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How do you say good-bye to someone who has been an integral part of Avault since before you can remember? You could do a sappy retrospective of their body of work, add an orchestral soundtrack, and bring a tear to the eye of everyone reading. You could write a brief farewell and announcement of their departure for their fans. Or you could say nothing and quietly hope that no one notices the change in the masthead.
But what if the body of their work can be summed up with an acronym and a word? “DRM bad!” What if they have no fans and only adversaries? What if the sudden rantless silence is too much to go unnoticed? Yes, the rumors are true. Doug Lombardi’s Valve has swooped in and captured the one and only (thank the gods) Tsar Alaric Teplitsky.
And while we honestly wish Alaric nothing but the best, he’s stirred up too much controversy over the years to simply let him go with a handshake and cheery good-bye. Instead, we wanted to allow each writer a free shot at him, right out here on the front page. Unfortunately, only one was brave enough to let me actually see what they intend ahead of time, but the rest have vowed to chime in below in the comments (which I hope I’m fast enough to moderate).
What follows comes from the fingers of Matthew Booth…
When I first started writing reviews for The Adrenaline Vault, I couldn’t stand Alaric. Now, almost a year later, he still finds a way to upset me on a regular basis. I’m not sure if it’s the smug, professionally done portrait on his Avault posts, his overwhelming hatred for practically everything, or the popularity of his posts that upsets me most. I suspect my uneasiness with his work is a combination of all three of these things. Regarding his negativity, Alaric hates more games than the number of games I’ve played in my lifetime. In fact, Alaric hates games he doesn’t even know exist.
To keep things fair, I might not relate to his bottomless negativity, but darn it, I respect the man. Alaric is passionate about what he does and I think a lot of his criticisms stem from him having higher expectations than a majority of the population. When it comes to gaming, I don’t expect much so I’m rarely angered by a game. Whereas Alaric, my polar opposite in most things, hasn’t lost his desire to hold everything to a nearly impossible standard. He reminds me that keeping my expectations low reduces my disappointment in the gaming industry.
Alaric, we may disagree on most things, but I appreciate you having a hand in bringing me back to PC gaming, and always being there to tell me I’m wrong (even when I’m right). I hope Valve is ready to step their game up if for no other reason than to avoid one of your infamous rants. Don’t let us West Coast hippies turn you soft!
In the end, Alaric may be a royal pain in the donkey, but you can’t help but love him. He makes sure to keep me on my toes regardless of the hour, and is always willing to plead his point or toss out ideas at 1am. (Make what you will of that regarding his alleged social life.) He’s also not afraid of hard work, and has proven more than once an ability to make the impossible happen. I’m going to miss our late night chats, our arguments, but thankfully not our friendship (I threatened him with grievous bodily harm should he fail to drop by now and then).
Fair winds and following seas, my noble adversary. You will be missed.
Now, do I send Doug a thank-you note or a sympathy card?
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Awesome, Michele and Booth.
Alaric, you rock. Your reviews will be missed, but I will continue to stalk you and happily apply Google Translate when appropriate (or inappropriate).
Haven’t known Alaric long but in that time I can’t think of anyone else with whom I’ve had more arguments online, that said I’ve actually enjoyed those arguments, Alaric is a rare animal in that he is able to argue online without descending into stupid personal bickering.
I’m going to miss his input here and I’m going to miss the opportunity to contradict him whenever possible
but at the same time I hope that whatever he has planned for himself in future works out well for him.
Best of luck Alaric.
I cant think of anyone ive agreed with more, other than perhaps yahtzee over at the escapist , You will be missed, and yes DRM IS BAD MKAy..
Doesn’t hating everything ever just get tiring? I hope it does and that one day you shall search for oneness with the universe in a buddhist temple where all your rage and bile will float away.
Having said that I hope your hatred for everything imperfect keeps valve on the right track in the future in whatever capacity they have you in!!!
There is nothing wrong with having standards. Remind Valve of that from time to time, won’t you?
LOL. Will miss the Alaric’s reviews. What sort of position is he in at “Doug Lombardi’s Valve” (and is that a different entity from “Gabe Newell’s Valve”?
Yeah the owner of Valve is Gabe Newell, not sure why the reference to “Doug Lombardi’s Valve.”
Anyway, Alaric you will be missed. The corporate culture at Valve is quite unique, hopefully it will suit you well.
Alaric, you big sell-out! LOL, no, no, I have huuuuge respect for that man, another person who knows the industry has been slagging off over the last decade. Avault was the first general gaming site I discovered back in ancient times (I think Total Annihilation was brand new then, heh). I wonder what the heck he’ll be doing over at Valve? Hopefully quality control! Or better yet, convincing them that not every game needs to run Steam!!! Those of us without broadband options would have Alaric canonized for such a feat. Good luck in whatever crazy mad scientist project you’re involved with, comrade Alaric!!
Congrats Alaric! Since many people consider Steam a DRM solution in it of itself, I guess you can say Alaric has gone into the heart of the beastie. =D
I was going to write something in advance but I’m glad I waited – for it took Booth to provide the codex needed to unlock Alaric’s greatest mystery.
What is the allure of his posts?
I believe it rests in that smug, professionally done portrait that Booth singled out.
The Freaks and Geeks (and I mean that with love) that visit this forum on a regular basis and bow before Alaric’s “greatness” gaze upon that photo and find the nearest human example to Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn. He is their once and future king – a guy they’ll follow blindly into battle as he takes it to any developer who dare protect their product under the watchful, all-seeing gaze of DRM.
Seriously – print out that pic – work you magic marker on his chin giving him a little scraggly beard – and you’ve got Strider at your service. And while you’re at it – add in a pitch fork and horns too. For me.
I kid. I kid.
I kid Alaric because he’s driven me nuts for so many years. As a console guy who toils in front of a PC day and night and therefore refuses to game with a mouse in hand – I am clearly a denizen of Mordor in Alaric’s eyes. And he’s been quite clear that console gamers (and our games) relish nutrient-free junk food. It’s like jumping in on that Games as Art argument that all of gaming has been waging against Roger Ebert. The gamers are never going to move on and not care (as Ken Levine suggested) not is Ebert ever going to hang a Pong paddle in his foyer.
So, you agree to disagree.
And that’s where I am with Alaric.
Beyond all of that – I salute Alaric for his passion and for sticking to his guns. And for making cogent, educated thoughts. In short – for caring. That can be a rare commodity in this wild frontier so when you run into somebody who flashes it – you ought to tip their cap to ‘em.
I wish you luck Alaric. As a writer in your fellowship, I offer this in tribute.
“You have my ink.”
@Angel: I think what Michele meant was “Valve’s Doug Lombardi”
Alaric you SOB! Why go and get a real paying job like that? The great Northwest is one of the best places to live in the states. Enjoy it! If you make it to the soCal area send me a message I will pay for the first 2 drinks :-p
Hey guys!
Thank you for the article and thank you for the comments! It feels good to be liked. =) Just so you know, I plan to continue to read Avault, troll the forums, and get into arguments with all of you just like before.
So far as the changes go, since I’m moving two time zones to the left – Michele can now expect me to give her a peace of my mind at 3 AM as opposed to 1 AM. And I will, of course, continue being hot, hateful and popular – much to the dismay of poor Booth. =)
Other than that… all will be the same really. Well, except the reviews and stuff. Either way, thank you again, and I’ll be seeing you around!
Cheers!
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