Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Mourning- Unethical Business and Horrid Game
This discussion has been closed.
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
Colton Burgess tried to claim he sold the engine and assets when we ran him and "Thrones of Chaos" out of here. But in fact, there was no proof of this. Most of us are still convinced he couldn't find a sucker to buy it, and only said he did in a childish (he was good for that) attempt to come off as the "winner" against all of us "fat mmorpg nerds" that he tried to scam. His overinflated ego was his downfall, as it was easy to goad him into losing control and admitting everything.
Last I seen, he was apparently using the name Troy over at GD.net. More than likely, Colton is still the one trying to profit off the lame ass engine since there will never be a profit made from that game again. And yes, Colton was based in Portland, Oregon.
This is truly sad. I wonder how much they actually charge for this pile of shit game engine and if anyone has been dumb enough to buy it.
I scoured their website for more clues, but the screenshots that are the EXACT same screenshots that used to be on the old Mourning website are all I need to see to put off HUGE red lights in my eyes.
I especially love their LEGAL information on the chaosgameengine site. I quoted it here:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The data found on this web site and related communications are provided for information purposes only.
Chaos Software Group makes no representations whatsoever about any other Web site which you may access through this one unless it is specifically stated that the Web site you go to is a Chaos Software Group sponsored site. A link to a non-Chaos Software Group Web site does not mean that Chaos Software Group endorses or accepts any responsibility for the use, or the content, of such Web site. It is up to you to take precautions to ensure that whatever you select for your use is free of such items as viruses and other items of a destructive nature.
In no way will Chaos Software Group be liable to any party for any direct, indirect or other consequential damages for any use of this web site even if we are expressly advised of the possibility of such damages.
Please note that any information or material sent to Chaos Software Group by your own unilateral decision will be deemed to be non-confidential. By sending Chaos Software Group any information or material in this manner, you grant Chaos Software Group an unrestricted, irrevocable license to use, reproduce, display, perform, modify, transmit and distribute those materials or information, and you also agree that Chaos Software Group is free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques that you send us for any purpose.
The above statements do not apply to you if you work with us in the capacity of a client or partner and entrust us with your software or tasks that will result in the development of software products which are to become your property. In this case a specific Confidentiality and Non-disclosure agreement may be signed between you and our company which will take precedence over any statement contained in this section.
In either case we will not release your name or otherwise publicize the fact that you submitted materials or other information to us unless: (1) we obtain your permission to use your name; or (2) we first notify you that the materials or other information you submit to a particular part of this site will be published or otherwise used with your name on it; or (3) we are required to do so by law.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basically saying that any ideas, information, or materials you submit to them... they then have FULL rights to do whatever they feel with it. Thus, they can STEAL your material, your ideas for any purpose they feel fit. They promise not to do these things however if you become their partner and ENTRUST them with your software.
LMFAO. That's great. if I was a game developer, that's REALLY what I'd want to do. Let these scammers and rip off artists from Romania have FULL rights to my game to do "whatever they feel with it".
I'm not no lawyer, but reading their Legal crap on that website sends out about 92 million red light warnings, especially since I know who we are dealing with from that old Mourning scandal.
Freaking hilarious. This shit will never end. God I hope good old Dave or Dan Antonescu himself logs in and starts attacking me here or threatening another lawsuit! That would sooo make my day, lol. And it doesn't even matter what name he makes up, I can almost guarantee we'd all know it was him, even if he claimed that he was "Sam Smith" from Portland, lol.
What a freaking joke.
- Zaxx
Perhaps these links have already been posted concerning the "Chaos Game Engine", but if they have here they are again...
Here is a forum board where someone last year posted a question asking if anyone has ever used this engine, and he quickly was warned that it was associated with the old Mourning rip off artists indeed...
http://www.devmaster.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9711
Here is a link to RIPOFFreport.com alerts about the engine:
www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/269/RipOff0269325.htm
-------------
* I posted a warning post on the devmaster forums warning any potential buyers of this chaos game engine to use extreme caution before investing in it and even provided them a link to this famous forum thread here. Heh. Hopefully it will save somebody from getting ripped off bigtime for this garbage.
- Zaxx
Okay, so Limitless Horizons states here that they have split their partnership with Loud Ant Software as of Sept 6, 2007 as seen at this link:
http://www.limitlesshorizonsllc.org/notice.html
With this above link, Limitless Horizons also seems to be stating that Loud Ant software has stole their Mourning engine (The Abyssal Engine) and is selling it illegally as "The Chaos Engine" seen at the following link:
http://www.chaosgameengine.com/
We would assume that since "Loud Ant" software was supposed to be making the next great "Mourning" game (you know the one that all previous people who ordered it and got ripped would get lifetime free accounts to).. well we would assume that since this partnership was broken, that there will no longer be a next great Mourning game released. Atleast as for the time being anyhow, heh.
So, that leads us to the next question...
What will Limitless Horizons do now?
Well, searching the net.. I have found this information about their latest news:
http://www.prlog.org/10040311-limitless-horizons-entertainment-llc-secures-equity-investment.html
..So it looks they have secured a deal with two other companies to put out a new 3D dating website of a sort, sounds like a cross between the game Second Life and a overall dating website.
Another question... Is Loud Ant software even a real company? Or was this all planned out by someone at Limitless Horizons to scam even more potential customers? I mean couldn't they be actually selling their own game engine under a different name and supposedly different company just to make it look like its a different company that are at ends with.. when in reality, it's actually them making any profits off these "Chaos Game Engine" sales?
I mean really.. Who else would even try to illegally sell a crap BS engine and post screenshots of the old game Mourning on that website and not even post a forum or support link on the site selling a game engine? That sounds like the work of no other then these same scamming losers that put out "Mourning" to me. I am VERY suspicious and I think that "Loud Ant software" is not a different company that they joined with and broke a deal with, but rather they are all really one in the same. I am calling their bluff. I say BS to the whole deal. Ofcourse, who could ever actually trust these guys after all the lies, deceit, and chaos they have shown us over the past 3 years or so?
The drama continues... (Even if I have to look hard to find it) Heheh.
- Zaxx
Well... I see this continues... A while ago, tunabun was doing some private investigating on this. What he uncovered was nothing short of amazing. He found ties leading this whole insane thing right back to many who were involved with this from the start. I think he got burnt out... the rabbit hole just got deeper and deeper. We were working on creating a 3 page article that was to run on mmosite, but it was never finished, in part due to its insane size.
Regardless, I really do think the information he found out should be made available... So without further ado, I give you what he had been working on. It's in a rough draft form, many spelling errors, place holders and confusing sentence structures are about but a great deal of information is there.
Draft
Part 1: Historical walkthrough of Mourning and introduction to the Criminal and Ethical tendencies of those involved.
We are about to enter into the strangest and most unbelievable game related stories in recent years. The information shown to you throughout this article will open your eyes to just how easy it is for a group of individuals to enter the game industry, use the Game Media for free advertising, feign professionalism, and attempt to gain monetary success from various sources. There is no hearsay; everything shown will be sourced, shocking, and complex. The goal, to wake up the gaming community to myriad issues that pertain to them, as consumers, developers, investors, and how the system as it stands propagates the problems rather than working to prevent or solve them.
This is a three part series, part one being the introduction of the official story and the legitimacy of the newly involved company and personages. Part two covering the most well known periods and involvements, the real story, and the web of interconnectivity. Part three will conclude with an attempt at giving solutions to the problems brought to the forefront during the article.
Daisy-Chain
“So she was considering, in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.”
When you think of independent MMO developers working on a shoe string budget what usually comes to mind is a simple hardworking team attempting to do the impossible, create a working and profitable game of the most complex level. What doesn’t generally come to mind is a long list of companies, some real others not, half a dozen title changes, three differently named engines, ubiquitous and ambiguous ownerships, and upwards of five separate development teams. What also doesn’t come to mind is the consistent ownership and purveyance of pornography sites, porn software, mortgage lending fraud, possible identity theft, email spam, and a variety of other shady business practices. There is however a story, of such great length, such complex relationships and dirty dealings, that it just has to be told. Told for the consumers, for the developers, for the investors, but most importantly, told for the industry, so that with such knowledge we may finally choose to take a stand.
This is the story of Mourning.
As a daisy chain can really only be seen as more and more daisies are connected, so too does the symbolic one work. Our story begins with three companies, three owners, and two development teams, but quickly branches off, creating a web of confusing details and overlapping roles, making the real tale hard to pin down and even harder to follow once all the evidence is collected. All the companies involved however have some characteristically similar marketing traits, the owners have strikingly similar aggressive tendencies, and the constant barrage of viral marketing, manipulation of the Game Media, and an overstated ability to produce quality products are too much to let slide without further investigation.
“Realms of Torment”1 was to be the hardcore gamer’s game. Initial development instigated in the fall of 20012 and was slated for release Q3 20023. This FFA PvP, permanent death, and ancestrally featured game promised a great change on many fronts4 and gained a dedicated following rather quickly. It had a proprietary engine which was entitled the “Abyssal Engine”5 developed by “Quad Software”6, the first of two Romanian development companies working on the game. The second Romanian development firm working on the project was “Maxim Software SRL”7, which, throughout the course of this first development phase disappeared entirely, being replaced by Newrosoft R&D (Research and Development)8. Although not immediately admitted, the Lead Programmer Adrian Licuriceanu and the Project Lead Andrei Gireada were actually both owners of the respective development companies9. Leading the financial wing, a third company, Limitless Horizons Entertainment LLC10 was registered in Connecticut and owned by David A. Jasinski11, whose information and history were not readily handed out. Even in the game’s infancy the team members were advertising, with great enthusiasm, the proprietary “Abyssal” engine, positioning it for sale and placing it on a level of equal importance and value to the game12. Certain members of the Game Media became seemingly quick friends with the developers and
1 http://web.archive.org/web/20021122120153/http://www.realmsoftorment.com/
2 http://web.archive.org/web/20011031075704/http://www.realmsoftorment.com/
3 http://web.archive.org/web/20020610070818/www.realmsoftorment.com/about.html
4 http://web.archive.org/web/20021009192716/http://www.realmsoftorment.net/overview.html
5 http://web.archive.org/web/20020610070818/www.realmsoftorment.com/about.html
6 http://www.quadsoftware.com/
10 http://www.concord-sots.ct.gov/CONCORD/online?sn=InquiryServlet&eid=99
owners, publishing weekly updates and progress reports1. Partnerships with Korean and European companies, Abyss Interactive and Gomigo, were announced in early asdfasdf respectively2. In spite of the odds against them things certainly were looking positive for this newly formed and inexperienced team.
After two years3 the game’s title was changed to “Mourning: Realms of Krel”4 and the website for the former title began to forward all traffic to the newly created webpage5. A new release date of Q1 20056 was given and very little mention was made of the old title on the website or in interviews7 with Game Media as the team took a very forward looking stance. Although the official reason for the name change was trademark issues8, it was becoming quite apparent that many of the stated features were not to be implemented for launch9, and schedules were not being kept10, shown by the repetitive push back of the official launch date11. Other changes came along with the new title, namely developers, as some left12 for unannounced reasons, more13 were brought in their stead. Although some negativity was brewing amongst the gaming community, the developers kept their consistent barrage of progress reports14 and personal interviews15, not allowing the bad press to flood the web. There were many interesting occurrences during this period, almost all of which were negative and led to irreparable damage to the people, companies, and image of the product. The first and only positive news story was the license purchase by a South African school by the name of Tshwane University of Technology16 of the Abyssal Engine. The second in what would turn into a landslide of negative press was the charging of preorders the weekend before the official launch date17. Not only were preorders taken for the product in the face of good business practice and promises personally made18, but the product which eventually shipped was
1 http://pc.ign.com/objects/573/573198.html#news
http://www.mmhell.com/games/mourning/news.html
2 http://web.archive.org/web/20030215110620/www.realmsoftorment.net/press.html
3 http://web.archive.org/web/20040322065304/http://realmsoftorment.net/
4 http://web.archive.org/web/20040518083452/http://realmsofkrel.com/
5 http://web.archive.org/web/20040401232532/http://www.realmsoftorment.com/
burnt onto a generic CDRW and placed within a complimentary jewel case and white box1. So horribly unprofessional and apparently criminal was this act that an uproar followed post haste2. A flurry of users angered, outraged, and somehow surprised now lit up the forums. Even some of the Moderators told all to run for their lives3, as this game and its owners were nothing but bad news. These events finally resulted in mass bannings, the deletion of the official forums4 and a spill over of irate gamers onto many other gaming sites5. The developers and owners attempted to give excuse for their actions6, in some cases blaming each other7 but as more and more people learned of the events which had transpired there was little anyone in the Mourning camp could do to stop their game’s rapid decent into the Abyss, in which their companies and names would soon follow. A number of what might have been inconsequential events took place during or soon after. The alleged use of the website for pornography8, which if true would indeed cause some interesting consequences for the owners and developers involved on this project. The last and quite possibly final nail was David Jasinski’s issuance of a legal threat9 to a satirical website, SOMETHINGAWFUL.com, whose users had posted negative material including official screenshots. IP addresses of the users and the removal of all negative materials were demanded, although the sites owner, rightfully and quite humorously, made an even bigger deal and more negative farce out of the LHE owner. The article soon spread throughout the game community10 and only assured the antiquated infamy that the product and team enjoy today. In light of another failed launch date and the large amount of negative press being circulated the official website was again edited11, and finally deleted entirely in mid 200512. After a failed 24 hours of “Release”13, accusations of outright theft and blatant abuse of their community resulted in the final destruction of the game, or so many thought.
The site was, like its predecessor, linked to a newly formed site which as before sported a new title with similar promises14. However, making what seemed the only rational
move was the alleged sale of the product to an entirely new US based team, as any who associated with the original developers and companies would be seen by many as compulsive con artists and fabricators. Age of Mourning1 would be the next title and most tumultuous period the product would experience. The title change appeared in early fall of 20052 but the new team did not follow the usual marketing frenzy until the very end of 20053. Although everything seemed oddly familiar, repeating as before a change of structure, name, goals, and excuses, the consumer base was asked to suspend judgment as this was in fact a new team and deserved a fresh start4. The primary goal of the new team was, as it most certainly needed to be, the winning over of the Game Media, as without their blessing there would be little progress with the potential player base. It became immediately apparent that little would be required in regards to proof and no real investigation would take place by the Game Media closest to the story5. The team was comprised of two new companies, Loud Ant Software6 in the production role, and Nuanced Entertainment7 in charge of development. Colton Burgess8 led Loud Ant which had a background in basic computer software, namely a Registry Doctor, Spam Protector, and Spyware Remover9. Nuanced was headed by Adam McCall10 and claimed a long and professional background in asdfasdf11. Admitted early on was the involvement of the previous Project Lead Andrei Gireada and a small number of unnamed members from the former development teams, whose claimed job it was to fill in the blanks and consult the new team on the proprietary engine. Suspiciously the former owner David Jasinski refused to be interviewed12. After gathering resumes of the new development team and having supposed explicative chats with some former and present members in lead positions, the re-listing, and desired clean slate were awarded13. With this go ahead, a short and unproductive period for Mourning began, and even though the people in journalistic positions had done little to verify the validity of the appropriated claims, many who had been following the saga began to step up to fill in, investigating and exposing many serious flaws in the official story14. Slowly yet steadily information began surfacing, some citing contradictory
claims1 or comical coincidences2, while others exposed the professional reality of the new team outright3. As the new development and production teams were being bombarded they attempted a specific stance to gather support, primarily that of openness and humility. If questions were asked they tried, at least in a political fashion, to answer4. Understandably this stance did not last long, as they began to be buried beneath the evidence uncovered daily by what seemed to be an army of dedicated fact finders5. The new teams soon took a more aggressive stance, similar to that which the founders had, which eventually concluded with an eerily similar threat to MMORPG.com regarding posting of negative comments and material about their product, once again demanding names, and IP addresses of users which offended them6. Although no IP’s were obtained through foreign websites, the IP’s of posters who were extremely critical of the game and it’s recent practices were not only banned from the official forums, but made public with the direct intention for at least virtual harm to come to them7. Having yet again failed to meet their marked launch date and being granted the dubious distinction as the first game to be de-listed from mmorpg.com8, time was running out. Even this second name change and additional new interviews couldn’t save this run away horror show, the fan base was stagnating and the buzz was losing steam. Once again it seemed as though the game was done, as all respect had been withdrawn and no……..
It would take a mere three weeks for a new title to emerge, although this time there would be no connection between the former and current websites. It almost seemed like the owners were attempting to extract the product from its well established and rightly earned reputation. 2006 a new game surfaced, only it wasn’t a new game, it was obvious that without a drastic title change people would largely distrust the validity of the current project. Thrones of Chaos9, was a title claiming many things Mourning did, in fact, the same things. As older beta testers and those privy to the story looked into Thrones of Chaos, they realized it was merely another title, another shot at redemption. But no! This was new ownership10, new life, and a new angle. The new owner, Colton Burgess, assured all that this was a new beginning and only the former lead Andrei
Gireada would stay on1, and only for the sole purpose of walking the new development team, employed by the new developer, Nuanced Entertainment2, through the paces that was the now titled Mourning Engine3. As time went on, much of the same began to occur, namely, the overuse of the Game Media4, the promise of a new timeline and free accounts for those robbed by the earlier development team5. Of course no promises or timeframes met; only old screenshots and alpha stage videos shown6, and the request for patience garnered. What finally terminated this phase of our story were the eerily similar legal threats and forum user IP demands7, but in this case from a supposed new Owner and to an entirely different site, mmorpg.com.
Most at this point had come to the quite obvious conclusion that the game would never be released and that there was indeed a shady group involved8. A newly attempted name change, Era of Shadows9, failed within weeks due to several keen forum goers at MMORPG.com, slandering, or rather informing the gaming community of the newest name change and devious history of the title10. What wasn’t clear at the time was that the engine itself was getting its third name change, it was now known as the Chaos Game Engine11. Little did anyone suspect, the story that had supposedly ended had really just begun. As the history of those involved is looked into, one can clearly see that not only is very little legit about this whole fiasco, many of those involved have a long history of scams, shady businesses and outright criminal behavior. Please join me as we enter a wonderland, not any less strange than Alice’s, perhaps, even more so.
Follow the Loud Ant
“In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.”
At this point it is necessary to start evaluating all the underlying evidence and compare it to the official declarations. On the surface all the companies, products, and personages have looked legitimate although amateurish, this of course being the entire point, luckily however, attention to detail has not been the strongest point with those behind this story, leaving grains of evidence which quickly surface. Before really
delving into the meat of the story a full and clear understanding of the most recent individuals, their connections, and lies need to be established.
As we enter the fall of 2007 another company, owner and product have come to life, the company, Chaos Software Group1, the owner, one Troy Powell2 and the product, Chaos Game Engine. According to the official website3, they are based out of Oregon, have a great product, and are moving on up. They have absolutely no connection to any of the previous owners or development teams4, well known for their literal outbursts, childish antics and baseless legal threats, and have bought, in entirety the whole shebang-a-bang. A quick look at the official site, some basic Google searching and some cross checking reveals a few suspicious occurrences, firstly, it claims a lot5, without very much to back up said claims; a very consistent character trait throughout all the varied ownership. The second thing we can see is that one of the primary development companies is now slated as a partner6, why would the original Engine developers still be entangled after multiple selling’s and ownership exchanges, especially when they were supposedly not present for those changes. A third and slightly less evidentiary observation is that while it lists a Troy Powel in marketing7, by his own admission he is the new owner8, who by chance doesn’t seem to be able to spell his name correctly9. These are simple errors which could quite possibly be explained away, but as we delve deeper, there is little that even the most pathological of liars would be able to substantiate.
While there is indeed a Chaos software group10, they are based out of Texas, they unfortunately have absolutely no connection to this story. There is no such registered company in Oregon by that name11, but there is however a Chaos Media12 registered to Colton Burgess, which was incorporated long after the supposed ownership change13. Chaos Game Engine is indeed just the newest name change of the once Abyssal Engine, looking at the screen shots from years ago and you can match them up easily14. The
ngine is being worked on, however, not by whom Troy claims it to be, but a company out of asdfasfd named Stone Hill Consulting1. As I have looked into their background they are indeed on the up and up, however I have a feeling that like many they have little knowledge of the people they are dealing with. The site, ChaosGameEngine.com was created in dfdfsf 20062, Troy supposedly bought the Engine around dfgdgfd 20073, so why was the website still on the Loud Ant servers4 until it was brought to his attention, why is he pandering Colton’s Porn software at 3Dgirlz.com5, and why is the same Aaron6 individual from Midamericanholdings.org7 who worked with Colton now working with Troy?
As we have a new member to this long and historical story, I thought it might be fun to go on a get to know “Troy Powell” trip. Well, as we go further you will see this is a recurring theme with most connected, so not at all surprising.
Ok, so Troy, why all the secrecy and lies. Well, if the product is somewhat attractive but the salesman looks like a trench coat wearing pervert8, you might want to change your name and create a whole new image. What you might also want to do is make sure that the porn sites you are pandering are not on the same server9 as the game software sites you are pandering as it can cause a bit of trouble when attempting to look legit. 3Dgirlz10 is a site dedicated to selling another supposedly legitimate piece of game software, although, in this case it is of the more risqué variety. Now, rather than take you along this path of degradation, let us, for now, take a look into who is the supposed owner of this site and its software.
Like most sites within this framework 3Dgirlz.com was anonymously registered11, however, as luck might have it, the site was first located on a server by the name of LPJmortgage.com12. Now LPJ Mortgage LLC13 is registered in Oregon to Ben Korb, why and how is this important? Well, Ben Korb14 owned only one other company,
Benton Mortgage Group LLC1, and guess who was a sales agent for Benton Mortgage Group LLC way back in 2005, you guessed it, Troy Powell2. Now to make sure things are entirely clear it’s important that you understand that either Ben Korb or Colton Burgess were roommates or, are purely names used by the same person. See, Colton also had a large amount of Mortgage Lending Companies3, many Benton Mortgage companies in fact, one even having the exact same address4.
So are we to believe that Troy Powell, who is the supposed new owner of Chaos Game Engine, who has been shown to not only have ties with but in fact was a premiere member of the same Mortgage Lending Company that Colton / Ben owned and originally registered the 3Dgirlz defunct software site, yet has had NO connection, and continues to have NO connection to them? However complex and difficult to follow this is getting, I’m sure you can see how absolutely ridiculous these lies are.
Wonderland is becoming a little murky, well, you were warned. The road sadly, only becomes ever more distasteful and confusing; you might want to grab a pad and pen to keep up. The last bit of evidence I would like to share in this section should put to rest any and all legitimacy or professional dignity this group of companies and people ever appeared to have. If we were to reverse the IP of the sites involved5, what would we see, anything interesting. You would see that there are indeed dsfsdfsdf6 more sites waiting to advertise the game title again as well as dsdfdsfsd7 more sites waiting to advertise the Game engine. Add the Wikipedia spamming8 they have been doing and you see a sadistic group of marketers, prepared for every new failure. I was a boy scout and honestly even I’m shocked at their preparedness.
Does the porn sites have multiple incarnations as well you ask? While that is a pretty dirty subject and I don’t entirely want to keep looking at porn, uh, I mean the porn angle, but for you whom are into debauchery, yes, there are multiple sites9 selling the same alpha stage product that is 3Dgirlz. How do I know it is alpha stage and everyone buying a membership to that site is being totally ripped a new one? I was lucky enough to acquire a username and password10 enabling me to see first hand that there are a total
of sdasdasd videos1, a “private” model2, which in fact is purely stolen footage3. They changed the name of the model’s name on the site but not the connecting files4, so a quick Google search shows that the model has the exact same videos at other locations.
So you are a legit, worthwhile, quality assuring company on your way up the ladder of success, fighting off the customers and investors with a stick, better have a plan B right, and C, and D, heck, the alphabet should be enough. Why would you need such a mass amount of back-ups unless failure was expected, or is it more sinister than that? Like most things in this story, it is indeed more than it seems.
Part 2: A look into the recent and not so recent past, including the uncovering of everything that is wrong with this story.
In part one we introduced you to the official, albeit not so truth filled story. We showed all the various people, companies, games, and engines as well as a timeline for their involvement and implication. Coincidental evidence, which will seem unending as we go ever deeper, was shown in a variety of areas and circumstances. The newest incarnation, owner, companies were exposed as liars and frauds who are irrefutably proven to be the same individuals as the most recent former members at Loud Ant. Loud Ant and all those in connection with it have been considered, researched and judged. The real story is unfolding, showing just how liable those involved are to lie, cheat and steal their way to success, while not being at all repentant, but contrarily arrogant in their voraciously unethical and disreputable behavior.
This next section will tie the first development and publishing entities to the more recent ones. Happenstance will undoubtedly begin to appear as deliberate action, which will be shown through the numerous connections and overlapping evidences. The continuing story of Mourning will be told in full, in truth, and without prejudice.
A Mad Tea-Party
“He moved on as he spoke, and the Dormouse followed him: the March Hare moved into the Dormouse's place, and Alice rather unwillingly took the place of the March Hare. The Hatter was the only one who got any advantage from the change: and Alice was a good deal worse off than before, as the March Hare had just upset the milk-jug into his plate.”
As we have just seen, it is obvious that the newest “people” involved are none other than the same wolves wearing the newest Donna Karen sheepskin. You may question how far this goes, as the likelihood of a scam being perpetrated in this industry for FIVE consecutive years would seem rather unlikely. But I will remind you, factuality isn’t a requirement in the game news industry, readability is. Registering a new company costs peanuts, even if it didn’t, proof of ownership change has never been required, allowing this scam to go on, and on, and lending a much needed hand to these absolutely horrid individuals. With our new found knowledge of scammery, we can now go head on into the Colton Era.
Interestingly David Jasinski was named as a Game Designer on the original site1, not as the producer/owner.
Realms of Torment official starting date was at least Sept 9, 20012, not Sept 15, as stated.
So, after a fgdfgdf year discontinuance of the game and software, Mourning again surfaces, but with a new angle and story. New owners and developers are declared3, all within the US, and willing to re-establish the game, and compensate the grieving gamers. Not an easy task, as the original game had so much turmoil and problems that winning over the gamers is one thing, gaining the trust of the Game Media is quite another. Oh wait, no it isn’t, it’s as easy as providing resumes of developers4 and a word from the old team to set things straight. Luckily to help Colton into his “new” role as CEO5 of this company and leader of “another” new age of MMO gaming, none other than original Project Lead Andrei Gireada6 would help traverse this tough transition, from nobody, to somebody, following a long and great tradition.
As Andrei is indeed not a very large part of this era much time won’t be spent reflecting on why he, and only he, was present for this transition phase, however strange it may seem. The real focus is on four main individuals, in given name alphabetical order Adam McCall, Ben Korb, Colton Burgess, and finally Troy Powell.
1 http://web.archive.org/web/20020610070818/www.realmsoftorment.com/about.html
Adam McCall1 was the stated owner of the development company, Nuanced Entertainment<a class="sdfootnoteanc" name="sdf
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
Yes yes, the above post was only half of it. Here is the rest
would help traverse this tough transition, from nobody, to somebody, following a long and great tradition.
As Andrei is indeed not a very large part of this era much time won’t be spent reflecting on why he, and only he, was present for this transition phase, however strange it may seem. The real focus is on four main individuals, in given name alphabetical order Adam McCall, Ben Korb, Colton Burgess, and finally Troy Powell.
Adam McCall1 was the stated owner of the development company, Nuanced Entertainment2. Problem is, he turned out to be 173, the company not registered, and quickly fell off the map when most of this information surfaced. It’s fairly unlikely Adam had anything to do with this scheme, just another name to be used to legitimize another company in an attempt to look as new and professional as possible.
Ben Korb4 on the other hand has a lot to do with this story. In fact, he may be one of the few real personages used, and used very liberally, as using ones true identity can lead to some major problems when government officials come a knocking. Ben Korb as we have seen before is either close friends with, or the same person as, Colton Burgess. Ben Korb has a MySpace account5 where he stated ownership of Loud Ant. The account was set to private6 soon after this fact was revealed, luckily, someone had the presence of mind to make a copy7 of the account. At this point I think it would be easier to speak of Ben, Colton, and Troy as the same individual, whether they are or not isn’t so important, they are close enough in action and location that I believe the inference can be made, it should also make the story much easier to follow. Colton has a number of companies, almost exclusively dealing with Mortgage lending and leads, a few of which have registered complaints8 against them at the BBB and almost all are dissolved after only one year9. With Mortgage Fraud being one of the fastest growing internet crimes this is indeed an interesting find.
At this juncture the most prominent individuals of the first era should be brought to light, Andrei Gireada and David Jasinski10. While Andrei Gireada was a common face within the first series of changes, David Jasinski was not. He was the Owner and CEO of Limitless Horizons Entertainment11, he had a rather childish temper and was quite abusive to any who opposed him (adonys)12 on the official forums. He also was rumored to be a Porn webmaster, proof was seen when, while still owner of Realms of Krel, and the game was out of commission, the site linked to a Porn site13, but quickly was removed after the news started to surface. However, other than that there isn’t much information on him. At this stage he wasn’t even present, even though he was the supposed owner of all the assets he would not agree to an interview14. Andrei however, was ever present, assuring mmorpg.com that the exchange was indeed made and that everything was brand new. So, what do we know of Andrei Gireada, is he to be trusted, he endorsed individuals we now know are absolutely pathological in dishonesty, and probably entirely criminal in employment, so, again, can we trust him.
As most answers about truth in the story the answers is no, just as most answers to the question of, does it get worse, is yes. Andrei known by his Forum name Egomancer15 or Ego, also happened to have an e-mail at yahoo, Lord_Ender, which if you look hard enough will lead you to what? Another great guess, Porn16! Andrei, a member of the Porn Webmasters forum aptly titled, Go F*** Yourself, is also a purveyor of Pornography, dating back to at least 2002, he has bought a number of sites17 for that sole purpose, and even now, in 2007 after being hired as the President18 of the gaming Division at Big Screen Entertainment, he is still looking for work in Porn Site making19. President of the games division must not pay enough.
The time to look into the first era of the story has arrived. With so much disparity and obvious con-artistry it could be concluded that the simple purchase of the software and all assets was merely placed into the wrong, and quite criminal, hands. Is there any proof that Andrei Gireada, the teams involved at the start or the companies were involved in as much lying, deceit and criminal activity as the most recent groups? You know the answer; say it with me, YES.
No Andrei’s foray into the porn world although great circumstantial evidence doesn’t prove that he is the same person or even closely linked to the newest group. What it does, is add up, as all these small bits of circumstantial evidence do, showing that there is far too much coincidence within the bowels of this monster.
At the very beginning names leading the development teams were merely employees, it was later revealed that they were actually the owners of their respective companies. Why not mention that, why call yourself a Project lead, when you are the Owner and CEO?
The Mock-Turtles Story
“They had not gone far before they saw the Mock Turtle in the distance, sitting sad and lonely on a little ledge of rock, and, as they came nearer, Alice could hear him sighing as if his heart would break. She pitied him deeply. `What is his sorrow?' she asked the Gryphon, and the Gryphon answered, very nearly in the same words as before, `It's all his fancy, that: he hasn't got no sorrow, you know. Come on!' “
What could a development team possibly hope to gain by changing their product name over and over, by lying about their identities over and over, and by overstating the ability and professionalism of the engine, game, and their very own companies? Gamers are easily dissuaded and take little to turn on a title. So if this was not to impress or win over the gamers, then who?
Is it possible that trying to sell their engine to development teams was the plan all along? Persuading hard working newly formed teams that this is indeed the software they need to create a fully functioning game. That it has everything they need to establish a working title and subsequent name in the industry? Doubtful. Developers tend to know their way around code and can see a lemon even when its stinging juices are being squeezed into their eyes. So if convincing Indy developers was not the goal, then who is left?
We know money is the goal, and in game design there really are only three avenues to a paycheck. Gamers or consumers, those who would pay for the entertainment value of the product. Developers, they have money allotted for such things as Engines, as they can take months and in some cases years off development. However both these groups have been ruled out, which leaves the group with the most amount of money, and sometimes the least amount of knowledge, Investors. Investors can come in two forms, those from within the industry, namely a company looking to take over a profitable smaller entity, and from without the industry, namely an individual or group who see the profitability of this market, don’t know much about it and are looking to get in on the ground floor. Tricking investors from outside the industry, as we can see now, is the most logical conclusion behind the style of viral marketing and “clean” hands being brought in ad nauseam.
There is a lot of Evidence that can easily be blown off as light or circumstantial, but when piled upon itself it is fairly heavy and goes a long way to showing what the real agenda is, and was.
A sinking ship is never a pretty site, but as most understand they might have a career after the ship has gone down they tend to put on a professional face. Not so with most of the prominent characters, their choice rather, was to speak openly20, aggressively21 and get into forum debates22 across the internet; going so far off keel that they damaged their names, their companies, and any chance for recovery in the future. A few quotes from Andrei, sdfsdfsdfsdf ffffffffffffffff dfsfsfsfsdfsdf sdfsfsdfsdfsd fsdfsdfsdfsdf sdfsdfsdfd23.
Another great personality is our friend Cmoney 6924. Arrogant, untouchable, abusive, unrepentant are just a few words that describe his personality. Luckily for us Cmoney, perhaps believing his identity can never be known, left quite a mouthful of evidence at NWP25. Here are a few quotes of his. Asasdasdasda sadasdasdasd asdassddad asd asdasasdasda asdasdasdasd asdadasdasd asdsa dasd asdasd asd assaad26.
The question could still be asked, was this ever the real deal. Was this project built upon the premise of new ideas, by professional individuals, with talent and ability, who after realizing their eyes were much larger than their stomachs, buckled under the pressure, resorting to childish behavior and ridiculous antics? More than likely no, it’s much more logical that this was a sham from day one, run by people with no talent, no ability, and no real foresight on how to accomplish the task at hand. The plan going from game making to criminal intentions as looming failure approached like a gloom cloud. Some already involved in criminal paths, others entering only after seeing the relative immunity they believed their counterparts wore.
The true history of Colton, the “American”, who I now believe has been a part from the beginning, is that his Mortgage Companies were based on false promises27 and Spam marketing28, what we call today Viral. The same kind of Marketing that was used from day one and throughout the scandal. Colton / Ben / Troy has had other names like, Todd29, Phillip30, and Chris31 connected to him. They are very likely a group of close friends who felt an easy buck was to be made through these falsified companies, however, pinning down, who is real, who is fake, if there is identity theft, or just entirely made up names is difficult. What isn’t difficult to see is that the same scheme has been perpetrated over and over, there are new names in place for the future, and that until all this evidence was shown it would probably keep going until an investor was duped out of the $500,000 being looked for.
The true history of Andrei, the “Romanian”, Dan32, and Licu33 is just as difficult to percolate. They admitted to being classmates34, they are real individuals, but there really is no way to recover valid information on them. What is valid is the absolute lack of professionalism, inability to function or make proper decisions, and that lying35 is their best solution to get themselves out of a jam and remove all responsibility for recourse.
Part 3: Conclusion, where we are headed and where we will go if we so choose.
Part one and two written as needed, told the full story, stating the official lies and producing the unofficial truths. We explored the varied past of individuals throughout this fiasco, attempting to show in detail what was attempted, while trying to discern the underlying motives, thought processes, and future goals of all those involved. While understandably difficult to reach many conclusions, the attempt should be made.
This third and final section will not conclude this story, but rather attempt to open up dialogue within the game industry. Looking more towards the future, our ability to shape it, and the necessity for change, both for security of all those who call this industry home, but also, for the reputation without; as a blemish such as this, covered up, can only serve to hurt growth and attract more of the same bruises, causing an eventual and substantial loss of/to future participants.
Through the Looking Glass
“`That's three faults, Kitty, and you've not been punished for any of them yet. You know I'm saving up all your punishments for Wednesday week -- Suppose they had saved up all mypunishments!' she went on, talking more to herself than the kitten. `What would they do at the end of a year? I should be sent to prison, I suppose, when the day came…”
(Or)
“Let's pretend there's a way of getting through into it, somehow, Kitty. Let's pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze, so that we can get through. Why, it's turning into a sort of mist now, I declare! It'll be easy enough to get through -- ' She was up on the chimney-piece while she said this, though she hardly knew how she had got there. And certainly the glass was beginning to melt away, just like a bright silvery mist.”
After leaving wonderland, it is time to gather ourselves and peer through the Looking glass. Who should be held responsible, what should be done, and how do we stop this from happening in the future? Not exactly easy questions, when you have no hard evidence, a plethora of identities, few of which you can claim real, and years away from the crime scene. Luckily, there are a few resources at our disposal which I hope we may take advantage of. A complaint to the BBB36 can easily be issued, the FBI’s internet crime division, the IC337, or to various Internet consumer and investor fraud warning38 and coalition39 sites. All of which reports have already been issued40.
I think the most ironclad conclusions we can come to are as follows. The major players without this entire saga at the very least are liars, unprofessional, and purveyors of the more seedy industries on the net all while stinking of criminal activity. They in no way deserve to be a part of this industry, and should forever have a black mark on them, keeping even the most unknowledgeable and ignorant people away.
The future is never easy to predict, as we look into it I hope the light of honest journalism and responsibility can be held by the Game Media, who, are supposed to bring us the truth. I hope that scams while always being present and attempted, will become evermore difficult to achieve and that instead of not running a story on the assumption of foul play, that the Game Media will do some real work, investigate and expose those who choose to go about things in the most manipulative of fashions.
Game Media like anything else are subject to causality. If the importance of convenience is put far above factuality, then the trend will continue and no hard questions will ever be asked of a company or individuals in this industry.
It’s not that the Game Media are helpless to gain the proper facts and background before running a story but that there is no benefit in doing so, rather the possibility that the story might go to someone else if too much of a fuss is made. Companies wanting to get press could be asked for verifiable evidence of their registration and identification of the individuals in ownership and lead positions. The BBB, and various other sites can be quickly checked to verify no fraudulent activity is going on. The web history of the site and its registrars can be checked with a small monthly fee. All of that however will only come after a conscious change is made within the industry.
Even if a paradigm shift were to occur within the game news industry, making it nearly impossible to run a scam such as this, there will always be those, with a plan, desiring a quick buck and a fast exit. As no system can be fool proof, consumers and investors need to ultimately use their common sense, requiring not faith but proof before laying their hard gotten dollar on the table. Without a change all around, from the industry, to the media, investors, to consumers, this kind of problem will always be allowed to flourish.
As change can truly start anywhere, it may be easiest for it to start with you. It takes little more than a short email from a couple dozen readers, pointing out inaccuracies, unsubstantiated claims, or obvious propagandizing to force the Game Media to change its format and ultimately force companies to be more honest overall. If you don’t care, they will happily pander to each company with you footing the bill for lackluster products and vacuous promises.
Once we all choose to expect more, more will be required, once more is required, more shall be given. Companies hold no power; the power they seemingly hold is equally proportional to your ignorance and lack of dedication to your own wellbeing.
I hope, truly, from the bottom of my heart that this story effects change. That even though extreme, and highly unlikely to occur again, people will see how absolutely foreign factuality, discourse, and commitment are to this industry. It needs to change, we need to change, and the faster this occurs the sooner we will see the true beauty that can come from this art & entertainment we call Game.
“He who uses trickery should at least make use of his judgment to learn that he can scarcely hide treacherous conduct for very long among clever men who are determined to find him out, although they may pretend to be deceived in order to disguise their knowledge of his deceitfulness.”
- Magdeleine Sable - (c. 1599 - 1678)
EDIT: Note, the above information is based off of information gathered and the opinion that information helped shape. This is not slander, this is purely conjecture, theory based of information gathered on the web.
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
Here are some links I have that were supposed to be part of the above article.
http://www.cynopsis.com/content/view/1848/53/
<Mod edit>
http://www.zoominfo.com/search/PersonQuery.aspx?searchSource=basic&searchParameters=Andrei+Gireada
http://www.zoominfo.com/search/PersonQuery.aspx?searchSource=basic&searchParameters=colton+burgess
http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/stats/by-name/c/colton-burgess.html
PC Optimizer Pro in league with all of this?!
http://www.pcoptimizerpro.com/loudant/contact.htm
Edit Colton's REAL identity.
http://shp.shortweb.com/benkorb.htm
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
Great job on the research, guys. Please keep the updates coming.
Maphusio, can you do me a favor? Can you send me your research in a PDF/Word format using a hosting service (rapidshare, etc). Love to be able read the document as a whole.
Cheers,
Derfel
how to be honest i did not think this game is still going on lol. i thought ti dies. and it looks bad to.
MYSPACE ACCOUNT
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=80721225
Which FF Character Are You?
That link is broken, curious, where did that go?
And I'm sorry OP, I did not see your post. I've sent you a rapid share link via PM I'll post it here as well
rapidshare.com/files/105137159/Current_Draft.doc.html
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
No matter how much you douse it in kerosene and flick the match.
As long as there are folks trying to use this engine to rip people off then this thread is relevant.
The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
~Omar Khayyam
This thread is 2 years old! Or well almost. This is fucking craziness, this will probably get locked or something. Still 2 year old thread...
WHO DARES DISTURB THIS TOMB!?!?!?
Toreential
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
Locked? For what? Oh locked because MMORPG.com fell right into the creators of this abomination not once but twice? The second time around, they tried their best to cover that up didn't they? If this thread were to be locked or removed... I'd start another, and another until I was removed... and even then. If that wont stop Ol Ben Korb/Colton/Aundre/ what ever his name... then it wont stop me eh? Shouldn't stop any of you either.
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
Wow this thread resurfaced again.. and I thought I've seen the last of it back in 2006... This thread needs to be preserved as a historical mmo relic for all future generations.
This thread needs to remain, not only as a reminder of what depths scum will sink to in order to screw over the mmorpg community in the name of the almighty dollar, but also as a shining example of what a few pissed off gamers really can accomplish against corrupt "game developers".
There is a problem though... We did not accomplish the ultimate goal. These people still roam free. The original creators in this plot from the start still are accepted members of even this forum. The scam goes on, under different titles more frequently than we can track.
Those responsible should face penalties, those responsible seem to continue scamming and getting away with it... I almost want to pay one of them a visit... He is only a couple hundred miles away from me...
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
Brings back some memories......I caught wind of it from GameDev.net. I remember repeat thinking to myself ..... No way....there is no way.
Scum is an understatement.
A little start for the uninitiated.....
http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=450767&PageSize=25&WhichPage=1
~Hairysun~
http://www.straightdope.com/
I am simply stunned. The company and its representitives are acting a a completely unprofessional way. They can't even spell/type correctly much less post a professional statement. If anyone has an active account with them at this point they are perhaps the stupidest person I have ever encountered.
Arguing that most MMO's when first released are beta's and one is paying to play a beta is one thing, but this company has gone light years beyond what any other company has done. I'm no lawyer but they should be sued for breach of contract (the pre-ordering debacle) and they probably violated other laws if everything the OP says is true. Anything they put on the internet can be used as proof which is why most companies ahve enough sense to not say too much. Posting things like "we are going home hope the servers don't crash!" is ridiculous.
lesson learned:
Don't preorder games from no name companies trying to make a MMO.
RESEARCH any purchase you make
stunned anyone would actually believe half the stuff in this thread considering 90% of the links leading to "proof" are broken or not even proof at all... all I see are people pissing into the wind with years old broken hearsay......
but ya.. keep truckin' I guess?..
stunned anyone would actually believe half the stuff in this thread considering 90% of the links leading to "proof" are broken or not even proof at all... all I see are people pissing into the wind with years old broken hearsay......
but ya.. keep truckin' I guess?..
Yep, you sure did read the information provided in this thread didn't you?...
You missed most of this saga. See the pre-order ordeal was only the beginning. There have been numerous incarnations of the game on the web. All claiming to be some new innovative mmo or engine for an mmo. They then sucker in investors, take their cash and run. On top of that, they are involved in various other types of fraud ranging from mortgage to anti-spyware software.
......................................................................
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING VENTRILO CHAT:
IP: 66.207.167.32
PORT: 3793
- WWW.KRELSLIBRARY.ORG -
"Information is knowledge, knowledge is power!"
......................................................................
stunned anyone would actually believe half the stuff in this thread considering 90% of the links leading to "proof" are broken or not even proof at all... all I see are people pissing into the wind with years old broken hearsay......
but ya.. keep truckin' I guess?..
Oh, you're back to be shamed again are you? You sad little self just can't get enough can you?
stunned anyone would actually believe half the stuff in this thread considering 90% of the links leading to "proof" are broken or not even proof at all... all I see are people pissing into the wind with years old broken hearsay......
but ya.. keep truckin' I guess?..
Stunned someone can come in here and make that kind of statement. I suggest actually reading the thread. Or you might even try asking the staff here, seeing as how they took a lot of heat from myself and others because of these assholes.
Edit: Then again, sometimes you "neverwin".