Clint Thompson Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) First and foremost, to hell with Atari for pulling this shit. I think for them to have legal grounds that they would have had to went after all the other Tempest / T2K clones prior to this because I'm pretty sure that since they haven't exactly went out of their way to protect the copyright (as it is their job to do so) they can't just pick and choose many years later because it's proving profitable, bypassing the other half-dozen clones in the process over the past decade. They basically dropped the ball with enforcing any legal C&D with all the other clones and it shouldn't be any surprise considering Atari has always been either shifted around and completely out of focus for a company as a whole, proven by its constant change of hands and management. As if Atari couldn't possibly tarnish its name enough, they go out on a limb and after the one guy that did more for the company in terms of presenting their last "real" console in helping it become far more successful than it would have been without Jeff otherwise. I can't help but laugh at some of the things Jeff says becuase they are truly funny but it's a real shame that he has to endure this sort of stress in something that is supposed to be fun, creative and bring joy to many. Atari can only be pissed at their own continued failures and lack of reaching out to the proper people (in this case, Jeff Minter) to make proper updates to their classics, despite his track record of doing such an amazing job which clrearly reflects in raving reviews and instead, release what has been considered by many as rubbish remakes to make a quick buck. Not that there was much respect for the new Atari to be had to begin with but this is a new low for them. I hope Jeff the best and it would be nice if some lawyer would step up for his defense pro bono and set the record straight so we can see the fruits of labor behind the truly talented Llamasoft team, how ever little it may be. Edited March 18, 2015 by Clint Thompson 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggn Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Edited March 18, 2015 by ggn 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh3-rg Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Venturebeat has decent coverage: http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/18/abject-bollocks-tempest-2000-creator-calls-out-atari-for-trying-to-block-his-followup/ Atari's response is laughable and already looks like damage control taking place: Atari values and protects its intellectual property and expects others to respect its copyrights and trademarks. When Llamasoft launched TxK in early 2014, Atari was surprised and dismayed by the very close similarities between TxK and the Tempest franchise. Atari was not alone in noticing the incredible likeness between the titles. Several major gaming outlets also remarked at the similarity of features and overall appearance of TxK to Tempest; one stated of TxK, “This is essentially Tempest.” There is no lawsuit. Atari has been in continuous contact with the developer since the game launched in hopes that the matter would be resolved. ...which doesn't really paint the same picture Minter presents via twitter and his posting of the legal documents. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) 1- This is an enhanced and naturally evolved version of T2K, no question. A remake. A rehash. 2- Patent or IP trolls, greedy bastards, whatever.. Atari and lawyers are well within their rights to protect their material. 3- This type of squabbling is ridiculous, and a small but real reason why I have little interest in modern gaming. 4- This is an example of why I never sign over my IP to any major company, regardless of any immediate benefits or compensation. 5- The last time I bought anything "Atari", was back around the 486 - Pentium days. Since then they haven't produced anything that was good enough for me. 6- Jeff (and the gamers he codes for) have to understand that today's "Atari" is not the original Atari of the 70's & 80's.. and that there has been an Intellectual property transfer to a different entity that might have a different philosophy. In business, emotions are inferior, irrelevant, to contracts and words on the paper. 7- Tempest franchise *IS* property of Atari. It was never Jeff's to begin with. Sorry. 8- It's too bad that good ethics are not in play here. Both parties could benefit. But, alas, in today's non-critical-thinking world, I don't expect much. 9- There's the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Edited March 18, 2015 by Keatah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) The best way to respond to patent trolls? Smash 'em! Edited March 18, 2015 by Jess Ragan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 The best way to respond to patent trolls? Smash 'em! You can try.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 10- If "Atari" isn't using the T2K franchise constructively, and someone can, why not let it happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 So you think you can make a better Mortal Kombat eh? We dare you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh3-rg Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) I think we're soon to see more back-pedalling... Edited March 18, 2015 by sh3-rg 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seedy1812 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Here's some interesting reading http://minotaurproject.co.uk/YakImages/surprised_and_dismayed.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CyranoJ Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 What's a "SupperZapper" ? Is that someone who comes around and electrifies your last meal of the day? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Rogue Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 What's a "SupperZapper" ? Is that someone who comes around and electrifies your last meal of the day? http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Tempest/Getting_Started Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CyranoJ Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Tempest/Getting_Started Yeah I know what a SuperZapper is, thanks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Come on, you pick up on that and ignore the glorious "TEPMEST 2000"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaztee Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Here's some interesting reading http://minotaurproject.co.uk/YakImages/surprised_and_dismayed.pdf Holy crap how many times did they spell TEMPEST wrong?? Anyone for a game of TENpest 2000? If atari really want to have ANY kind of relevance in the theatre of modern gaming they need to drop the case. Take up jeffs offer to help updating some of their back catalogue & stop releasing shite like the new versions of Haunted House & star raiders - twats! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAGUAR Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I said it before but Jeff should seriously think about making another game for the Jaguar. The market IS there and then some. He is a god to the Jaguar community. If he made another Jaguar game of similar caliber to Tempest 2000 or Defender 2000, even if it was close to that quality, people would happily pay atleast $200 a copy and it would be worth it and nobody would feel ripped off. I even think $300 a copy would be realistic, since it's Jeff Minter. I think at $300 a copy he could sell 1,000 copies of his game no problem in the first few months. If the game were continuously marketed correctly, I think he could sell 2,000-4,000 copies in the first 6 months to a year... This is all assuming the game itself will be quite good and marketed properly on all the classic gaming forums and ebay. Not to mention, he could get help with the game from the many current Jag homebrew guys... To hell with the new stuff, the new systems, the new Atari, etc. Lets kick it old school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaddog Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Well until Frog-tari gets around to making a Tempest game of their own that isn't F2P, Flash based or a friggin' slot machine then they should thank Minter for making their worthless IP look good for once. Otherwise it'll be a cold day in hell before I buy anything with their sodamized brand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 An important warning for all you gamers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 If he made another Jaguar game of similar caliber to Tempest 2000 or Defender 2000, even if it was close to that quality, people would happily pay atleast $200 a copy and it would be worth it and nobody would feel ripped off. I even think $300 a copy would be realistic, since it's Jeff Minter. I think at $300 a copy he could sell 1,000 copies of his game no problem in the first few months. If the game were continuously marketed correctly, I think he could sell 2,000-4,000 copies in the first 6 months to a year... So...a potential $1.2 mil. That's one of the crazier things I've seen here, and the Jag forum has a long, proud history of crazy things. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAGUAR Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) So...a potential $1.2 mil. That's one of the crazier things I've seen here, and the Jag forum has a long, proud history of crazy things. If the game ended up being as good as Tempest 2000 or even better... I don't see why he couldn't sell 4,000 copies for $300 each. I know atleast 600 to 1,000 Jag nuts would buy a copy, theres TONS of new Jaguar owners in the last few years thanks to the popularity of the Jag going crazy. Angry nerds (James Rolfe) Jag videos have MILLIONS of views.. Jag prices on ebay have gone rather crazy in the last couple of years. Lots of people who are not into the Jaguar, but who know about Jeff Minter, might just pick up a Jag and his game if its crazy good. Ok, maybe more realistic might be 1,500 to 2,000 copies could sell in the first year, and maybe the price could be $200 to $250 instead of $300. But I mean, there would lots of dudes who would want to buy more than 1 copy, myself included. If there were only 1 run, the game would easily sell on ebay years later for Battlesphere prices or higher ($500+) Edited March 19, 2015 by JAGUAR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600 Forever Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 PLASTIC! DANGER! Frigging weirdos. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAGUAR Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 (edited) I would think atleast 1000 copies of Battlesphere and Battlesphere Gold have sold for $150 to $800 over the years (bought from Scatalogic and ebay combined). And that game is kinda boring if you ask me. I own it. It does have impressive graphics, music, sound, huge environment, lots of ships, but, when the game starts, you are alone in space, and , well, its boring. Even when you encounter a ship, its just kind of non eventful. The game is too open ended, needs a bit more storyline during gameplay or something. I dunno. So that game has sold for mega bucks for years and years, so ya. Never know until you try. Jeff sure has gotten screwed by the mainstream with that Gamecube Unity thing and now this. So ya. Edited March 19, 2015 by JAGUAR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I would think atleast 1000 copies of Battlesphere and Battlesphere Gold have sold for $150 to $800 over the years (bought from Scatalogic and ebay combined). And that game is kinda boring if you ask me. Ive owned it. It does have impressive graphics, music, sound, huge environment, lots of ships, but, when the game starts, you are alone in space, and , well, its boring. Even when you encounter a ship, its just kind of non eventful. The game is too open ended, needs a bit more storyline during gameplay or something. I dunno. So that game has sold for mega bucks for years and years, so ya. Never know until you try. Jeff sure has gotten screwed by the mainstream with that Gamecube Unity thing and now this. So ya. I would never spend that much money on any released game, despite my fanaticness for the Jaguar (or not so much I guess), let alone $100 for any single Jaguar game - unless it was for an unreleased title, but that's a completely different subject matter altogether. Very little things in this world are worth that much money when it comes to games in general. In a very best case scenario even if done on the Jaguar CD, he would be lucky to break $30k if sold for full retail of $60 as I think 500 units would be stretching it. And he didn't really get screwed for the Unity thing as he was being paid for that, it just never materialized and never happened so no biggie. Sides, he's shown no interest in touching the Jaguar again so nullify that dream of becoming a reality. After all this happening, he'll probably want to tone down game development as a whole. I know it would definitely leave a bad mojo feeling going forward if I were in his shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+madman Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I know atleast 600 to 1,000 Jag nuts would buy a copy, theres TONS of new Jaguar owners in the last few years thanks to the popularity of the Jag going crazy. Angry nerds (James Rolfe) Jag videos have MILLIONS of views.. Jag prices on ebay have gone rather crazy in the last couple of years. Lots of people who are not into the Jaguar, but who know about Jeff Minter, might just pick up a Jag and his game if its crazy good. What's your source for 600 Jaguar fans buying a copy? We don't have 600 active users on this forum and this forum contains the nuttiest of Jaguar nuts. So ya. Free YouTube views equate to Jaguar game sales? So ya. So Tempest 2000, a highly regarded game by Jeff Minter that is readily available for a modest price wasn't enough to make people buy a Jaguar, but a new Jeff Minter game selling for $300 will? So ya. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAGUAR Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Its weird if he has no interest in the Jag as his best game is on the system and it has a lively homebrew scene, right up his alley. So hmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.