Look what I just noticed

Miscellaneous Blather
#1

I was over looking at how PT managed to mis-categorize their end-of-year awards this year when I noticed something interesting with the PT front page header image:

http://www.pockettactics.com/articles/card-game-of-the-year-2017-through-the-ages/

Here’s a closer image:

Tta-ss1.jpg1140×600 175 KB

What are those red boxes? Oh, I know! They’re from a screenshot I took for my strategy article about corruption.

Here’s my image:

Tta_ss1.jpg2048×1536 621 KB

So, apparently PT has been using our images for their header images? Or is this the only time its happened? I don’t really care, but I think it’s pretty damn funny that they chose one that was marked up in GIMP with red boxes that don’t exist in the actual game. This leads me to think that whoever posted this hasn’t actually played Through the Ages or they would have realized the image wasn’t really usable. Or am I overthinking it and they just didn’t care?

2 Likes
#2

Pocket Tactics retire bitch.

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#3

Senpai noticed you.

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#4

It’s even got your player names in the fucking screenshot.

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#5

:joy: Someone’s stuffed up pretty bad there

#6

Yeah, that is messed up! That is straight-up plaguerizing work from a competitor, without attribution. I know you (@Neumannium) have a complicated relationship since you used to run PT and you employ some of the same freelance writers, but there is no excuse for stealing someone else’s marked-up imagery.

It’s probably a case of Heinlein’s Razor, but still.

The other thing that is clear from their GotY roundup is the editor doesn’t actually play the games before commenting on them, for example the following quote is one of many to that point:

“We understand it’s had several updates since launch, so it should have gotten even better by now!” - EICJOE
(P.S. I haven’t actually played any of the games of the year?)

4 Likes
#7

I decided to stop visiting the site yesterday when they called RftG the best board game and TtA the best card game… small distinctions but in my mind they should be reversed… didn’t notice the TtA shot, but look ma, I’m internet famous!

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#8

And of course the plagiarized pic came from an article about corruption. That’s funny.

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#9

lol @ PT still being a website. I thought it had shuttered.

#10

Ha, yeah. I commented on that in the RftG article but haven’t seen a response yet.

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#11

Was going to comment on there too, but honestly couldn’t be bothered to find my password to login…

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#12

http://www.pockettactics.com/articles/readers-choice-game-of-the-year-2017-through-the-ages

new post without your screenshot.

edit: nevermind, that’s a completely different post, the offending one is still live on the site.

#13

If I do a Google image search for “through the ages ios,” that image is the 10th one that comes up. Of those ten, only four are really screenshots of the game in action per se, and two of those are images from this site.

So, maybe not that sinister, just lazy?

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#14

Oh, yeah, there’s nothing sinister about it. I really just thought it was funny that the one they took was marked up and not a clean screenshot.

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#15

It appears to be that case.

When I did the Battlefleet Gothic Leviathan Strategy Primer over there I did not include a header image. The result was an (amazing looking) but matter-of-factly wrong header image from Battlefleet Gothic ARMADA (the RTS not the TBS Boardgame conversion which is LEVIATHAN).

Stated Reason: because it looks cool.
So yeah I cry “no sinister thoughts” but…time optimization gone rogue?

3 Likes
#16

That’s the most polite phrasing possible of “mind-boggling laziness”.

Hey, we run a gaming review website, here was the game of the year. I didn’t actually play it, just googled for screenshots of it. But, I hear people who actually like games are into it. Let us know if you have any feedback in the comments section, I’ll get someone to read those at some point.

5 Likes
#17

The whole place is just so sad and pathetic … and doubly so for all of us original PTers.

The “we hear it’s been updated a few times” is literally laugh-out-loud funny, though. Plain English translation: “We don’t actually play iOS games or track any iOS news. Should we be doing that?”

Seriously, just take PT out behind the barn and put both barrels into its head. It would be better for everyone that way.

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#18

I’m glad it hung on long enough for me to visit one last time, out of curiousity mixed with a touch of sadness. It led me to piece together enough breadcrumbs to find Stately Play today. It can go ahead and shutter now. Frankly, it’s shocking that it hasn’t. The forums over there are a ghost town.

6 Likes