Insurgency

[Mortis]

Insurgency beta 2 has been released, but is currently only available from FilePlanet, the biggest imaginable corporate, greed-fueled gaming-related shithole online. You need an account to download; Go to KotW for one if you don't have one yet. Let me quote to you an answer regarding this from an Insurgency team member:

No money what so ever has swapped hands!

Let me ask you, then, my dear audience: If they did not receive any moolah, any smackeroo, why would they give it out to GameSpy as an exclusive? It is utterly inexplicable and even more utterly INEXCUSABLE AND DESPICABLE!

Corporate bullshit! This is why I made a torrent of the installer as soon as I got my hands on the file: It might not be of that much use, but I'd be a bastard not to share with my friends!

[Darkelth]

MORE LIKELY I DOWNLOAD IT FROM YOUR TORRENT THAN FROM THE STINKY QUEUENING FILEPLANET!

Yeah, the account making sucks, I have this old account, and YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR NOT TO WAIT FOR THE START OF THE DOWNLOAD FOR LIKE 40 FREAKING MINUTES!

Fileplanet sux, KOTWWWWWWW!
ANACHY!

[Mortis]

I've decided to contact the team and find out what the real motive behind the FilePlanet exclusivity deal was. Let's see if they respond.

[Darkelth]

I've decided to contact the team and find out what the real motive behind the FilePlanet exclusivity deal was. Let's see if they respond.

Heha, #insurgency @ GameSurge at least has some [INS] guys there as operators and so on
A good way to ask too, perhaps, except not if you're afraid of getting banned, I think xD

Yeah, the first time I tried Insurgency, ever. And won't be the last time. It was enjoyable, though the teams sucked in many ways, we didn't have a good team-playing. Actually I was the best in the end when two better guys disconnected from my team x]
I also heard there were a lot of bugs in previous beta, I got stucked once, when I was on the ground and trying to throw a smoke grenade. Couldn't move nor attack, only look and type something etc.

But well, the good things. It got potential! I was quite a bit hyped when I read the manual, and about the thing that I've heard a bit positive feedback from the mod, but hell yeah it could be a good mod with good players, TEAMplaying, which I suffered in my session now. Though I didn't get any KAKAists with me this time The second thing is that Insurgency got players, and a lot of servers, and thats a good thing. It really is a pity when you have a really great mod, with a huge lack of players, but that ain't a problem in Insurgency, due the medium playerbase.

Perhaps I'm gonna try again this evening, if I get some people to play with me
---------------------------------
Western Quake III is a really great mod btw, if you didn't know it already. We've played it in two LANs, a hella lot of time actually, and it's been fun

[Mortis]

So far no reply, but I think http://forums.insmod.net/index.php?show ... t&p=213007 sums it up nicely.

[Mortis]

We do not reply to these kind of comments. Particularly when done in such a tone.

But I will here make an exception: We chose Fileplanet because they gave us the kind of public exposure that a project like Insurgency needs. We are currently the 7th most downloaded file on their system before commercial game files such as the new World of Warcraft Patch or Unreal Tournament 2003 demo.

I am sure that will solve your question.

The biggest annoyance to anyone downloading from fileplanet is the download queue. We strongly believe that this is a very minor inconvenience for people who are downloading free content. Basically, our release is free, and FilePlanet is free. No one is losing here. Maybe you want the files faster, but that is our choice, and while we do take your suggestions for a lot of things related to INS, we are the ones taking decisions here.

The only requirement for the download is to be registered for free at their website, something that most people do anyway to download other files. Most people already have a FilePlanet account, anyway. I am sure you will understand the business model behind FilePlanet. If you don't like it, it's an issue between you and FilePlanet, not with us. For us developers FilePlanet and their related sites are a very successful initiative that offers many advantages over other models: No spam or spyware, their banners can be easily skipped with the press of a key, and less annoyances than many other popular mirrors, reliable servers, and complete trust in terms of the protection and safety of our files until release (no leaks). Additionally, we reach thousands of potential players of Insurgency through their pages and
related websites.

If you think we are making a disservice to our community, you are the one making a huge mistake here: other mirrors were available simultaneously, not only because the content is free and people did upload it to other mirrors - and a visit to those popular mirrors would have gotten you to the files in no time - but also because we had several mirrors available for our inmediate community. We had a really fast download mirror in a torrent file with good seeders linked from a public section in our forums. That link was PUBLIC, anyone could access it. That allowed anyone registered in our forums to skip the Fileplanet queues and download the game. Maybe you are an unregistered user - or maybe you just didn't see it, but in that case, we are not the ones to blame.

No money was involved in the deal with FilePlanet, in case you were wondering.

I understand that some people don't like FilePlanet, but to be honest the inconveniences were non-existant in comparison with the benefits and the exposure.

However, it seems that there is people that think that downloading a free game gives them the right to write to its developers to complain about where they have legitimally chosen to place their files for public download.

It's very interesting that the Insurgency team consider answering my question something of an exception; A beastly proposition largely beneath their dignity. Sadly the response does not cover any ground that would ultimately bring to light anything new and thus does little else but enforce the pre-existing anti-FilePlanet stance that I tried to represent to the team in my letter.

Therefore, I would like to add my two cents to the "official" response we have here. One could consider this a pro-community manifesto.

We do not reply to these kind of comments. Particularly when done in such a tone.

My question in its entirety contained the words

Rest assured that we feel you have underestimated your player base and that you should defend your viewpoint beginning with the general assumption that a mistake has been made.

I believe that for the sake of constructive discourse one must reach for actual stances and positions; The "tone" of my question was intended to give necessary colour and oomph to the opposing viewpoint so as to receive a constructive solution to a perceived problem. I would consider it largely foolish to ignore the fact that "These kind of comments" in all actuality represent the viewpoint of a tremendous portion of the game's fans! The release thread that announced the FilePlanet exclusivity garnered thousands of posts from forum members expressing their outrage at the situation. I actually find it peculiar that such a torrent of posts did not motivate the developers to respond, which leads me to believe that the "tone" here was utilized here in a meaningful way.

(At the time of writing) We are currently the 7th most downloaded file on their system before commercial game files such as the new World of Warcraft Patch or Unreal Tournament 2003 demo.

I am sure you will understand the business model behind FilePlanet.

While I wish I could constructively answer the whole of the aforementioned e-mail, I believe it is these two quotes that especially crystallize the dilemma that I wanted to point out originally. What we saw with the FilePlanet exclusivity deal was a) delusions of grandeur and b) an extremely unhealthy, non-contributive, non-communal stance towards the rest of the mod community.

Firstly; What if the file had, instead of the exclusivity clause with FilePlanet, been readily available from other just as prominent file servers, or from a wide breadth of server space offered by community members? Why was webseeding not utilized? Why were there no official torrents? Let me tell you, a counter at FilePlanet a fan base does not make - especially if they are outraged at the very thing you represent.

Certainly more members of the Half-Life 2 community would have been more willing to download the installer off a plethora of servers not FilePlanet. This was evident at our irc channel where I was the only person stupid enough to download the file off FilePlanet - for seeding the files as a torrent on our website. I contributed my entire bandwidth to sharing the file for prolonged periods of time. There were hundreds and hundreds of us who did so because of this exclusivity deal.

For a mod team to attempt to build for itself status as a project that comes "before commercial game files" is outrageous at best: Since when are mods supposed to compete with commercial games or game demos? What happened to solidarity and a common sense of togetherness in the mod community - accepting the fact that you're not a part of the machine? Playing by your own rules instead of enforcing those dictated to you by Outsiders?

I don't see why a non-commercial venture should have business being a strictly commercial site in the first place. Adherence to a corporate business model - one that is completely unsuited for this kind of communal entrepreneurship - is ultimately going to compromise the status of the entire community: Instead of trying to develop a sense of togetherness and resistance against the corporate billion-dollar world of games, the Insurgency team has not only embraced the current capitalist model but enforced it on other less prominent teams to come, ultimately positioning itself both with and against commercial and non-commercial teams.

The Insurgency team - in this case, a black sheep - has waltzed, with open arms, directly into the mouths of preying wolves by providing a corporate entity called FilePlanet materials for NO monetary compensation. This is a blatantly one-sided relationship with blatantly one-sided benefits; If other mod teams embrace the same model of distribution, it's FilePlanet and FilePlanet only that will ultimately reap the rewards.

...other mirrors were available simultaneously, not only because the content is free and people did upload it to other mirrors - and a visit to those popular mirrors would have gotten you to the files in no time - but also because we had several mirrors available for our inmediate community.

This is completely, puzzlingly untrue! The moderators of the Insurgency forums were told to delete all posts that contained external download links during the so-called "exclusivity" deal with FilePlanet - be they torrents or non-FilePlanet mirrors. Even if "other mirrors were available", this was neither intended nor endorsed by the Insurgency team.

The Insurgency team did not endorse in any way the spirited resources of its own community. Many fans of the game (including myself) posted torrents, true, but to credit yourself with this is hollow; The torrents were neither your achievement nor were endorsed by the Insurgency team.

However, it seems that there is people that think that downloading a free game gives them the right to write to its developers to complain about where they have legitimally chosen to place their files for public download.

Let me finish my manifesto by underlining the insulated attitudes of the Insurgency team. What is being stated here is that "Free = no responsibility for consequences". Let me ask you, my friends, if I send a free letter bomb to Armand and he dies in the explosion that follows, is he to blame for opening the letter he received?

Yes, opening the letter was a choice, but so was sending the bomb. Indeed, there are moral decisions and immoral decisions. The question remains, what kind of a decision did the Insurgency team make?

[Mortis]

Sad to say but the Eternal Silence team did the very same "mistake" in releasing their recent beta as a 1-day exclusive through FilePlanet. I believe Insurgency had a 3-day one; I've yet to mention this to the ES team, though. Maybe I should, I still think this is a valid point to make.

[Darkelth]

Sad to say but the Eternal Silence team did the very same "mistake" in releasing their recent beta as a 1-day exclusive through FilePlanet. I believe Insurgency had a 3-day one; I've yet to mention this to the ES team, though. Maybe I should, I still think this is a valid point to make.

INFORMATION WANTS TO BEE FREE YO.
KotW is right.
Fileplanet sux ass.

[Darkelth]

This mod has gotten a real big player database, since even the ESL (Electronic Sports League) has made the mod as one of their games.

I tried the RC2 beta last evening, and I must say there have been some great changes in the game, or then the all differences are because of my new iron in town. With this Phenom Q4 and GeForce 8800GT I have noticed just a slight difference in how the game goes (sarcasm included). Not a single lag or bug! Compared to my old Athlon 1800+ and Radeon 9250, the game is incredibly beautiful, and goes as a penguin swims in an ocean!

Awesomeness. I really recommend this to everyone.