TW history question

[+daddyairplanes 10,243]

hello again all. i'm writing a paper on TW for my intro to Sim. and Game Design class. unfortuneately TW declined to let me interview them so i'm turning to my next best source of info.... right here at CA. the question i'm esp needing help with is : What exactly was the Walmart fiasco of a few years back? i'm looking for that info to tie in why they distrubute on their website. won't ask about future plans as that is always guesswork here, and due to it being more historical info would appreciate a response from one of the older heads round here. Also, as it is a paper being turned in for a grade i will want to cite your answers as internet interviews. real name not required (tho would look better) but again i will be quoting you in the paper. TIA for your responses to this.

[Fubar512 1,350]

The Walmart fiasco was basically this:

 

TW delivered a beta version of SF:P1 to Walmart for evaluation purposes, and Walmart decided to not to wait for the finished product, and distributed it as a finished product . It was patchable only enough to make it playable, but it was not the same as the Strategy First version, which was patched all the way to the '08 level.

[+whiteknight06604 934]

Ah the good old days.

[+suhsjake 11]

http://www.planetcrap.com/topics/549/3/

 

Here yah go. Next time, Google is your friend.

[+daddyairplanes 10,243]

thanks all. Fubar, i'm gonna use yours as an interview is easier to cite than a webpage. good stuff suhsjake, but i did it this way to make my life easier in the final part of the paper....

[JediMaster 451]

The difference is Fubar's wording implies a direct connection between TW and Walmart, but it was Strat First's decision to do what happened.

 

IIRC, there was something about Walmart SKU's and getting it to them by X date and yada yada yada. It was because Walmart was like the #1 PC game source for large areas of the nation (due to communities not having CompUSAs, Best Buys, EB, Gamestops, or whatever but having a local Walmart!) and SF not wanting to risk missing getting SFP1 on the shelves for the Xmas 02 holiday. Walmart makes everyone play ball with them, they play ball with no one.

[Spinners 15,986]

http://www.checksix-fr.com/articles/detail.php?id=91

[+daddyairplanes 10,243]

thanks Spinners!

[JediMaster 451]

most of the screenshots you see on our website are taken on a PIII-650 with GeForce 2 MX.

 

Ah, the old days!!