My statement on the the “X1 Seewolfe Expansion�

[Onkel Neal]

Over the weekend, and through this week, a flood of players notified me personally by e-mail, PM, and phone concerning suspicions about the content and intellectual ownership of the “X1 Seewolfe Expansion�. Prior to this point, I understood this project to be an original work in the model of Pacific Aces, SCX, or Projekt Messerwetzer; that is, a group of modders and artists creating a make-over/enhancement for a popular game. I heartily support such efforts as long as they do not negatively affect future work by the parent company (Ubisoft) to continue further work on the host game, and as long as the work is legitimate.

I do know that Steffen Trombke of X1 contacted the Silent Hunter III dev team several times during SH3 development in order to develop an add-on. It was refused. Later he contacted Ubisoft again, proposing an add-on in the Pacific. The add-on was sent to the dev team for an evaluation and was rejected firmly. For poor quality but mainly for the redundant material they proposed, covered already by free mods or patches.

I cannot say how much original content the “Seewolfe� expansion will have until it is released. According to their website, the main thrust appears to be more ports. Everything else in their feature list is an existing mod or an existing feature of the game.

• new campaign script, new missions,
  new sounds and graphics
  fixes to DD hydrophones
  roughly sixty new cities, including ports and industry naval and airbase locations in Europe, North America, Britain and the Pacific region
  new objects including ships, search lights, bunkers, minefields and air defenses
  enhancements to sub interior and exterior
  stationary ships in harbors and harbor patrols
  historical activity such as Dunkirk, Dieppe and D-Day
  new radio messages
  optional installations like navmap aids, fatigue mod ….

I have nothing against someone selling a great new realm of playable material to go with an existing game. I’ve bought several myself, the most recent the Full Canvas Jacket superpatch for Red Baron 3D. But it should contain significant content and it should be ethically secure. After getting messages from you and seeing the "Boycott X1" signatures, I decided to do some investigating. After considerable checking, after two dozen PMs to well-known modders and a phone conversation with another prominent player, the consensus is, as one modder told me, X1 “stated they had asked and obtained permission from everyone involved, which now was never the case.�

It’s a simple matter for one to put on an innocent face and declare he had no intention of stealing modders’ work, when in reality he had the intention and was well on the way to getting away with whatever he could, thinking either no one would notice or getting credit on a readme was sufficient to take it. Now it appears X1 is contacting each modder with a “heartfelt� apology and requesting “to use the mod in return for a free copy of the add-on�. A case of asking forgiveness instead of seeking permission. Fortunately, the majority of the community has the good sense and fair play to call it what it is. Deceptive, dishonest, and a scam.

From my conversations with the modders, “Reg McNeal� was very actively soliciting permission and on occasion, suggesting that he had “made some changes to the mod so now it was his own work.“ He also said he wanted to use the full version of some mods when the owner said he could use their lite version.

We also witnessed a rather bizarre display by OSSI in the forum. I PMed OSSI to let him know that links to topless women are not allowed on this forum and ask him his connection to Steffen and X1.

Hey mate,

what's your connection with the Seewolf mod? I missed the porn bonanza you posted, one of the moderators or you must have edited it. Please don't do anything like that again, you would lose your posting privledges.

Neal Stevens
Subsim Review

He replied:

Seawolves is coming. You have to know that X1 is only the publisher and has nothing to do with any development of the add-on. The add-on create 3 modders there give mods free for download first and now they change some and fix bugs to take it in the stores. So modders get the credit for their work. The idea was also to offer some better mods from others in the add-on. The test version + readme was on X1 Server. All looks so good X1 makes it official.. in the new version we have the permission. Some modders say no others say yes. Permissions include:

Soundmod by Incognito Soundworks, with further mods by Northern Digital
Contact Mod by Fletcher
Hi-res subs by Sean Gilleran
U-boat Interior by Ship Hunter
DD Fix by Jungman
Radiolog by Irishred, further mods by CombatPlanes
Resupply by SANSAL

This will be the final I think.

The problem is that some download a old test version of seawolves. with old readmes e.t.c. this why modders are mad where there found his name in the readme or not. But it was not my debt. I give nobody that downloadlink from the X1 public server. It is a open server ok but not so many have that link first.

Anyway that server is down now because some data got that Trojan.Abwiz.D and the best is that two players send me that info after they download that test version.

I was not at home or in office this weekend, but my sister’s son was on my PC and write some with my Username "OSSI" in here and talk to that terrapin guy. After I am back he told me and I delete his posts e.t.c. He is 14 and he will be a good businessman. I am not mad at him, he just wanted to help.

I think after release it will be cleared up for some users here and the show is over. I mean should I say sorry that people download a test version? Not a test version you can buy in stores and they think we released a version with stolen mods?

Sorry to the community for mistakes!

Steffen Trombke
www.x1software.com

So... maybe I have it wrong, maybe all these mods on his server were there for reference? Well, that's hard to say but by his own declaration this guy has files for his add-on with trojans and viruses in them. And please don’t laugh at me if I say I don’t believe the “my nephew did it� excuse. Yeah, he'll make a "good businessman"....

The internet publishing and mod world depends on the honor system. When a dispute arises and the honor system breaks down—or is intentionally breeched—the situation degenerates and can cast a pall over future community work and goodwill. My biggest concern is the precedent this could set and the impact on the fantastic mod work that has grown up around Silent Hunter III. Between the absurd forum behavior and lies, filching mods and asking afterwards, and narrow-minded view of what constitutes a add-on, I cannot help but condemn the entire venture. It looks like a scam, it smells like a scam, and the track record and actions of the author lead me to believe it is a scam. I’ll send a letter of protest to Matrix Games and suggest that their reputation is worth more than a embezzled add-on. Sure, they may sell copies in Wal-Mart, where unsuspecting customers will be won over by a fancy box. But what are they buying? Someone else's work.

Neal Stevens
Subsim Review
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