Xorg@cup.portal.com (Peter Ted Szymonik) (09/22/89)
The Right Brain by Paul D. Stampfli I just hate it when I get let down. I just don't do well with disappointment. And I am seriously let down by Mr. Gilman (Chopstick) Louie and the folks over at Spectrum HoloByte, or Sphere, Inc., or whoever the heck it is that's responsible for Falcon. I know all about the letter that good old "Chopstick" wrote about all of us pirates that happen to use Ataris. And I know that we stood up together and fired a few rounds back. And I know that Mr. "Bigshot" Louie said that it was all a mistake and that he would apologize in writing. I'm still waiting. Up until the 24th of August I was still waiting for my update and mission disk for Falcon, too. See, I BOUGHT, (are you listening "chopstick"?) Falcon quite some time ago, one of the first six copies that Jenkins' (our local authorized Atari dealer) got originally. Although I spend most of my hours on the ST in productivity pursuits, I do like to play now and then, and this looked like something SERIOUS that you could play with. It was, I was thrilled. I still liked it when Tim (our user-group Prez and a fairly hot "pilot") found out about Control--X and started routinely kicking me out of the sky. (he will ripple fire four AIM 9L's at me and I just can't seem to get away from them all. Watch him when you're up there!) So, back in July I got a notice to upgrade and an option to purchase the mission disk along with the upgrade at a fair price. At least, I thought it was fair. ($24.95). So, I sent my check out on the 18th of July and then I started to wait. My bank statement came in mid-August and the check hadn't been cashed so I thought, well, maybe it got delayed in the mail. Tim went to the Dallas World of Atari around the 19th of August and came back with the mission disk that he had purchased for $10.00. Jenkins' got it in at the same time, give or take a couple of days. He was selling it for $24.95. Now that's retail, you have to figure that standard dealer mark-up is ABOUT fourty percent. So, Spectrum gave it to the dealers AND the consumers in the shorts, hard and fast. Like I said, I got my copy on the 24th, and it wasn't delayed in the mail, either. (I checked the postmark date.) Now what did the advertisement say that got me to order from the company direct? It said that if you bought the mission disk, your upgrade to 1.1 was free. I got this flash for you Mr. Louie, that ain't free. Not for me and certainly not for Jenkins'. My major gripe is simply this: Spectrum HoloByte told me they would give me something free if I bought something else, sight unseen. I think I have the right to expect a fair price and a timely shipment. Apparently, I do not. I also think the dealer has the right not to have the parent company undersell him "on the street", apparently, he does not. Sounds just too, too cute if you happen to be Spectrum, doesn't it? (I don't intend to review the game for you here, that's Tim's domain, but I would like to make a few comments about it. You have to understand that I've only played it a couple of times so I could be mistaken about some of the features.) The Spectrum HoloByte Falcon Mission Disk runs a CAMPAIGN, not just isolated missions. Try as I might I can't seem to find a SAVE feature so that I can return to a stopping point. This is a SERIOUS failing of the program in my opinion. If you have ever played this game, especially over the modem, you know how long it can be, and to have to start all over again every time you come up is just a waste of effort. Spectrum Holobyte makes a lot of comments in their new documentation about copy protection. They even put a cute little pink slip in the package signed by Mr. Louie, CEO, and Mr. Phillip G. Adam, President, extolling the valor, fidelity, time, trouble, and money that it has cost them to bring this product to you poor little Atari users. They mention that the product is not copy protected in about six different places. It's enough to make me want to barf my socks. Cut me some slack guys! YES, you spent some money on the product, but you sure as the devil didn't GIVE it away, and certainly not to me. YES, there are pirates out there, and they hurt your pocket book, but the fact that I'm not 100% caucasian doesn't make me a commie, and the fact that I own an Atari doesn't make me a pirate. You've got some serious lessons to learn in dealing with PEOPLE guys. Let me try to help you a little. 1) Don't stereotype. If you don't believe that, just refresh your memories of the sixties. 2) Service your user base FIRST. These are the people that spent their hard earned money on you in the first place, They are the reason for your success. I, for one, take it as a slap in the face to be serviced LAST because I had enough faith in your company to order a product sight unseen, delivery date unknown, just on the basis of what you did in the past. 3) Honor your word, I think you know you made a mistake when you called us all pirates, but you said you would do something (apologize) and didn't. What does that make you? The Atari community needs software developers and vendors, especially the high end, quality type product, that Spectrum HoloByte has a reputation for producing. However, it does not need a condescending "Big Brother" over-seeing it's markets. The stuff you wrote in your documentation on copy protection made it sound like the entire Atari community was on probation with your company. Let me take one of us off probation right now. I don't like your attitude, I don't like your support, and I don't even like the new mission disk. I will NOT support your company, and therefore you, anymore by purchasing your software. Oh, and by the way, did you even recognize that the photo of the F16 on the mission disk folder is a configuration that CANNOT be achieved with your game? Now that's what I call attention to detail. Till next time, Paul...