well... quiet

Hi,

While trying to find the v4 group with google (what's the group name?) .. i
found this old post by Tim Wissemann from 1996/05/24

Regards, Harry

[snip]
Jill Wood) writes:
>First off, Stars! is NOT copied from VGAP.


That is a odd thing to say when Richard Sun of Microsoft's Excel
programming
team told me that "Some guys here are working on what they call a 'A
windows
version of VGA Planets" This was back when VGA Planets version 2 was out
(before minefields) thus version 1 of stars did not have minefields.
Version 2 of
stars has both normal mine fields and web mine fields.

Richard told me that it would be, for windows, have custom races and
fleet combat.
Other than that it would be a clone of VGA Planets. You will see that they
did change the name the 3 minerals in VGA Planets, that was nice of them.


You will see that when they released Mike McBride, the brother of Jeff
McBride
came to this news group first thing to promote Stars! as the next
generation of
VGA Planets. If their goal is not to crash planets than what was that all
about?


The quick climb of Stars! to the top is not surprising. They did it on
the
back of VGA Planets. Mike McBride launched the game here in this huge
news group. Stars! players have posted volumes of ads for Stars! and
flames of
VGA Planets on my BBS / VGAP net. VGAP net has a Stars! channel for them.
They have team PHOST working with them.


I do not see how in the world Stars! could have "risen to the top" so
quickly
without MikeM and the Stars! players leeching onto the VGA Planets
channels to
get VGA Planets players. VGA Planets 1.0 only sold 6 copies the first
year
it was out. As the first game of its type there was nobody to crush, leech
onto
and have my players flame it into the ground to get an instant sells
boost.
I guess I could have attacked Tradewars, but that is NOT my way of doing
things.


The GAME ENGINE of VGA Planets, the idea of TRN / RST / HST files.
The way VGA Planets works all comes from my mind, I did not copy anyone.
I did not copy any existing games, minerals, economy or rules. This was
all
my stuff. Yes, the race outlines are from science fiction, but that only
is the
set the mood and add an element of role play.


Over the last 3 years I have come up with a new game design, A game
that I want to play really badly. I love games and this is the one that I
want
to play. This is what I call VGA Planets version 4.0. My joy is bringing
this program to life, something all new and exciting, something different
and never done before. This is what I love, creating the new game. I am
full of ideas I will keep this up a very long time.


I do not "get off on" coping the program of another programmer adding a
slick
interface then crushing the market of that program. I guess I am not into
the Microsoft way of doing things.


Bottom line:


I am a gameplayer first!
I am a Science Fiction fan second!
I am a ok programmer and I am getting better.
I am not all that interested in business deals, big contracts, crushing
other
peoples programs, flame wars or email.


I am happy kicking back on a lawn chair with my Geese:
"Bruce Lee Williams"
"Captian Connie Kathern Lee Janeway Williams"
"Londo"
"Bubet"
"Minuet"
And reading a cool new book, science fact, Art Bell news letter, science
fiction, Byte, Starlog, PC Mag, Sky and Telescope etc, programming books,
etc.
and dream up new ideas and interface functions for VGA Planets version 4.


I am not worried about Stars! or the next great game to come alone etc.
Sure, they are better programmer, but that gap is closing as I grow in
programming skill.


I have what most my-game-like-blankgame-only-is­-better cloners lack.
The
heart of a warrior! A powerful creative force. These people have it:
ID (DOOM) software
Sid Meier
the authors of MOO
the authors of Star Control
the author of tradewars
the author of BRE
And of course Tim Wisseman


Version 4 is not an improvment on VGA Planets 3.xx like many people
think.
It is a whole new game, built from the ground up. I am not in a rush. I am
not
running scared that I will be crushed by so and so. I am just writting the
game
that ***I*** want to play. I am writting it for myself. It is a gamers
game.
A warriors game. I do not know when it will be released, I will just work
on
it until I am done, then release it. I am not chasing or trying to crush
anyone, I am
just being me. I am building a new toy and having fun doing so.


If ALL my VGA Planets sells goes away and Stars! becomes the newest,
biggest greatest thing. . . blah, blah, blah . . . It will just give me
more
time to work on version 4, read and just have fun. I now have enough money
to last many years.


By the way, sales of VGA Planets have never been stronger. VGA Planets
sales are well over 40,000 copies now. The rate of sells is still on the
increase
and I am still making money faster than the government can tax it away
from
me.


One thing I have noticed, is as the days go by the more I hate
Email. I robs me of my time more than anything else.


Tim Wisseman

[snip]

And you never hear about Stars anymore either


"Harry Bur" <Harry.RemoveThis@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:42b6b433_2@news.arcor-ip.de...
> Hi,
>
> While trying to find the v4 group with google (what's the group name?) ..
> i
> found this old post by Tim Wissemann from 1996/05/24
>
> Regards, Harry
>
> [snip]
> Jill Wood) writes:
>>First off, Stars! is NOT copied from VGAP.
>
>
> That is a odd thing to say when Richard Sun of Microsoft's Excel
> programming
> team told me that "Some guys here are working on what they call a 'A
> windows
> version of VGA Planets" This was back when VGA Planets version 2 was out
> (before minefields) thus version 1 of stars did not have minefields.
> Version 2 of
> stars has both normal mine fields and web mine fields.
>
> Richard told me that it would be, for windows, have custom races and
> fleet combat.
> Other than that it would be a clone of VGA Planets. You will see that they
> did change the name the 3 minerals in VGA Planets, that was nice of them.
>
>
> You will see that when they released Mike McBride, the brother of Jeff
> McBride
> came to this news group first thing to promote Stars! as the next
> generation of
> VGA Planets. If their goal is not to crash planets than what was that all
> about?
>
>
> The quick climb of Stars! to the top is not surprising. They did it on
> the
> back of VGA Planets. Mike McBride launched the game here in this huge
> news group. Stars! players have posted volumes of ads for Stars! and
> flames of
> VGA Planets on my BBS / VGAP net. VGAP net has a Stars! channel for them.
> They have team PHOST working with them.
>
>
> I do not see how in the world Stars! could have "risen to the top" so
> quickly
> without MikeM and the Stars! players leeching onto the VGA Planets
> channels to
> get VGA Planets players. VGA Planets 1.0 only sold 6 copies the first
> year
> it was out. As the first game of its type there was nobody to crush, leech
> onto
> and have my players flame it into the ground to get an instant sells
> boost.
> I guess I could have attacked Tradewars, but that is NOT my way of doing
> things.
>
>
> The GAME ENGINE of VGA Planets, the idea of TRN / RST / HST files.
> The way VGA Planets works all comes from my mind, I did not copy anyone.
> I did not copy any existing games, minerals, economy or rules. This was
> all
> my stuff. Yes, the race outlines are from science fiction, but that only
> is the
> set the mood and add an element of role play.
>
>
> Over the last 3 years I have come up with a new game design, A game
> that I want to play really badly. I love games and this is the one that I
> want
> to play. This is what I call VGA Planets version 4.0. My joy is bringing
> this program to life, something all new and exciting, something different
> and never done before. This is what I love, creating the new game. I am
> full of ideas I will keep this up a very long time.
>
>
> I do not "get off on" coping the program of another programmer adding a
> slick
> interface then crushing the market of that program. I guess I am not into
> the Microsoft way of doing things.
>
>
> Bottom line:
>
>
> I am a gameplayer first!
> I am a Science Fiction fan second!
> I am a ok programmer and I am getting better.
> I am not all that interested in business deals, big contracts, crushing
> other
> peoples programs, flame wars or email.
>
>
> I am happy kicking back on a lawn chair with my Geese:
> "Bruce Lee Williams"
> "Captian Connie Kathern Lee Janeway Williams"
> "Londo"
> "Bubet"
> "Minuet"
> And reading a cool new book, science fact, Art Bell news letter, science
> fiction, Byte, Starlog, PC Mag, Sky and Telescope etc, programming books,
> etc.
> and dream up new ideas and interface functions for VGA Planets version 4.
>
>
> I am not worried about Stars! or the next great game to come alone etc.
> Sure, they are better programmer, but that gap is closing as I grow in
> programming skill.
>
>
> I have what most my-game-like-blankgame-only-is­-better cloners lack.
> The
> heart of a warrior! A powerful creative force. These people have it:
> ID (DOOM) software
> Sid Meier
> the authors of MOO
> the authors of Star Control
> the author of tradewars
> the author of BRE
> And of course Tim Wisseman
>
>
> Version 4 is not an improvment on VGA Planets 3.xx like many people
> think.
> It is a whole new game, built from the ground up. I am not in a rush. I am
> not
> running scared that I will be crushed by so and so. I am just writting the
> game
> that ***I*** want to play. I am writting it for myself. It is a gamers
> game.
> A warriors game. I do not know when it will be released, I will just work
> on
> it until I am done, then release it. I am not chasing or trying to crush
> anyone, I am
> just being me. I am building a new toy and having fun doing so.
>
>
> If ALL my VGA Planets sells goes away and Stars! becomes the newest,
> biggest greatest thing. . . blah, blah, blah . . . It will just give me
> more
> time to work on version 4, read and just have fun. I now have enough money
> to last many years.
>
>
> By the way, sales of VGA Planets have never been stronger. VGA Planets
> sales are well over 40,000 copies now. The rate of sells is still on the
> increase
> and I am still making money faster than the government can tax it away
> from
> me.
>
>
> One thing I have noticed, is as the days go by the more I hate
> Email. I robs me of my time more than anything else.
>
>
> Tim Wisseman
>
> [snip]
>
>
>
>