Lead, on Apr 29 2008, 08:18 PM, said:
Especially when someone else mentioned you can't use HRP textures, and your response was suggesting to find a way to get around that.
"Finding a way around that" is a rather vague expression....it could have a multitude of implications. In this situation, I gather you (mis)interpreted that as meaning something shady; as though there was some sort of hidden, malicious intent behind it.
And I do see where you're coming from, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that I was being defiant.....
What I really meant was nothing more than what I originally said. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do, and I still don't..... I certainly don't want to break any rules, but on the other hand I have my own ambitions.
It's really almost an enigma I'm dealing with....I recently posted some WIP shots of the map in question on the official Epic ut3 forums(I had the thread taken down after the fiasco here). But when the thread was up, not a single person out the good handful of posters who had responded mentioned anything about infringement, reserved rights, or the sort. Even administrators on that board were highly supportive of my idea.
I think my biggest mistake was asking about everything here.
I've never heard of these seemingly anal-retentive regulations being administered by any other gaming company. 3DR states you can't remake any level from any game they've ever made even with one of their OWN other games' engines.
I highly doubt that that's the case with Epic, as pretty much every other ut3 map is an update of a UT 1999 or UT 2003/4 classic.
On top of that, Hollywood Holocaust is free and can be played by anyone without having to pay a cent. This obviously is due to the fact that it was included in the shareware episode of Duke3D and can be downloaded from 3DR's homepage to this very date.
I have a small hunch that 3DR has a few greater concerns right now than some "noob" like me making a new version of one of their 12-year-old game levels. If they're going to pursue anything in this matter then I'll be both flattered and worried.
Flattered, that they'd feel as though I'd be of some sort of competition....and worried that a noob like me would even be considered competition. If they're concerned about my level affecting them in any negative way, shape, or form, then they must be pretty insecure about whatever they have to show(or should I say "not show?")
My "Duke Rocks" account was banned on the 3DR forums due to utterly ridiculous circumstances. I managed to get myself another account just to be able to view attachments and see full profiles etc., but I will never post there again. Had I not been banned I, without a doubt, would've quit posting anyways, due the hostile and insensitive way Joe and another moderator(kalki) treated me. It was disgusting, really, and had it not been for several other 3DR employees who had been very kind to me during my stay, I'd be inclined to download and pirate DNF to infinity the day it came out. Which, ironically enough, was one game I was planning on purchasing legally upon release.
Now after reading all this, you're probably thinking to yourself "It's no wonder he got banned, the mofo is probably delusional and deserved every bit of it."
Well let me tell you exactly what happened. I mentioned the "T" word. Torrent. I had downloaded torrent a consisting of nothing but Crysis media I could find for free online at various fansites. This was NOT and I repeat WAS
NOT the official bonus DVD that came with it, nor did the torrent I speak of include any content from it whatsoever. I was having trouble extracting the .rar file it came in, so I posted my issue on the General Gaming board. I would've actually posted it on the general software board (or whatever it's called), but I thought more people would view it on General Gaming. That's the only reason I decided to include the bit about what it was that I was trying to extract.
So that bastard Kalki PMs saying he honestly doesn't know why I haven't been banned yet and to consider this a lucky break. Lucky break, my ass....I civilly write back to him telling him that I hadn't done anything wrong and the jackass just doesn't want to seem to listen. There are a few more calm exchanges, and I get the full impression that I'm dealing with a purebred asshole that always has to be "right." It's like he wasn't listening to me at all or just didn't want to. He had made up his mind and he wasn't going to change it-those sorts really piss me off. It was also obvious that he was abusing his rights as an admin, most likely, being the power hungry jerk that he is. He probably thought he wasn't doing his job unless he banned someone within a certain time period, and I guess he thought he was overdue or something.
Now here's the HUGE mistake on my behalf. While not once in my messaging to him did I lose my temper(like I am here), I remained cool and tried to explain myself in the most coherent way possible. However, at the end of my last message to him, I informed him that I was going to talk to Joe about this-which I had every right to do and was probably the best idea at that point.
What most likely took place after that is this- The dumb fuck known as kalki opens my PM and sees the part about me alerting Joe, realizing he might be in hot water if Joe gets the full picture. So....what does kalki do? At the VERY least I'm sure he told Joe that I had started a thread about downloading illegal torrents. There's a good chance Joe never even saw the original post before it was deleted by kalki. So Joe has no choice but to believe the longtime member and admin- why would he lie?
I would not have put it past kalki to have lied and told Joe that I had cursed him off, been rude, or whatnot when he had initially warned me about the thread I had started. For all I know he could've typed up fake replies from me, and forwarded them to Joe.....
I may sound a bit paranoid here, but these scenarios are far more possible than they may seem.
So after I write to Joe, Joe responds saying it isn't smart to talk about the illegal downloading of games on another game company's forums. GAME?!?! WTF? The only thing I said I had downloaded were a few fucking publicly released screenshots and trailers from Crysis.
So I respond to Joe(without being vile, though at this point I was thoroughly pissed) but of course it was too late. I was banned promptly thanks to that mother fucker kalki who not only sabotaged my reputation, but also my ability to post on one of my favorite forums ever which had brought many smiles and happy times to me.....all down the shitter as far as I'm concerned. Burn in hell, kalki.
I haven't expressed my feelings on this whole situation yet, although it happened quite a few months ago. As you can see, I have a lot of rage built up inside of me about this incident and it feels good to let it go now..... I'm not wrongfully slandering anybody here either; I truly think everything I've said about kalki was well deserved....the guy makes me sick.
I hope this is an eye-opener to you people here; just be aware that even though most people around here-and everywhere for that matter-are sincere, there are a few rotten eggs--and I know that all too well.
But enough about corrupt administrators.....sorry to have gone off on a tangent, I just feel as though this rant was quite necessary. It really had little to do with the original topic I started, but I needed someplace to vent. I hope you guys can sympathize or at least empathize with me on account of how I was treated.
Now this whole level design isn't a vendetta against 3DR or anything, it's just something I genuinely enjoy doing and find it to be a fun pastime while waiting for DNF. It's nowheres near a releasable state as of now(and it won't be for awhile), so I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.....
Sorry for being so chatty, but thanks for listening; it means a lot to me....
And for the record, I don't think Joe really did anything wrong in banning me, as he was clearly manipulated by kalki into believing I was a no-good-doer. There are a few separate beefs I have had with Joe, though....but we'll leave that for another post, eh?
Good night.