Star Fleet 2010

Just a heads up that I’m looking for people with some experience with the Unreal Engine 3 for the development of a Battletech/Mechwarrior like game using the UDK. If you are interested in such please feel free to contact me by dropping an email to Robert.Graham at bigpond dot com (replace at with @ and dot with . ) Game to be set either within the Battletech Mythos/Cronology or within a completely new universe based on team feedback.

-Regards

Rob Graham

If your following it CGL have released a new press release in regards to the whole Lawsuit issue.

Like always I’m not going to speculate until we actually have it all over and done with but it does mention they are in negotiations with the current owner of the Shadowrun and Battletech IP Topps.

You can read the press release at http://catalystgamelabs.com

Ok if your following the Catalyst Gaming Labs ‘Drama’ as some call it you’ve by now seen the one hundred and one posts across every forum by a certain Frank Trollman. Look people honestly the letter is confidental between the parties involved by actually posting it anywhere Mr Trollman himself may have broken the law.

But lets look at what is going on here CGL has some issues right? they are a Privately Owned company right?

Answer to every thing there YES

Alright with that in mind guess what, the public that is me and you don’t have ANY RIGHT to know what is going on behind closed doors, zips nada.. and even if they where a public company you only have the right to know if you are a shareholder.

So with that in mind sorry folks CGL actually didn’t have to post their press release but they did.

Onto what Frank has done again, he’s posted information that is clearly covered by a NDA (most company letters etc are) what’s a NDA you ask? NDA stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement, this is a legally binding document that basically says what you can and can not say about anything from a product to an entire business.. It keeps things they don’t want out of the public eye and it is as mentioned LEGALLY binding. The only way out of a NDA? Well that is when it has a time limit on the document or a clause that states you can exit if x and x is met. Ie ‘This Non-Disclosure Agreement will remain in effect for 6 years from the date of signing’ or ‘Once the closed beta phase is over and the product has been moved into open beta, release or if posted by the company you may talk about this product’ etc etc.

So whoever gave Mr Trollman the info he’s sprouting about the internet is actually looking at some heavy litigation, add to that the fact that he is making wild accusations with out actual physical evidence means that he himself is quite possibly leaving himself open to Litigation as well.

Breaking NDA’s can be career ending in certain business’s, in governement well it can be prison or worse but were talking business so yeah.

All over though you have people jumping to conclusions screaming help the house is on fire.. Help this person is a lier, help this person is etc etc..

Look guys the LAW will deal with this that’s what it exists for alright, so let the lawyers do their jobs, let the dust settle and THEN post.. Speculation and mud flicking is not productive.

Ok Catalyst obviously have done a full reply to ICV2.com’s allegations about their ceasing publishing the original post was that Catalyst gaming labs had ordered several/All stores to stop selling merchandise in regards to Shadowrun and some of their other products as this press report (quoted below) states CGL has NOT stopped all items instead they have stopped the publishing of certain books that have issues with most likely outstanding payments required to be given to their authors or at least parts of their authors.

ICV2 is a great website that rapidly compiles information across the width and breadth of the gaming industry, as it occurs, and tries to provide a single source for all such news. However, there recent report contained some factual inaccuracies.

First, there has been no halt to sales of any CthulhuTech products. We’re are in negotiations with our friends at WildFire for how best to move forward, ensuring this great book line continues to grow. As such, neither Catalyst Game Labs, nor WildFire, have put a stop to any books from being sold.

Second, the stoppage of a small, select list of Shadowrun books has nothing to do with the license for Shadowrun, which Catalyst still holds. Instead, the halt to sales is due to on going negotiations between Catalyst and its freelancers. We’re moving quickly and thoroughly to resolve this situation to mutual satisfaction, so the community can have access to these great Shadowrun books in short order once more.

- Randall Bills

So as we can see Catalyst is moving ahead in regards to this.

By now most places and people are reporting on Catalyst Game Labs problems.

Most of these appear to be rumor, very very few have posted actual evidence of the constant doom and gloom that is going around on the net, the only official posting on the entire thing is the press statement at Catalyst Gaming labs own website. Other places are claiming stores have been told to cease selling products however Catalysts own main sales site of Battlecorps is still selling PDF’s of all products as are several others not to mention the fact that even if Catalyst had lost the Shadowrun and the like licenses it is actually rather improbable that they will do a cease of sales on already printed books, why is this? Because that is Not how the industry works, if a book is printed their is nothing in the laws that says you have to recall all the books, rather you try and get them to sell to get the money from having to print them.

Examples of this alone can be seen in the fact that you can still pick up books from FASA, Fanpro and even some copies of the Warhammer 40k RPG that have their ORIGINAL creators logo’s on them.

So the big one here guys, look for actual PRESS RELEASES that come from the companies rather then just rumors.