Lock-out! Pardon Me, this is the CM Forum is it not?

[James Crowley]

Jack Arriliac recently posted a perfectly innocent request for some tidbits of info. as to CM2, which he suggested might be published at CMHQ, as the official "unofficial" news site for CM.

I thought that was a good idea and backed-up the suggestion. However, because of the time difference between the States and U.K.,I bumped the topic to a time when it was likely to be read.

As a result the thread was locked-up by Madmatt, for reasons which are totally beyond me.

Madmatt, of course you would post info. if you could. I assumed that you would be under some constraint from BTS and it was to them that my post was directed. I was under the impression that that was the purpose of this forum. If my comments were to have been directed to you personally, I would have contacted you through your site.

As it is, a perfectly reasonable request has been treated, not with a reasonable answer but with a big "f..k-off"

I've seen all sorts of unpleasant and idiotic threads being rightly locked but never a straight-forward question couched in civilised language. Surely it cannot be that it was bumped - that is happening all the time.

This is a case of the consumer making a polite enquiry about an upcoming product and, basically, being treated like a naughty school child. "How dare you ask questions or question the actions of the staff - bugger-off!" A simple explanation as to why this may not be possible would have sufficed.

Quite frankly I think the action was totally out of order and boorish

[Schrullenhaft]

Madmatt is employed by BTS. I'm sure he is working on several facets of CMBB (CM2) right now. While CMHQ was started before he became an employee of BTS, he has still maintained it out of popular demand (though he has less time to do so nowadays).

I'm sure the reason he locked it up was to avoid a big rush of "yeah... post some info on CM2 will ya" -posts in that thread. Not to be a jerk and personally piss you off for no good reason. Since the question was directed at updating the site he runs with info about CM2 - he answered it and locked it to keep people from needlessly posting there and begging further. The answer - if you couldn't fathom it from his response - was that he WILL post some info about CMBB at some point in the future (just not right now).

Charles Moylan gave an interview to a web-based game magazine several weeks back where some of the screenshots that you may have seen on the board have come from. I'm sure we ALL want more info about CMBB, but it is still being worked on and there may not be a whole lot to post about at this exact moment. It's not like a bit industry secret is being perpetuated here - it just takes time to do this and CMBB is probably going to require more research than CMBO did due to the large variety of weapons systems and nationalities involved.

[Abbott]

I have watched Mad Matt’s approach to this forum with some interest as he and I share the same line of work. He has impressed me with his patience, people skills and sense of humor. I believe he also has impressed BTS with those same skills and more are he would not be doing what he is doing today.

Generally keeping order on a forum this size is no easy task. I am sure some items get overlooked or are found to be an irritant. Most often however this forum is handled with great skill. I would work on Matt’s club crew or hire him for mine without a second thought to either choice, as handling people is what it is all about. His approach to this forum is exemplary from what I have watched.

[Frenchy]

I can remember when we all wanted CM released "now" or "sooner"...hurry, hurry!

I am sure the same answer then applies now in a slightly different form...

"Info will be posted when we are ready..."

Frankly, I don't care one way or the other, if CM2 is anything like CM, we don't have a damn thing to worry about...just my 2 cents worth.

[Tiger]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>...and generate tons of irritating questions, complaints, arguments, etc.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This may be a reason why they don't open up that can o' worms except on their terms.

Not every forum lock means "f*ck off" either.

-Tiger

PS~ oh by the way Madmatt. I'll volunteer to shoulder the 'burden' to become the CMBB info-leaker. Just send me regular builds/pics/info/etc and I'll tease the unwashed masses for ya!

[ 05-09-2001: Message edited by: Tiger ]

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by James Crowley:

Quite frankly I think the action was totally out of order and boorish <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'll say again, this constant nattering and clamouring for attention regarding info on CM2 seems too much like little kids at Christmastime. No one is more excited than me about CM2 (or Christmas, for that matter) but if you really haven't seen the desperation present in the moderators' tone - the constant rash of off topic posts is a good reason for this, also. See Madmatt's truly exasperated post, complete with rolling eyes, in response to the suggestion that he post info on CM2 at CMHQ. I believe his comments were along the lines of "gee, that never occurred to me" - heavy on the sarcasm.

Let's talk about CM1, continue to throw out ideas for CM2, but above all let them do their work on CM2 without making them babysit this board. That wasn't what it was for.

Do you really think they are too stupid to realize when to realease info on CM2? I don't, in fact, they seem to be on the order of marketing geniuses. So everyone cool it already, and let's be prepared to be pleasantly surprised - rather than clamour for scraps of info so we can get an early start on our penny ante nitpicking on why the T-34s' wheel nuts don't look right.

In the end, the gameplay is the thing, and CM2 will not differ in any giant degree from CM1 - so all BTS can do (short of a full demo) by releasing info is show you pretty pictures - which everyone will just instantly rip apart anyway. Hardly good marketing on their part to release anything early, if that will be the case. Even the full demo will not teach you anything about what CM2 will be like - we already know what it will be like.

[ 05-10-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

[Dittohead]

MAybe Madmatt was having a bad hair day :eek:

[Loki]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dittohead:

MAybe Madmatt was having a bad hair day :eek: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It sounds like alot of people are having a bad hair day. Everyone seems to be speaking for other people. I can forsee this thread being locked soon before the flame heats up.

I usually don't defend people, but given the fact that James Crowley has posted only 4 times, I think he is intitled to ask questions or offer his feedback to BTS.It says on the main page "Also make sure to stop by the Discussion Forums and talk with our Developers about their games!" Just because its been discussed, or WE have seen it before, its still new to him.

Lets be nice to the newbie's for once.

[Cull]

Woah! Hold up!

Seems most everybody has the wrong idea.

First, everybody should see the "I miss the CMHQ site" post---that's how this started. Thanks James for the support (it WAS an innocent suggestion/idea), but know that I wasn't at all offended or surprised by the general reaction. In fact, I laughed out loud when I saw that Matt had locked it down. It was probably a good idea, as I'm sure that there would have been a bunch of "Yeah! Give us the poop!" stuff to follow.

That's why I was made the suggestion so gingerly---I had a good feeling that Matt and others would be annoyed.

My suggestion (and this is the end of it as far as I'm concerned) was two-fold: One, a simple thing that I thought would fire up the CMHQ site, and two, a way for everyone to get a little "insider's view" of what Matt is doing/game development in progess. That was it.

I was NOT "nattering and clamouring" for CM2 info, as in "When's it coming out? What's gonna be in it?" as nauseum. There was apparently a lot of assuming going on in that regard, by folks who didn't understand the spirit of my idea.

The mistake I made was not developing my suggestion to a form that would be seriously considered. In the end, Matt obviously heard it. If I had developed it more, maybe others would have band-wagoned it, but oh well. Not a big deal. Now let's all have a group hug, and go back into our comas til CM2 comes out....

Now, lock this one Matt, and let's let the whole thing die a peaceful if unactualized death!

[ 05-11-2001: Message edited by: Jack Arilliac ]

[Madmatt]

I was not mad at all when I locked up that thread and I understand the need and desire by the community at large to want some cool CM2 info. I just thought it was funny that a thread would open up asking me to post CM2 info like I HADN'T thought of that or something.

No damage done, I wasn't mad, aren't mad and to be honest RARELY get mad about anything I read here on the forum. But a topic like that isn't really needed to continue beyond the intial points which I thought were answered quite clearly.

Will I post CM2 info on CMHQ when the time is right? HELL YES I WILL!

Am I so incredibly busy with other stuff that it is keeping me away from updating CMHQ on a regular basis? Yes, sadly I am BUT I am also very close to finishing my current project which will free up some of my time to again apply to CMHQ.

Don't forget people (allow me to pat myself on the back), CMHQ was the first real CM dedictaed site to thrive and expand. Really, you gotta trust me on this one, I know what I am doing!

I WILL take care of you!

Now, go and read some other more deserving thread...I am getting all misty here...

Madmatt