73
74

ImageFormer KSP Media Group member PDTV posts about his time at Squad on 4chan (imgur.com)

Mirkury が 投稿

全 87 件のコメント
並べ替え:
ベスト
トップ新着論争中古い順Q&A

[–]ticktockbent 17ポイント18ポイント  (11子コメント)

Interesting, but is there any proof that this person is who he claims to be?

[–]Mirkury[S] 7ポイント8ポイント  (1子コメント)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J-PwxtJElY

Further evidence that this individual is indeed PDTV.

[–]ticktockbent 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Very interesting. I wasn't doubting exactly, just requesting verification which that would seem to corroborate.

[–]Mirkury[S] 11ポイント12ポイント  (8子コメント)

EDIT: He posted a YouTube video confirming his identity. See my below comment for a link.

The Code following his name is known as a tripcode, with the double exclamation points indicating that it's a secure one - it's very difficult to crack the code needed to reproduce a secure tripcode, bordering on the impossible for most.

https://foolz.fireden.net/vg/search/tripcode/NJ5DZP%2BT0yP/

This link shows most every time that particular secure tripcode was used, from most recent at the top, and the earliest at the bottom. Whilst ostensibly it could be somebody pretending to be PDTV, and had been always, the reveal of Schmoogleedorf's firing had been done on /kspg/ first, which indicates at the least that whoever was posting under that name could be reasonably assumed to have an insight into Squad's inner workings.

[–]ticktockbent 8ポイント9ポイント  (5子コメント)

I can accept that. Now we wait to see if anyone comments on it, or if this is removed.

[–]IamsodarncoolMaster Kerbalnaut 2ポイント3ポイント  (3子コメント)

If they don't comment on it we can assume it's accurate

[–][削除されました]  (2子コメント)

[deleted]

    [–]IamsodarncoolMaster Kerbalnaut 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    No I can't, for example although I'd like to assume Squad is a healthy and fun place to work I can no longer do so

    [–]ssd21345 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Don't worry. I have an "abnormal" way(It's easy to guess what I did,not just only use both) to back up using arch.is and wayback machine.

    [–]Deltervees 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    So all we know is that a guy has a tripcode. Doesn't prove that the guy with the tripcode is the actual PDtv.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

    He just released a YouTube video verifying who he is, actually.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J-PwxtJElY

    [–]boywithumbrella 17ポイント18ポイント  (26子コメント)

    This is troubling news, however one thing really jumps out to me. Considering the person who wrote this supposedly is/was a de facto Media Director / proto Community Manager and all other media/pr related functions, his English is pretty bad.

    Now, for html-coding a newsletter you don't need literary English. But this does make me question if this is either not PDtv, or if he really was qualified for all the writing / public communication work that PDtv initially did. Because in my experience, people working in PR / CM positions (me included) do not make that kind of errors even when not writing professionally.

    [–]Ulaggy 7ポイント8ポイント  (13子コメント)

    Careful, I pretty much suggested the same and got downvoted for it!

    [–]boywithumbrella 7ポイント8ポイント  (12子コメント)

    Thanks for the heads-up :) Yeah, downvotes happen, but I refuse to let that keep me from expressing my opinion.

    Also, having worked as a CM, you kinda get used to get shit on at least some of the time ;)

    [–]Ulaggy 2ポイント3ポイント  (11子コメント)

    To be honest, as crap as his treatment may or may not have been - I highly highly doubt it's any different at most companies. If we boycotted every game made by companies who treat their employees badly, then we'd probably never play another game, ever!

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 5ポイント6ポイント  (9子コメント)

    I wish this information to be shared so that less copies of this game are ultimately sold.

    What an idiot. If he actually is who he says he is and in this post has taken steps to even prove it he's setting himself up for a lawsuit from Squad and basically handing them the victory.

    [–]ticktockbent 1ポイント2ポイント  (8子コメント)

    I'm curious what grounds you think a lawsuit could be pursued on?

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

    Openly stating you are defaming a company with the express intent to hurt sales shows malice. Slam dunk libel/slander suit.

    [–]bonochromatic 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    It's not defamation if it's accurate, regardless of intent; that's up to a court to decide.

    [–]ticktockbent 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

    Would this work in a Mexican court? I have no idea what their legal system is like.

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Not sure, either, but our libel laws are based off English libel laws and a lot of it is pretty common sense: a business or individual has a right to defend itself against intentionally/malicious attacks on its character and especially if that can lead to hurting a person's or a business's income.

    Even if this doesn't become a legal issue he's still an idiot for publicly defaming a former employer. If I were a hiring manager, came across his resume, did some research and found this he'd certainly not get an interview and I'd be right in deciding so.

    [–]ticktockbent 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I'm not saying you're wrong here, just want clarification: You think he is in the wrong for telling people how badly the company treats its employees? Because that is exactly the kind of information I'd want to know if I were seeking a job with them.

    [–]Ulaggy 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

    I'm guessing libel? Obviously would depend on what both sides had evidence wise, but postings on a public forum about business practices would be libellous if they aren't true. I think. I'm not too clued up on law!

    [–]IamsodarncoolMaster Kerbalnaut 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Well assuming the claims are true is there really much they could do?

    [–]Ulaggy 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Well, no. But that's why it comes down to evidence. If the courts believed Squad, then PDtv would be done by libel. Obviously, if the courts believed PDtv, then the case would be thrown out of court - Compensation mybe for PDtv? I dunno. I'm not clued up on law!

    [–]Mirkury[S] 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    "It's ok because somebody else does it!"

    That's a terrible stance to take. Instead of ignoring all injustices because everybody is committing them, we should take this opportunity to hold Squad accountable.

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 8ポイント9ポイント  (9子コメント)

    Studied journalism but have worked in IT for the last 20 years and have a lot of friends still in journalism/pr/writing. Can confirm we actually correct ourselves all the time even in IMs, sometimes annoyingly so. You're correct: spelling errors in casual context are an indication of poor writing on the professional level.

    [–]Mirkury[S] -5ポイント-4ポイント  (8子コメント)

    Nice personal anecdote. Care to back that up with actual facts?

    Your casual writing is, in and of itself syntactically wrong anyway, which really doesn't help your stance.

    [–]Ulaggy 2ポイント3ポイント  (7子コメント)

    PDTV, is that you?

    Edit: Nah, can't be him - your ability to write is better than his! (Though apparently my own ability just failed, whoops!)

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (6子コメント)

    you're ability

    I really don't think you have grounds to insult somebody else's writing.

    [–]Ulaggy 1ポイント2ポイント  (5子コメント)

    Upvote for great truth!

    [–]Mirkury[S] 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

    Don't know why you keep getting hit with downvotes, so I've fired a few ups back towards you. You've got good points.

    [–]Ulaggy 2ポイント3ポイント  (3子コメント)

    I like to think I hover somewhere between realist and wanting to make a difference. The problem with an issue like this, aside from the fact it's all one-sided at present, is that the issue is more than just about one guy and Squad.

    Dodgy practices is probably endemic to the entire industry. Hell, I'd go further and say that it's endemic to the human race as a hole. The folk at the bottom will always get crapped on. Be they PR guy for a games company, a care worker (that'd be me) who hasn't had a payrise in years, or the fast food worker who gets crapped on by the boss and the public!

    If I tried to fix the world, I'd fail within seconds. As crap as he may or may not have been treated, I can't let myself be too concerned because we all have to put up with it, ya know? We really would never play another computer game if we boycotted companies with bad practices, but then we'd also never eat at a fast food place, or buy that new film on Amazon, or pretty much use any business.

    It's the reality of the world we live in. Sucks, but there you go!

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

    As somebody who works in the software industry, I can confirm that things are shitty.

    But people speaking up and actually doing something about it do make a difference, especially with a game like KSP, whose reputation is it's main selling point. That's why I feel it's worthwhile to broach this subject, and to do as much as we can to hold Squad accountable. Can we fix the world? No. Can we maybe deal with this one instance of a company being shady? I think so.

    [–]Slow_Dog 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

    As somebody who works in the software industry, I can confirm that things are shitty.

    Doesn't have to be. You've just confirmed that you're in the wrong job. I'm in the software industry, work 9-5, am paid decently, do hardly any overtime. Work overnight, sometimes, 'cos the customers (the Rail Industry) do; no big deal.

    [–]pixelcoby 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    those kind of errors. No way you work in PR, you sound like a weird little kid.

    [–]Mirkury[S] -4ポイント-3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    do not make that kind of errors

    Ok.

    [–]IamsodarncoolMaster Kerbalnaut 13ポイント14ポイント  (5子コメント)

    It always felt like there was some shitty shit going on with upper management at squad. I feel so bad for the development team... it's so obvious they just want to make a good game and they're treated and paid like shit :(

    [–]Kerbal_Renaissance 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I always felt like there was something they weren't telling us. Does /u/KSP_badie want to comment on any of this?

    [–]p-woj 23ポイント24ポイント  (16子コメント)

    If this is true it would explain quite a bit.

    Remember when Bac9 quit Squad because they weren't paying a living wage? US$2,400 is nowhere near enough to live on.

    It'd also explain how wonky the development has been. How did the landing gear get through a whole year of development for 1.1? How was 1.0 a full release (especially with the terribly balanced aero)?

    This game is good, probably one of the best (but only with mods), but I won't stand for this kind of bullshit is happening behind the scenes. Nothing has been proven yet but these claims are damning.

    [–]Winterplatypus 18ポイント19ポイント  (10子コメント)

    I don't see how any of this is a problem. If you think the pay/hours are unreasonable then don't sign the contract at the start that clearly states your pay/hours. If the pay or the hours are different to the contract then you have grounds to refuse, quit or take legal action.

    An employer is not your friend, they tell you what they are willing to pay in exchange for a job they want you to do. When the job is over, they aren't obligated to keep you around. If there's no more work for you, then you can't expect an employer to keep you just out of charity. If there was more work for you and you were an amazing employee then they wouldn't fire you.

    The situation sounds like it was a contract arrangement not a permanent position. A single payment for a short term job, not a yearly salary.

    [–]mexikaos 10ポイント11ポイント  (9子コメント)

    you hit the nail on the head. He knew to the full extent what his contract was and still decided to do the work with out negotiating pay, that's on him. At my company we subcontract some aspects of a job we can't handle. We don't keep those people on retainer, they do their job and leave. Plus he coded a freaking newsletter... seems to me he's just salty since you can tell he has been waiting to do this.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 9ポイント10ポイント  (8子コメント)

    The thing is, his pay wasn't his main complaint, and his main job wasn't coding a newsletter. Three years ago, when the KSP community was in it's infancy, and just starting to pick up steam, he was the Media Director for KSP. He was taking care of the Weeklies, was a key part of early KSP-TV, including ensuring the quality of the things broadcast.

    Additionally, the usage of the word "Fired" indicates that his contract didn't run out, or that he wasn't in a contracted position.

    [–]mexikaos 10ポイント11ポイント  (3子コメント)

    In that case then, why is he posting on 4chan and not talking to a lawyer? If he already is, I am certain he would have been advised to not post anything online about it. There is another side of the story that we aren't hearing. If he was truly fired, there had to have been a cause or there was something written in the contract stating they could release him with out any warning or cause, there has to be some kind of paperwork being filed out stating his earnings and terms of employment. If he accepted his position with out knowing the full terms of employment, then that falls on him. Not defending Squad for shady antics but its not like this kind of stuff is uncommon. Sounds like he's just butt hurt.

    [–]Skigazzi 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Because he stated it himself ""After running out of usefulness, and completing the brunt of the work we were all fired". " Fired / let go / restructured etc, that is what happens when a company doesnt need you because you ran out of usefulness. (unless its a govt job..)

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

    If he already is, I am certain he would have been advised to not post anything online about it.

    As someone who's actually worked with a lawyer a couple of times this is absolutely correct. If his claims were legit you wouldn't hear about them like this you'd find it in some news article after the case was settled and even then he would likely be legally bound to silence.

    [–]Mirkury[S] -2ポイント-1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Not defending Squad for shady antics

    Sounds like he's just butt hurt.

    That's exactly what you're doing, however.

    Again, if he wasn't in a contracted position, or (not being a Mexican citizen,) was subject to working an international contract, it is occasionally impossible (or impossibly expensive,) for him to do anything.

    [–]pinko_zinko 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Media Director for KSP

    Wouldn't that mostly be stuff like a newsletter? I'm not really sure what this is all about.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    More than just a newsletter. He was also in charge of things like KSP-TV, as well as fulfilling the job that was more or less the predecessor to what Maxmaps ended up doing.

    [–]Ulaggy 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

    If his posts are representative of his quality, I wouldn't be surprised he was fired. Have you seen how many typos he made? I'd expect someone in a media position to at least be able to spell properly!

    [–]Mirkury[S] -2ポイント-1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Considering that this is something he wrote in his free time, three years after losing his job? I hope you're joking.

    [–]tito13kfmMaster Kerbalnaut 6ポイント7ポイント  (2子コメント)

    What claims? That he was fired?

    Yeah, he was fired. So were a few other people. It happens.

    One of the people fired was defended by the opening words "outspoken and sometimes hot headed". I can't imagine why they let him go.

    Another one was a paid intern. Interns come and go.

    We also need to keep in mind, Squad is based in Mexico. Go look up wages in mexico for "community manager" or "forum moderator" or "intern".

    Edit: Bad automod, I wasn't paging anybody

    [–]shadowsutekh 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

    All of the forum moderators that only moderate the forums get paid the rich sum of $0. I would know.

    Edit: calm down automod you're super sensitive over the terms moderator and/or moderate.

    [–]RedbiertjeThe Challenger[M] 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I could exclude you from notifications, if you'd like that.

    [–]alltherobots 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Nothing has been proven yet but these claims are damning.

    I'm not sure you're using that ajective correctly.

    [–]ray_kats 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    You won't stand for this? what does that mean? Are you going to stop playing KSP? Also, if nothing is proven, then how can it be damning?

    [–]Tristan_Gregory 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Would hardly be the first games/software company with wonky practices. So long as KSP remains an incredible game, I will keep singing its praises, playing it, and recommending it to others.

    I feel for the guy, but I am a little confused as to why - apparently being paid so little for the work he was doing - he didn't quit before they ever had a chance to fire him. Two sides to every story, and all that.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    He's a disabled Veteran. Little pay is better than none.

    [–]themacman2 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Do we have proof that what he has said is true?

    From what I can tell, this guy is just a butt hurt employee who felt he was more important that he was. The man coded a newsletter with help. To me that shows he can't code because that is not a challenging task. And who's to say he didn't do 10% of the code and then have some one "help" for the other 90%.

    And so what he was on the original team. Being around when things started doesn't mean you don't have to work for your job. What if he was just not worth having around?

    And having 30 mins to write something is part of a communications job. Your writing will always need to be approved by management. You are representing them! And of course posts get edited. This post had horrible grammar and structure. Maybe the guy was just not good at his job!

    And he blows off "hot headed" as obviously not the reason Rayne was fired but in the professional world, "hot headed" is a very compelling reason to fire someone.

    It just sounds like he's really butt hurt and want's to complain.

    [–]Nokhal 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I don't see anything that is not industry standard here.

    [–]AdaAstra 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Two sides to every story. Not saying they are right, but this is not exactly unexpected in much of the software development world. While we don't know Squad's comments on this, IMO, I'm really not feeling like Squad did anything too terribly wrong. Being dickish, sure.....but this is a business and sometimes you need to be a dick in the business world.

    1) They are based out of Mexico. Their pay does not have to be competitive to anyone in the US. Even then, the payment was agreed upon when he took the job. If he didn't like the payment, he should have turned down the job or negotiated to something he agreed was worth his time. Now if Squad promised he would get so much after a certain point, that he should talk to a lawyer if he can prove it.

    2) Getting canned sucks, but it can be very difficult to prove a wrongful termination suit. Based on what he has said, he delivered a service as described and got canned. There could be more to this on why he got canned, but that is something he needs to take up with a lawyer if he feels he was wronged. Again, this is coming from his mouth, so Squad may have different reasons that are unknown to us. It is entirely possible they had valid reasons for canning him.

    3) As for the other layoffs, does he know the terms of their employment contracts? Were they consultants tasked with just completing a project and then they were done? That is entirely legal and done frequently is the software world. Being hothead is a good way to get yourself canned. Being an intern is essentially the same as being allowed to be let go at any time. Even if you did spend a great deal of time on a project.

    4) Not everyone is the same level at their company. While he may feel that he was entitled to top decision making, he probably wasn't at that level. This is not a democracy for every employee. It is run by 1 person or a group of people, and they can run the company how they see fit. They can chose to censor what they want to go public and what they don't want.

    [–]ZestyMountain 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

    TL;DR?

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

    After three years a guy who got fired comes forward to say it wasn't his fault. Shocking, I know.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Former KSP Media Director talks about poor working conditions, and dubious hiring/firing practices.

    [–]tito13kfmMaster Kerbalnaut 3ポイント4ポイント  (5子コメント)

    So what did this person do exactly? He coded (with help) a newsletter?

    Wow, color me shocked that he was let go.

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

    This all reeks heavily of FUD.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 1ポイント2ポイント  (3子コメント)

    He was part of the early KSP media machine, created and maintained the KSP Weeklies, was oft-times a regular streamer on KSP-TV, and served as a sort of predecessor to the Community Manager position, prior to Max getting the job.

    [–]pinko_zinko 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

    So? Still seems like I just read gossip.

    [–]Ghosty141 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

    It still is true and it still is bad news...

    [–]pinko_zinko 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I have no idea what their situation is, but since this is still in my mind gossip I'll take a stab at making an uninformed argument about what a different perspective may bring.

     

    My impression is that Squad is a really small outfit. And in Mexico. So they will have a hard time scheduling people, and typically on really small teams if one dev is willing to take on lots of extra work nobody will stop them. It's really unfortunate for these devs that they end up getting such poor hourly compensation, as they are generally salaried.

     

    Also typical in small outfits is occasional juggling of responsibilities. Sometimes it's easier to bring a task in house then to try to coordinate people. Taking a role away from someone, especially if they are a (former?) community member who had a lot of emotional investment, will inevitably lead to them getting bent out of shape. But, sorry, for a small place that salary and the time to manage someone can be very valuable.

     

    I also saw a reference to it being negative that a game company might be vague about releases. Sorry, but in software development things don't always go as planned. As a matter of fact, for a small shop things rarely go as planned. Releasing specifics and timelines is just a sure fire way to make your community think you are making promises you can't keep. It's sometimes better to just let it roll out the door and say "hey look at what we delivered!" then to announce a roll-out then then roll it right back in at the last minute due to a bug.

    [–]dinosaurs_quietly 2ポイント3ポイント  (7子コメント)

    Can we not get upset over this? A part time employee who was let go had negative things to say about the people who fired him. That's every company ever.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (5子コメント)

    No.

    Should we sit idly by when somebody who had nothing but love for the community at large, and worked to improve the overall community and it's outreach, is alleging that Squad was quick to wash their hands of their staff for no good reason?

    [–]themacman2 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

    Do you have some stake in this? Because while most posts ITT are skeptical, you seem to be really defensive of his 4chan post.

    [–]trevize1138Master Kerbalnaut 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

    alleging

    [–]dinosaurs_quietly 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

    If you're running an extremely high risk of starting a witch hunt, then yes. Reddit has done a lot of harm with unfounded outrage.

    [–]pacified69 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

    "wash their hand"? You mean they finished their jobs and were no longer needed.

    [–]Mirkury[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I didn't realize that the KSP community ended in 2013.

    [–]Nokhal 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I don't see anything that is not industry standard here.

    [–]alban987 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

    sounds like an idiot working for 2,400 a year.

    [–]DrJonezMD -1ポイント0ポイント  (1子コメント)

    Welcome to the video game industry? Do you expect a company to continue paying you for nothing if they no longer need you to perform your duties? And if $2400 wasn't enough why did you agree to work for them? This sounds entirely like bitter, childish whining than any real issue at Squad. Long hours and job instability are hallmarks of the game industry. At pretty much every developer.

    [–]not_all_kerbs -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

    I remember when I first saw that screaming head, that choppy icon, above the name Jeb.

    He, Bill, and Bob could fly to the mun, except it was an image, and other bodies were still “to come soon”,

    So I purchased my copy for 8 dollars, I learned to dock, and it made me feel like a baller astronaut.

    Then came electricity, light, persistence. The devs refused to take a break, even at our insistence.

    The teasers for resources, the promises of success, there was no way their progress couldn’t impress.

    But the sudden announcement of Sandbox’s scope being completed, falls on confused ears, and was unneeded.

    .23 turned up the heat, but fizzled on delivery. NASAupdate, press releases, undesired livery.

    Announcing the addition of World Cup soccer balls, a new, disingenuine voice emerged from the chaos.

    And so began the era of career, which marked the end of our simulator. A tear in Kerbal nature,

    the lelsokerbal party line, the permabanned dissidents and the accusations of entitled whines,

    all amidst a listless game, with a hundred million invested, no, a hundred and thirty nine.

    Then there was the massacre of Bac9’s KSC, a barn and new space centers, thrown together hastily.

    Embroiled in bans, dissenters engaged meaningless arguments with kids with shortsighted goals

    Throw in a beta, or whatever, then announce the consoles. It all makes sense, in retrospect, the push to 1.0.

    This is the story of our hundred million hopes for a generation, and how we were extorted.

    In the end we got a console game, and in the terms of service it still names a bv called DEPORTED.

    Tax abatement and inversions aside, when it comes to early access we were too trusting.

    So I hope you understand why it is some say that Maxmaps added nothing.