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And now for the April 1 update I promised you folks. No, it's no joke. Dan (or whoever), please do me a favor and don't make this a headline item if you can justify not doing so.
As of today, I'm no longer employed by QS to work on MOO3. I was laid off as a cost-cutting measure. [Informed Speculation: I'm the first, but not the last. We're at the stage of the project where designers supposedly don't have anything much to do.]
That means that I'm no longer the "voice of QS" around here. While I may pop in from time to time, there's going to be less and less that I can really say that's meaningful with regard to how the game is progressing. Since I rarely like to speak without something useful or entertaining to say, that means I'll pretty much be shutting up. I seriously doubt anyone from QS will be taking up those reins.
I will, however, tell you a few things. Expect more changes and simplifications from things you've seen here and on the QS site. Expect more things to be removed, including some that you really like. I have no idea how closely the final game is going to resemble Alan's design, nor any great amount of hope. QS is going to have to get the game out the door at some point, and will do what it takes to satisfy the publisher. If you want to write that off as "sour grapes" by someone who's been cut loose, be my guest.
In some ways, I share the blame. MOO3 was quite an ambitious project when I got in on it, and I certainly allowed myself to be swept away by the vision for the game (and tried to translate that euphoria to all the other fans). I tried to design in accordance with that vision, and I know Alan liked what I gave him. Alan's not making the decisions now, though; Infogrames and QS senior management are. That vision is meeting some harsh economic and business realities...well, it has been for a little while now, but things are going to get a lot more intense. We'll all get to see the end result at some point, I hope. At least, I think I hope so.
Beyond that, I'm going to resist the urge to rant. It would be useless to be angry now, and I need the energy to hunt for a job. Take care, folks, and I'll see you around sometime.
Stormhound
Ex-Assistant Designer of MOO3
As of today, I'm no longer employed by QS to work on MOO3. I was laid off as a cost-cutting measure. [Informed Speculation: I'm the first, but not the last. We're at the stage of the project where designers supposedly don't have anything much to do.]
That means that I'm no longer the "voice of QS" around here. While I may pop in from time to time, there's going to be less and less that I can really say that's meaningful with regard to how the game is progressing. Since I rarely like to speak without something useful or entertaining to say, that means I'll pretty much be shutting up. I seriously doubt anyone from QS will be taking up those reins.
I will, however, tell you a few things. Expect more changes and simplifications from things you've seen here and on the QS site. Expect more things to be removed, including some that you really like. I have no idea how closely the final game is going to resemble Alan's design, nor any great amount of hope. QS is going to have to get the game out the door at some point, and will do what it takes to satisfy the publisher. If you want to write that off as "sour grapes" by someone who's been cut loose, be my guest.
In some ways, I share the blame. MOO3 was quite an ambitious project when I got in on it, and I certainly allowed myself to be swept away by the vision for the game (and tried to translate that euphoria to all the other fans). I tried to design in accordance with that vision, and I know Alan liked what I gave him. Alan's not making the decisions now, though; Infogrames and QS senior management are. That vision is meeting some harsh economic and business realities...well, it has been for a little while now, but things are going to get a lot more intense. We'll all get to see the end result at some point, I hope. At least, I think I hope so.
Beyond that, I'm going to resist the urge to rant. It would be useless to be angry now, and I need the energy to hunt for a job. Take care, folks, and I'll see you around sometime.
Stormhound
Ex-Assistant Designer of MOO3
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