Games Workshop oddities

I'm hoping to get some actual threads going in here soon since Vader picked up Dark Vengeance and has decided we will learn 40k once and for all (though while we slowly process minis Warmachine is kicking ass again!). But I am resigned, and I will learn 40k. So hopefully good stuff about 40k will come soon, but for now... this post is another middle finger at Games Workshop (GW). Not their games, but they themselves.

I already explained to everybody how/why GW made it company policy that a business can't sell their shit without meeting strict guidelines, starting with a "brick and mortar" establishment. I have also discovered recently another trick to that is they demand the stores that do carry their stuff MUST price at MSRP, and aren't allowed to have sales unless it's old crap and GW just had a new rule change. That way, they can undercut any store that wants to carry their product, making players go to the GW store instead of a local hobby shop.

So, Vader and I were playing Warmachine Tactics on steam multiplayer, and I made the comment that they need a game like that for 40k, and Vader agreed. So after we were done I went looking for any way to play 40k on a computer. I found the usual forum threads for Vassal, and a few posts about playing on Tabletop Simulator, but then I found... sigh.

40K video games are wonderful, and GW is all over them. A video game for 40k that simulates a tabletop game is a serious NO-NO!!! Um...why? Keep in mind, this info is coming from a dude that supposedly works for GW, AND another dude that is supposedly a GW stock holder who gets their quarterly "state of the company" addresses. GW will not allow a video game that would give people access to rules or model stats. They feel people would use these digital tools instead of buying minis, because they know their minis are overpriced for what you get. They also believe having a video game with stats and rules would make it easier for players to use any models/proxies to play on the tabletop without paying for the physical products.

Worst part? Again, supposedly.... according to that state of the company address, GW believes their game doesn't sell because of people playing it. 40K sells because of collectors, who don't play, but just want the minis and books to fill out their collection. That's why they set their prices so high, because they don't have to gear products towards new players, just old collectors! They do realize there is the occasional collector who gets noobs into collecting by mini/model envy, and that's why the have starter sets geared towards noobs. But in their thinking, a noob buys a starter set, as he starts to fill out his army, they are making a new collector. Apparently gamers and players are not their target audience. Oh, and that's supposed to be the reason their rules have been convoluted through several editions and the faction books aren't on the same versions.... they don't have to update cuz their target audience doesn't play the game!!! Um...WHAT?!

Again, don't know how truthful any of the last two paragraphs are. Stuff above that has been confirmed. But if any of this is on the level, what the fuck kind of business are they running?!

Two things have me thinking about this problem. First, I finally figured out how to make a map in the Vassal 40k mod... more specifically, a map with custom size that doesn't have retarded green deployment zone looking things stacked on sides that nobody would use for deployment. I also put together player 1 and player 2 armies for the Dark Vengeance box set, BUT the Vassal 40k mod is rather lacking in proper wargear display, and of course it would be a HUGE issue to change colors of armies.

The second thing is playing with Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) and its built-in top-down game template. In the previous post, I mentioned Vader and I playing Warmachine Tactics on steam. It has been said they used the Unreal Engine 3 (UE3), and even though I've seen no evidence of that, they have stated they will be patching/updating this month to upgrade to UE4. The UE4 top-down template gives me insight into the camera and control scheme needed to make something like Warmachine Tactics happen. The UE4 socket system, which allows sockets to be added to a skeleton for the purpose of easily attaching weapons and clothing and cameras, makes me think if the sockets were done just right, and the tools were provided, fans and modders could fill in the blanks.

So, based on the previous post, you know what would be an awesome FU to GW? They already know about the vassal 40k mod... a simple google search will get you there no problems... but because of it's limitations, it will never replace actual tabletop play. So what's the awesome FU? Somebody should take the UE4 tools, and the top-down template, and put together something very much like Warmachine Tactics. They should make a skeleton with sockets, animations, and physics. They should make one or two weapons, like a bolter and power sword, with models, and all the stats... and all the blueprints needed to stick them in sockets and make them work. They should then release this UE4 project for free on the internets, maybe asking for donations. Explain to the fans and modders that all of the groundwork is laid, but if you want more weapons, model them, texture them, and blueprint them. If you want Orks or Eldar or Tau, model them, and stick them on the skeleton. If you want the game to run smoother, or have better textures and graphics and lighting.... if you want multiplayer.... pass the project file on to your buddies who are masters of that stuff. Make it a community driven project, and I guarantee in less than a year there will be a bootleg computer 40k with every aspect of the tabletop, with all armies, all weapons, full multiplayer, with some of the best modern graphics available, and Games Workshop can toss lawsuits in every direction they want, but suing over a game is one thing... suing over some dudes' temporary game project for educational purposes is something else entirely.