Pan'Theon: Rise' of th'e Fal'Len - #1 Thread in MMO

  • Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!



    Go here and give us your nominations!
    Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
kudos

kudos

<Banned>
2,363
695
Not only that but he also was tweeting how he was going to use some EQ:Next technology in this new game yet we end up with unity instead? The lies started long before the name was even announced for this game.
 
shabushabu

shabushabu

Molten Core Raider
1,408
185
kudos_sl said:
Not only that but he also was tweeting how he was going to use some EQ:Next technology in this new game yet we end up with unity instead? The lies started long before the name was even announced for this game.
Click to expand...
Did he really tweet that ? I thought that was just "theory" of many..
 
Lithose

Lithose

Buzzfeed Editor
25,946
113,036
ktam_sl said:
Ktamradio said:
Nirrtix - Brad is worth at least 7 figures, owns a mansion and another house and plenty of toys. Some of the Development team can't pay their mortgages - Brad's own words. The web site is bringing in an est $8k a month and Brad gets to keep that while the rest of the team look for new jobs. This site does not cost more than $500/year to operate for hosting and bandwidth. That's a lot of extra money and Brad is asking that people continue their subscriptions even though none of it goes to game development. Is that how you treat your community? How you treat people who you call friend?
Click to expand...
I can't believe the web site brings in 8k a month; but even if it's far less, it's amazing that it's being transferred into a personal account. So this company was never incorporated, or made into a limited liability, or anything? How is it not obvious that this is a scam at this point?

The best part is that Brad openly admits that he took the money and spent it without actually founding a business in order to track it/keep accounts for transparency purposes. What he gave to his friends, I'm going to bet, is well below the gift tax line (I'd laugh if it was 10999$ LOL). And what he earns are all small enough amounts that they can be gifts as well. So this has all, really in the eyes of the government, one big gift campaign to Brad and his friends.

Amazing, really. What's more amazing is that even with such shady business practices, he still has loyal followers. I mean, it's always perplexed me how mega-churches make their money; but I guess it's just one of those things that works.
 
Vandyn

Vandyn

Blackwing Lair Raider
3,656
1,382
shabushabu_sl said:
well said. If the money is gone, where did it go ? why nothing showable for 160k ? We were getting an alpha build with 800 k in what they said 6mon ?

Now perhaps 160 does not get you anything you can show ? But given the obvious lack of effort and pure "thrown together at the last minute" approach of the KS, it makes you wonder how much work was actually DONE.

In addition, to my knowledge none of the folks that were/are working there "got that much". Perhaps they are lying and covering the fact that they got a chunk of money for nothing ? Or they are telling the truth and Brad pocketed the dough ?

Be interesting if you guys can find out DETAIL about how much folks were paid ... it would go to show where the dirty behavior resides.
Click to expand...
Think of it like this, either one side (Brad) or the other (devs) are lying about how much they were 'backpaid'. Now ask yourself who does lying benefit the most in this situation, the devs or Brad who the money went directly too (keep in mind, it was his own account, not VRI). Now also think of other lies that Brad has said. Like there were angel investor(s) very interested in the project. Every single one of them got cold feet? But what made them 'very' interested before as opposed to now? What about this mythical demo that showed simple combat? Can anyone prove that existed?
 
Lithose

Lithose

Buzzfeed Editor
25,946
113,036
Vandyn_sl said:
Think of it like this, either one side (Brad) or the other (devs) are lying about how much they were 'backpaid'. Now ask yourself who does lying benefit the most in this situation, the devs or Brad who the money went directly too (keep in mind, it was his own account, not VRI). Now also think of other lies that Brad has said. Like there were angel investor(s) very interested in the project. Every single one of them got cold feet? But what made them 'very' interested before as opposed to now? What about this mythical demo that showed simple combat? Can anyone prove that existed?
Click to expand...
If I was an investor with "play" money (IE money I don't really care getting a return on; but rather I'd like to spend it on a passion project). Hearing that someone made 160k in private, small pool donations--and hearing they raised a potential 400k, would interest me. The moment I saw said money was not put into an actual company, and that there was no transparency? The scam alarm bells would go off.

That's pretty theoretical, mind you. Investing in a start up game is already a stretch, games provide TERRIBLE returns, if they even provide them at all (Which is why Publishers and their draconian contracts exists). However, even if there were some super rich die hard EQ fan--if he had any kind of consultation AT ALL; they'd tell him this is a scam. (Even if it wasn't a scam, it LOOKS like a scam. The use of personal accounts; the lack of transparency ect.)
 
Convo

Convo

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,768
617
Regardless of what his intentions were then, not canceling that paypal account an allowing people to sub/donate very much is a scam. That account should of been turned off when the project stopped.... What's a Hassa, Brad?
 
Convo

Convo

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,768
617
Heh he didn't respond to my last email, but it was more a statement that didn't require a response.
 
shabushabu

shabushabu

Molten Core Raider
1,408
185
did anyone notice that this part "NOTE: ANY MONEY PLEDGED WILL NOT BEING GOING TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME; INSTEAD IT WILL GO TOWARDS KEEPING THE WEBSITE UP AND RUNNING AND TO OTHER MAINTENANCE COSTS. WE WILL ADVISE YOU WHEN AND IF THIS CHANGES."

is below the fold.... how about below the large picture saying "help us make your game" ... seriously Brad enough already.
 
shabushabu

shabushabu

Molten Core Raider
1,408
185
Vandyn_sl said:
Think of it like this, either one side (Brad) or the other (devs) are lying about how much they were 'backpaid'. Now ask yourself who does lying benefit the most in this situation, the devs or Brad who the money went directly too (keep in mind, it was his own account, not VRI). Now also think of other lies that Brad has said. Like there were angel investor(s) very interested in the project. Every single one of them got cold feet? But what made them 'very' interested before as opposed to now? What about this mythical demo that showed simple combat? Can anyone prove that existed?
Click to expand...
There is not evidence of any specific involvement in this scheme other than Brad because his name was behind the whole thing... i.e. It couldn't have happened unless he signed off on it... now, as to how much the other guys new/not .... i would love to know that too because they could be part of this.

I have to bet someone is going to get pissed they dropped some money and call a lawyer.
 
Convo

Convo

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,768
617
shabushabu_sl said:
There is not evidence of any specific involvement in this scheme other than Brad because his name was behind the whole thing... i.e. It couldn't have happened unless he signed off on it... now, as to how much the other guys new/not .... i would love to know that too because they could be part of this.

I have to bet someone is going to get pissed they dropped some money and call a lawyer.
Click to expand...
A few are contacting the fraud department of their CC companies to get it back. Seems to be working.
 
Lunis

Lunis

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,289
1,521
Some people will white knight Brad til the end for one simple reason: this was going to be the only group PvE game on the horizon. I mean what else is there?

EQ2 - Possibly the worst combat system in MMO history.
WoW: WoD - Solo leveling with some possible high end raiding that will last 3-4 months.
VG - Shutting down.
ArcheAge - Asian luck based crafting endgame.
Wildstar - More boring solo leveling where every mob has "don't stand in fire" red circles.
Rift - WoW clone that takes the worst aspects of WoW's raiding style and amps it up to annoying levels.

And for someone like myself who didn't actually play EQ1 back in the day there's no nostalgic draw that will overcome the archaic graphics and combat system. Also, the only indie MMO's that don't follow these trends are PvP based: Pathfinder and Camelot Unchained.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.