KickStarter Free Stars: Children of Infinity - upcoming Star Control 2 sequel from original creator Fred Ford

[LESS T_T]

Mkay: https://www.dogarandkazon.com/blog/2018/6/21/frungy-defense-fund-the-fund-of-kings

Now is the Time for the Frungy Defense Fund!

Hi Again! We have drifted out from behind the moon and our Burvixese Caster is once again able to reach your Hyperwave's bunny-ears. What adventures we have had... and the Umgah gave us a gift! But in checking our answering machine (they make a big comeback in 2077, BTW) we found quite a few messages asking how fans of The Ur-Quan Masters™ could support us in our legal battle with Stardock. We had hoped that by now the Glorious Rainbow of Resolved Conflict would be shining, but instead are faced with the Howling Blood-Monkey of Eternal Litigation. Therefore it is now time to launch...

THE FRUNGY DEFENSE FUND
If you have ever enjoyed one of our many games or believe the rights to creative work should be respected, we need your help.

Please, spread the word!

https://www.gofundme.com/help-fred-amp-paul-save-the-universe

$2,897 of $2.0M goal

Help Fred & Paul Save the Universe

Fred and Paul (that’s us!), creators of Star Control® II - The Ur-Quan Masters , need your help in defending ourselves against Stardock Systems®, Inc., which wants to strip us of our creative rights, property and even our history as creators of the game. The legal fees for our defense, paid personallyby us, are estimated to reach $2,000,000. If you have enjoyed playing The Ur-Quan Masters™ -- if you loved Fwiffo or feared the Ur-Quan or admired the Syreen or wanted to know why the Melnorme bridge turned purple , please help if you can.

A 25 Year Mission

In the early 1990s we created an epic science fiction adventure, which was first published by Accolade® under the name Star Control II. The gameplay was based on a unique, fun hybrid of Spacewar!-style spaceship combat set within a vast, non-linear narrative and featuring an unforgettable cast of aliens – some friendly, some deadly, others enchantingly beautiful. In 1994, we created a new version of our game for the 3DO console, this time published by Crystal Dynamics®. A dedicated fandom grew around the game and its universe. This fandom expanded dramatically in 2002 when we released the game for free as an open source project with a new name, The Ur-Quan Masters . It has been downloaded over 1.8 million times and is supported and improved by fans to this very day.

We vowed both publicly and privately to return to this universe we created, and in October of 2017 announced, in celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary, that we were going to fulfill that promise with Ghosts of the Precursors™ , a continuation of the adventures begun in The Ur-Quan Masters.

The Crimson Corporation

But then Stardock Systems Inc., led by CEO Brad Wardell , filed a lawsuit against us, seeking not just to prevent the creation of Ghosts of the Precursors and to take our past creative work, but also, bizarrely, to strip us of credit as creators of the original game.

So how did Stardock get involved in this? In 2013 the corporation purportedly bought a few Star Control assets at a bankruptcy auction, but importantly not our games or creative work. Shortly after the auction, Brad Wardell contacted us to see if we would help him make a new Star Control game, or at least license our creative work to Stardock. We gave a clear ‘no’ to both offers, because we wanted to preserve our creative work for our own projects. For the next 4 years Brad Wardell repeatedly asked to license the original material, and each time we rejected him, Brad assured us Stardock would never everuse any of our material without permission. These assurances turned out to be false.

Shortly after we announced Ghosts of the Precursors, Stardock claimed they had always had rights to our original, creative material and began to bundle and sell our game without permission. When we tried to stop these illegal sales, Stardock filed their lawsuit.

We (Fred and Paul) have worked together for 30 years and have seen almost everything the game industry has to offer, but have never seen or experienced a predatory legal attack like this -- an established, corporate publisher attempting to bully two lone developers into surrendering their most treasured game, characters and unique universe.

Frungy! Frungy! Frungy!

The cudgel Brad Wardell and Stardock hold over us is huge. The legal defense fees could exceed $2,000,000 and must be paid by us personally.

We are willing to fight this battle to its end but need your help. We are asking for contributions of any size to The Frungy Defense Fund.

If you have ever enjoyed one of our many games or believe the rights to creative work should be respected, we need your help.

Thank you, and please spread the word… and/or Juffo-Wup .

- Fred Ford & Paul Reiche



Star Control is a registered trademark of Stardock Systems, Inc.

 

[Cael]

Mkay: https://www.dogarandkazon.com/blog/2018/6/21/frungy-defense-fund-the-fund-of-kings

Definitely will put money into the fund.

Wardell is like frakking Clive Palmer, a bombastic, narcissistic, unethical, ruthless bully and asshole who uses lawfare as his preferred choice of destroying opposition. It was obvious early in the piece that he would go down this path, which was why I questioned him and his motives, to which he reacted in the predictable way that all egomaniacs respond when questioned. Other people's lives mean nothing to people like Wardell and Palmer, although they are not above making pretenses at "ethicality" when it suits their propaganda purposes. Palmer, too, was not badly thought of, even loved, until the scandals of Queensland Nickle and Coolum Resort blew up. I can only hope that this will be Bardell's Queensland Nickle.

As the Hokkiens would say: Fuck your mom's dirty, smelly cunt, Bardell (with a 10-foot rusty halberd; you don't want any part of yourself anywhere near that).

Nice dialect/language to swear in, Hokkien. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in swearing.

 

[Zarniwoop]

2 MILLION dorra? Hope they get enough, Stardock are complete dicks here.

It is *frumple*.

 

[T. Reich]

2 mil buckaroos for legal defense?

How about making a good game with that money instead?

P.S.: When was the last game dev update from FF&PRIII anyway?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Toys for Bob made the Skylanders franchise, by all logic and reason they should have enough money NOT to need to come begging to their fanbase for lawbucks.

 

[Infinitron]

We (Fred and Paul) have worked together for 30 years and have seen almost everything the game industry has to offer, but have never seen or experienced a predatory legal attack like this -- an established, corporate publisher attempting to bully two lone developers into surrendering their most treasured game, characters and unique universe.

Jason West and Vince Zampella wept.

 

[Heretic]

It is their fault and theirs only. They should have cooperated when Wardell offered it.

 

[Cael]

It is their fault and theirs only. They should have cooperated when Wardell offered it.

Ah. I see. Wardell gave them an offer they can't refuse, eh?

 

[Rodcocker]

People's emotions and what they think is 'right' don't really matter much in the eyes of the copyright law, so all this emotive language in the plea is really quite manipulative.

This is really going to put some blood in the water in the Star Control community, and it is not like it is a big community to start with. Maybe that is the whole point.

 

[Cael]

People's emotions and what they think is 'right' don't really matter much in the eyes of the copyright law, so all this emotive language in the plea is really quite manipulative.

This is really going to put some blood in the water in the Star Control community, and it is not like it is a big community to start with. Maybe that is the whole point.

The question is: Who really has the copyright to what?

That is why we have this legal battle to begin with. Wardell would like to make it seem as if he holds the rights to everything, but my experience with asshole bullies like that is that what they say is rarely true, but is part of a series of smoke and mirrors designed to manipulate both law and perception (which in many cases is the same thing) into giving them the result they claimed. A prophecy fulfilling manipulation, if you will.

From the original early stories, before the whole thing went nuclear, it seems that Stardock does NOT have the full rights to the game. Merely the name. That is why it didn't put in the original races and stuff in its only-SC-in-name con job. It was only afterwards that Wardell started claiming that Stardock owned everything and did the rounds of the usual suspects to make sure his version gets out there "the firstest with the mostest", as an American general would say. Wardell changed his story dramatically once Fred and Paul started challenging him, and went all sorts of passive aggressive at them with posts on social media and forums and the like. His natural arrogance and asshattery started shining through and he even contemptuously gave them "advice" on hiring lawyers instead of trying to get their side of the story out there.

Giving in to the likes of Wardell is a mistake as he will continue to take what he wants. Fucker thinks he is another Bill Gates. Let's hope Fred and Paul can stop him cold.

 

[Rodcocker]

People's emotions and what they think is 'right' don't really matter much in the eyes of the copyright law, so all this emotive language in the plea is really quite manipulative.

This is really going to put some blood in the water in the Star Control community, and it is not like it is a big community to start with. Maybe that is the whole point.

The question is: Who really has the copyright to what?

That is why we have this legal battle to begin with. Wardell would like to make it seem as if he holds the rights to everything, but my experience with asshole bullies like that is that what they say is rarely true, but is part of a series of smoke and mirrors designed to manipulate both law and perception (which in many cases is the same thing) into giving them the result they claimed. A prophecy fulfilling manipulation, if you will.

From the original early stories, before the whole thing went nuclear, it seems that Stardock does NOT have the full rights to the game. Merely the name. That is why it didn't put in the original races and stuff in its only-SC-in-name con job. It was only afterwards that Wardell started claiming that Stardock owned everything and did the rounds of the usual suspects to make sure his version gets out there "the firstest with the mostest", as an American general would say. Wardell changed his story dramatically once Fred and Paul started challenging him, and went all sorts of passive aggressive at them with posts on social media and forums and the like. His natural arrogance and asshattery started shining through and he even contemptuously gave them "advice" on hiring lawyers instead of trying to get their side of the story out there.

Giving in to the likes of Wardell is a mistake as he will continue to take what he wants. Fucker thinks he is another Bill Gates. Let's hope Fred and Paul can stop him cold.

Wardell is a business man, and a successful one at that. I'm not really sure how you are expecting him to act? Ultimately, he is the guy that has put millions of his own companies money at risk to make a modern SC sequel - something that the fans want. What exactly have Fred and Paul done in regards to making a sequel? Said they were doing it *after* the drama kicked off. Seems they can play the perception game too, right?

I'm not having a go, but all I see in this is one side overcoming all obstacles put in front of them and putting money down to get a SC game out the door, and one side doing almost the opposite.

Going by the rate of donations, this GoFundMe is gonna fail real hard.

 

[Cael]

Wardell is a business man, and a successful one at that. I'm not really sure how you are expecting him to act? Ultimately, he is the guy that has put millions of his own companies money at risk to make a modern SC sequel - something that the fans want. What exactly have Fred and Paul done in regards to making a sequel? Said they were doing it *after* the drama kicked off. Seems they can play the perception game too, right?

I'm not having a go, but all I see in this is one side overcoming all obstacles put in front of them and putting money down to get a SC game out the door, and one side doing almost the opposite.

Going by the rate of donations, this GoFundMe is gonna fail real hard.

Being ethical would be a good start. Not being a bully. Not being an arrogant, narcissistic asshole. You know, all of the things your mother probably told you not to be.

Paul and Fred already had one in the works before Wardell announced his fraud. Wardell admitted it himself in early posts on the subject before it all went nuclear. Read the thing again. With your Stardock glasses off this time.

 

[Rodcocker]

Wardell is a business man, and a successful one at that. I'm not really sure how you are expecting him to act? Ultimately, he is the guy that has put millions of his own companies money at risk to make a modern SC sequel - something that the fans want. What exactly have Fred and Paul done in regards to making a sequel? Said they were doing it *after* the drama kicked off. Seems they can play the perception game too, right?

I'm not having a go, but all I see in this is one side overcoming all obstacles put in front of them and putting money down to get a SC game out the door, and one side doing almost the opposite.

Going by the rate of donations, this GoFundMe is gonna fail real hard.

Being ethical would be a good start. Not being a bully. Not being an arrogant, narcissistic asshole. You know, all of the things your mother probably told you not to be.

Paul and Fred already had one in the works before Wardell announced his fraud. Wardell admitted it himself in early posts on the subject before it all went nuclear. Read the thing again. With your Stardock glasses off this time.

I'm not a Stardock fanboy. It doesn't matter about how Wardell has acted. CEOs generally take no lectures from anyone else rightly or wrongly. Supposed lefties worshipped completely ruthless Steve Jobs for god's sake. Borderline slave labour in China gets overlooked by right-on hipsters because he is the guy that 'won' and gave them a fancy looking GUI on top of Unix and convinced them it was counter culture... To the winner goes the spoils, and it looks like it is going to be Brad. It is likely Fred and Paul are going to left standing holding only their dicks after a failed crowdfunding, failed court-case and no SC IP.

Bethesda went mainstream with Fallout and they are laughing their way to the bank. Did the cries of the 'true' fans achieve anything? Nah.

Maybe if Paul and Fred actually had a game to show people, people would be more willing to donate if they thought it was at risk, but they don't.

 

[Cael]

I'm not a Stardock fanboy. It doesn't matter about how Wardell has acted. CEOs generally take no lectures from anyone else rightly or wrongly. Supposed lefties worshipped completely ruthless Steve Jobs for god's sake. Borderline slave labour in China gets overlooked by right-on hipsters because he is the guy that 'won' and gave them a fancy looking GUI on top of Unix and convinced them it was counter culture... To the winner goes the spoils, and it looks like it is going to be Brad. It is likely Fred and Paul are going to left standing holding only their dicks after a failed crowdfunding, failed court-case and no SC IP.

Bethesda went mainstream with Fallout and they are laughing their way to the bank. Did the cries of the 'true' fans achieve anything? Nah.

Maybe if Paul and Fred actually had a game to show people, people would be more willing to donate if they thought it was at risk, but they don't.

Sentence number:
1. Fake news.
2. Yes, it does. He is an asshole, will always be an asshole and will always be known as an asshole. I don't like assholes and, therefore, I don't like him. QED it does matter how he has acted.
3. Only the bad ones with ego problems.
4. Lefties are ruthless totalitarians who worship asshats. News at 11.
5. Slave labour in the modern sense is a leftard construct whose abolishment has caused must strife, damage and even suicides in countries where those so-called "slave labour" happened. Congrats, you are a leftard.
6. So, in your mind, the whole notion of IP is laughable and anyone who can lay their hands on anything by any means whatsoever is fine. I hope someone comes into your home and forces you and your family out of it. To the victor, the spoils, indeed.
7. In your mind, only causes that is likely to succeed should be supported. All others are laughed at and derided, regardless of whether they are ethically in the right or not. You are really painting yourself to be a nice person, aren't you?
8-10. Irrelevant. Bethesda bought the IP with no ambiguity and they did not use lawfare to try and destroy lives. They can do what they like with the Fallout IP, just as Fallout fans are free to boycott them. Your use of this is nothing but a cynical attempt to deflect from the unethical behaviour of the demon you worship.
11. Therefore, punish people because they didn't do what you want. Your inner asshole totalitarian is showing, but that is a good thing, for you are emulating your demon-god quite well. Kudos to you for that, even if it makes you a CE shithead.

 

[MRY]

Is this the first crowdfunding to *halt* development of a game...? Kickstopper?

 

[JBro]

Brad Wardell seems like one of the nicest CEOs I've been able to interact with. Which is rare in video games or tech in general. Usually it's some super leftist who acts like they want me dead.

 

[Zombra]

Going by the rate of donations, this GoFundMe is gonna fail real hard.

Remember that GoFundMe isn't pass/fail and has no deadline. They've already made $4000 for writing an email. Will they bring in $2M, doesn't seem uhh likely, but whatever they end up doing, thousands of free $ won't hurt.

 

[LESS T_T]

Wardell tweets:

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Has anyone checked to see if Cael isn't Ben Kuchera?

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Yeahhhhh.... so this is the first time that I've seen behavior that seems pretty objectively scummy from one side or the other. There is absolutely no fucking way that Toys for Bob needs to crowd-fund their legal defense. This isn't the Coles trying to raise funds against mortgaging their house to finish development; these dudes are multi-fucking-millionaires.

 

[Zombra]

Two million? Who are they hiring? O.J.'s fucking dream team? Why, I wonder?

 

[Cael]

Wardell tweets:

Leftard style circle jerk. Politics of envy. Projection. And more. There isn't a box the idiots didn't tick in their "we are the underdogs" whining. Fuck Wardell and his fanbois. I hope they lose everything.

 

[T. Reich]

...They've hired Cael , haven't they?

 

[Bitcher1]

I remember reading previously that Fred & Paul had the documents specifying that they owned the og games' assets.
So is the US legal system so fucked that you need to spend $2M to defend your case when you have a clear incontrovertible evidence in your favour?
Or were they just lying out their ass and need big cash to try and wrangle the rights back from Stardock (which doesn't strike me as a company that would be capable of mounting a multi-million dolla legal cases, they ain't Zenimax)?

 

[Infinitron]

I believe they do own the rights to the original games. The way Wardell is portraying the issue on Twitter now is dishonest IMO.

That doesn't change the fact that the way Paul and Fred have handled this is strange and counterproductive. If you want to make a Star Control game, then you're going have to make a deal with the trademark owner, guys. There's really no getting around that.

This is going to bog down into legal trench warfare about what does and what doesn't constitute use of original Star Control intellectual property. Paul and Fred would rather try to bully Stardock into removing harmless references to the original games in Origins (like the use of the term "Star Control" to describe the human space force, or easter eggs like the toy Ur Quan ship that appears in an alien dialogue scene) than just let them make the damn game in exchange for getting to use the Star Control trademark for their game. It's grandstanding that doesn't serve gamers' interest.