Talk about being ripped a new one!

Swatter · February 13, 2015, 11:38:33 PM

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/02/13/peter-molyneux-interview-godus-reputation-kickstarter/

After playing Black and White, I never paid attention to Molyneux again, but its hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. Its like feeling sorry for Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. If someone backed a title with the involvement of Peter Molyneux, your anger should be with yourself. Peter is a known quantity. Kick Starter is a huge risk (even bigger when Peter is in the mix), getting medieval on Molyneux doesn't accomplish anything except perhaps sate the revenge of this so called journalist. Once again, RPS shows its flare for drama.

DennisS · February 14, 2015, 12:44:50 AM

Godus is a terrible, terrible game. Supposed to be a AAA title, but was little more than a money grab, with micro transactions. The screams from all the potential purchasers stopped that, but the game's development was essentially slowed to a crawl. Quite the story.

Rayfer · February 14, 2015, 08:55:45 AM

Quote from: Swatter on February 13, 2015, 11:38:33 PM
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/02/13/peter-molyneux-interview-godus-reputation-kickstarter/

After playing Black and White, I never paid attention to Molyneux again, but its hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. Its like feeling sorry for Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. If someone backed a title with the involvement of Peter Molyneux, your anger should be with yourself. Peter is a known quantity. Kick Starter is a huge risk (even bigger when Peter is in the mix), getting medieval on Molyneux doesn't accomplish anything except perhaps sate the revenge of this so called journalist. Once again, RPS shows its flare for drama.

I just finished reading the interview on RPS...at best contentious, at worst bitter and angry (the interviewer). Molyneux kept his cool through most of it, I'll give him credit for that.

Toonces · February 14, 2015, 01:08:05 PM

I'm with both Swatter and Rayfer on this one.

I actually have never heard of this guy, nor this game. In the interview I saw he created (or was involved with) Dungeon Keeper, and I have that and it was a pretty good game.

However, if he has a history of releasing games late, then shame on folks who backed is project for expecting it to come out on time this time.

And further, people really need to stop getting butt-hurt over poor Kickstarter investments. Kickstarter is a huge risk. You are essentially giving money to someone in the hope that they will make what they say with it. But by now we all know how this goes. So if you can't afford to flush that money down the toilet, you shouldn't be giving money to a kickstarter campaign.

Sympathy felt=0.

Unless I'm totally missing something. I skimmed the entire middle section of the interview.

undercovergeek · February 14, 2015, 01:26:39 PM

you never heard of Peter Molyneaux - hes populous, dungeon keeper, black and white, bullfrog games - and has a massive reputation now for crazy unfulfillable projects - but youre right, knowing that, dont back his projects

Toonces · February 14, 2015, 01:56:32 PM

The only game designers I actually pay any attention to are Gary Grigsby and Sid Meier.

Steelgrave · February 14, 2015, 02:11:14 PM

Quote from: Toonces on February 14, 2015, 01:56:32 PM
The only game designers I actually pay any attention to are Gary Grigsby and Sid Meier.

You can't go wrong there!

Personally, I thought both parties came off looking bad. The reviewer was unprofessional and incendiary with his name calling, none of which was necessary nor added to the interview. Molyneaux came off as befuddled, defensive and the kind of guy you might expect to find running a Ponzi scheme defrauding grandmothers. I'm neither interested in buying anything Molyneaux has to sell nor in reading anything else the interviewer has to say. A pox on both their houses.

vyshka · February 14, 2015, 02:30:43 PM

Quote from: undercovergeek on February 14, 2015, 01:26:39 PM
you never heard of Peter Molyneaux - hes populous, dungeon keeper, black and white, bullfrog games - and has a massive reputation now for crazy unfulfillable projects - but youre right, knowing that, dont back his projects

I avoided it precisely because it was his project, but I think he has really outdone himself on this one. The deal with switching focus to development of the mobile version probably would have pissed me off.

undercovergeek · February 14, 2015, 02:49:01 PM

and the poor bastard that one the 'life changing prize'

only works in multiplayer

and noones coding it

tgb · February 14, 2015, 03:28:41 PM

The interviewer was an arrogant ass. While I had no interest in Godus up to now, I may get it when (if) it's finished just to do my part to help make it a success.

Arctic Blast · February 14, 2015, 05:53:31 PM

Good. Molyneux Kickstarted this thing with a promised 7 month delivery time that even he now admits was utter crap. Meanwhile, 3 years later, it's currently being shown as a bit over 50% done, with a pile of promised features now being talked about as unlikely to ever happen. This guy has overpromised and underdelivered for years, but this disaster seems to go waaayyyy beyond his usual bullshit. Oh, and now some of the development staff has been switched over to start working on another game. It's frankly about time that someone raked him over the coals for it. This entire blast of fire was 100% self inflicted by his own idiocy.

mirth · February 14, 2015, 06:15:17 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 14, 2015, 05:53:31 PM
Good. Molyneux Kickstarted this thing with a promised 7 month delivery time that even he now admits was utter crap. Meanwhile, 3 years later, it's currently being shown as a bit over 50% done, with a pile of promised features now being talked about as unlikely to ever happen. This guy has overpromised and underdelivered for years, but this disaster seems to go waaayyyy beyond his usual bullshit. Oh, and now some of the development staff has been switched over to start working on another game. It's frankly about time that someone raked him over the coals for it. This entire blast of fire was 100% self inflicted by his own idiocy.

+1 I don't have much sympathy for Peter Molyneaux at this point.

DennisS · February 14, 2015, 06:22:15 PM

Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 14, 2015, 05:53:31 PM
Good. Molyneux Kickstarted this thing with a promised 7 month delivery time that even he now admits was utter crap. Meanwhile, 3 years later, it's currently being shown as a bit over 50% done, with a pile of promised features now being talked about as unlikely to ever happen. This guy has overpromised and underdelivered for years, but this disaster seems to go waaayyyy beyond his usual bullshit. Oh, and now some of the development staff has been switched over to start working on another game. It's frankly about time that someone raked him over the coals for it. This entire blast of fire was 100% self inflicted by his own idiocy.

This is the general consensus from what I have read. When he tried to sneak in the micro-transactions, then had to backtrack away from it, most of the reason to continue development of what looked to be an average game --at best-- was gone. At that point, he HAS diverted resources away from this game, into other projects that appear to be more lucrative.

Boggit · February 15, 2015, 03:29:59 AM

Quote from: mirth on February 14, 2015, 06:15:17 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 14, 2015, 05:53:31 PM
Good. Molyneux Kickstarted this thing with a promised 7 month delivery time that even he now admits was utter crap. Meanwhile, 3 years later, it's currently being shown as a bit over 50% done, with a pile of promised features now being talked about as unlikely to ever happen. This guy has overpromised and underdelivered for years, but this disaster seems to go waaayyyy beyond his usual bullshit. Oh, and now some of the development staff has been switched over to start working on another game. It's frankly about time that someone raked him over the coals for it. This entire blast of fire was 100% self inflicted by his own idiocy.

+1 I don't have much sympathy for Peter Molyneaux at this point.

+1

I loved populous, and DK2 back in the day, but that interview, while unnecessarily brutal IMHO, did him no credit at all, other than him having the balls to see it through. I used to admire him for his innovation, but from the interview he leaves me with the impression that his integrity is open to question. He shouldn't be taking funds given to kickstart Godus, and spending part of it elsewhere - that is in breach of trust to the people who backed him.

kassdhal · February 15, 2015, 09:38:44 AM

The interview is unquestionably too brutal and too disrespectful.

But we also need to be cognizant that Molyneux has not delivered anything really good since Fable I. And if you listen to me he has not delivered anything good since Dungeon Keeper 2...

I think the anger comes from the difference between what he promises and what he delivered, but also on the fact that he underdelivered and prepared what is essentially a money grabbing f2p games by taking money from kickstarter.

and that is unacceptable by any account