Why I Love Derek Smart

I imagine that every year after E3, teams of men in hard hats must demolish the enormous LA convention center and distribute the raw materials among millions of zealous corporate devotees the world over, to be used as fuel in the ensuing flame wars. If you spend much time on gaming sites other than GWJ, you know how it goes: Microsoft asserts proposition P; Sony asserts not-P; Nintendo asserts that P is irrelevant... and just like that -- poof! -- instant conflagrations erupt in computer chairs everywhere. If you listen closely, you'll hear the tears sizzling on my cheeks.

The worst thing about modern flame wars, other than the simple fact of their existence, is their unswerving orientation around the success or failure of corporate brand names, products, and properties. Flame wars have always been silly and irrational affairs, but these days, they are also soulless and (paradoxically) cold at heart. The gaming community used to be such that one could readily find flame wars about actual people, along with their associated deeds, words, and thoughts. Nowadays, games-related flame wars have become unhinged from gaming personae in a manner that I would not have thought possible just five years ago.

Thank the heavens, then, for Derek Smart.

If you read Blue's News, then you probably noticed the recent thread concerning Derek's decision to release Battlecruiser Millennium as a free download. Anyone who has ever waded into a Derek Smart discussion in the past won't need to be told that the thread was knocked permanently off-topic within the first ten posts. After a few people made tentative insults, some poor soul named Strategos saw fit to rise to Derek's defense. Very soon thereafter, other forumgoers accused Strategos of being Derek Smart, masquerading under a pseudonym in defense of his own reputation. It should come as no surprise that Derek himself quickly popped in and sprayed gasoline everywhere in his customary style (see post #22). A choice quote will prove illustrative:

The fact of the matter is, most of you are just jealous. Pure and simple. In the past when I would sink down to your levels, engage you in the pits, return insult for insult etc, some of you got this [false] impression that we were of the same calibre; let alone the same caste. I make no excuses for who I am or what I am. What I DO know - and that which is proven and consistent - is that I have progressed over the years, improved on that which I created etc. While, well, all of you are just the same crochety, stagnant, inconsequential people you always were. For always reduced to obscurity; with the only voice you have being that which you use to libel and assassinate someone like me. Someone who is, well, above it all. So, all you and your friends are doing is wasting your time.

I would prefer not to discuss the veracity or import of Derek's claims, his seemingly self-damaging offensiveness, his haughty aloofness, or his contentious history as a developer and Internet personality. These matters have all been explored in the past. What really impresses me about Derek's post to Blue's News, and virtually every post he's ever made anywhere, is that:

1. He interacts directly with the gaming community on a regular -- even predictable -- basis.
2. He does not shy away from controversy; indeed, he usually either invites it or spawns it.

Numbers 1 and 2 above are both remarkably rare traits in present-day game developers. It seems that nearly all the bold developer personalities of the past have dried up or gone into hiding, and that gaming as a whole is impoverished as a result. In years past, I could regularly check the .plan updates of top developers, and I could look forward to encountering and conversing with them on gaming message boards. Every aspect of online gamer culture was influenced by heavy developer presence.

Remember when Old Man Murray routinely engaged in online brawls with Paul Steed? How about when they conducted those raucous interviews with Roman Ribaric, or launched vindictive polemics against Jane Jensen and American McGee? Remember when George Broussard would make fun of other developers' games? When Billy Wilson and Cliffy B would cut the rug and "sample" drinks? When Something Awful was ostensibly a gaming website? When Evil Avatar despised Jason Hall? When PC Accelerator was still alive? When the folks over at PlanetCrap had something to talk about? When Ion Storm Dallas exploded -- multiple times over, and much to the delight of spectators everywhere? When you actually cared about what people like Larry Holland, Chris Roberts, Andy Hollis, and Steve Meretzky were up to? I fear that nearly all of that passion is gone for good, replaced now by joyless and sterile press releases, preview trailers, and corporate fawning. Some of those old personalities are still important to the gaming scene, but now they exert their influence predominantly through their publishers, and through the droves of idiotic gaming press just dying to write a killer preview of their latest game. (At least Ron Gilbert has a good blog going.)

If none of those bits ring true, then here's a fun activity that gestures toward the same point. Go to the "for sale" list of Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe and look at how many development houses used to exist in the adventure game genre alone. Doesn't it fill you with wonder to look upon all those unknown titles, to consider all the novel gameplay possibilities that await? Do you remember when you could walk into your local software store and get that same feeling? (One need not refer all the way back to the reign of text adventures to recall such days.) Contrast this with the number of development houses and publishers in business today; with the mostly stagnant state of the big game genres; with the marketing, the advertising, the franchises, the ever-worse Hollywood crossovers, the pay-to-play schemes, the buyouts and closures, the corporate slogans, and the shiny, meaningless, prepackaged drivel that the few extant gaming news mega-sites regurgitate for us on a daily basis -- especially around E3 time. The relative diversity of the marketplace and general interest in the affairs of individual game developers are linked; it is not by mere chance that both of them have seen such a rapid, simultaneous decline.

The point is, being a gamer is not what it used to be. Gamers used to have access to communities and markets that simply do not exist any longer. The topicality of the prevalent flame wars at any given time may be taken as a barometer for the creative health of the industry. The fact that flame wars now serve only as arenas for the display of brand loyalty reflects the abovementioned unfortunate change in the gaming climate. Of course, corporate-aligned flame wars also existed in the golden age to which I am hearkening back -- remember the nVidia vs. 3dfx flame wars on Voodoo Extreme? -- but they were tempered by more interesting disputes over whether John Carmack could take Tim Sweeney in a drunken fight.

It's not that I miss the developer-oriented flame wars per se. I just miss the developers themselves, around whom so much day-to-day interest and controversy used to swirl. I guess somewhere along the way, most companies decided that their employees should only interact with the gaming public through established and proven PR methods.

This is why I love Derek Smart. He is like a relic from that dead age, one that refuses to die along with his peers. I like to think that my fondness for Derek and my lament for the dead, developer-heavy gaming community of years past has little to do with the shallow worship of celebrities that is so common among our species. The best of the old-guard game developers had about them the air of artists, creators, intellectuals, and not least of all, gamers. I was never interested in Sid Meier for his fame, fortune, or sex appeal (though he is one sexy, sexy man); I was (and remain) interested in Sid Meier for his accomplishments, talents, and routine insights into the things that make good games tick. Interest in any given game developer has more in common with devotion to a beloved author than with anything related to the celebrity gossip industry.

If I'm supremely lucky, Derek will show up in the comments below, flame me horribly for some remark I made or failed to make, and then Certis will ban him from the site. In the ensuing chaos, I shall breathe deeply of the fiery and personal link to gaming's past, while it lasts.

--Lobo

Comments

I guess somewhere along the way, most companies decided that their employees should only interact with the gaming public through established and proven PR methods.

That's certainly true to a certain extent. Not for all companies, but for quite a number. Communicating with players is a time intensive activity for sure, and many publishers probably think that the developers themselves could spend the time in a more 'useful' way. Also, blogs and similar outlets provide a transparency many companies are afraid of.

Incidentally, the drop in tone and civility is what drove me off of Usenet after about a decade. So I initially participated in this stuff, but became disgusted by it eventually.

Heh, same here. Does anyone use the Usenet anymore?

Lobo said:

However, with technological advancements, it is becoming far easier for the lay man to create his own masterpieces.

Actually, if you go in the reverse direction of time, you will see that the farther you go, the lesser amount of assets, such as art and sound, was required to be alongside your code. If you go far enough, you will encounter games powered by just code alone.
The engines have become far more complex but coding has not really changed on the basic level, because now you can use free or licensed engines that already exist, thus providing a certain layer of abstraction.

What HAS changed, is the enormous demands for how a game looks - now you need high resolution textures, multiple-direction animated sprites and/or complex animated 3d models, and hollywood-quality sound.
So now, a guy in his garage can no longer make a masterpiece. The guy has to get a really BIG garage, and invite a lot of other guys who can draw and use 3D Studio really well, are preferably unemployed, and are willing to spend months and months of their time on potentially something that in most likeliness, will bomb.

The only way I see the market embracing independent games at this point is if everyone gets so, SO tired of flashy mindless drivel thrown at us by companies, that we will actually not mind the fact that independent games have far lower production values for which they compensate with thoughtful, lovingly-crafted, immersive gameplay.

The only way I see the market embracing independent games at this point is if everyone gets so, SO tired of flashy mindless drivel thrown at us by companies, that we will actually not mind the fact that independent games have far lower production values for which they compensate with thoughtful, lovingly-crafted, immersive gameplay.

www.playfate.com

Well said Shihonage. I agree completely.

shihonage wrote:

Lobo said:

However, with technological advancements, it is becoming far easier for the lay man to create his own masterpieces.

Actually, if you go in the reverse direction of time, you will see that the farther you go, the lesser amount of assets, such as art and sound, was required to be alongside your code. If you go far enough, you will encounter games powered by just code alone.
The engines have become far more complex but coding has not really changed on the basic level, because now you can use free or licensed engines that already exist, thus providing a certain layer of abstraction.

What HAS changed, is the enormous demands for how a game looks - now you need high resolution textures, multiple-direction animated sprites and/or complex animated 3d models, and hollywood-quality sound.
So now, a guy in his garage can no longer make a masterpiece. The guy has to get a really BIG garage, and invite a lot of other guys who can draw and use 3D Studio really well, are preferably unemployed, and are willing to spend months and months of their time on potentially something that in most likeliness, will bomb.

However, in the "old days," a man can make a masterpiece and no one would know. The delivery and advertisement systems of the "regular joe" creating a video game for all of us to enjoy just weren't there. So now a guy can build a great game yet lack the network to advertise.

However - with the advent of the Internet, PlanetCraps, GWJ, etc.; there are ways for people to get the word out. While it may be just a mod, the Desert Combat folks essentially took another engine and made a completely new game out of it. And now they're getting jobs by larger companies. Of course, the roles have been reversed - creating a game (regardless of quality) is difficult, advertising it is easy. But what's different is now both are possible.

And like I said about the circular model - I liken it to the economic cycle, in which we could be in an extended recession (which people like to call depression), so it doesn't act as an exact cycle, but in essence, in general, eventually things will come back around again.

shihonage wrote:

Lobo said:

However, with technological advancements, it is becoming far easier for the lay man to create his own masterpieces.

Hey, that was Logan who said that, not I.

Nice article, Lobo. And timely.

And in case any of you were wondering: yes, I'm Derek Smart. I didn't mention this until now because I don't like the attention, but it's me. Now you'll have to excuse me, my shoe phone is ringing, and it's probably Ninety-Nine calling to remind me that I'm late for a meeting with the Chief in the Cone of Silence. Whup! Damn ... Stopped ringing. Missed it by that much.

Now you'll have to excuse me, my shoe phone is ringing, and it's probably Ninety-Nine calling to remind me that I'm late for a meeting with the Chief in the Cone of Silence. Whup! Damn ... Stopped ringing. Missed it by that much.

You don't think you could get me Ninety-Nine's number do you? Strictly business, I assure you. If not her number, her home address and the hours she's usually asleep.

I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all reason for less dev posts (if it's even true overall). Personally I don't spend a lot of time posting but I DO keep up my reading. It might seem like there is less action because there are simply more places to post and ways to communicate. Back in the day you had to mine discussion threads for tasty tidbits. In the modern world of weblog-based-websites and RSS it is both tempting and easy to just skim the posts and ignore the comments. My copy of FeedDemon is pushing the content of over 80 weblogs at me. It's hard to keep up. More and more my online experience has shifted from being a participant to a consumer. On the other hand it IS easier to locate specific topics and conversations on demand. I think the modern online experience is one where more signal is able to get past the noise.

But I confess...I miss the flame wars of old and the attitude. I mean, hell, what good is actually making a game that plugs directly into your f'ing eye if Chet isn't going to rip us a new one over our time-to-crate value?

-Geek

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battlecruisernextgen/news_6125600.html

I guess this way probably mentioned... too lazy to check.

=D

I do miss Paul Steed's Rants, full of homoerotic homophobia, and the Time To Crate is probably OMM's greatest legacy.

It's better like this, tho. We discuss games in the games forum. And at the end of the day, we get some good recommendations for new entertainment, not high blood pressure from virtually screaming at someone who thinks differently from you.

Rumors of my demise are GREATLY exer...exagar...exagg... f*ck it, you spell it, fool.

Anyway, sorry I'm late; the ol' Smart Signal (get it?) was obscured by a cloud layer over my house, so I didn't get the Derek Smart, Derek Smart, Derek Smart call on time.

Anyway, the whole game developer personality thing is just that, a thing. There was a time when gamers (like us) actually gave a sh*t about who developed the games we were playing. And part of giving a sh*t, is caring, admiring and, in some extreme cases, passing out over the prospect of a game developer even looking at you, let alone speaking to you.

Once the business of game development became a business, it all went to sh*t and gamers stop caring. Right now, for example, I don't give a rat's ass who developed Far Cry. In fact, I don't even know who developed it. All I know is that, for the short time that it lasted, I had fun. As a gamer, thats all I care about.

As a game developer, when you go to events like E3, GDC etc, you get to be amongst peers and for the time it lasts, you give a sh*t. Probably out of peer respect; not misplaced and foolish fanboyism. I mean, I'm not going to run up to Warren Spector and hump his leg or anything. Nor am going to saunter over and tap Richard Garriott (nice, approachable chap) on the shoulder just because I can. Most devs - at least those worth knowing - know each other and online we all type up sh*t. In person, its a whole other deal. When I run into guys from the old school (e.g. Bill "Wild Bill" Stealey") at shows, all we talk about is, well, nothing really. Its not like there is anything to talk about when game devs get together. Actually there is. Women. Booze. Bands. Viagra. Women. Booze.... ad nauseum. Shaders? Female Doggo please, I'm not in my office. If I want to talk about shaders, I'd do it online or write a frigging article.

The old school gamers truly cared and gave a sh*t about the devs who developed their games. That was a time when everything - and everyone - was connected in some strange way. The funny thing is that most of these types of gamers, are the silent types. You know, the type that shares the love with their wallets. Those loud mouthed, anti-social, the-reason-abortion-should-be-legal, f*ckups are just that. f*ck ups. They spend their time lambasting other gamers - and game devs - alike; with seemingly NOTHING to gain other than a notch on some wanker's alias. And most of them are pirates. There, I've said it.

Back in the old days, when a flame war was really, truly, just that: a God almighty-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-ketchup days, a lot of aliases got their start. I guarantee you that if you pop into space-sim, flight-sim or strategic group right now, you will recognize all the usual suspects still hanging on for dear life. Heck, the last time I checked, Old Salt was still there!! Don't ask.

With the advent of the Internet when any f*cker with a computer could go online and behave badly, any little bit of fun from old good ol' flame war, went the way of the Dodo. I quit Usenet about four or five years ago and swore never to go back. Instead, I found a few forums to hang out at. Even then, the same f*ckers (its like they have a radar beacon up their ass or something), just show up and tear the place apart. When I show up and respond, some would liken it to me throwing gasoline on everyone. Thats not the case at all.

Gasoline takes too long to burn and would require more than one post to be truly effective.

A tactical nuke takes one post. A good TN post means that you don't even have to come back and explain anything nor respond further. Its my version of a drive-by flaming. One in which everyone - I do mean everyone - gets their collective asses singed. I'm an equal opportunity flamer. The end result is that long after your post, there are wankers sitting around wondering wtf just happened. So, like the predictable gits that they are, they keep posting. And posting. And posting. Comfort in the thought that I, like I don't have better things to do with my time, would go back and see the aftermath of my post.

Wrong.

I don't give a sh*t about people long enough to care what they think. Never did. Never will. Public opinion is meaningless to me because opinions are things you can't change and wasting your time trying to convince people otherwise is just that. A waste of time. If I wanted to waste my time, I know a lot of more meaningful ways to do it.

Back in the old days, it was fun just to engage, watch the carnage. Rinse. Repeat. Nowadays, with real life stalkers (like that stupid kid from Usenet who I had to call the cops on twice), concerted character assassinations, identity theft, p0rn etc, who has time for that sh*t anymore? Life's too short.

All game devs behave differently and after all, only stupid fools think that just because we are game developers, we are supposed to have some sort of different standard. EVERYONE who had met me in person, agrees that I'm a likeable, laid back kinda guy; far removed from my Internet persona. There is a reason for that. Its the same reason you don't masturbate in public. Unless of course you're George Michael. Everyone has a different personality. I mean, if you were a tardy SOB and you got a hot date, tell me you're going to invite her to your house without cleaning up first. Right there, you have assumed the position of someone who is acting like someone else.

Me? I'm just Derek Smart. I hide from no-one. I answer to no-one. I know what my goal in life is and I live it every day. Meanwhile, the f*ckers who figured they could put me under siege, ended up just creating a monster who has simply gotten too frigging big to shove back in the bottle.

Then you have those tits who love nothing better than to flame me at a forum where I can't post; and posting all manner of c*ck sh*t. These are the same ladies who give flaming a bad name or who would just duck around the corner if they ran into me in public. Its one thing when you're dealing with a faceless entity - like all the corwardly wankers online who hide behind their fancy aliases, anonymity and obscurity.

As Warren Marshall once said (over on PlanetCrap):

Game developers are just human beings who happen to make games for a living. If you want to hold us up to higher standards of conduct, then go ahead ...but don't be surprised if we don't uphold them.

The Internet has forever changed the way we interact with each other and it has nothing to do with whether you are a gamer, game developer or equal opportunity flamer. Everyone needs an outlet. This just happens to be it. And gaming has seemingly become mainstream enough to be regarded as nothing more than a TV show. Devoid of any personality. And meaningless for the most part. I mean even the general public can't wait to tear Tom Cruise a new orrifice if War Of The Worlds tanks. Movie goers are a finnicky bunch. Gamers of the same caste, are just pure bastards.

Gamers of the same caste, are just pure bastards.

That's what I've been saying about Pyro and Certis for years!

Well that was certainly unique, wasn't it? I had honestly never experienced this Derek Smart thing before reading the above. It does just kind of jump right out at you doesn't it? I'm not sure what it is that I've just read, but I can't deny that it is something. I'm ... I think I just may be ... impressed ... ? I honestly can't say. How strange.

HOLY sh*t IT WORKED

Prederick wrote:

HOLY sh*t IT WORKED

Let's try that again.

Lots of nude bikini models,
Lots of nude bikini models,
Lots of nude bikini models.

Derek, if you truly didn't give a sh*t, you wouldn't call them "loud mouthed, anti-social, the-reason-abortion-should-be-legal, f*ckups" . You seem to be locked in a self-perpetuating circle of hostility. Yes, it takes one to know one. I won't deny it.

Its very hard to break out of this circle but eventually something happens. Maybe a new hobby will make you look differently at things. Maybe a new person. Hopefully it will not end up with you being driven away in an ambulance while repeatedly screaming about "those motherf*cking c*cksuckers are out to get me !". Because you are pretty damn interesting and it would be a shame to lose you.

Yes, it takes one to know one. I won't deny it.

Damn it, you beat me to it. I have always theorized that it's because you're Russian :D.

I don't know who Derek Smart is and I don't really care either. It's interesting to read your thoughts though Derek. I concur with Fletch too, just not sure what to say.

The thing is we took a huge step forward towards an indy game scene with Quake 1's mod tools. And now we have taken several steps back by removing the accessibility of the mod tools for the later FPS titles. It used to be a relatively painless process to make a custom map in Quake and play it. The process was pretty automated. Now we have to worry about nasty file structures and Steam DRM wrinkles. Its Quake C versus Dev Studio and .DLLs. Its morph target animation where the morphs could be made in any 3d package vs. skeletal animation that requires 3dsmax and character studio so nobody bothers making exporters for Lightwave, or Milkshape or the features supported are drastically cut. I think we have completely undermined the bustling mod community with the increasing complexity of mod tools.

Sure there is an explosion for those indies that start from scratch, but that will just skew the curve torwards simpler knockoffs rather than break throughs. Call it reinventing the wheel at lower costs.

We need to go back to the relative simplicity and power of Worldcraft (not hammer), WADs, Quake C. We need more projects like www.gamemaker.nl and in 3d. How cool would it be if we had 5-10 games a year like www.playfate.com ?

dsmart wrote:

When I show up and respond, some would liken it to me throwing gasoline on everyone. Thats not the case at all.

Gasoline takes too long to burn and would require more than one post to be truly effective.

A tactical nuke takes one post. A good TN post means that you don't even have to come back and explain anything nor respond further. Its my version of a drive-by flaming.

Hahaha, well said, Derek! Incidentally, thanks for not dropping a nuke on us.

shihonage wrote:

Derek, if you truly didn't give a sh*t, you wouldn't call them "loud mouthed, anti-social, the-reason-abortion-should-be-legal, f*ckups" . You seem to be locked in a self-perpetuating circle of hostility. Yes, it takes one to know one. I won't deny it.

English is not your first language is it? Either that or your reading comprehension skills are severely lacking. Please read what I wrote again. SLOWLY this time. If you still don't get it, ask someone to translate it for you. Or, at the very least, ask someone to explain it.

It is considered poor form to respond to a post that you don't seemingly understand. Wars have been started over lesser and more foolish mistakes though.

Maybe in your world, being verbose and vitriolic (to say the least) is considered hostile. I guess girl scouts don't have sex either.

Vector wrote:

I don't know who Derek Smart is

You could start here. Then pull up a chair, grab a beer and continue here.

Vector wrote:

and I don't really care either.

Oh great; now I gotta read through shinohage coming back and saying that if you really didn't care, you wouldn't have posted and that....well, you catch my drift.

Lobo wrote:

Hahaha, well said, Derek! Incidentally, thanks for not dropping a nuke on us.

hehe, nah man, I like it here. I visit every time I can, but I just don't post. I rarely post when I don't have something to say. Thats how I am. Most people just believe that they have to be heard to exist. I cruise the net when I get the chance, drop in on my fav sites, forums, blogs etc. I ONLY post when I have something to contribute. I mean, how could I not respond to an article with my name in it?

And if you know anything about me (I'm assuming that you do), you should know that I don't engage unless absolutely necessary. People who treat me with respect, get the same back. There is a damn good reason why I'm still in this - God forsaken - industry when most (and better mortals) have fallen by the wayside. I must be doing something right. It was only like yesterday when I got my first game out. Nine years and six games (with three more on the way) later, well, here we are. *G*

Is he allowed to double post like that? I'm no flamer but I recognise that flamers need to be flamed right back, that is, if you care enough to flame a flamer.

Barney Fife: How do you fight fire?

Andy Griffith: With a hose

Barney: No, you fight fire with fire!

Andy: Oh

(paraphrased, no drunken Andy Griffith searches for me tonight)

Oh great; now I gotta read through shinohage coming back and saying that if you really didn't care, you wouldn't have posted and that....well, you catch my drift.

I just call him a Russian and it quiets him up :D.

I read the first article. Derek, you're doing what you love. I can understand why these guys can't hurt you in any way.

Edit: I was also pissier than I normally am, in my last comment. The only developers that I pay attention to are the guys that were a part of Fallout 1&2 and that's because those are games I consider masterpieces.

dsmart wrote:

English is not your first language is it? Either that or your reading comprehension skills are severely lacking. Please read what I wrote again. SLOWLY this time. If you still don't get it, ask someone to translate it for you. Or, at the very least, ask someone to explain it.

It is considered poor form to respond to a post that you don't seemingly understand. Wars have been started over lesser and more foolish mistakes though.

Maybe in your world, being verbose and vitriolic (to say the least) is considered hostile. I guess girl scouts don't have sex either.

Yay, let's pick on the fact that Vector said I am Russian and make a cheap personal attack out of it while avoiding the subject altogether.

Oh great; now I gotta read through shinohage coming back and saying that if you really didn't care, you wouldn't have posted and that....well, you catch my drift.

Of course, that is not what I said at all. There's a difference between not talking about something and not being hostile about something. Maybe if you actually bothered to read MY post before boiling over, you would've seen that.

Vector wrote:

I don't know who Derek Smart is

dsmart wrote:

You could start here. Then pull up a chair, grab a beer and continue here.

I saw that one coming.

If you want to know who Derek Smart REALLY is, go here - http://www.werewolves.org/~follies/ . It is all well documented.

Here's an interesting tidbit from the theory as to why Derek Smart behaves like Derek Smart:

Truth and reality are not what defines Derek Smart to himself. His image is what defines Derek Smart to himself. This is what Mr. Smart means when he says that the Flame War Follies web site twists the premise. The web site presents an image of Mr. Smart that he doesn't like. The image that he wants is a brilliantly successful game developer that everyone else is envious of. Anything deviating from that image would be twisting the premise, according to Mr. Smart. Truth and reality are secondary to the desired image. Why does he stick to claiming a PhD? Simply because that is part of the desired image. To Mr. Smart it is not a lie, it is who he is, it is his image. Another part of Derek Smart's self image is defying the odds and defying the detractors. This simply grew out of the negative reaction he got from other people when he came into contact with him on-line.

So Mr. Smart continues on-line even though it would be far better for him to disappear. He stays on-line because he has to. Flaming on-line is part of the definition to him as to who he is. It gives him the feedback that he so desperately craves to define his own very fragile ego. When he's not on-line flaming people, he will eventually start feeling lost and start feeling empty. He starts feeling uncertain as to who he is. An NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) needs others to constantly define to them who they are. The Taco Palace is a nice place for Mr. Smart but that's not enough. That doesn't fully define who he is. This rebel and flamer is now part of Mr. Smart and he needs it as well. Mr. Smart needs his detractors far more than we need him that much has always been clear.

shihonage wrote:

Yay, let's pick on the fact that Vector said I am Russian and make a cheap personal attack out of it while avoiding the subject altogether.

First of all, unlike you (obviously) and your ilk, I don't take everything I read online - especially from anon strangers - seriously. Not even at face value. I'm not that gullible.

Those who actually do know me, know that I use that same rhetoric (i.e. the poster not understanding good old plain English) when addressing someone who seemingly either (a) didn't understand what I wrote and just decided to dive off the deep end or (b) clearly are stupid enough to make an argument out of it.

My post to you was no different. I could care less if you're Russian, South African or from the backwaters of the Amazon. If you are smart enough to type up rubbish, you should be smart enough to understand written English. If not, you shouldn't be taking part in online conversations pertaining to subject matter that is - clearly - above your comprehension skills. The fact that you equate my flamboyant and vitriolic post about something (the industry) I am passionate about, to hostility, just serves to prove my point.

And speaking of personal attacks; I'm not playing this game with you. What I said couldn't possibly be regarded as such. Unless you're cruising for a confrontation. Your reply to my original post clearly proves that; because not only were you out of turn, but your reply clearly had no contextual merit whatsoever. Hence my curt reply.

What do you go and do? You post a url to a person who is not only notorious for libel, character assassination (and who has been banned from practically every forum I go to, due to his penchant from bringing his crap there and usually getting us both banned) but who is also a known Usenet kook.

To take it further, you post the same sh*t he has on his site, trying to pass it off as fact. Its not even an opinion, let alone factual. It is easy to point the finger at someone who - like me - is in plain sight. People - like you and him - take pleasure in your feeble attempts at making people believe in your crap while trying to beat down on someone else because it makes you feel good about yourself. That, in and of itself, is a sociological and psychological problem. Your feeble attempt at using the same tactic because you felt slapped stupid in this thread, is only an indicator that - as per your original post to which I replied - you are of the same schoolyard bully mentality where the pack follows a leader and does what he does, regardless of merit.

I know who I am. I know what I have accomplished and those accomplishments are here - in plain sight - for the world to see. Unlike you and your ilk, I don't go around making excuses for my mistakes nor curling up under a bed and sucking my thumb when I fail. Try and fail is no disgrace and thats why, regardless of anything that stands in my way, if I fail, I try - and try again until I achieve what I set out to do.

Bill Huffman has been trying to tarnish my rep, character assassinate me for years (since 1996 to be exact). What has he accomplished? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. What have I accomplished? Well, lets see. Industry notoriety. Industry brand name recognition (something you can't put a price tag on) for my games. Respect from my peers and fanbase. Six games and millions of dollars in cumulative revenue. Not to mention an ever growing fanbase. Even when I recently had my car accident, the emails and cards alone were so unmanageable, that I had to forward my email address to my assistant to handle.

So you see, you and your ilk can't touch me. Only I am responsible for me. Nobody else. And I answer to no man. For every Huffman or shinonage, there are several thousand opposites. So, in the general scheme of things - not to mention out here in the real world - well you're all inconsequential and nothing you ever say, write or do, will ever has a much merit as what I say, write or do. Why? Well particularly because I have something to show for my actions, verse and scribes.

I don't need anyone reminding me who of I am. I know who I am. If we knew who you were and dedicated our time to dissecting every aspect of your - obviously inferior (why else would you bother with your recent post?) - existence - it would be a waste of time. Why? Well because you're nobody. You're inconsequential and just another alias on a board in a small corner of the net. So, do yourself a favor. Just sit back and STFU if you don't have anything to share and which is deemed worth sharing. If you wanted a I engaged Derek Smart and got my ass singed t-shirt, well you're out of luck. We've run out of t-shirts since back in late nineties.

That is all. I'm gone.

And now... Out of Context Theater.

...You and him - take pleasure in... someone else because it makes you feel good... So, do yourself a favor. Just sit back... You... wanted a Derek Smart and got my ass.

Just like the old days. Guys, you've just been schooled - old-school.

So, this whole thing is pretty new for me. I admit, for the last many years whenever I went online, I was quickly turned off by the seemingly swarms of 10 year olds flaming one another. Which is why I never participated in a forum until recently (GWJ seems to have few to none ten year olds :))

Is this dialogue between dsmart and shihonage typical of what one might have found a few years back? I'm not sure I regret missing this aspect of gaming culture, but it's certainly a fresh outlook at the community. On the other hand, the P&C forums get pretty heated sometimes...so I guess it's not that unheard of