There are quite a number of differences in that situation to what we just experienced here. First of all, I said at the very start of my attempt to make a game that it was just that. A sincere attempt to see if I could do something I've always dreamed of doing. I had never programmed anything before and didn't ever promise that I would finish it. It wasn't somebody else's project that I rescued. It was my own idea from start to finish. Through my development diary which you can read in quite a few issues of the magazine, I let people follow some of what I was going through. Also, I didn't take any pre-orders or even start to think about the business aspect of what I was doing. I wanted to make certain that I had a finished product that I was absolutely happy with before I even started putting all that together. I didn't want anybody to be out any money or feel unfairly treated except me if I faild. Editing the magazine gave me a very strong sense of the community I was trying to develop a game for and how not being able to keep solid commitments made in haste can get you into real trouble real fast. Many of our members are either young or have lived somewhat sheltered lives for other reasons. They simply can't get a sense of how truly hard it is to do what Tom and I have tried to do. I've been to university, managed my own apartment, maintained good relations with friends and family and have had a very limited amount of work experience. That five months of employment is more of a career than many members of the community will ever have. It's not their fault either. People are just on the whole less inclined to give us a chance. Without experience that nobody wants to give you, it's hard to get your foot in no matter how many hoops you jump through. Fully able-bodied High school dropouts frankly have a better chance. Given that, we have a lot of people with plenty of time on their hands who just don't have a good grasp of what reality is like for the developers. They aren't trying to be unreasonable either. They truly can't make the leap of empathy required. Given this, developers have to be educators as well and take care how they approach the whole issue of firm deadlines and such. You really have to have a passion for this kind of thing and have people in your life who understand and support that passion. It's very hard to justify the amount of time you put into developing a game for a community which simply doesn't operate on the same economic level as the mainstream games market. Nobody will ever make a million developing accessible games and I have yet to hear about anybody even making enough to truly live off their earnings. Editing the mag gave me quite a lot of insite in how one ought to deal with the public communications side of things. Be very careful about the commitments you make. People will, quite reasonably, hold you to them. Leave yourself some wiggle room unless you're extremely certain of what you can do and are willing to stick it out to the end if things don't go as planned. What I found out very painfully was that I simply don't have the mind for programming. Look through issues of the magazine and you'll come across Sparkle and Space Miners. I believe I've shown here that I have a good grasp of what makes a good game. I just couldn't explain all that to a computer. It still felt very bad turning away from that but at least I had acted in good faith and without unduely raising peoples' hopes.
Out of a desire to do good in the community, Tom commited to completing somebody else's dream. I believe his style of approach was the most open we've seen to date. He released beta versions to the public so that everyone could literally experience progress being made. That is an incredibly jenerous approach. However, as time wore on, Tom's natural desire to put his own stamp on things came to the surfice and he became less satisfied with completing what he had taken on. He therefore tried to change the game entirely well before there was any real good reason to other than his own inclinations to do that. This last time wasn't the first time that had happened. However, this time, he had an actual impassable obstacle to doing what he said. There isn't enough money in the whole community to support the legal funds he'd need to take his case to court even though I strongly suspect he could have won such a contest. One person simply cannot take on a corporation and games just aren't the kinds of things to get organisations behind you like suing a corporation for damages or other more serious things might. Tom then decided to completely and utterly change what he would deliver. It would be a game completely different than what was initially promised. We wouldn't even get the kind of game we had waited years for and paidd for. Comparing that to what I've tried to do is just not reasonable. Once Tom has done this sidescroller, I believe he'll see a lot of good will come out of it. He will have undone a whole lot of damage he and this community have suffered due to this whole sad enterprise. He'll be a role-model particularly for the younger people among us who will see that despite a lot of adversity, he did his absolute best to make good on a promise. That will certainly count for a lot in the long run if he decides to keep working on accessible games. I, for one, sincerely hope that he does. Michael Feir Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine 1996-2004 Check out my blog at: http://www.blindspots.net/blog.php?user=13 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Trouble" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Gamers Discussion list" <gamers@audyssey.org> Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 9:38 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] What's Ahead For MOTA Beta 2. > What about the game you started to work on after giving up the mag? > or did you quit that too? Kind of takes the point out of what you said. > > At 04:48 PM 3/22/2008, you wrote: >>Hello everyone. I've been following this thread hoping that common sense >>would prevail and am happy to see somebody like Charles come forward and >>present the case for those of us who were disappointed in Tom's decision >>in >>such a patient and rational manner. Not everyone who opposed Tom's changes >>did so in an unjust or unreasonable way. It doesn't mean that we're >>spoiled >>brats who are upset at not getting what we've wanted. What Tom expected >>was >>just unreasonable and unfair to those of us who have both paid for >>something >>and been very patient waiting for. What do you think would happen if >>airline >>pilots decided to take their passengers to destinations the pilots thought >>would be more fun to fly to? Florida would certainly seem to be a >>destination of >>choice this time of year for people here in Ontario Canada. However, if I >>were taken there right now, I'd resent it because I'd miss out on the >>Easter >>festivities my family and I are enjoying over this long weekend. The pilot >>who took me to Florida has decided, wrongly in my case, that I'd rather be >>in Florida since he would rather fly me there. Keeping somebody >>accountable >>isn't the >>same as being a whining spoiled brat. I could just as easily flip that >>around and propose that this industry is full of developers who, like the >>pilot who flew me to Florida, have god complexes and presume that everyone >>should be happy with what they themselves want. We see that many times >>from >>people who go ahead and do something they presume will be helpful to us >>but >>isn't. Have you ever been taken to the wrong place by somebody who was >>trying to be helpful but didn't have a clue where you actually wanted to >>go? >>I've been late for a couple of classes at university including one where I >>was presenting due to somebody assuming they knew where I wanted to go. I >>grant you that the south building of the Erindale campus has far better >>eating options than the Kanev lecture centre I was actually heading for. >>Florida has sunshine and inviting beaches rather than sidewalks covered in >>sheets of ice. However, I would much rather be here now than in Florida >>and >>would rather have been in the Kanev centre all those years ago for very >>good >>reasons. >> >>It's not at all that I don't appreciate where Tom is coming from with >>this. >>Quite the opposite in fact. I've often found that projects started out of >>a >>simple desire for fairness or from an honest commitment can end up turning >>into real chores to complete. I'm going through that right now with the >>guide I've been working on for the past two years. A lot of blind people >>get >>personal computers and don't receive the knowledge they need to make >>effective use of them in their personal lives. In Ontario here, we can tap >>into government funds to get such computers. However, the training >>provided >>leaves many people unable to properly maintain their computers or use them >>for more than basic reading and writing. The government considers all >>other >>uses of their computers such as the Internet, games, online shopping, etc, >>to be superfluous. People are often left discouraged to go beyond what >>they've been taught for fear of getting into trouble which they must then >>pay to have somebody come out and fix. They aren't told of all the >>accessible games and other software such as Winamp that we on this list >>largely take for granted. Two years ago, I started working on a guide to >>try >>and fix this with the assumption that people already knew the basics of >>the >>Windows operating system or whatever system they chose to use and I could >>concentrate on those areas like the Internet and tuning into Internet >>radio >>stations. The guide was much more about making people aware of all the >>possabilities their computers opened up to them. Last Summer, I took what >>I >>had up to a centre on Lake Joseph set up for blind people and consulted a >>number of the guests about what I was doing. They indeed liked my personal >>friendly approach to teaching this stuff. However, there was a big >>problem. >>Well over half of them would be stuck unable to make use of the guide. >>They >>didn't have the basic knowledge of Windows which I presumed they had >>received as part of their training. They needed to know about how to run >>programs, files and folders, what the desktop and startmenu were, how to >>use >>the control panel, etc. They needed to know how to crawl before they could >>walk. Needless to say, I was thunderstruck. We're quite fortunate in >>Ontario >>to have the funding we have and despite that, people are being left >>without >>such basic knowledge. Things are worse elsewhere across Canada and >>apparently in the US and UK as well. In many places, computers just aren't >>provided for any kind of personal use. To make my project at all useful to >>a >>staggeringly high proportion of my potential audience, I was going to have >>to give those people who didn't know or weren't motivated enough to make >>use >>of manuals and online help a crash corse in using Windows. This was >>absolute >>drudgery for me as people in regular contact with me can attest. It was >>all >>too easy to procrastinate or work on other sections of the guide instead. >>However, the end result will be a more useful and complete guide for >>people. >>To encourage more people to make extensive use of their personal computers >>and the Internet was my dream. Teaching them the absolute basics of >>Windows >>has been a spirit-sapping nightmare. Finding a way to interject the same >>sort of personal touch into that as I have in other sections of the guide >>was a mental workout like nothing I've tried to do before. I could have >>just >>decided to ignore what the people needed and write what I wanted to. I was >>under no commitment other than my sense of honour or morality to finish >>the >>guide at all. I could decide tomorrow to simply stop working on it and >>move >>on to something else. However, there's such a thing as a work ethic. It is >>within my power to do a good job with the guide and I'm morally obligated >>to >>see it through having commited to doing so. I may very well work a little >>on >>other ideas for future projects. However, my primary focus must be the >>guide >>until that project is complete. Many people are hoping to use my guide and >>learn to make better use of their computers. I hope it leads to many more >>blind people having a good idea about what's out there for them including >>accessible games. >> >>Let's get this clear. I am painfully aware of how much we need every game >>developer we can get in this community. The last thing I want is to lose >>Tom >>as a game developer. I wasn't about to launch a long and protracted >>campaign >>against him if he decided or still decides not to complete the >>sidescroller. >>I won't even demand my money back. If Tom truly doesn't have the will >>within >>him to keep the commitment he made to finish a game similar to what I paid >>for, I'm not about to sue him to kingdom come or hold a gun to his head. >>Make no mistake about it though. If we were dealing with any other >>business >>environment out there, you would see law suits for similar things. In this >>situation, we're essentially held over a barrel to a large extent. People >>with the unique combination of game experience, programming knowledge, >>creativity and such are in extremely short supply. This is why I am >>overall >>prone to err on the side of being walked over and making allowances for >>accessible game developers which I would never make when ordering meals at >>restaurants or deciding what show to watch on TV. I can always go to >>another >>restaurant if I'm unsatisfied with service or change to a different >>channel. >>That isn't possible to do in this case. Tom is the only hope I have of >>seeing a good sidescroller in the near future. Once you make a commitment >>to >>people, there's no painlessly throwing it aside when the going gets tough. >>If I did that with Audyssey Magazine every time I would rather have >>watched >>a movy or spent time with friends and never met a deadline, nobody would >>have thought much of the magazine. I wouldn't have had a staff of >>volunteers >>or had game developers put serious effort into providing good content for >>the magazine. They wouldn't have taken me seriously and rightly so. I took >>the same approach with the marriage which failed after five years of >>sincere >>efforts to make it work. Had I decided to pull out when things began to >>look >>less than rosy, it would have perhaps lasted a year. However, since I >>stuck >>it out and treeted it like the serious commitment it was, my friends and >>family respect my efforts and decision for the mature act that it was. >>Because I do everything humanly possible to be responsable and keep >>promises >>I make, people will treat me like the 33-year-old adult that I am. If >>something proves to be beyond my capabilities, people will know that I >>don't >>turn away from things lightly. >> >>I don't expect Tom to put his family life at risk in order to keep his >>word. >>I would have cheerfully waited for James North to complete the game for as >>long as it took and certainly extend the same to Tom. He should take all >>the >>time he needs in order to do a competent job without risking health or >>sanity. All I require from him is a sense that progress is being made and >>that I can trust that I will eventually receive the game. Because Tom has >>repeatedly changed his mind and drifted away from doing that, I naturally >>have less faith in seeing that happen. If he completes the sidescroller, I >>will feel that he has fulfilled his commitment to me and be far more >>inclined to support his future projects by pre-ordering them since he will >>have demonstrated his ability to follow through even in unusual and >>adverse >>circumstances. It would also make me far more likely to recommend that >>other >>people interested in supporting the creation of high-quality accessible >>games do the same. People should be under no illusions that unusual >>stressful circumstances are what Tom has faced. The projects he decided to >>rescue aren't easy and he has suffered a great deal for mistakes James >>made >>when it came to setting deadlines for release that he couldn't meet. Tom's >>very open approach did quite a bit to give me confidence when he wasn't >>openly considering altering the game beyond recognision. If Tom completes >>the sidescroller, it will go a very long way in bolstering my trust and >>admiration for him. I will also be more willing to pre-order games being >>produced by other developers since I've had a positive experience doing >>that >>in this case. >> >>Whatever ultimately happens here, I hope that all game developers find me >>to >>be a supportive and fair-minded community member. Both customers and >>developers need to do their parts for everyone to walk away from this >>happy. >>Developers need to do everything possible to meet commitments they take on >>and not set goals or deadlines for themselves which are unreasonable. If >>they treat us with respect as people and customers, we need to do the same >>for them. That means recognising that they have lives outside game >>development and making room for the complications that can cause. I've >>seen >>too many people roasted over the coles for circumstances beyond their >>control. That's inexcuseable. There has been a lot of needless hostility >>for >>no good reason at all over the past day. This hostility was directed both >>at >>Tom and at those of us holding a very reasonable position and expressing >>it >>in reasonable terms. I didn't come out attacking Tom. I merely pointed out >>what natural results his decision would incur upon him. I was certainly >>frustrated and vexed by once again seeing the last shred of hope I held of >>having a completed sidescroller yanked away yet again. However, as a >>creative person myself, I could absolutely sympathise with the rock and a >>hard place Tom finds himself in. Where he now sits isn't a very fun place >>to >>be. I've been there myself. >> >>What should other game developers take away from all this furor? For one >>thing, I don't think the answer is to totally clam up and not tell the >>community at large anything at all until games are totally finished. A >>flow >>of information from developers is, I think, absolutely essential to keep a >>community of loyal fans in place to purchase games when they emerge and >>grow >>the potential customer base. Extensive efforts and money are put into that >>process in the sighted world. Developers don't make enough in the blind >>community to spend on advertising so they need as much free press as >>possible. On the other hand, I think it has become clear that it would >>likely be best if they didn't set any release dates ahead of schedule. >>Tell >>the community what you're working on but not when you hope to be finished. >>Also, don't take any pre-orders until you're absolutely certain that you >>have the ability and the will to finish a game as described. Not everyone >>will appreciate being hijacked and taken to Florida despite the sunshine >>there. Sometimes, we all have to write on that blackboard. Let's all try >>to >>approach things with as much fairness and good will as we can. Have a good >>Easter weekend, everyone. >> >>Michael Feir >>Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine >>1996-2004 >>Check out my blog at: >>http://www.blindspots.net/blog.php?user=13 >> >> >>--- >>Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org >>If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>list, >>please send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Tim > trouble > "Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance." > --Sam Brown > > Blindeudora list owner. > To subscribe or info: http://www.freelists.org/webpage/blindeudora > > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the > list, > please send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. 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