The Coop

Let's give this a whirl... - Several years ago, I submitted three remixes that were eventually accepted onto your site. While I was most grateful for the hosting and the visibility your site have provided, I have begun a new chapter in my remixing life. I'm currently working on making a website for both my remixes, and various other works that I've made over the years. I have the intension of making my website the only place sanctioned by myself to provide my remixes for download, and it'll be going live in a couple of days. As such, I request that you remove all three of my remixes from your site. Thank you for what you've done, and I wish you the best for your site and its future. - Several years ago, I submitted "X" and "Y" to your website. They were accepted, and posted. Since that time, as an active member of the OCR community, I've been watching this place grow and change. However, in the past year, I feel a number of the actions you and your staff have taken were ill informed, childish, and abusive towards both contributing members of the community, and the community overall. The events surrounding the sidebar and UnMod deletion were bad enough, but when you showed up drunk and began randomly deleting threads and banning users, and then had to gall to make that pathetic excuse for an apology... well, that was the final straw. I have become thoroughly disgusted with how this site is being run, and by those running it. As such, I request that both of my remixes be removed from your database, as I no longer wish to be a part of OCR in any way, shape, or form.

Or, they just didn't like the story and setting of the first game, the way it played, or what have you, and don't see a reason to jump at the second one. Some folks just genuinely dislike it. Hell, if there are people who don't like Castlevania games, there are certainly people who don't like StarCraft I know if I get it, I'll be waiting for the price to drop. I'm somewhat interested at the moment (too little info to make any judgments), but I'm not $60 interested.

Having given the 2nd draft a read through, I still find... ... the bolded part to be too one sided. You're saying you can deny a remixer's request to remove their mix(es), but you can remove it for various reasons that have nothing to do with the remixer. This, coupled with your admitted lack of respect given towards the removal request reasonings you posted earlier, comes off badly. I can see why this section makes people uncertain about having their remixes on here. Now yes, I understand that removing even just one remix would mean plucking it from not just the site, but the mirrors and the torrents. I know that's potentially a lot of work. But, I refer you back to my comments here about a two week "cool off" period, and the "Once it's gone, it's gone" concept, and here regarding what I feel is a need to expand upon, in policy, how removal requests will be dealt with. How it's worded now is ambiguous, and leaves much open to interpretation. You know removal requests are going to happen, so why not formulate a way in which you can explain to the submitting remixers how you will deal with such requests? I still firmly believe that simply telling someone "We're not removing it" is a very poor way to run things, but as you said, that's not necessarily a policy-centric concept. However, I'm quite convinced that not addressing in some way, in policy, how OCR will deal with removal requests is a bad idea. Regarding the policy as a whole, that portion was the only area I personally have an issue with. If that small section could be worked on so it was more informative, I'd have no issues agreeing with it if I were still submitting remixes here. But as it is right now in this 2nd draft, knowing what's been said, I question whether I'd agree with it or not, as I'd really have to stop and think about the above section for a while.

Capcom vs. SNK (DC)- While the second game improved upon what was offered in the first one, it's still nothing to sneeze at. The artwork is nice, the animation is smooth, the controls are tight, and getting to battle SNK and Capcom fighters is always fun. I give it a YES Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny (PS2)- The middle child of the series, but one that stands on its own. I'd explain it, but LegendarySword pretty well summed it up. YES from me as well. Twisted Metal: Black (PS2)- The game that brought Twisted Metal back into the limelight. After the third and fourth games brought stagnation to the franchise, "Black" reinvigorated it... mostly because the original team was back on the case. The graphics were great for the time, and gameplay was hectic and fun, the arenas were good, and the vehicles were fun again. It's still one of the best games in the vehicular carnage genre, and deserves a YES in my book. Conker: Live and Reloaded (Xbox)- I'm going to have to give this game a NO. Why? Because overall, the N64 version is better. Yes, the XBox gave it a nice face lift, but it also took out sections, bleeped a lot of things that weren't bleeped to begin with, and just basically neutered the game. It improved very little, and took away quite a bit. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (XBox, PS2, DC)- Put simply, YES. This is basically one of the best chaos fighting games out there. It took everyone from the vs series up to that point, added a healthy dose of new characters, spiced up the backgrounds, and made it a fast paced, three-on-three "on the fly" tag team match. Sure, some of the matchups are cheap (hello Cable + anyone else), but it's a fun, well made game. Shame they couldn't have added endings though. Giga Wing (PS2)- One of the few shmups to actually make it to the US Dreamcast. Nice graphics, good tunes, multiple characters to choose from, some serious "bullet hell" action, and good challenge from start to finish make this a game not to be missed on the Dreamcast. I feel the sequel is better, but this game holds its own quite well. A YES from me. MegaMan Anniversery Collection (PS2)- The best version of the collection. While I can't give personal commentary on the supposed emulation issues on the GC version, I can say that the XBox version is broken. The screen dimensions are off (looks like it was scaled poorly), the graphics are washed out, and the sound is busted (really quiet music, DAMN LOUD SOUND EFFECTS). So here's the version to get. Basically, it's the first eight MegaMan games, emulated very well, packed in with two arcade games that never got a home release. The MegaMan series was always known for its "fair but tough" challenge, its bosses, its catchy tunes, and its "good for the time" graphics. Each game is fun from start to finish, and perhaps the best aspect of this compilation is simply the fact, that it'll save you a lot of cash over buying the eight games separately (6 NES, 1 SNES, 1 PS1... with the NES ones being the most expensive). It's great example of how to do a compilation right, and a YES to be sure.

Because just as people are able to say how much they love the series, others are able to say the opposite. Be it a thread that's intended to be pro or con about a given subject, both sides are allowed to state their views (assuming it's not "You're an asshole if you like/don't like it"-type stuff... that'll probably get you in hot water ).

Well, hopefully no one will be casting votes based on their playing it once for fifteen minutes five years ago. With any luck, people will be voting based on real experience with the game(s).

"Early Alpha" = "Here's what we have to show, but if it gets slammed hard by everyone, we'll change it and say it was an early rev"

Hmmmm... true. Perhaps I did mix the two a bit. But I do honestly believe both could affect the site in equally bad ways. They might not be able to take legal action over you're rejecting their removal request, but word of mouth can cause just as much hassle. I know the old saying goes "There's no such thing as bad press", but in reality, there is. I'd hate to see this place setting itself up because of the way a line of text is worded, and not expanded upon. Speaking of which... "Once a work is submitted and accepted, OverClocked ReMix reserves the right to reject removal requests on the part of the submitting artist." ... is basically baking into the policy that you can/will reject removal requests by a given remixer. I may be wrong on this, but since you're telling people you can/will reject such things, isn't it a good idea to include how you will go about doing this? That seems like a rather important part of the policy being left out to me. I know it means properly wording even more things, and possibly delaying the policy's implementation, but a few small subsection additions like... * Once a work is submitted and accepted, OverClocked ReMix reserves the right to reject removal requests on the part of the submitting artist. The actions taken upon a removal request may consist of... - A two week postponement of the removal, during which the remixer can review his decision to have his/her remixes removed. At the end of the two weeks, if the remixer still wants their remixes taken down, they will be. - Another way. - Yet another way. Should a given remix be removed from OverClocked Remix at the request of its remixer, that version of their remix will be permanently removed from the site's database, and can not be reinstated. ... don't seem like that big of a hardship. Plus, it'll make the policy that much more clean cut, and less ambiguous. And BTW... "I found Jesus"? No offense intended to whomever had such a reason, but that's a rather odd reason to remove one's music... ... unless of course the remix has someone screaming "SATAN SATAN SATAN, IS YOUR MASTER! LORD OF THE FLIES RULES, FOREVER AFTER!" or something

Nah. It'll be 2010. After all, that's the year we make contact.

Did you read my post re: irrevocable, non-exclusive licenses? Your comment doesn't address the points I raised... I did indeed. The point you made (if I read it correctly) was that you believe there is a way to retain use of the song, without claiming ownership, even if the remixer demands their tune be taken down. That doesn't apply to telling someone "No. We're keeping your remix", which is simply bad form if nothing else. If a remixer throws a hissyfit, and demands you remove all their remixes, telling them "NO" (see what I did there?) creates an interesting problem. With the submission of a removal request, regardless of what may happen a month from then, OCR would in essence be using a remix without the remixer's consent... something I believe this site is against, yes? If you set a standard where you tell the remixer to basically go pound rocks when they submit a removal request for whatever reason, what kind of image is being sent? What kind of problems and issues is this going to raise? It seems this should also be a concern now that OCR is getting bigger. I know the amount of work that would go into pulling remixes from torrents and the like is pretty substantial, but that's why I believe the ideas of a two week "cool off" period, and a "Once a remix is removed, it's gone" clause would work. The first would give them a chance to come to their senses, and the second would mean not having to go through the process of implanting the remix back into the line up. It would also make it so the remixer who submitted the removal request, could still submit future remixes (though perhaps not the same ones that were removed). These aren't the nicest ways of dealing with the problem, but I believe they would be the most effective once they've been spelled out in legalese, and they would do away with what's proving to be one of the biggest sticking points in the policy draft.

Well, that's why I used "seems" instead of "is" djp But in truth, saying OCR can deny the removal request of a remix, while not claiming to want ownership, does appear to be at odds. It comes off as a "It's not mine, but you you can't have it back"-kind of thing.

Maybe

WarCraft II was a good game as well. The settings, vehicles and personality touches put into some of the character voices put it above SC for me as well. RepressedChaos- As Metallica once said, "You know it's sad, but true".

I'm sure millions of people are pissing themselves with excitement right about now. I however, do not a have a level of excitement that might cause me to relieve myself in my shorts. Played the first game, and just didn't find it to be the godsend so many claim it to be. It was a fun enough game, but in truth, I had a lot more enjoyment from WarCraft III and Diablo II. Regardless, there are a lot of happy people now (who will likely be waiting a very long time yet), and I'm happy for them. As I said on .org, wake me if they announce Diablo III.

I'm not so sure it's a resistance to change, as it is not not fully understanding what's being put forth based of how this policy's written. This draft is a WIP if you will, and right now people are trying to get a feel for where it's going. There are parts that don't mesh well to them, and clarification is needed... on both sides. As AD has shown, one section of the policy seems to be at odds with another section, and these things need to be ironed out, and the language cleaned up, before it's finalized. That's what we've got going on right now. Most people know that when a remix is submitted to OCR, the OCR version can be used in just about anything officially authorized by the site admin. Podcasts, sanctioned radio shows, Internet streams, mirror sites, torrents... we all know the songs are going to be there, and we all know people are going to be using them outside of OCR. The issue is, some of the written policy language being used doesn't line up with what's being said by the site staff. I don't deny that people are a bit wary or nervous, because this policy is much like a contract (and as I mentioned to BGC reagrding anyone signing a contract, they want to know what everything means, and how it could be used both for and against them). But this thing becoming "official", as opposed to "assumed" like it was when it was unwritten, just doesn't seem to be the sticking point. The rules are basically the same, and OCR will still use the remixes in the same ways it always has. So again, I'm not seeing a resistance to this going from unwritten to written. I'm seeing people expressing their concerns over this policy's wording, people trying to figure out how it's current wording is going to affect them, and site runners trying to get that wording right so that the policy says what they intend it to say.

Bangai-O- I give this game a full-on YES. Besides being an interesting mix of shmup and exploration, it's an intense, and at times comical game that's got great and detailed 2D graphics, nice tunes, big and plentiful levels, and a great challenge as the game progresses. The action comes at you from all sides, and it does everything it sets out to do quite well. It's not a game that fits squarely into a single genre, but rather it takes various parts of several genres and brings them together in a fun way. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War- This game gets a YES from me. Where 4 had a lot going for it, this one has even more. Very nice graphics, plenty of missions that vary, an interesting story, lots of intense action, and loads of planes to get, make for a well rounded flight sim. Definitely one of the best console flight games out there. Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future- This is another game that gets a YES from me. The world this game creates is pulled together so well, it's easy to lose yourself in. The organic graphics flow smoothly around you as you explore the well fleshed out undersea landscape. Soothing tunes follow you as you delve deeper into what's going on, and the urgency created by knowing you're about to run out of air can make things pretty frantic. It's not an easy game, and you can lose track of what you're supposed to do at times, but those are it's only low points. The graphics, music, and gameplay make this a game that's not so much played, as it is experienced.

Ooooooooooooooh. My bad. I misunderstood that part. Well, then to adjust my comments, I feel that the accredited line should have the remixer's handle... or least, the remixer's handle when the mix was accepted by OCR. Both the URL to OCR, and the remixer's handle, are bits of info that belong together when these things are being redistributed. They're both rather important, and I honestly don't see the hardship in telling people both are required. And just to make things easier on yourself for the future, maybe you could add something to the policy statement that covers this. Something like... "When a remix is submitted and accepted, the remixer's handle at the time of that remix's submission will be permanently added to the ID3v2 tags, and to any accreditation tags for the remix's redistribution. Should the remixer decide at a later date to change their handle, the handle on their previous submission(s) will remain unchanged."

If you're talking about the URL bar in the ID3v2 tag, then yeah, the OCR URL makes sense. But when I read... ... I wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about (still ain't really). Is djp talking about the ID3v2 tag URL bar, or the file names themselves (i.e. "Thunder_Force_4_Bio_Tech_OC_ReMix.mp3")? As I said, I can understand about the URL bar in the ID3v2. But for file labeling purposes, I feel the remixer's name should be featured there with the "OC_Remix". As I said, it's not a remix by OCR. I might be addressing the wrong thing, but I'm not entirely sure what djp's talking about there. So I wanted to put my thoughts on it if he was talking about file names.

Yeah, Vista is way too young yet to be really worth getting. So many bugs and issues to be worked out, and God only knows how many security holes. Plus, until they update the OS so that it's not picky with regards to running games, it's best just to leave it be for now. Stick with XP until Vista's gotten over some of it's growing pains.

With stage two, it's not so much which weapons you have, but what power level they're at. It's still early in the game, so you're not going to get the big weapons yet. So instead, try to power up the weapons you have. It'll make getting through the enemies easier. And two hours left in the giveaway. Any takers best hurry.

BGC- The thing with this policy draft (and things of a "legalese" manner in general), is that it's not just dealing with one person or place, but rather it's trying to deal with that place/person, and everyone who partakes in its/their activities. People are genuinely concerned about how this draft is going to affect them, this site, and the future of both. No one wants to be locked out of having a say regarding what they've put their time and effort into, or have their contributions lessened. This policy draft is a big step from "unspoken rules", to fully defined agreements. Such things make people nervous, or even upset, due to how final they seem. Both sides want to make sure they're not getting the short end of the stick, and having their desires and input brushed aside. In a way, this policy is almost like a contract. You're agreeing to a lot of things now, and you have to expect some feathers to get a bit ruffled as it all gets hammered out... as we've seen. People are going to bring up what can seem like unlikely scenarios, and ask a lot of "What if" questions. But in truth, it's those scenarios that can make something like this policy draft tighter, and give more coverage to all parties involved. They can help with getting the wording right, so that eventual future happenstances can be better dealt with... regardless of how odd they may seem at first. I mean, we may as well make this thing as well rounded as we can, right? So try not to let the potentially emotional side of this issue get to you Now if I could just get someone to address what I brought up a page ago. I feel so left out

No problem. I enjoyed the demo, and when I stumbled across this site, I figured I'd give people a chance to grab it like I did. Just five hours left before Jets 'N Guns goes back to $29.95. So if anyone's interested in getting it, your time's running out.

-=EDIT=- Well, it seems Game Giveaway of the Day is on a repeat kick, and today, that repeat is Jets 'N Guns. So if you missed it last time, here's your chance again. http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/guns-n-jets/ REMEMBER: INSTALL IT AND ACTIVATE IT BEFORE THE DEADLINE ENDS 23½ HOURS FROM THIS POST. Ever heard of a site called "Game Giveaway of the Day"? Probably, but it's just gotten more attention. Why? Because it's giving out copies of a seriously well done homebrew shmup called Jets 'N Guns. Basically, the premise is, you have 24 hours to download, install and activate the game they're giving away. They do appear to have the permission of the various game makers, so it's legit by the looks of things (look in the "about" section). Either way, I thought I'd bring this to people's attentions. You've got a little over 11 hours to grab Jets 'N Guns before it ends, and trust me, this game is worth getting. With great "Euro-Shmup" graphics, a soundtrack by Machinae Supremacy, and a hard challenge, it'll keep you busy for a while. Here's the page for it... http://game.giveawayoftheday.com/jetsnguns/

How is making both mandatory unrealistic? The remix isn't by OCRemix, it's by a given remixer. Seems to me, that if someone's going to be hosting the files outside of OCR, or playing them on a podcast/radio, the site name and the remixer name should be there. If the terms being set forth here are geared towards enforcing aspects (or "rights") of the OCR brand and name, then that name/brand should also be doing the same for its "clients". Maybe it's just me, but to imply that the "OCRemix" tag is the most important part of a file made by someone else, and everything else is negotiable, just doesn't ring right.