Anyone remember Projekt Messerwetzer?
 

For some odd reason, I was reminded of this and the guy we hired to program the multiplayer conversion, Duane Doutel (Herr Baron). It started off great but did not end well. Someone sent me a link, he is still generating plenty of excitement. :hmmm:

Yeesh, even audio... :o

I am not surprised. Duane was always a shady character, and it seems likely (to me, anyhow) that those charges would not be 'drummed up'. His departure marked the close of a very ugly chapter in SubSim history.

Though I was never around when he was, I have heard quite a few things about him here and there, none of them good. The story just seems really contrived and a feeble attempt at sympathy after doing something stupid.

If I remeber right that was a mod for SHII, that and Pacific aces & Aces campaign mods I use to play.

Yea I remember that mod-it was one of the first I got for SH2 and DC which were the reasons I joined in the first place. Holy c*** btw at the story. :doh:

Same as Joea here...but whoa.

NEAL I HATE YOU!!!

Well, not really of course, but I'm cursing this thread. A few hours ago my Windows Media Player decided to reset itself, which is does every so often and is actually a good thing, but it means reloading my entire library, which takes some time. So I followed your link read the articles, and then followed your link to the audio. Now it's locked in and playing relentlessly, over and over and over. Of course I turned the sound off, but I can still see the little bar moving, and it's driving me CRAZY! :damn:
:rotfl2:

I remember the mod for SH2 and destroyer command, but it ends there! Before my arrival here!

Yep, I remember Duane VERY well and even recognize his voice.

Doug did get a bit "irrational" when he didn't get his way.

This case you linked to though, I'm not so sure he's in the wrong.

He paid for something he did not get. He left a somewhat nasty message demanding the guy forward the money. Police come and confiscate all the guns in his home.

(revoking his C&C permit might have been a good move though) :-?

He could have certainly done without the implied threat. That's where he sunk himself, IMO. "Or else..." are words that can leave a lot to interpretation.

Neal, could you give some history about this? I'm quite junior member (atleast with this account) and I don't remember hearing about this incident except that name "Herr Baron" sounds very familiar. :hmmm:

+1
can someone please provide some background?
thanks

I'll give it a try.
Subsim created a sister site called SubClub in anticipation of the release of SHII. SHII promised interop play with Destroyer Command. (Subs attacking convoys....Destroyers protecting convoys.

SHII however, was released in a bad state and the highly anticipated multiplay vs Destroyers was faulty and unacceptable.

Neal, D. Doutel, myself and a few others were beta testers for the multiplayer aspect of the game just before SHII was released. Testing required coordination so we all hooked up via Yahoo voice chat before launching the games. Some of us in Subs, some in Destroyers. That is where I got to know Duane.

Eventually, once it was realized the multiplay aspect was terribly flawed and it was apparant no patch to fix it was ever going to come, Neal convinced the company to release the code to him. Doutel was an out of work programmer and really believed he could fix the code, but he wanted some compensation. Neal arranged to have the code sent to him, and Subclub started a huge fundraiser, with what we raised going to Duane.

The fundraiser and repair was named " Projekt Messerwetzer".

Eventually, Duane did have a few successes regarding connectivity so he improved things slightly but never to the point of calling things "fixed".
Eventually I think at some point he stopped working on it. Our fundraiser had run it's course so there was no more $$ being sent.

Around that point, other members who were skilled programmers wanted to have a go at the code in an attempt to repair it. That is where things got a bit ugly.

Duane was asked to release the code and he refused, believing the devs had released it to him and no one else. He broke off contact, and SubClub and Neal petitioned him to release the code, or at lease communicate further.
Frustration is the best word I can think of to describe the whole thing.

Neal stated above that it did not end well. A heck of an understatement.

.......This is from memory (and a pretty old, worn out one) so Neal, if I stated something incorrectly please feel free to correct me.

Rick, I think it's Duane, not Doug. Buuuuut, I came along just late enough to miss all that fun, but was around when Mr. Doutel started using the forums to attack everyone involved in the project, especially Neal.

So yeah, it was ugly. We did have a lot of fun playing SH2 and DC, though.