR says that it entered negotiations with Take-Two for funding to finish the game.  Take Two then supposedly waited until the last minute to offer an unacceptable variation of the agreement which included “no upfront money, no guarantee minimum payment, and no guarantee to complete the DNF game.”

“Suddenly, after months of negotiations, Take-Two materially changed the parameters of the proposed funding agreement. 3DR informed Take-Two that it could not financially afford the changes Take-Two was suggesting and would be forced to release the team if an agreement was not reached.”

So… the sum total of this statement is… Take-Two and 3D Realms can’t play nice together and the gaming public gets stuck with the ass-end of their problems.  The only people worse off then the gamers are the poor members of the development team that became a pseudo-political pawn in this matter.

Look, I’m fully supporting of company and creator rights.  Absolutely.  But I can’t stand to see two companies injure their employees in a bid for control of a product line.

It’s simple… Take-Two… if any of this is true then just suck it up and either give 3DR the money to complete the game or shut up.  I mean it.  PUT UP OR SHUT UP!  The game does NOT belong to you.  Publishing license… that belongs to you.

And 3D Realms… GROW SOME.  If they don’t want to provide your funding, then seek it by other means or restructure.  But don’t wait until the last minute and use employees as fodder for the press.  Find alternatives and if all else fails, start fighting the legal battle to break away from Take-Two and find a better publisher.

EA might take the edge out of the game if chosen, but they do rule everything these days… from Battlefield to the Sims.  They aren’t the only alternative either.

Yes, I realize I’m oversimplifying here.  There is big money to be lost in breaking away from a publisher’s contract.  But here’s the most basic point… PUBLISHERS DON’T START ACTING THIS WAY OVER NIGHT!

When I say “GROW SOME” I mean take a little responsibility and watch over your product.  When a company like Take-Two starts using legal and political maneuvering, it’s time to break off relations and look for someone else.  Heck… here’s a wild idea.  USE F%#&ING STEAM!

Make a deal, offer Duke Nukem Forever on Steam.

Yes, again I know I am over simplifying.  However, I have a serious problem with this matter.  It reminds me of some of the old Valve / Vivindi Universal issues from a few years back.   Do you remember that one?

My point is simply that 3D Realms should have had better foresight to begin with.  And they certainly should have started the back-out process at least a year ago.  Negotiations are tricky, but hiring a good attorney… yes… you actually only need one good lawyer but having more can help… will save you a world of hurt when your publisher gets greedy.

And Take-Two, again… if this is true… seriously… that’s just wicked.   Trying to pry a creation away from its creators by any means necessary isn’t just cutthroat business.  It’s a vile reflection of the reason so many people hate “big business”.

I apologize if I seem unreasonable to the casual reader… but this stuff makes me sick.  People lost their jobs… not because of a bad economy or faulty production… rather, they lost their jobs because two business entities couldn’t behave as mature as the very product requires it’s players to be.

After so many years of development, the gamers… the consumers that purchase said product… are dismissing it.  I suggests that both companies at least pretend to be run by adults and reach an agreement soon or the product itself will be outdated once again.  And I don’t think gamers are as ready to wait another decade or two.

Now, I’m not going to pretend to know all of the gory details.  I’m just ranting about a game I was waiting for… it’s on my wish list in the wish list thread.  I’m also considerably disappointed by companies that behave so foolishly.  And I’ve heard enough about this type of nonsense in recent weeks to have a fairly quick temper in this matter.

Read this quote from 3D Realms’ press release that took so damn long to make public.  And on an important side note, remember this lack of public communication problem from the Valve/Vivendi incident and the HL2 delays.  Many gamers grew to greatly dislike/distrust Valve as a result.  Communication is key.  I consider this prime evidence that both companies need to “GROW SOME”.

Anyway, here’s that last quote.

“From 3DR’s perspective, we viewed Take-Two as trying to acquire the Duke Nukem franchise in a “fire sale.” Those negotiations fell through on May 4th, a deal never materialized, and the DNF team was sadly released a few days later.

Less than a week after the DNF team was released, Take-Two filed its lawsuit in New York, seeking immediate temporary injunctive relief. The court denied Take-Two’s request for a temporary restraining order. While we cannot comment on the details of the ongoing lawsuit, we believe Take-Two’s lawsuit is without merit and merely a bully tactic to obtain ownership of the Duke Nukem franchise. We will vigorously defend ourselves against this publisher.”

If you want to read the full statement, check out this link on Shacknews…
http://www.shacknews.com/docs/press/20090518_dnf_3dr_.x

Again, I’m sorry if something I’ve written doesn’t make sense… I’m mostly writing out of frustration and I’m tired.

The truth is that 3D Realms’ Scott Miller has stated publicly that the developer would have accepted a $30 million buy-out of the Duke Franchise if it would have resulted in the completion of Duke Nukem Forever.  So either the employees at 3D Realms are lying or Take-Two has become a money-grubbing monster.

I believe that the reality of this matter probably stands somewhere in the middle.  In my opinion, if either company would have acted responsibly… none of this would even be an issue now.

It’s finally over.

After all the delays and all the rubbish around this entire ordeal… The tangled mess that became File Front has ended.

…

…

With the original founders buying it from Ziff Davis to keep it open.

Here’s an excerpt from the announcement.

1) The March 24th announcement about FileFront suspending its operation was NOT an early April Fool’s joke.

2) This announcement about the original founders buying back FileFront from Ziff Davis Media is also NOT an April Fool’s joke.

3) We’re making this announcement on April 1st because the deal was completed today and we want to bring all services back online immediately.

4) We would NEVER suspend FileFront as an April Fool’s joke.

5) We are happy to be back!

You can read the full announcement here.

To make one point perfectly clear from our perspective… BWL will not be moving back unless something happens with our new host.  I’ve already paid more then $50 in fees to our host for premium service and another more then $50 to my bank in releated fees.

I can’t get nearly that much back.  And I’m going to be skipping a meal or two over the next two weeks until my next paycheck arrives.

This business with FileFront was very poorly managed from the outset.  We as hosted sites had zero warning that the site would close and take us with it.  We also had zero warning that a deal was in the works that might save the old site.

I’m happy to have our new host and be able to expand our functions a little.  Fictions for other games are now more then welcome here and we will be adding at least a handful of additional forums in the gaming section for other popular games our members play.

We have long since passed the point of no return here… and I think we will be better off for it.

Be sure to post suggestions in this thread.  And also indicate if you would be interested in tracking/writing news for one of these games/subjects.  We will choose five by the end of April.  Also, let me know if you have some “feature” that you would like to write about regularly.

We’re looking to take this site a little further then it has ever gone before.  Even so, FileFront continues to offer the best free file hosting option we have.  Therefore, I will continue to use their file services for our downloads.