[Maxxius]

Originally Posted by Duppin

Later? Absolutely.

Early on, Brad attempted to have real conversations with folks regarding a game that he was excited about, and that yes, he wanted them to get excited about too.

Now, he always gave me the "traveling snake oil salesman" vibe a bit, too, but early on I really think he was trying to have a good back and forth with hardcore gamers that he could, yes, then use to try to make his game better.

He gave up, I think, when it was clear that he was going to be attacked, often on a really personal and staggeringly inappropriate level, no matter what he posted. That's when he started posting what basically amounted to marketing fluff, and while Brad is culpable for many things in the demise of Vanguard (particularly if the part about him not having even shown up in the office for the last six months is really true, what the hell is that?), I don't blame him, at all, for giving up on this board.

This board USED to have far more value than it does now, because while the people here were cynical, jaded gamers, and would call you out if all you posted was bullshit, the USERS were also held responsible for what they posted here, and got the smackdown from Furor/TBH if they got out of line.

Once that went away, the inmates were essentially running the asylum, and that was the beginning of the end.

Bullshit. He never tried to have any real dialog since he was too contemptuous of the readership's opinions. He had his vision and that was that. He was that way with EQ, and he was clearly that way with VG. He went back on so many promises here it is not even worth recounting. The hits he took on this forum were deserved. And as the old saying goes, if you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Now if you want a forum where you only get pom pom posts for developers, go to their controlled websites and have at it. But if a developer truly wants dialog and not manipulation, then perhaps they will venture forth here. It can work if sincere. Otherwise, aside from entertaining drama, it really is no loss.