• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

A quick history and timeline of Derek Smart vs. Chris Roberts (Star Citizen)

R

Ravidrath

Member
As someone who has been in the industry since Derek first made his name (so to speak), it cannot be overstated how completely fucking surreal it is to me that Derek Smart and his insanity have once again manifested in 2015.

In 2035, I predict he'll come back after another bout of dormancy, like the Great Evil in some RPG.
 
B

br0ken_shad0w

Member
Ravidrath said:
As someone who has been in the industry since Derek first made his name (so to speak), it cannot be overstated how completely fucking surreal it is to me that Derek Smart and his insanity have once again manifested in 2015.

In 2035, I predict he'll come back after another bout of dormancy, like the Great Evil in some RPG.
Click to expand...

Never forget:

From: Derek Smart dsmart@3000ad.com
To: lowtax@somethingawful.com
Cc: legal@3000ad.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 2:20 PM
Subject: UC parody review on SA


Lowtax,

I get the whole "parody" thing (always have) but please don't misrepresent what happened with the folks at eToyChest.

First of all, here is the review and comments and below is a statement that Michael "Cuthbert" Marks made. My comments about having my attorneys contact him had NOTHING to do with the review whatsoever. I don't give a toss about the review and this is quite clearly stated in my comments to the review on his website.

This comment in his forum, clearly states his intent as to the "review" of the game.

"I had actually planned on editing the review in regards to this, the morning after it was posted. Of course, when I got in to work, I saw the shitstorm he was brewing up here, and on his website, and decided to leave it how it was.

Like 99% of the gaming community, I was barely aware of who Derek Smart was before I started writing the review. I had played his other games, but I never paid attention to his hijinx. If I knew then what I know now, the review would have probably been more caustic than it was. The guy's a sociopathic bully, and that's the main reason why he can't get a good game released.

Oh, well. None of this even matters, really. The release of this game is a non-issue. Nobody cares. The only interesting thing that can come from this game's release is seeing how many lawsuits he ends up filing to cover up how bad his game is. That does seem to be his M.O., after all."

And there is parody and then their is libel. Stating as fact that I was convicted of bank fraud, is NOT funny - and I can 100% guarantee you, is not within the legal guidelines of fair use parody. Especially since you clearly describe the topic as an intent to libel. I am asking you nicely to please remove or rephrase it in your article.

And just so you don't go and - once again - type up shit that I didn't say, I have bcc'ed several third parties on this email.

Look, I know some of you think you're above the law because you are on the net, but I never have and never will take legal action against ANYONE in the media. But if you bastards make me set an example, it won't be a good one. And trust me - I don't think any of you have enough pennies to rub together to outspend me. So whatever you do, don't test my resolve. I'm NOT taking this shit anymore.

You will not get another email from me about this. Just remember that I did send it.

DS
__________________________________________________________________________
Derek Smart Ph.D.
Designer/Lead Developer
Universal Combat - The Future Of Engagement
Imagine It. Do it. No limits.

"Squirrels with very cold paws have less trouble getting into peanut
butter than the average uninitiated Homo Sapien has in getting into a
Battlecruiser game. - Tim Stone, PC Gamer #133 Review"
Click to expand...
 
F

Falk

that puzzling face
Ravidrath said:
As someone who has been in the industry since Derek first made his name (so to speak), it cannot be overstated how completely fucking surreal it is to me that Derek Smart and his insanity have once again manifested in 2015.

In 2035, I predict he'll come back after another bout of dormancy, like the Great Evil in some RPG.
Click to expand...

Try AD3000

Lalalandia said:
This may be the greatest idea ever alas it relies on the impossible, a working Derek Smart game.
Click to expand...

Real talk, I got BC3000AD. Unfortunately this was around the time modding was only -really- exploding with stuff like Quake/Quake2 and not a widespread 'if-it's-on-PC-it's-probably-fair-game" hackaton like it is nowadays.
 
Spuck-uk

Spuck-uk

Banned
Its a shame it Derek Smart and not someone more..well, less of a nutter bringing up the points he has, because there are some very good ones.

Star Citizen so far is really reminding me of the APB debacle, where a respected game designer got way too in over their head, over-promised hugely, and couldn't manage such a large team well at all.

93 million sounds like a lot, until you consider that GTA5, a game from a studio who have shown they know how to deliver large scale games, cost twice as much, and had 1/10th the content that Roberts thinks he can magically make appear.

For reference, I worked in game dev for ten years, have a friend at the UK office and they share a lot of the same concerns.
 
R

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
People captured the stream he was running during Citizencon and re-uploaded it. Here's one:

https://youtu.be/tgZo-38tC1s?t=19m10s
Some NSFW audio.

Edit: yeah, that audio feedback loop in the beginning gets surreal. ("Dental plan!")
Updated the timestamp in my link to where he starts talking after the audio is resolved.
 
Spladam

Spladam

Member
Ravidrath said:
As someone who has been in the industry since Derek first made his name (so to speak), it cannot be overstated how completely fucking surreal it is to me that Derek Smart and his insanity have once again manifested in 2015.

In 2035, I predict he'll come back after another bout of dormancy, like the Great Evil in some RPG.
Click to expand...

lol, that's good:

A band of young intrepid indie developers must set out on a quest to restore the decades old seals that contain the great Flame Troll "DSMART". After setting out to seek the counsel of the old wizard Roberts, they find themselves pursued by the flames at every turn. The wizard Roberts tells them the secret of not feeding the flame troll's powers by just ignoring his ad hominem magic attacks, something he says he once failed to do, but in a moment of weakness one of the heroes attacks back and is consumed by the flames. In a last attempt to avenge their friend, the heroes unleash their Cease and Desist attack to no avail, and must restore the ancient seals that hold the troll by summoning the great Civil Litigation attack, where once again, the gaming industry is made safe. For a time........

The Desolation of Smart - Coming to Steam greenlight next summer. Epicgif

The game writes itself.
 
M

m3k

Member
I remember one article about d smart from about 15 years ago and his flame wars... Its crazy to see he's been chugging along since then

He's been revitalized with star citizen!
 
D

dsmart3000ad

Neo Member
This popped up in my Google Alert, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi, goodbye

1st, job well done to the OP, in trying to come up with such a timeline.

Some corrections/notes:

1) Line Of Defense is NOT the spiritual successor to any previous BC/UC game. It just happens to take place within the same world and IP. Just like all my games. It is a totally different kind of game.

2) The history of the original BC3K (1996) is a bit incorrect. You can find the story in this Gaming Urban Legend blog

3) I contributed to Star Citizen in Nov 2012

4) LOD was released on Steam as Early Access for testing the myriad of Steam backend tools that we use. It got "review bombed" by those who couldn't run it because it was accidentally flagged as F2P even though a purchase was required. It was fixed less than an hour later. It continued to be "review bombed". That initial release mishap is documented in this Mar 2015 dev blog.

5) We never - ever - ban anyone for making bug reports. We only ban shit-posters and trolls. It's a tradition that hasn't changed. Which is how I get to make so many enemies over the years.

6) I mentioned my games in the Interstellar Citizens blog, for the same reason that you created your timeline: the new gen don't know who I am, nor are they familiar with my history. As I have explained before, you don't ask a brain surgeon to talk about rocket science. So as someone who has spent 30+ years making massive games, I was able to clearly see the problems with Star Citizen and why I stated that it simply couldn't be done. The more things come to light, the clearer it is becoming that I right. Tough pill to swallow for some. Especially since I had to be the one to spell it out.

7) The FOIA request was rubbish. Not going to type that all up again.

8) The "release date" was not a "sticking point". If that's all you took from the letter to RSI, then that's on you. Try reading it again. It was very clear I thought.

9) I didn't embroil myself in GamerGate. Nope. This is where that came from.

10) My blog comparing LoD vs SC was written specifically to shut up those people who keep telling me crap about them being a competitor. They're not. The only thing they share in common is the genre. And ships.

My latest blog encapsulates everything as to how we got here.

"
There is something to be said about the history between Smart and Roberts
Click to expand...
"

Actually no, there isn't. As Chris himself said in his rant, we don't even know each other. We know "of" each other. This whole thing came to a head when they made it personal. Then completely - and utterly - underestimated my industry reach, influence and resources.

That is all.
 
K

Kyne

Member
popcorn_stephen_colbert.gif
 
H

Hero_of_the_Day

Member
BlackRock said:
Amazing. Derek, are the allegations about you threatening to sue over the original Wing Commander true?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing by his "hi, goodbye" that he doesn't intend to come back. If he's right about SC running out of money in the coming the months, it would have been far more epic for him to have waited until then and then simply posted "told you so." Heads would have exploded.
 
H

Hastati

Member
I love the avatar. Kind of says it all.

You and Chris should get together for the first time, do a bowl and sort this stuff out.
 
Dsyndrome

Dsyndrome

Member
Is this like the Huey Lewis thread where the account was made specifically to refute something on GAF and just became approved?
 
P

pj

Banned
dsmart3000ad said:
This popped up in my Google Alert, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi, goodbye

1st, job well done to the OP, in trying to come up with such a timeline.

Some corrections/notes:

1) Line Of Defense is NOT the spiritual successor to any previous BC/UC game. It just happens to take place within the same world and IP. Just like all my games. It is a totally different kind of game.

2) The history of the original BC3K (1996) is a bit incorrect. You can find the story in this Gaming Urban Legend blog

3) I contributed to Star Citizen in Nov 2012

4) LOD was released on Steam as Early Access for testing the myriad of Steam backend tools that we use. It got "review bombed" by those who couldn't run it because it was accidentally flagged as F2P even though a purchase was required. It was fixed less than an hour later. It continued to be "review bombed". That initial release mishap is documented in this Mar 2015 dev blog.

5) We never - ever - ban anyone for making bug reports. We only ban shit-posters and trolls. It's a tradition that hasn't changed. Which is how I get to make so many enemies over the years.

6) I mentioned my games in the Interstellar Citizens blog, for the same reason that you created your timeline: the new gen don't know who I am, nor are they familiar with my history. As I have explained before, you don't ask a brain surgeon to talk about rocket science. So as someone who has spent 30+ years making massive games, I was able to clearly see the problems with Star Citizen and why I stated that it simply couldn't be done. The more things come to light, the clearer it is becoming that I right. Tough pill to swallow for some. Especially since I had to be the one to spell it out.

7) The FOIA request was rubbish. Not going to type that all up again.

8) The "release date" was not a "sticking point". If that's all you took from the letter to RSI, then that's on you. Try reading it again. It was very clear I thought.

9) I didn't embroil myself in GamerGate. Nope. This is where that came from.

10) My blog comparing LoD vs SC was written specifically to shut up those people who keep telling me crap about them being a competitor. They're not. The only thing they share in common is the genre. And ships.

My latest blog encapsulates everything as to how we got here.

""

Actually no, there isn't. As Chris himself said in his rant, we don't even know each other. We know "of" each other. This whole thing came to a head when they made it personal. Then completely - and utterly - underestimated my industry reach, influence and resources.

That is all.
Click to expand...

You're an obsessive lunatic and your earrings looks silly
 
A

ArjanN

Member
dsmart3000ad said:
This popped up in my Google Alert, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi, goodbye

1st, job well done to the OP, in trying to come up with such a timeline.

Some corrections/notes:

1) Line Of Defense is NOT the spiritual successor to any previous BC/UC game. It just happens to take place within the same world and IP. Just like all my games. It is a totally different kind of game.

2) The history of the original BC3K (1996) is a bit incorrect. You can find the story in this Gaming Urban Legend blog

3) I contributed to Star Citizen in Nov 2012

4) LOD was released on Steam as Early Access for testing the myriad of Steam backend tools that we use. It got "review bombed" by those who couldn't run it because it was accidentally flagged as F2P even though a purchase was required. It was fixed less than an hour later. It continued to be "review bombed". That initial release mishap is documented in this Mar 2015 dev blog.

5) We never - ever - ban anyone for making bug reports. We only ban shit-posters and trolls. It's a tradition that hasn't changed. Which is how I get to make so many enemies over the years.

6) I mentioned my games in the Interstellar Citizens blog, for the same reason that you created your timeline: the new gen don't know who I am, nor are they familiar with my history. As I have explained before, you don't ask a brain surgeon to talk about rocket science. So as someone who has spent 30+ years making massive games, I was able to clearly see the problems with Star Citizen and why I stated that it simply couldn't be done. The more things come to light, the clearer it is becoming that I right. Tough pill to swallow for some. Especially since I had to be the one to spell it out.

7) The FOIA request was rubbish. Not going to type that all up again.

8) The "release date" was not a "sticking point". If that's all you took from the letter to RSI, then that's on you. Try reading it again. It was very clear I thought.

9) I didn't embroil myself in GamerGate. Nope. This is where that came from.

10) My blog comparing LoD vs SC was written specifically to shut up those people who keep telling me crap about them being a competitor. They're not. The only thing they share in common is the genre. And ships.

My latest blog encapsulates everything as to how we got here.

""

Actually no, there isn't. As Chris himself said in his rant, we don't even know each other. We know "of" each other. This whole thing came to a head when they made it personal. Then completely - and utterly - underestimated my industry reach, influence and resources.

That is all.
Click to expand...

This is what Derek Smart actually believes.
 
Spladam

Spladam

Member
pj said:
You're an obsessive lunatic and your earrings looks silly
Click to expand...
Come on now, Mr. Smart was civil and you should be to, you represent GAF.
dsmart3000ad said:
This popped up in my Google Alert, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi, goodbye

1st, job well done to the OP, in trying to come up with such a timeline.

Some corrections/notes:

1) Line Of Defense is NOT the spiritual successor to any previous BC/UC game. It just happens to take place within the same world and IP. Just like all my games. It is a totally different kind of game.

2) The history of the original BC3K (1996) is a bit incorrect. You can find the story in this Gaming Urban Legend blog

3) I contributed to Star Citizen in Nov 2012

4) LOD was released on Steam as Early Access for testing the myriad of Steam backend tools that we use. It got "review bombed" by those who couldn't run it because it was accidentally flagged as F2P even though a purchase was required. It was fixed less than an hour later. It continued to be "review bombed". That initial release mishap is documented in this Mar 2015 dev blog.

5) We never - ever - ban anyone for making bug reports. We only ban shit-posters and trolls. It's a tradition that hasn't changed. Which is how I get to make so many enemies over the years.

6) I mentioned my games in the Interstellar Citizens blog, for the same reason that you created your timeline: the new gen don't know who I am, nor are they familiar with my history. As I have explained before, you don't ask a brain surgeon to talk about rocket science. So as someone who has spent 30+ years making massive games, I was able to clearly see the problems with Star Citizen and why I stated that it simply couldn't be done. The more things come to light, the clearer it is becoming that I right. Tough pill to swallow for some. Especially since I had to be the one to spell it out.

7) The FOIA request was rubbish. Not going to type that all up again.

8) The "release date" was not a "sticking point". If that's all you took from the letter to RSI, then that's on you. Try reading it again. It was very clear I thought.

9) I didn't embroil myself in GamerGate. Nope. This is where that came from.

10) My blog comparing LoD vs SC was written specifically to shut up those people who keep telling me crap about them being a competitor. They're not. The only thing they share in common is the genre. And ships.

My latest blog encapsulates everything as to how we got here.

""

Actually no, there isn't. As Chris himself said in his rant, we don't even know each other. We know "of" each other. This whole thing came to a head when they made it personal. Then completely - and utterly - underestimated my industry reach, influence and resources.

That is all.
Click to expand...
Welcome Mr. Smart, and Farewell. It was good to hear from you. Thanks for the info, I'll make some corrections where needed, it's good to have some real sourcing. Glad you could stop by though.
 
B

Bedlam

Member
dsmart3000ad said:
*DS repeats his lies for the x'th time*
Click to expand...
Cool. Looks like you wasted another hour of your life. :)

I especially love how predictable you are.

UpDownLeftRight said:
Since you're clearly reading this Derek, I just wanted to let you know that you should reconsider your attitude towards both your fans and customers. The way that you ban people from the forums for pointing out the flaws in your shitty, broken game, often from people just trying to get some help actually making it work, is simply pathetic. Instead of spending so much time assessing others works and behavior, perhaps you should reassess your own first.

That is all.
Click to expand...
No no, you got it all wrong. You're probably German (like me) and you're trying to run the game with German graphics drivers. You see, according to Derek the game is not optimized for German graphics drivers.

My other theory is that Line of Defense is so Elite (he had to top that as well), that not even Derek gets to play it. Hence he can't release a gameplay video of it.
 
W

WGMBY

Member
Well this thread just jumped up to "hilariously surreal". Thanks for sharing your perspective Derek (I guess?).
 
U

UpDownLeftRight

Banned
Since you're clearly reading this Derek, I just wanted to let you know that you should reconsider your attitude towards both your fans and customers. The way that you ban people from the forums for pointing out the flaws in your shitty, broken game, often from people just trying to get some help actually making it work, is simply pathetic. Instead of spending so much time assessing others works and behavior, perhaps you should reassess your own first.

That is all.
 
O

Ozium

Member
dsmart3000ad said:
This popped up in my Google Alert, so I thought I'd stop by and say hi, goodbye

1st, job well done to the OP, in trying to come up with such a timeline.

Some corrections/notes:

1) Line Of Defense is NOT the spiritual successor to any previous BC/UC game. It just happens to take place within the same world and IP. Just like all my games. It is a totally different kind of game.

That is all.
Click to expand...

Hello Mr. Smart, I am interested in Line of Defense MMO. Is it possible for you to give me some steam keys so that I may raise awareness for your title? also if you are interested you could give extra keys and I can make a raffle in the steam thread!

thanks
 
T

The Dear Leader

Banned
Ozium said:
Hello Mr. Smart, I am interested in Line of Defense MMO. Is it possible for you to give me some steam keys so that I may raise awareness for your title? also if you are interested you could give extra keys and I can make a raffle in the steam thread!

thanks
Click to expand...

The hustle is real in Ozium lol.
 
A

Adnor

Banned
Ozium said:
Hello Mr. Smart, I am interested in Line of Defense MMO. Is it possible for you to give me some steam keys so that I may raise awareness for your title? also if you are interested you could give extra keys and I can make a raffle in the steam thread!

thanks
Click to expand...

One thing is for sure, Mr. Smart, Ozium will like it more than MGSV!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Star Citizen player reports CIG is making him sign an NDA before getting a refund
7
539
bitbydeath replied
Star Citizen player reports CIG is making him sign an NDA before getting a refund
2
312
lmimmfn replied
12 Years, $700 Million, and Still No Game: The Turbulent Saga of Star Citizen
2 3
116
6K
Jigsaah replied
Star Citizen’s live game director is leaving his position after nine years at CIG (which has not released one single game)
2 3
113
11K
Madonis replied
  • Locked
Star Citizen truly outdoes itself with a $48,000 bundle for its most loyal whales
2
65
4K
nemiroff replied
Top Bottom