> -----Original Message----- > From: Kevin Graeme [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 1:20 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: GTA? > > I have to disagree. Not because I'm offended at the sex scene, but > because I'm offended at Take Two and Rockstar's stupidity. > > by breaking the license agreement. In an industry that regularly > builds in easter eggs and special unlocks, that defense is tissue > thin. Sure the method used to get to it was more than just entering a > special code, but that's not uncommon these days. So even thinking > that stance would fly is stupid.
Regardless of Rockstar's weasling (and I do think they handled the whole thing like weasels) I think it makes all the difference in the world that there is no way to see the material without modifying the source code. > They know they create a controversial game. It's what they thrive on, > why they make their money. The developers who created the scene > undoubtedly knew they were pushing those limits further. And the > removal of the scene from the regular gameplay supports that. But the > fact that they left it in was the key. Somebody made a conscious > decision to replace the scene but leave it in. The scene wasn't "Replaced" - the camera was moved. I'm sure they intended to keep the whole thing in the game until they were told they had to get it out to please the lawyers. Once it was decided to pull it the idea, I'm sure, was to change as little of the code as possible (the bigger the change, the bigger the retesting). This game is immense. It already has enough glitches and bugs for 80 games. And now we're going to ensure that the next game is even glitchier because we're forcing developers to divert testing time to ensuring that all assets in every library are known regardless of whether they're used or not. > Considering the popularity of the GTA series it's plain to see that > the Mature rating didn't hurt it. Probably the opposite. Admittedly, > based on the ESRB Mature rating, they were able to get into stores > that wouldn't carry an Adults Only rating. By the time the PC version > was released and easter egg was discovered, they had already sold > hundreds of millions of dollar's worth. This is NOT an "Easter Egg". It's just not. There's NO WAY to see this without modifying the source code. The gameplay is affected - the "Hot Coffee" mod tends to cause other glitches and crashes - it's surfacing a "feature" that was never completed and never fully tested. There's no way to see this on any of the console versions of the game. Even on the PC there's no code to punch in, no in-game machinations that can reveal it, no button sequence to activate it. This wasn't a cute little hidden thing. I doubt anybody at Rockstar even remembered it until the hack resurfaced it. > What their reaction should have been when the scene rumors first > surfaced was to release a statement that did acknowledge the scene's > existence, re-label the rating and offer an M version and an AO > version. And to mollify outraged parents, offer a trade-in program to > get the "fixed" M version for their accidental AO version. Basically > embrace the scene as a developer easter egg and build a proactive > business model about it. I would agree - but I still say the game should rated on it's available content, not content surfaced by hacks never designed, meant, or enabled for public consumption. I still think it's ridiculous. To me it's still like penalizing somebody because when you reverse-engineered their software you were offended by their code comments. It reminds me of that case a few years ago where a surgeon was carving (if I remember correctly) his fraternity symbol into patients organs. It wasn't the fact that he was making the symbol (it's common in some surgeries to carve a little marker in the organ to remind the surgeon which side they're working on) but that he was making a symbol that meant something to him. The surgeries were successful, you couldn't see the mark at all and nobody else ever would (unless there was a second surgery) but somehow these people felt "violated". Ridiculous. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:166070 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
