Wild Bill
Posts: 6821
Joined: 4/7/2000 From: Smyrna, Ga, 30080 Status: offline
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I'm not part of Matrix per se, but I have worked for and with the organization since its inception and long before. When you say, SKotty, from what you have "observed," Matrix has taken a flippant attitude towards its supporters. I guess my question is a request for some specifics here in order to be able to respond. In other words, what is it that you've noticed in particular that indicates a spirit of disdain or indifference to the public? You are right, designers AND testers (let's not forget the lifeblood of any successful scenario design), programmers, musicians, artists and writers have all made wonderful contributions. And most of it was done gratis. That is important to note. I could make you a list...a very long one, of people who have given many hours of their time to make and improve SPWAW. I have received some recompense for the Mega Campaigns I did. But everything else I have done with Matrix and SPWAW, including the other dozen or so campaigns and around 150 scenarios plus the writing of some of the manual itself were offered freely. My time spent in helping to collate, improve, enhance and make available the game has been for free. I can't even begin to calculate the time I have spent on these projects at no charge, but without exaggeration, they were thousands of hours of my life that I'll never get back and which I could have used for so many other things. I could say the same of so many. If I start naming them, I'll forget someone. The players have reaped the benefits of these thousands of hours of free labor. The only cost they have incurred is the time spent downloading. And we have folks who even send copies of SPWAW burned on a CD for only the cost of postage. To be honest, Skotty, I don't think the players have been treated badly or flippantly at all. If anything, being so attentive to the wishes of the players has cost additional hundreds of hours of work. Unless you are in the mix, you can't possibly know all that is involved. I've worked with six gaming companies in the last ten years. Matrix Games is the ONLY one that really showed concern for what the public wanted, who listened and responded to what the public said. That in itself tells us that Matrix Games is different. But WHAT gaming company can accomodate every wish and desire, opinion or even whim that comes from the public? It just ain't gonna happen. It can't happen. Please one, offend another. We all know that. So the effort has been to make it as right as possible, make the majority happy, and try to be understanding of all. That in my mind is not flippant at all, but rather a very giving spirit, more than I've ever seen before in the wargaming community. Wild Bill
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In Arduis Fidelis Wild Bill Wilder Independent Game Consultant
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