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Topic: Stardock Litigation Discussion (Read 130078 times)
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Narsham
Zebranky food
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Posts: 20
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Paul and Fred agree not to sue, if Stardock can stand by their promise, and allow P&F to review Stardock's game and DLC to make sure they keep their word.
Brad says that effectively means that P&F will give SC:O their seal of approval, and are effectively consultants on the project.
Paul and Fred shuffle around uncomfortably. But have no other substantial objections.
And that creates the license: Stardock pays P&F a small licensing fee. Stardock can include precursors, observers, and info-brokers, and other superficial similarities between aliens and lore (Rainbow Worlds, Tzo Crystals, dimensions "above" and "below", SC2-style hyperspace, Commander Hayes, etc.).
Stardock throws Paul and Fred in the credits for SCO, and pushes it to every media outlet that will mention it.[/i]
Just quoting myself here and giving myself a pat on the back, and also pointing out the second last statement where I missed the real solutoin. It doesn't seem that Stardock gets some SC2 races. It seems Stardock, instead, gets Paul to fully consult on the creation of new races. Stardock begged Paul and Fred to work with stardock for years, then sued P&F, until P&F offered to work with Stardock. It's a pretty shitty tactic that it succeeded.
Contribute a few races does not equal "fully consult" and I'm not sure where you're getting that from. It's interesting to observe the people, who, in the aftermath of a settlement which stresses that it isn't about "winners and losers" at all (and frames the lawsuit as lose-lose in the first place), want to assess who "won."
Brad's claim was total control of the Star Control franchise, all three original games and their IP included. P & F offered a settlement almost exactly like this one and were refused. It is outright bizarre to insist that because Brad gets something out of this settlement, he somehow "won" or got everything he wanted. Brad lost a lot of good will in the broader SC/UQM community, some amount of SC: O sales, and however much money he put into this lawsuit, plus all the time required by discovery. In exchange he got to have a few conversations with P & F and a buddy-buddy meeting at E3, plus just enough of Paul's imprimatur on SC:O to undo some of the damage.
I don't think Paul was forced to make certain concessions (like praising SC:O as a game), I think he chose to do that. He's an injured party and spent plenty of money as part of this suit. If he's willing to forgive and forget, I don't see doing the same as incompatible with supporting P & F or as outright support for Brad.
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rosepatel
*Many bubbles*
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Posts: 157
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That's a negotiating tactic. To ask for everything. And then it almost feels reasonable if you only give them something, even if they weren't entitled to it.
Stardock has taken many different positions on how to affiliate their new game with the old games, but the underlying interest was to make sure that SC:O had some piece of SC2 in it. Whether that was some of the lore, the ships, or even Paul and Fred themselves. They finally got something, and they turned it into their headline.
"Stardock, Paul Reiche to team up on next Star Control game."
I'd agree with you that it's pretty absurd spin. But Stardock is milking it for all it's worth.
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Frogacuda
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That's a negotiating tactic. To ask for everything. And then it almost feels reasonable if you only give them something, even if they weren't entitled to it. Stardock has taken many different positions on how to affiliate their new game with the old games, but the underlying interest was to make sure that SC:O had some piece of SC2 in it. Whether that was some of the lore, the ships, or even Paul and Fred themselves. They finally got something, and they turned it into their headline. " Stardock, Paul Reiche to team up on next Star Control game." I'd agree with you that it's pretty absurd spin. But Stardock is milking it for all it's worth.
It's like if a toddler stole your keys, and you had to distract him by dangling a new toy in front of them to get them back. F&P got their damn keys back, and they did it before running out of time and money, so that's the most important thing.
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Schizoid
Zebranky food
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Gender: 
Posts: 34
aka SLY
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E3 2019
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metamorphosis
Frungy champion
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Posts: 83
I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
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This is, honestly, the best possible outcome - and a great statement about the silliness of the legal system, that they had to completely bypass it to do anythign sane.
Congrats to Fred, congrats to Paul, and a somewhat reluctant congratulations to Stardock in this case.
Let the mead flow!
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Lakstoties
Frungy champion
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Posts: 66
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From the brink we walk away, feeling relieved that we end a dark beginning, freed from compulsion to begin a darker ending.
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Shiver
Frungy champion
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Posts: 80
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Yes, this outcome is definitely for the best. The current state of things leaves me with a very uncomfortable question: Would I buy the next Star Control game that Stardock has in the pipe? I genuinely have no idea. As an old fan who's painfully aware of the details of the lawsuit, I feel like my answer should be "no". As a profoundly selfish person and as a gamer who just wants his entertainment, my answer should be "yes". Knowing that Brad Wardell tried to trick the core team into handing over rights to UQM, that should be a hard "no" again. Also knowing that every person I've ever met is screwed up in some fashion and being a big believer in forgiveness, there's more reason for "yes". The lawsuit's resolution seems perfectly tailored to make this choice difficult, at least for me. A question for later.
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