Star Control: Origins - Star Control reboot from Stardock

[Incendax]

Yahtzee likes this game. He put it in his top 5 games of the year.

That’s weird. He’s quite the curmudgeon, and this kind of game is really not up his alley.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Lmao buddy, if you wanted to demonstrate that he was wrong to give you autism button, stalking him all over the internet might not be the best way to go about it.

 

[Kruno]

TheDiceMustRoll Why are you autistic?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

To be fair, Infinitron has EVERY FUCKING GAME ON STEAM on his wishlist.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

It may be two small clicks for your mouse, but it's two giant leaps from normal person to full blown autist.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Wait, really? Why?

He's Jewish, why do you think.

 

[Yosharian]

Hmm...

Hmm...

Hmm...

Infinitron , Why are you defending a game and talking shit to people that criticize it's publisher's CEO when you don't own the game? Did you pirate it? If so, why are you defending it without supporting it? Did you buy it on gog.com? Why is it in your wishlist then? Just asking some questions.

This is what we call a 'Pyrrhic victory'.

 

[Dexter]

But they are also saying that any rights that were sold to Wardell had actually reverted to PR&FF (such that he bought an illusion) because the seller had failed to make required royalty payments, and the contract specified that such a failure would cause the rights to revert to PR&FF.

As for motives or the quality of the game, I have no real idea. I thought it looked pretty good.

This is literally Fake News, they never owned the Trademark rights to Star Control or the Copyright to SC3 and there's nothing to "revert" to them, since they weren't theirs in the first place. You're confusing the Distribution Agreement for SC1+2 with Acclaim, which did indeed state that if they don't get paid royalties in excess of $1000 per year (and would have been rather hard to do between when the games stopped selling in stores and when they were put up on Digital Distribution) those rights go to P&F, with the Trademark and Copyright issues. Without said clause Stardock would also have acquired the Distribution rights for said, which they initially believed to have done and P&F actually acknowledged during some of the early correspondence. I think that is probably their strongest claim in the suit, and the likeliest they will win, also probably a stupid decision of Stardock to have pushed that particular issue back in 2017. Although this is also not without its complications, since afaik they had separate Agreements with GOG and ATARI to distribute them, and they didn't complain to receiving royalties again for years from various parties before the lawsuit.

Valve and GOG are afaik part of the lawsuit due to them selling Star Control 1+2. Both parties had lawyers on the case.

Regarding this "Citation Needed" and why Wardell might legitimately say that Stardock, Valve and GOG are "on one side" and P&F on the other, check who the Counter-Claimants and Counter-Defendants are here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6239751/71/stardock-systems-inc-v-paul-reiche-iii/

Regarding "DiceMustRoll's" autism or any potential bias:

Everyone can make up their own mind who is more likely a psychopath in this situation.

 

[Mustawd]

This is literally Fake News, they never owned the Trademark rights to Star Control or the Copyright to SC3 and there's nothing to "revert" to them, since they weren't theirs in the first place.

If you read his post carefully you’d understand he’s referring to SC I and II copyright. If you read the judge’s summary when ruling on the injunction request you’d also know that P&F signed an agreement that gave perpetual license to use SC I and II copyrighted material to make SCIII (as long as royalty payments were made).

What MRY is referring to is said copyright being reverted back to the original owners, P&F, because the lapse of royalty payments. What I think MRY missed or just didn’t mention is that the original agreement only gave Accolade access to copyright/rights Reich had ownership interest in. Trademarks were never included in this. So when saying rights reverted back to Reich, they mean only the copyright.

Pursuant to Addendum No. 2, Reiche granted Accolade the right to use and modify “all characters, names, likenesses, characteristics, and other intellectual property rights pertaining to Star Control I and Star Control II in which [he] has an ownership interest” in exchange for the payment of an advance and royalties.

 

[Mustawd]

Regarding this "Citation Needed" and why Wardell might legitimately say that Stardock, Valve and GOG are "on one side" and P&F on the other, check who the Counter-Claimants and Counter-Defendants are here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6239751/71/stardock-systems-inc-v-paul-reiche-iii/

Ahh thank you. I had forgotten that part. I’m actually surprised Valve put the games back up. I think P&F have a good case based on my limited knowledge of IP (and other types of) licensing agreements through my work. But I’m no lawyer. I will be interesting to see what comes of all this. Zombra I guess you’re initial post was right. My bad.

 

[Dexter]

If you read his post carefully you’d understand he’s referring to SC I and II copyright.

He's not.

What MRY is referring to is said copyright being reverted back to the original owners, P&F, because the lapse of royalty payments. What I think MRY missed or just didn’t mention is that the original agreement only gave Accolade access to copyright/rights Reich had ownership interest in. Trademarks were never included in this. So when saying rights reverted back to Reich, they mean only the copyright.

How can something that was never owned by a party "revert back to the original owners"? It doesn't make sense. Afaik P&F always owned the Copyright to Star Control 1+2, just as their publisher always owned the Trademark and Copyright to additional products and specific additional materials. In either case there's nothing to "revert back". A license agreement ending over potential lapse or breach of specific clauses is different from transferring Copyright to something. Stardock also pursued a license agreement with P&F over using content from SC1+2, which they continually declined. Upon which they decided to not include any content from SC1+2 in SC:O, so your last point is senseless too.

I'm surprised that Steam put the game back up too, but not because I believe P&F have much of any sort of legal case in regards to SC:O, but because of how abusive the DMCA process is. Normally after an Infringment notice has been made, a counter-claim has been made and a lawsuit results, said content usually stays down till the specific lawsuit has officially resolved. I'm curious as to how they worked it out.

 

[Mustawd]

How can something that was never owned by a party "revert back to the original owners"?

They never owned the copyright, but they had purchased the rights to use them as a perpetual license. If the agreement is no longer valid then those rights are no longer present. “Revert” might not be the best way to put it, since AFAIK it never impeaded P&F from making its own SC I and II content. But it depends on the licensing agreement. I guess it could be an exclusive license that gives only that party a right to use the copyright.

He's not.

Agree to disagree.

 

[Zombra]

Regarding this "Citation Needed" and why Wardell might legitimately say that Stardock, Valve and GOG are "on one side" and P&F on the other, check who the Counter-Claimants and Counter-Defendants are here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6239751/71/stardock-systems-inc-v-paul-reiche-iii/

Ahh thank you. I had forgotten that part. I’m actually surprised Valve put the games back up. I think P&F have a good case based on my limited knowledge of IP (and other types of) licensing agreements through my work. But I’m no lawyer. I will be interesting to see what comes of all this. Zombra I guess you’re initial post was right. My bad.

Thanks; I love to be right but can't accept any credit in this case ... I never claimed Brad's post was accurate. I just enjoyed the idea. If it's true though, cool.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Wait, really? Why?

Questions mainly about that hahahaha-part.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Wait, really? Why?

Questions mainly about that hahahaha-part.

Thanks for saving me some time, I was actually gonna reply to his/her/its latest shitpost, but now I see what an absolute disgrace of a person he/she/it really is.

 

[Dexter]

Better stop before they need to get a restraining order.

He changed his review: https://steamcommunity.com/id/thruthetrax/recommended/271260/

Edit: Also apparently deleted his posts in this thread.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Infinitron You know that I don't like your moderating shenanigans in general (though I love you as a News Jew) but in this one particular case... just ban the fucking idiot, OK?

 

[Infinitron]

Infinitron You know that I don't like your moderating shenanigans in general (though I love you as a News Jew) but in this one particular case... just ban the fucking idiot, OK?

He's already self-banned.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Hopefully. It would show the rest of us that there's a shred of intelligence at play in that addled mind of his/her/it. (Keel-Verezy FTW)

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

He's already self-banned.

Hopefully. It would show the rest of us that there's a shred of intelligence at play in that addled mind of his/her/it. (Keel-Verezy FTW)

Oh it didn't end there. According to R&F fans on reddit, our boy Dicey was doxxed, hacked, harrased by army of vicious trolls, blackmailed and is fearing for his life.

www.reddit.com/r/starcontrol/comments/aholw1/quick_but_very_important_update_on_the_seriously/

 

[Infinitron]

In case you're unaware, TheDiceMustRoll is the same person who formerly posted here as "The Game Analists". He is a bit of a weirdo, but not really a bad person most of the time. He just needs to take a break from the Internet for a while. Acting like a Codexer on Twitter is not a good idea.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

In case you're unaware, TheDiceMustRoll is the same person who formerly posted here as "The Game Analists". He is a bit of a weirdo, but not really a bad person most of the time. He just needs to take a break from the Internet for a while. Acting like a Codexer on Twitter is not a good idea.

I, for one, am fully aware of that.

I, for one, have no reason to believe your words of his character.

He is fucked up.

He has fucked up.

It's not just a case of "Uh-oh, I fucked up! Time to grow the fuck up!" (which is something even I have done at times), it's a full-blown case of FUBAR.

He will not learn if he is not banned.

Do you want him to learn or not?

For once (and I'm loath to do this) it's your call.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

On a small aside, I read the Reddit thread that IHaveHugeNick just linked to... and I have to state that I'm not drunk enough to accept these kinds of delusions from my Fellow Man.

That age-old adage is true: Nuke Reddit and all of its users, and nothing of value will be lost.

 

[Cael]

He's already self-banned.

Hopefully. It would show the rest of us that there's a shred of intelligence at play in that addled mind of his/her/it. (Keel-Verezy FTW)

Oh it didn't end there. According to R&F fans on reddit, our boy Dicey was doxxed, hacked, harrased by army of vicious trolls, blackmailed and is fearing for his life.

www.reddit.com/r/starcontrol/comments/aholw1/quick_but_very_important_update_on_the_seriously/

There is something manifestly wrong that a game developer would call for that kind of response to a post about them. I am sure that other game developers get them by the dozen as well, as to most companies, I'd expect, but this is the first time I have seen such a reaction from a supposed professional. Playing the professional victim is a very lucrative, as the gravy train industries in Australia (Aborigines), New Zealand (Maori) and America (blacks) has shown, but what does it say about stardick as a person and as a professional? Nothing good. Of course, those of us who had actually spoken with the guy for more than 1 minute already know this, but it is gratifying to see him exploding like that in public and being called out on it.

 

[Dexter]

On a small aside, I read the Reddit thread that IHaveHugeNick just linked to... and I have to state that I'm not drunk enough to accept these kinds of delusions from my Fellow Man.

That age-old adage is true: Nuke Reddit and all of its users, and nothing of value will be lost.

The Original Star Control fanbase seems to for some reason be full of what Cleve calls "Special individuals", that Reddit is a prime example of it. That thread isn't even anywhere near the worst of it. It's borderline sane by comparison.