Author Topic: Targetware? (Read 559 times)

OZkansas · « **on:** May 16, 2003, 12:43:19 PM »

How about some info about the WWII sim? Is it ever going to be ready for the public? Is their graphic engine out of date? Need a comparison with AH.

funkedup · « **Reply #1 on:** May 16, 2003, 12:52:04 PM »

They are still "almost ready" for open beta like they were 2 years ago. Everybody on the team has a day job, so progress is based on how much spare time they have.
The people who are in the closed beta are having a lot of fun though. It's been a perfectly playable air to air sim for a long time. I wish they had opened it up earlier, like what Live for Speed has done.

MoMoney · « **Reply #2 on:** May 16, 2003, 01:10:41 PM »

They said they were ready for Open Beta "any-day now" over 1 year ago. I am convinced they will never/ nor are they serious about making it. Sad really- Target Rabaul could be great- nobody has done a good Pacific sim yet.

Dune · « **Reply #3 on:** May 16, 2003, 01:13:23 PM »

This is what Yak posted on AGW.

Quote

Tour of Target Rabaul Virtual Cockpit
A little movie Klax put together, it highlights the 3D cockpits as they work in Target Rabaul. This one is more a Model 22 Zero. It's 6 mbs, quicktime format, no audio.

http://static.targetware.net/movies/zero_pit_demo.mov

MoMoney · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2003, 01:36:21 PM »

They will never make it. Any takers ? I'll bet anyone....

midnight Target · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2003, 03:12:26 PM »

Is Voss involved?

funkedup · « **Reply #6 on:** May 16, 2003, 03:47:02 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Oedipus
or to quote Funky's buddy, "Sickware's "bare bones cost" virtual business model might have a chance if it was run as a disciplined business and not a science project, but I think the window of opportunity may have closed even for them. Time will tell...... "

I saw that recently on AGW and his post was the basis of why I asked him, in another topic here(I'm not registered on AGW nor care to be) about not demonstrating how his theories work via Targetware. Unless he was just the wall-o-text PR man and not an actual business partner with a "say"in how things should run.

Badger is someone who was helping Sick to market a program he was developing as a hobby project. Sick either would not or could not get it into a marketable form in a timely fashion, and I presume (but do not know) that this is the reason that Badger is no longer involved with it. Any verification of Badger's theories will have to wait until the game is released. And the release date is something that Badger never had much control over IMHO.

My guess is that the window of opportunity was the collapse of Air Warrior, the cessation of WarBirds development, and the flop of WWII Online. And indeed it has passed, and the only winners appear to be HTC and Oleg Maddox.

funkedup · « **Reply #7 on:** May 16, 2003, 03:59:03 PM »

EDIT:
Sorry I edited the other one so fast.

I should have just added to it.

funkedup · « **Reply #8 on:** May 16, 2003, 04:06:42 PM »

Disclaimer:
I am on good terms with Sick and Badger but I haven't discussed this project with either of them for over a year. So what I posted is mostly speculation.

Pei · « **Reply #9 on:** May 16, 2003, 07:28:07 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by funkedup
Badger is someone who was helping Sick to market a program he was developing as a hobby project. Sick either would not or could not get it into a marketable form in a timely fashion, and I presume (but do not know) that this is the reason that Badger is no longer involved with it. Any verification of Badger's theories will have to wait until the game is released. And the release date is something that Badger never had much control over IMHO.

My guess is that the window of opportunity was the collapse of Air Warrior, the cessation of WarBirds development, and the flop of WWII Online. And indeed it has passed, and the only winners appear to be HTC and Oleg Maddox.

I suspect funked nailed it here. I still keep an eye on it but the continual "open beta is immanent" has convinced me not to keep my hopes up. The game seems to be more or less playable, perhaps they won't or cannot spend the money to actually setup the TK and TR base servers they are promising?

OZkansas · « **Reply #10 on:** May 17, 2003, 08:40:45 AM »

Maybe they all just lost interest in this project. If it's just someones "hobby" then no monies lost and no reason to have a product if interest is lost. The film looks like something of an AW upgrade graphic wise. I think you are right they should have opened as AW closed! They have missed the window,too bad.
Weren't these the guys who were telling HT in the early days that he didn't know what he was doing sim wise and business wise?

Mini D · « **Reply #11 on:** May 17, 2003, 10:04:46 AM »

I don't think Sick ever really tried to criticize HTC for their buisness practices. That was mostly Badger.

Badger took "the reigns" at Sickware and made them seem a tad more reputable for a bit... though nothing changed as far as release information or updates on progress. I think someone got a taste of their own "more community involvement" medicine on that one.

People underestimate what kind of works it takes to do things like this on a regular basis. Usually they realize it after they start (and have committed/promised time to it) and realize that it really is interfering with other aspects of their life. Basically, you can never really rely on anything getting done according to schedule (or at all) because the people doing the work are doing it for the fun of it... and you might risk making it not fun.

They still have one huge hurdle to leap... the act of making it pay for play. With a communal effort on game development, I'm currious as to what arises when they start trying to divy up the cash.

Those doing the closed beta testing for it seem pretty upbeat about it. That's a hell of a sight better than WWIIOL's beta team... so that's a bit of good news. But the term "free beta" and "pay to play" are already being thrown around and I don't anticipate enough of the first and going to the second too soon.

MiniD