The unmentionable expansion gets panned in PC Gamer

Beery · 10-13-06, 12:50 AM

Many of us remember the dark times when 'The Unmentionable Expansion' appeared, taking the community's free mods and selling them in Germany. More recently some of us were horrified (but not all that surprised) when the expansion got picked up by Take 2 Interactive and it started appearing on computer game store shelves in the UK and USA. Well, now the expansion has its moment in the sun - and is exposed for what it is. PC Gamer's resident simulations columnist, Andy Mahood, gives the expansion a write-up in December's issue, giving it a 52% rating and saying (in part):

"What the expansion pack's 'packagers' don't tell you, though, is that every single feature is a rehashed - and sometimes inferior - version of some readily available mods from the SH3 community. (There are allegations that X1 Software simply lifted all of the community's hard work and cavalierly burned it to a disk for personal profit. True or not, the company secured Ubisoft's legal permission in advance)... if you have a broadband connection , you're much better off with the vastly superior Grey Wolves supermod from Subsim.com. It outperforms Seawolves on every measurable level and it won't cost you a dime."

So now, finally, the evil expansion gets its comeuppance - well, sort of - at least it shows that people in the gaming press are somewhat aware of the issue and are willing to make an effort to make the truth known.

P_Funk · 10-13-06, 12:57 AM

Somewhat aware? I'm pretty sure that the heart of PC Gamer is it's columist staff. They are routinely the best bit in that mag. We all enjoy reviews and scoops and Hardware stuff but when Andy Mahood tells you something is cool you know he is delivering a Gem.

It's too bad the Desktop Wargamer has moved on.

He was the best.

YAY PC Gamer!

Beery · 10-13-06, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Somewhat aware? I'm pretty sure that the heart of PC Gamer is it's columist staff...

He admits he's unaware of the extent of X1's theft - he says "There are allegations that X1 Software simply lifted all of the community's hard work and cavalierly burned it to a disk for personal profit. True or not, the company secured Ubisoft's legal permission in advance". That means he's only somewhat aware. Firstly, it's not true that X1 lifted all of the community's hard work - the X1 folks lifted some, but not all. If he was fully aware, he'd know the facts.

As for Andy Mahood & the other columnists being the best in the mag - maybe, but if Mr.Mahood is the best that PC Gamer has to offer I'm not impressed. He entirely dropped the ball with SH3 - it never got the respect it deserved in his columns (and I told him as much a year ago - he basically responded that they covered it in a preview and that he couldn't get into it while all the great FPS games were taking his attention) and as I recall he spent the months after its release jabbering on about old flight sims and racing games. Mind you, it's not like anyone else gave SH3 its due either. Computer Games Magazine was only slightly more responsive to it post-release. But when a simulations columnist fails to say anything about a major simulation release or the major mods that have appeared for it in... what is it, a year and a half? I just don't think that's doing his job properly. Basically it's my opinion that the guy has been asleep at the wheel for the last 18 months. But that's just my opinion.

bookworm_020 · 10-13-06, 01:54 AM

Maybe it will steer some people away from the dark side and bring them over where the sun shines. We who grace this site know how good it is (

), now other will know too. More the merrier!!

P_Funk · 10-13-06, 02:05 AM

Beery, you make it sound as if they owe us something. They're just one magasine. And last time I checked the colums go in rotations so you see one one month and a different one the next. They can't cover the whole gaming world at once comprehensively. Not to mention the fact that they're still a company trying to make money. I own two PC Gamer's with a sim column about SH3. That is aside from the Scoop one month and the subsequent preview in a later month. And whether or not the columnists want to or not I'm sure they have to approve certain ideas and Im sure they get told what to talk about alot of the time.

Beery · 10-13-06, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Beery, you make it sound as if they owe us something...

You're darned right I think that. They absolutely owe me something when I pay for the magazine. When I pay for a magazine I want my money's worth. Far too often I pay my $8.99, open the package and there's virtually nothing for me in the magazine, and it's not as if I'm a niche player - I play strategy, FPS, simulations and MMORPGs, so there should be something in these magazines for me other than the demo disk. But often I find they're wasting my time with meaningless previews of games that are little more than vapourware or vapid nonsense about how awesome is some supercomputer that I'll never be able to afford, and I haven't even touched on the reams of adverts and fluff pieces that take up about 3/4 of every games magazine these days. It's not like computer games magazines are $3.00 an issue anymore. In fact, as I recall, when they were $3.00 an issue I would tend to get more of my money's worth from them. When a computer games magazine contains a simulations column I expect simulations content. What PC Gamer has been providing in recent months has not been up to its old standard. Sometimes I find Mr. Mahood going on about issues completely removed from the simulation genre. When I go to the simulations column I resent it when he wastes my time talking about peoplewatching at the latest E3 convention, FPS games or arcade racing games. It's a sim column, and if he's not going to talk about sims he should rename the column or the magazine should hire someone who can talk about simulations.

Then there's the editor. This month he's going on about the convention in Leipzig and saying that the Germans are always urging him to go to booth "zwanzig ein". If he was regaled that often, surely he'd know how Germans count, and that "zwanzig ein" is completely meaningless in German - it's "ein und zwanzig" for goodness sake. Honestly, sometimes it seems like the magazine has been taken over by a special ed class. I mean it comes to something when an editor can't tell the difference between the words "their", "they're" and "there", but I'm finding such silly spelling and grammar mistakes coming all too frequently from people whose job is to know better.

Anyway, this is off topic. My point was that Mr. Mahood is unaware of X1's activities - he admits as much. That was all I was saying. It's great that you find that PC Gamer meets your needs. I just wish it met mine more often.

P_Funk · 10-13-06, 02:27 AM

Hey Beery. Sorry but I edited my reply a bit late hoping you hadn't read it yet.

So I'll add what I added above.

I know there were 2 months in which there was a sim column about SH3 aside from the Scoops and Review (the review made me buy it). Also there are more sims that SH3. And despite what you think many people consider racing simulators an actual sim.

As for the fact that you paid for it meaning they owe it to you to talk about what you like it unfortunately doesn't work that way. It might be unfortunate that a game like SH3 being a commercial flop compared to games like HL2 means SH3 gets less attention but the fact remains that a magazine appeals to a mass rather than a minority. That they included a scoop and a review is pretty good considering the fact that no one I know bought it, even after I said its good and only $20 at Futureshop.

I saw 2 colums about SH3 in PC Gamer. Thats alot. I don't know what more you can expect. And that they are actually aware of the community enough to say that the user mods are both better and the originals says they have actually played the game. They get mountains of games put on their desks every month. SH3 was a long time ago.

It's called PC Gamer, not PC Simmer. We don't get all we want. We get what sells their mags and now and then we get a nod our way.

BTW don't tell any of your racing sim buddies about how they aren't sims. Ouch. That could be bad.

Beery · 10-13-06, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P_Funk

It's called PC Gamer, not PC Simmer. We don't get all we want...

The sim column is a sim column. It should be about sims. I never said the whole magazine should be about sims. That's a straw man.

WhiteW0lf · 10-13-06, 04:38 AM

I agree with Beery's points that is why I canceled my subscription. But on this column its great that they recognize this communities good work and let people know about subsim.com as well.

By the way its good to hear you again Beery, I thought you sunk in the atlantic.

AVGWarhawk · 10-13-06, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beery

Quote:

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Somewhat aware? I'm pretty sure that the heart of PC Gamer is it's columist staff...

He admits he's unaware of the extent of X1's theft - he says "There are allegations that X1 Software simply lifted all of the community's hard work and cavalierly burned it to a disk for personal profit. True or not, the company secured Ubisoft's legal permission in advance". That means he's only somewhat aware. Firstly, it's not true that X1 lifted all of the community's hard work - the X1 folks lifted some, but not all. If he was fully aware, he'd know the facts.

As for Andy Mahood & the other columnists being the best in the mag - maybe, but if Mr.Mahood is the best that PC Gamer has to offer I'm not impressed. He entirely dropped the ball with SH3 - it never got the respect it deserved in his columns (and I told him as much a year ago - he basically responded that they covered it in a preview and that he couldn't get into it while all the great FPS games were taking his attention) and as I recall he spent the months after its release jabbering on about old flight sims and racing games. Mind you, it's not like anyone else gave SH3 its due either. Computer Games Magazine was only slightly more responsive to it post-release. But when a simulations columnist fails to say anything about a major simulation release or the major mods that have appeared for it in... what is it, a year and a half? I just don't think that's doing his job properly. Basically it's my opinion that the guy has been asleep at the wheel for the last 18 months. But that's just my opinion.

I have to laugh at 'X1 did not lift all of the communities works, just some of them'...is that like being just a little bit pregnant? If you lifted just one for your financial gain you have discredited yourself. If you lift a pair of socks at the store or a TV, no matter the value, you are still a thief.

Biggles · 10-13-06, 09:25 AM

hah, the buggers can take it!

Question: is it the same with "Battle in the med..." expansion, is those things mods too?

[edit] In case you want to know, the PC Gamer Sweden magazine gave SHIII 88% of 100%, which is a VERY good result. The only real thing they didn't like was english-talking germans.......

Oh, and PCG SWE has NOT reviewed the exp. for SHIII......

The Noob · 10-13-06, 09:32 AM

Our empire strikes back!

I just love it if magazines bash this piece of...you are aware what.

Deep-Six · 10-13-06, 09:53 AM

I have the Seawolves disk, I know bad me, but I have never installed it.

I REPEAT, I have NOT installed it.

If you want me to, I can check what mods were included. I do have ways of finding those things out.

SteamWake · 10-13-06, 10:45 AM

I dont think its necessary deep 6.

This particular topic has been discussed ad nausium.

It has been researched and documented exhaustively.

In fact I think that article was in last month issue.

I was a little supprised to see it pop up again.

FIREWALL · 10-13-06, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bookworm_020

Maybe it will steer some people away from the dark side and bring them over where the sun shines. We who grace this site know how good it is (

), now other will know too. More the merrier!!

You got that right.

10-13-06, 12:50 AM	#1
Beery Admiral Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Silver Spring, MD, USA (but still a Yorkshireman at heart - tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman...) Posts: 2,497 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The unmentionable expansion gets panned in PC Gamer Many of us remember the dark times when 'The Unmentionable Expansion' appeared, taking the community's free mods and selling them in Germany. More recently some of us were horrified (but not all that surprised) when the expansion got picked up by Take 2 Interactive and it started appearing on computer game store shelves in the UK and USA. Well, now the expansion has its moment in the sun - and is exposed for what it is. PC Gamer's resident simulations columnist, Andy Mahood, gives the expansion a write-up in December's issue, giving it a 52% rating and saying (in part): "What the expansion pack's 'packagers' don't tell you, though, is that every single feature is a rehashed - and sometimes inferior - version of some readily available mods from the SH3 community. (There are allegations that X1 Software simply lifted all of the community's hard work and cavalierly burned it to a disk for personal profit. True or not, the company secured Ubisoft's legal permission in advance)... if you have a broadband connection , you're much better off with the vastly superior Grey Wolves supermod from Subsim.com. It outperforms Seawolves on every measurable level and it won't cost you a dime." So now, finally, the evil expansion gets its comeuppance - well, sort of - at least it shows that people in the gaming press are somewhat aware of the issue and are willing to make an effort to make the truth known. __________________ "More mysterious. Yeah. I'll just try to think, 'Where the hell's the whiskey?'" - Bob Harris, Lost in Translation. "Anyrooad up, ah'll si thi" - Missen.

10-13-06, 12:57 AM	#2
P_Funk Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 2,537 Downloads: 129 Uploads: 0	Somewhat aware? I'm pretty sure that the heart of PC Gamer is it's columist staff. They are routinely the best bit in that mag. We all enjoy reviews and scoops and Hardware stuff but when Andy Mahood tells you something is cool you know he is delivering a Gem. It's too bad the Desktop Wargamer has moved on. He was the best. YAY PC Gamer! __________________

10-13-06, 01:54 AM	#4
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Maybe it will steer some people away from the dark side and bring them over where the sun shines. We who grace this site know how good it is (), now other will know too. More the merrier!! __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

10-13-06, 02:05 AM	#5
P_Funk Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 2,537 Downloads: 129 Uploads: 0	Beery, you make it sound as if they owe us something. They're just one magasine. And last time I checked the colums go in rotations so you see one one month and a different one the next. They can't cover the whole gaming world at once comprehensively. Not to mention the fact that they're still a company trying to make money. I own two PC Gamer's with a sim column about SH3. That is aside from the Scoop one month and the subsequent preview in a later month. And whether or not the columnists want to or not I'm sure they have to approve certain ideas and Im sure they get told what to talk about alot of the time. __________________ Last edited by P_Funk; 10-13-06 at 02:17 AM.

10-13-06, 02:27 AM	#7
P_Funk Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada, eh? Posts: 2,537 Downloads: 129 Uploads: 0	Hey Beery. Sorry but I edited my reply a bit late hoping you hadn't read it yet. So I'll add what I added above. I know there were 2 months in which there was a sim column about SH3 aside from the Scoops and Review (the review made me buy it). Also there are more sims that SH3. And despite what you think many people consider racing simulators an actual sim. As for the fact that you paid for it meaning they owe it to you to talk about what you like it unfortunately doesn't work that way. It might be unfortunate that a game like SH3 being a commercial flop compared to games like HL2 means SH3 gets less attention but the fact remains that a magazine appeals to a mass rather than a minority. That they included a scoop and a review is pretty good considering the fact that no one I know bought it, even after I said its good and only $20 at Futureshop. I saw 2 colums about SH3 in PC Gamer. Thats alot. I don't know what more you can expect. And that they are actually aware of the community enough to say that the user mods are both better and the originals says they have actually played the game. They get mountains of games put on their desks every month. SH3 was a long time ago. It's called PC Gamer, not PC Simmer. We don't get all we want. We get what sells their mags and now and then we get a nod our way. BTW don't tell any of your racing sim buddies about how they aren't sims. Ouch. That could be bad. __________________

10-13-06, 04:38 AM	#9
WhiteW0lf Loader Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cyprus Posts: 82 Downloads: 42 Uploads: 0	I agree with Beery's points that is why I canceled my subscription. But on this column its great that they recognize this communities good work and let people know about subsim.com as well. By the way its good to hear you again Beery, I thought you sunk in the atlantic.

10-13-06, 09:25 AM	#11
Biggles Silent Hunter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sweden (I'm not a Viking...) Posts: 3,529 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	hah, the buggers can take it! Question: is it the same with "Battle in the med..." expansion, is those things mods too? [edit] In case you want to know, the PC Gamer Sweden magazine gave SHIII 88% of 100%, which is a VERY good result. The only real thing they didn't like was english-talking germans....... Oh, and PCG SWE has NOT reviewed the exp. for SHIII...... __________________ Last edited by Biggles; 10-13-06 at 09:28 AM.

10-13-06, 09:32 AM	#12
The Noob The Old Man Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: de_dust2 Posts: 1,417 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Our empire strikes back! I just love it if magazines bash this piece of...you are aware what.

10-13-06, 09:53 AM	#13
Deep-Six Sonar Guy Join Date: May 2005 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 399 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	I have the Seawolves disk, I know bad me, but I have never installed it. I REPEAT, I have NOT installed it. If you want me to, I can check what mods were included. I do have ways of finding those things out.

10-13-06, 10:45 AM	#14
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	I dont think its necessary deep 6. This particular topic has been discussed ad nausium. It has been researched and documented exhaustively. In fact I think that article was in last month issue. I was a little supprised to see it pop up again.