[Shrike]

Originally posted by Rictor
As "the government" of HLP, do you not have an obligation to follow the wishes of "the people"?

To be very, very blunt:  No.  It would be wise for us to not piss you guys off but HLP is not a democracy, it is just a very benevolent dictatorship.

As for the whole issue, if there was anything more than unsubstantiated rumors on an internet bulletin board we would have an official opinion that was 'no comment.'  Until somebody connected with Freespace makes an official press release I consider it to be not worth the time and emotion put into it.

As for my personal opinions, they are similar to Dragonclaw's.  I never seriously expected a Freespace 3 and any game with that title and not made by the Volition crew/without significant involvement of Volition team members simply is, as far as I'm concerned, not Freespace 3.  So I'm not losing anything.  Do I think Derek Smart could do Freespace 3?  I couldn't say.  From what I've heard (Again, these evil internet rumors) he wanted to make it a sort of battlecruiser light, which is not Freespace.  And if he stayed true to the FS roots and made it accessible to modders (which, after all, is just another part of the FS legacy), well, I guess if you make enough games you'll get lucky eventually.

The long and the short is, until I see some concrete proof that his project is going ahead I'm not going to waste sleep over it.  Were it my choice I'd have the Volition crew do a Freespace 3, unfortunately, even as staff at HLP my options with regards to this are limited to wishing.

[an0n]

"The opinions stated do not represent those of the management."

They're scared of bringin on the Wrath of the Pink Banana[/i]

[Falcon]

I support you statement Setek

Oh and if anyone disagrees...... :devil:

[Bri_Dog]

Smart made legal threats!?

And I support your statement too

[Rictor]

Originally posted by Shrike
To be very, very blunt:  No.  It would be wise for us to not piss you guys off but HLP is not a democracy, it is just a very benevolent dictatorship.

Alright, I'll put it another way. Why do you want to stay netutral, despite the wishes of more or less everyone here. What advantage is there is having no position? Other than some vague feeling of sophistication, on account of being supposedly immune to the baser emotions of the great unwashed masses, is there any reason at all for remaining neutral?

Its not like everyone is going to be appaled if HLP were to take an anti-Smart decision. Keep in mind, outside of a small group of staunch Smart supporters, everyone is to some degree opposed to the idea of Smart making FS3. HLP is not going to come off as a bunch of fanatical trolls if that what you're worried about. All the sentiments that I have seen expressed on the Interweb have been at least as anti-Smart as those I have seen on HLP. The fact is, people don't want to see a great license ruined, and that understandable.

So again I'll ask, because I just can't understand it, what reason is there for not taking a position? Are there some hidden advantages that I can't see, or is this neutrality for its own sake?

_______

As for this whole thig not being worth the effort until something more concrete than rumours appears, well, it seems to me that everyone here has already invested quite a bit of energy into it.

Its up to you ofcourse, to decide what you want to do, but to me, it seems best to prepare the shelter before the storm. Or whatever, I'm not every good with analogies, but you get the idea.

[MatthewPapa]

Smart may be able to squash us like bugs if we make an official statement against him. Thats really my only concern.

[Lonestar]

Smart Squash Us? How? With What?

Im sorry, but he cant touch us and if he could he needs a better reason then us not wanting him to make FS3 to do something to us such as squash us.

DSmart is all talk, and if you notice his first statement he says he already got the license, then later says he will be getting it. He doesnt make any sense and contradicts himself. Not too mention he is rude when getting opinions HE ASKS for.

I stand by this 110% and i dare DSmart to try something (when we have done nothing but stand up for what we beleive in, DSmart not makeing FS3.)

[MatthewPapa]

Obviously he couldnt touch us now. However, couldnt he shut us down if he happened to get the license?

[Falcon]

Originally posted by MatthewPapa
Obviously he couldnt touch us now. However, couldnt he shut us down if he happened to get the license?

HLP will never go down!

*takes out his beam cannon*

 

[MatthewPapa]

Of course I am never giving up either (without a good legal fight anyways), but is there any way to better prepare for something bad happens? I just sure hope volition gets it in the next couple of days and I hope DS has given up on his quest for the FS license.

[Styxx]

Originally posted by Rictor
So again I'll ask, because I just can't understand it, what reason is there for not taking a position?

The reason is, to put it simply, that we - the staff, as representing a website - don't care. It's a lot of talk and no action right now, so why should we? I've said since the beginning that the reaction of the community here was way out of proportion, and that is more or less the perception of the whole HLP staff.

[Gloriano]

Guys don't worry about legal threats, Smart can't do anything
he just talks.

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by MatthewPapa
Obviously he couldnt touch us now. However, couldnt he shut us down if he happened to get the license?

Hard Light Productions is not owned by Freespace or the owners of Freespace. HLP is a standalone site, based on Freespace 2. Its an Unofficial resource. Even if someone came here who owned the licence and said they didnt want us using the FS2 name, they couldnt stop us. Technically their is no law against using a name for non-profit purposes, and HLP is non-profit and a fan site.

They may be able to stop us from using certain materials, but my guess is it would be too expensive to enforce and be like shooting your self in the foot in the promotions department. No business man in his right mind would quell this community. DSmart is all talk and no action and he has proved that this past week and a half. We give him too much credit.

We are the community, we give support, we love the game. DSmart is just a guy passing through.

[Gloriano]

We are the community, we give support, we love the game. DSmart is just a guy passing through.

True:)

[Fineus]

Originally posted by Styxx
The reason is, to put it simply, that we - the staff, as representing a website - don't care. It's a lot of talk and no action right now, so why should we? I've said since the beginning that the reaction of the community here was way out of proportion, and that is more or less the perception of the whole HLP staff.

Indeed, and as I said before - the statement dosen't really call for the community to do anything different as such. It's our stance - the sites stance. All you guys have to do is not openly flame him here or anywhere else - and if you do - the site has nothing to do with you. Put bluntly - we don't want to keep having to visit other communities to clear up the mess that has been made. It's happened on at least two communities now, enough is enough. The trolls will be treated like trolls and the rest are welcome.

[jdjtcagle]

I'm with you on this statement, Setekh

[aldo_14]

I think it's worth noting that HLP is not 'the' current Freespace community - it is the potential Freespace community. i.e. every member that there has been, is, and can ever be.

So HLP has to remain neutral, in the interests of not presenting a barrier to potential members. If anyone made FS3, this could well be the only* neutral forum available to fans - if HLP was beholden to the current members, then it would be a possible deterrent to new members.

Good statement, BTW.  Very professional.

*well, on a major gaming network.  Obviously there's SectorGame, but this is the only community on a highly visible site like 3dap.

[übermetroid]

what would the "current" FreeSpace community be?

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by ubermetroid
what would the "current" FreeSpace community be?

The current members of HLP (within this context ).

[Falcon]

All hail Setekh!