Jun. 11, 2004 @ 21:28
O.K. This has got to stop.

Rant mode on.

I’ve been copping a load of flak recently from various quarters about some of my work and some of my projects.

It seems that over time, my name as become fairly well known in certain game communities. Likewise, now that some of my work is included in the latest version of Day of Defeat, that has brought minor noteriety. Being awarded the coveted forum “Avatar” didn’t help either.

However it seems that now I’m “out there”, some people seem to feel I have a degree of accountability and that I must answer to them. Sadly, these people are not those who contract me to do work, its sadly most often the user base.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind feedback, comments, suggestion, etc. about my work, after all it only goes towards helping me make things better. However, of late I’ve been getting mails and messages to the tune of “you must cater for what I want!”.

Lets take a step back here. Everything I do, or have done I do for free, except in those cases where I am contracted to do so for a commercial entity. Even when I am paid, based on the hours I spend on a project, the payback is tiny in monetary terms. You’d probably make more in a week flipping burgers at McDonalds than I make spending a month modelling, texturing and animating something for a game.

That aside, my non-commercial work is free because thats the way I intend it to be. I write things like HLMV or build my player models for one reason – because I want to and to fulfil a personal need. Everthing I do I do for me and the fact I choose to release things publically is because I think you might like these things or find them useful too.

But whats starting to tick me off is that there is an element that seems to believe that this FREE stuff is written for them and if I don’t cater for their needs, Im a bad person and in some way neglecting them.

Some of the hate mail has been quite trivial, some quite acerbic and some just plain rude.

In one example a few months ago I recieved a mail asking that a feature be added to HLMV. I pointed out that it is in fact a simple viewer and that what they were asking for was akin to asking me to write a fully blown 3D modelling and video editing package. I politely said no, sorry, and explained that it wasn’t in the scope of what HLMV was meant to be or what I personally wanted to do. It then transgressed into a tirad of e-mails about what a loser I am and how I think I’m so important.

In other recent examples, I’ve recieved several rather vitriolic e-mail regarding the delay in releasing the new maps for Day of Defeat.

For those that don’t know, these extra maps contain a lot of my 3D work and that of other independant modellers and artists. Valve wishes to own the license to use these works and doesn’t want to release the maps until the licenses have been secured. No problem there except that, to date, neither myself of the others involved have actually recieved the license agreements to sign.

Despite this fact and that the above reason is well known, I’ve recieved e-mails accusing me of purposely holding back the release of the maps, trying to garner some sort of leverage over Valve and the DoD team or forcing a delay to hype my own reputation.

Imagine what good could be done if the passion and anger in these kinds of responses was channeled into something constructive! If only we could turn the bitterness and sense of self-importance of prepubescent game players world-wide into energy! Imagine cars powered by a teenagers sense of smug self-satisfaction and one up-manship! We’d of landed on Mars years ago!

Remember kids, some people stand around looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, some of up march down there and and make the light ourselves.

If you didn’t pay for it and don’t like like it you have no right to complain. But you do have the power in you to make something better yourself. Truth is, how many people these days are willing to do it?

Responses to “O.K. This has got to stop.”


Its ok Jed. I still love you for the work that you do. I just wish I was unbaned from the forums, so I could tell you that there.

Posted by HS The Whap!
Fri, June 11th, 2004 @ 22:58

Well said that man!!

Posted by Knightlore
Sat, June 12th, 2004 @ 20:58

You have got to make a hatemail section of your webpage and advertise thier stupidity.

Name and all.

Posted by Silverghost
Mon, June 14th, 2004 @ 01:03

OMGWTF U SUX0RS

Posted by chav scum
Tue, June 15th, 2004 @ 00:49