[Ignis Fatuus]

Update 4

That's a lot of very desperate tweeting.

Update 3

Holy shit.

I think he linked to the wrong post. If you scroll up a bit, they're discussing how this Hodapp guy apparently pretended to work for a children's charity to get some Wii consoles (back when they were scarce), then resold them for a profit and gloated about it on SA. What a remarkable piece of shit.

Update 2

Update 1

Uhmmmm. I'll just say this: the TouchArcade dude who's hating on NeoGAF now, not even last week was begging one of our iOS |OT| regulars to ask a mod/admin to get approved since he had been waiting to become a junior for a long time and really wanted to get approved. So you can even add that to the OP, if you want. There's proof this is true btw, it's all laid out in the Touch Gaming Thread 4. Edit: here: http://m.neogaf.com/showpost.php?p=37205770

ORIGINAL POST:

Oh boy, where to begin with this one? Up until now much of the discussion in the 36 page long thread for the Republique Kickstarter has been overshadowed by the words of Eli Hodapp, editor in chief of Touch Arcade, the largest iOS gaming site in the world. His ongoing meltdown has now completely derailed that discussion and spun off into something with a life of its own.

This sad saga all started when NeoGAF poster Zeouterlimits reached out to Hodapp hoping to get some coverage for Republique, which was then an iOS only game. The initial response was less than enthusiastic, but people brushed it off and moved on. Hodapp, however, did not:



Just in case his position was still unclear after that, he followed it up with a bizarre rant that begins like this:

Kickstarter is everything that is wrong with the "millennial" generation, wholly concentrated into a single web site. Back in my day, if you wanted to open up a lemonade stand, you did everything you could to get the funding together to make that happen. If you couldn't finance it personally, you'd borrow money from whatever family, friends, and fools you can drum up, and be personally responsible for its repayment. You'd then take that money, open your lemonade stand, hopefully turn a profit, then pay everyone back. Alternatively, if you didn't turn a profit or couldn't get your lemonade stand off the ground for one reason or another, you still needed to worry about the money you owed everyone. This caused you to only ask for money when you really believed in your lemonade stand, or, at least, enough to risk your neck for it. In this crazy Kickstarter-laden world we live in now, the scenario is totally different. You decide on the vague idea that you want to start a lemonade stand, you don't have the means to do it, so you jingle around a change jar with a line on it. You sucker people into giving money to you because they like lemonade, and you offer them some sort of commemorative sticker as "thanks." Meanwhile, while people might be filling up your change jar, you're free at any time to up and decide that you don't want to run a lemonade stand anymore, and instead you're going to sell Kool-Ade, fruit punch, or any other number of derivative things.

Note: He lied about how much Republique was showing in its pitch, and claimed that there was no gameplay in the video.

A dispirited Ryan Payton, no doubt bewildered by the venomous response, attempted to reach out to Hodapp and offered to fly to Chicago to demonstrate the game and prove that it was a real thing that they were working on. The reply?



Meanwhile, the Kickstarter funding floundered. In recent days Hodapp has been celebrating the difficulties that Republique is experiencing. As the iOS gaming press savaged the project, we bitched most diligently at Ryan (who posts here) to persuade him to put the game on PC. Finally, yesterday he did so in an extensive video where he promised to create a unique version of the game for PC and add extra features that would suit the platform after completing their original, unchanged plans for the iOS version.

Hodapp caught wind of this, and was not amused.



The result so far?



And this brings us to today, and Hodapp's complete meltdown.



Ultimately this is not a tale about Republique, or Touch Arcade's policies, or Kickstarter, or whatever remains of professional decorum in this industry. It's about one tragic figure and his misadventures on Twitter, where he is currently acting like a victim because some people don't seem to like him very much for some reason.



He's just misunderstood, guys.

Note: This thread was created because Hodapp sent one of his cronies into the Republique thread to pretend that people are complaining about Touch Arcade's lack of coverage and not their public rants. The topic was getting derailed, so a new one seems appropriate.

[Legato.Reborn-]

I love watching this stuff live!

[Gravijah]

pretty shitty situation. i don't understand what his problem is.

[ShineALight]

The funniest part is the guy on Twitter that thinks that people on NeoGAF don't buy games. Everyone, prepare to show off your backlogs!

[Haunted]

Wow, what an unprofessional piece of shit. Sounds like a worthy followup to that oceanmarketing guy.


Blacklisted his site, going to encourage every iOS owner I know to do the same.

[Lucentto]

shitfarter? Really?

[Rez]

pretty shitty situation. i don't understand what his problem is.

"I didn't understand how something works, was called out on it, and my ego is too large to simply say 'I didn't realise that's how it works, I'm sorry. '"

[BHK3]

What a fucking idiot.

[entrement]

Thanks for the thread, OP. It was hard to follow in the Republique thread.

[kenta]

So how old is this dude?

[Mama Robotnik]

"I didn't understand how something works, was called out on it, and my ego is too large to simply say 'I didn't realise that's how it works, I'm sorry. '"

And suddenly it all makes glorious sense.

What a petulant little human being we are dealing with here.

[markot]

I dont want to sound like im saying it just cause... but whats touch arcade >.<?

He does sound abit Grandpa simpsonish.

[HoosTrax]

Curious if Reddit's picked up on this yet. Someone making an ass out of themselves on Twitter isn't truly funny until it goes viral and meme status.

[Kifimbo]

So how old is this dude?

Physically, or mentally/emotionally ?

[Kai Dracon]

A guy who runs an iOS site is going to mock kickstarter?

Using some "old man yells at clouds" attitudes about lemon stands, boot straps, and misappropriated metaphors about "millennials"?

Load the popcorn gifs boys, this one's gonna go into overtime.

[El Sloth]

If you couldn't finance it personally, you'd borrow money from whatever family, friends, and fools you can drum up, and be personally responsible for its repayment. You'd then take that money, open your lemonade stand, hopefully turn a profit, then pay everyone back. Alternatively, if you didn't turn a profit or couldn't get your lemonade stand off the ground for one reason or another, you still needed to worry about the money you owed everyone. This caused you to only ask for money when you really believed in your lemonade stand, or, at least, enough to risk your neck for it.[img][/img] In this crazy Kickstarter-laden world we live in now, the scenario is totally different. You decide on the vague idea that you want to start a lemonade stand, you don't have the means to do it, so you jingle around a change jar with a line on it. You sucker people into giving money to you because they like lemonade, and you offer them some sort of commemorative sticker as "thanks."

Aren't these two things basically the same thing with a different spin on the wording?

And as for complaint about being able to change the project during the kickstarter campaign: backers are free at any time to change or cancel their pledges before the thing is over.

"But what if they don't do what they promised after they get our money?!"

Well that's part of the risk inherent to giving someone your money for something that's still mostly an idea (funny enough Republique is obviously much more than just a nebulous idea. Their kickstarter video proves that) . Don't give them your money if you feel they're untrustworthy. That's all.

[markot]

Also 'shitfarter' >.<; I mean at least take 5 minutes to come up with something thats half way clever.

[henhowc]

They gave Max Payne Mobile 5 stars...that is enough to tell me that I can't take the site seriously.

[aeolist]

Well this game will probably get funded at this rate right?

It amuses me to think of this guy just totally frothing with rage in front of his computer because SOMEWHERE PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MONEY ON THINGS HE DOESN'T LIKE

[Zia]

Wow, what an unprofessional piece of shit.

I know they've built a great community there, but the editorial is terrible. Also, occasionally I'll write about games and a year or so ago I was trying to work with them to get some info for a piece I was working on (for a real, extremely well respected outlet) and they just kind of ignored me. I was like, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

[jediyoshi]

Ah, the Jim Sterling approach. Clever one.

[Kai Dracon]

Aren't these two things basically the same thing with a different spin on the wording? And as for complaint about being able to change the project during the kickstarter campaign: backers are free at any time to change or cancel their pledges before the thing is over. "But what if they don't do what they promised after they get our money?!" Well that's part of the risk inherent to funding someone's idea. Don't give them your money if you feel they're untrustworthy. That's all.

Yes, but one version makes it sound like a person is a rugged individualist and true entrepreneur. The other version makes it sound like a person is a con man, communist, and probably a cow rapist.

[Diablohead]

I can understand what he is on about with money loaning and gambles (he spoke about it a few times on toucharcade's podcast) but this is just silly, no point sticking yourself into a spotlight because you got a stick up your butt over kickstarter.

If republique devs run off with the money or make a sub par game after all this then I hope people learn to not just throw money at kickstarter, but for now you can't stop the fad.

[entrement]

Wow, they're even ripping on KS on the podcast, well at least based on the show notes. I'm not listening to the podcast ever.

[Eusis]

Aren't these two things basically the same thing with a different spin on the wording? And as for complaint about being able to change the project during the kickstarter campaign: backers are free at any time to change or cancel their pledges before the thing is over. "But what if they don't do what they promised after they get our money?!" Well that's part of the risk inherent to funding someone's idea. Don't give them your money if you feel they're untrustworthy. That's all.

That, and the reward thing is (usually) wrong. Granted, that was how the lower levels of the CoH2 Kickstarter worked, but the higher levels of that, and the basic levels of MOST every other notable Kickstarter game was "give $10/15+, get the game on completion", which may not be as good as investing in something hoping for a positive return on your money, but then if that's the kind of business you want it'd be several thousand or million, not a hundred or less.

I find it strange how much venom this Kickstarter got too. The other game ones seemed to be largely without incident save for the CoH2 one, and almost all critiques of it were level headed, not throwing around "shitstarter" and crap.

[aeolist]

Yes, but one version makes it sound like a person is a rugged individualist and true entrepreneur. The other version makes it sound like a person is a con man, communist, and probably a cow rapist.

Note that I do not agree with this guy in the least but I think he's saying that people feel more obligation to make good on their promises when you're borrowing from people you know

Ignoring that doing this and then failing miserably from mismanagement or overpromising or whatever would basically be the death knell of a person's career in the industry

[panama chief]

Hodapp, review games and keep quiet please.

[graywolf323]

what a prick

I'm never visiting Touch Arcade again after this

also how has a dev (Vortex Games, Inc.) never heard of GAF?

said dev also hilariously had a Kickstarter which bombed horribly - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...rtex-games-inc

[Buttonbasher]

Yeah this is what it'll take for me to stop visiting Touch Arcade. All of the good stuff filters into the GAF thread anyways.

[Madrugador]

Damn. I'm not particularly interested in Republique but now I'm actually thinking about backing them because of this.

Hope they make it.

[Alucrid]

the fuck is touch arcade?

[TheSeks]

I think this is an appropriate thread where HarrisonFordWHOGIVESASHIT.gif is applied.

Really, why are you giving this dude attention? Because he somehow affected the kickstarter? How about helping Ryan get around this dude's influence in getting people to not donate money (which, it seems you did) and completely ignore the dude instead of reaching out to him. Same with Ryan: You're not going to change this dudes mind because he's already set in his ways of hating kickstarter because those damn "millennials" (whatever the fuck boogie man he's making our generation into) simply can't fund projects with their money however the hell they want to.

[Gravijah]

I think this is an appropriate thread where HarrisonFordWHOGIVESASHIT.gif is applied. Really, why are you giving this dude attention? Because he somehow affected the kickstarter? How about helping Ryan get around this dude's influence in getting people to not donate money (which, it seems you did) and completely ignore the dude instead of reaching out to him. Same with Ryan: You're not going to change this dudes mind because he's already set in his ways of hating kickstarter because those damn "millennials" (whatever the fuck boogie man he's making our generation into) simply can't fund projects with their money however the hell they want to.

i think someone with as much power as eli hodapp should be called out for his actions.

[gotee12]

I'm not particularly interested in Republique but now I'm actually thinking about backing them because of this.

Same here.

I'm also going to avoid this Touch Arcade site. Never visited it before, definitely no reason to start now.

[Lost Fragment]

How old is this guy?

I don't know how comfortable I am with the whole Kickstarter trend, but this Hodapp guy is a tool. Guy needs to check his ego just a little bit or it's gonna be hard for him to hold onto his success for the long run.

[Kai Dracon]

Note that I do not agree with this guy in the least but I think he's saying that people feel more obligation to make good on their promises when you're borrowing from people you know Ignoring that doing this and then failing miserably from mismanagement or overpromising or whatever would basically be the death knell of a person's career in the industry

That's a fair point, but I think after kickstarter has been around longer and we see more projects come to completion, its own social factor will start to kick in.

In other words, kickstarter projects will have a lot more clout and expectations behind them and people who dive into one will probably feel a greater weight on their shoulders.

Then again, there are already a number of creators going the Kickstarter route who are industry professionals with a reputation on the line and a concern for their supporters and fan base. I would expect these folks will help grant Kickstarter a lot more legitimacy. As well as a higher standard for others to adhere to.

In the long run, it seems he's castigating what is generally (if not explicitly) the same principle. It's not a solid thing to hang a demonization of kickstarter on.

[SteeloDMZ]

I'd suggest people to read this guy's reviews on his site. After doing that, you know the fellow is not to be taken seriously.

[chiablo]

the fuck is touch arcade?

Do you LOVE Angry Birds? You'll like Touch Arcade.

[funkystudent]

Dude comes across like a jackass but I do think some more skepticism about this kickstarter trend is a good thing.

Will be interesting to see how we look back on Kickstarter in 6-12 months.

[HoosTrax]

I don't know how comfortable I am with the whole Kickstarter trend, but this Hodapp guy is a tool. Guy needs to check his ego just a little bit.

Plenty of gaming journalists have expressed reservations about the whole Kickstarter phenomenon...usually in a wayyy more articulate way than "shitfarter" though.

[Emitan]

How dare people give money to fund a project making something they want! That's anti capitalist! It's practically communism!

As the owner of a gaming website, I hope people making games fail and I will do my best to make sure that happens!

[Satch]

yo we DO buy games, ya jerk

we just never play them :(

[HoosTrax]

Do you LOVE Angry Birds? You'll like Touch Arcade.

What if I LOOOVE Angry Birds, but on my Android phone, Chrome browser, and PC?

[entrement]

the fuck is touch arcade?

A gaming website dedicated to iOS game coverage.

[Emitan]

yo we DO buy games, ya jerk we just never play them :(

Who has time to play games? I spend too much time buying them!

[Whooter]

Wow, I had no idea something like this was going on.

I used to go to TouchArcade.

used to

[Jackl]

I agree, the nerve of people of donating their own money. Unfuckingbelievable.

[D4Danger]

A gaming website dedicated to iOS game coverage.

aka the only gaming site that doesn't get its news from gaf

[GoingGreen]

I really don't understand this KS stuff. Why would you give money to a person or a group of people to make something, only for them to turn around and charge you to buy said product?

[maquiladora]

I don't understand this guy. Is his hate and salt just because he is an iOS fanboy unhappy that this game was once due to be iOS only and now isn't?