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Originally Posted by HM1969
Maybe this is incorrect though so Herman can you clarify if you were the one who contacted Sim HQ and offered to do a review and they were aware you were involved or did you have someone else act as an intermediary? I always like to hear both sides of the story though so Herman do you feel you have been completely open and honest with everyone at Sim HQ?
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I was in contact with SimHQ under my real name at all times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HM1969
I worry that Herman & Vincenzo, whilst claiming not to, do have their own agenda. I suspect they see CMANO as a threat. They love making mods for Harpoon and are unable to edit the DB in CMANO. I get the feeling they think if CMANO succeeds they'll have nobody left to make mods for.
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The premise is illogical. Any mod relies upon a game. There is absolutely no economic benefit from a mod and neither of us has any official connection to the game's owners. In fact, Vincenzo pays for a support site out of his own pocket and asks for nothing in return. The site is open for all to use and will support any game (including MNO). Anyone wanting to post files there are welcome to do so.
Anyone who presumes that either Vincenzo or I would wish ill upon another has not been reading closely. We are constantly helping folks build databases and scenarios. I went to help the Colombian Navy with nothing more than a request to, 'Please come.' The underlying motto remains: "Help All Who Ask". I had no intention of writing a review, but only did so after getting numerous requests for one. I decided to help them all instead of one person at a time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HM1969
They may have nothing to gain from a monetary point of view but do they have a vested interest in preventing CMANO succeeding and taking people away from their Harpoon DB, scenarios and mods? You make your own decision. I saw arguments like this tear the Harpoon community apart and fear it will happen again.
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Again, the premise is illogical. The success or failure of one game has no bearing upon another. However, the conduct of the developers in the various fora should give users cause for concern. Any criticism or dissenting opinion is quickly met with an accusation of the reporter somehow being either Vincenzo or Herman i.e. "Hi Herman!" For the record,
I am Spartacus. :-) The success or failure of the game rests upon the developers' ability to act responsibly; something not exemplified by their reaction to this review. Calling their critics Nazis (and worse) is not indicative of professionals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HM1969
One last question Herman - what is the best game of this type in your opinion? You are very clear in your criticism but which game wins and why? I'm sure others would be interested. You are very good at specific details so I'd be interested in specific details on what your favourite game is.
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This game has potential. Anyone reading the review will see that reported. It is just very unpolished and user-unfriendly in its current state. This is poor design as opposed to the bugginess of Harpoon ANW.
An MNO player (who had never played Harpoon) dropped in on one of our MP sessions and just watched us play. He was simply agog at how fast and quickly we were able to move things, see things, find things, track things, add things, etc. He kept asking, "How are you doing THAT so quickly?" I didn't even have to play MNO to know that they were in trouble. If a twenty-yr. old game can do
anything better than your new one, the problem does not lie with the older game.
Harpoon ANW is riddled with bugs, but that does not mean it doesn't have a whole lotta good ideas. MNO duplicated a lot of the functions and were given credit for doing so in the review. IMO, they need to duplicate a whole lot more of the good ideas instead of just trying to shoe-horn them into the present game.
I want to play MNO more. Unfortunately, I find it a chore to play instead of a pleasure.