Surely they can't help out everyone

[Aries]

Saw this via Wargamer.

copied from there..

"Industry News : Another Developer Dumps Strategy First

The company behind Supremacy: Four Paths To Power has severed ties with the beleagured publisher.

Just when it seemed bankrupted publisher Strategy First had gotten things in order comes today's news that New York-based developer Black Hammer Game has ended its relationship with Strategy First. The Canadian publisher of strategy games has struggled this year to meet its financial obligations, resulting in Chapter 11 bankruptcy this past summer. However, the company returned to publishing games just a couple weeks ago. But it will no longer be publishing Black Hammer's Supremacy: Four Paths To Power, a turn-based strategy game which The Wargamer first revealed one year ago.

Intriguingly, a visit to the game's official web site features a few well-placed icons for Matrix Games, as well as this comment left in the game's FAQ: "The game will be released by Matrix Games in Winter 2004." However, Matrix has yet to announce any deal involving the game."


I consider David Heath a friend, but, I have to wonder, if they are trying to let everyone into/onto the Matrix Games Life raft some days.

Some companies make lousy choices, and employ careless thinking, and then their world crashes in on them.
That's what we call a reality check.

If SF is doomed for bad planning and poor decision making, then let them die.
There spot will be taken up by the next company that actually has a clue.

If you don't make the right choices, you perish.

The last thing Matrix Games needs, is yet another game title with a lot of baggage being dragged behind it, or a company with a lot of baggage being dragged behind it.

Heck if they really want SF, maybe we should try to sell them Air Canada at the same time

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Some companies make lousy choices, and employ careless thinking, and then their world crashes in on them.

Sounds like Matrix Games to me.

 

[Aries]

Well I wouldn't go "quite" that far about Matrix Games themselves Sheik

If they hadn't released Korsun Pocket, and Battles in Normandy or Airborne Assault Highway to the Reich or Uncommon Valour my own opinion might vary.

I am sure they have some good feelings towards some of their other games, but the ones I mentioned I know about.

Still, they seem to have a knack for grabbing up anything and everything. That can sometimes be a little dangerous.

EYSA was to some a good game. But it arrived with a lot of baggage all the same.

I think SF will bring a lot of baggage to Matrix Games's door.

And in an industry which has such a small margin for error, acquiring people with known well established baggage is not the wisest choice if you ask me.
Especially when some of that baggage is having recently been under Chapter 11 protection.

I can think of a lot of projects Matrix Games might pick up that might be long shots, but still not possess any baggage.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

If they hadn't released Korsun Pocket, and Battles in Normandy or Airborne Assault Highway to the Reich or Uncommon Valour my own opinion might vary.

Yes, Matrix Games as a distributor works quite well, but their very own game projects suck big time.

 

[Aries]

Well on that point I would grudgingly have to accept agreement on.

I think they are going to wear a bullseye as a result of Combat Leader being a great game that never was till 2 years after it becomes a game that is.

I think Battlefields aka whatever name it is wearing at the time of this posting is also their own game.
It has been "coming soon" for a good while now as well.

It is better to be famous for the games you actually made, rather than the games you are always "making".

Oh well, they are not alone in being slow to get things onto a shelf, so I won't make it sound like they invented the idea hehe.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I think they are going to wear a bullseye as a result of Combat Leader being a great game that never was till 2 years after it becomes a game that is.

I think Battlefields aka whatever name it is wearing at the time of this posting is also their own game.
It has been "coming soon" for a good while now as well.

I know the latter is vapourware, I'd guess the same happens with CL.

 

[Aries]

I am not sure vapourware is 100% accurate.

I think it might end up suffering from "sameware" though.

When I think of Combined Arms (today's name) the first thing that crosses my mind is what's sufficiently unique to matter.

Knee jerk response to that of course will be "such and such game doesn't do it the same way as Combined arms does".

Speaking as a grognard and a clearly hex loving wargamer type though, it's like trying to get me excited by an Oh Henry bar by saying "but ours has peanuts, and yours only has nuggat".

If you line up Combined Arms against Korsun Pocket series, TOAW, Schwerpunct games, Tiller games, Uncommon Valour type games and any other game that uses counters on a hex grid at the operational scale, it gets to be a bit much trying to get the player excited by your one specific ingredient that is "self evident as being so cool".

Combined Arms has been worked on for a while now, and while there is no need to "rush" to get it done today or tomorrow or this year (especially if the guys making it have other responsibilities/duties/life issues to worry about), the fact remains, after they finally finish it, it will only enter a market with no shortage of competition that got there first.

I don't understand what drives game makers I guess.

But the software industry is not friendly to anyone making anything software related, if your creation isn't done soon enough to matter.

Say I started a game in 95 at the same time Steel Panthers graced our world (approximately I don't have a specific date handy), but I only finished it today.
Assume I had not made any adjustments for software evolution.
I would no doubt have a program made in 1995 terms trying to be cool in 2005.

I'm no genius, but that rarely works.

That's one area board games don't suffer eh. I can make a game look like I want, and no matter what year I release it, it is unlikely to matter much.

I wish the guys making Combat Leader and Battlefield soops I mean Combined Arms well, but, I am wondering, how many will respond with sorry I already own the Korsun Pocket series of games, why would I want another redundant series of games?

And Russo German War is soon going to give us Allied Aerman War. And that will be just one more aspect and or scale of battle locked out by having been already done.
2by3 is expecting to add to the list as well it appears.

I wouldn't want to be the lucky soul asked to make Combined Arms interesting to the market.

What do you say that matters at the cash register?

 

[chrisvalla]

Having played Starships Unlimited, I'm thinking Matrix would be wise to just steer clear of sci-fi games and stick with what they know best.