Randy Pitchford had a go at Valve recently. Now he’s having a dig at another veteran PC developer: id Software.
Unlike some other developers, Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford is happy to let players control their own experience. When chatting to him recently about their decision to not force level restrictions in Borderlands’ co-op mode, Pitchford recalled the time he worked with id Software and the DOOM III technology.
“Too many designers want to be in control, and they want you to know that they’re in control. And a lot of times they actually block us from the fun.
“I had a really funny experience with this with DOOM III. When they wrote the tech, I was evaluating the DOOM tech, and they had a gravity gun as a tool. But I was talking to the guys about it and they were all, “Oh, it’s too much power, we don’t want to do that.” Then Valve of course made it an actual weapon in the game and it was fun. So, who wins?
“They added it in the expansion and it was nerfed! So, you add it in after Half-Life 2 comes out and you still didn’t even beat those guys who came out before you. You’re dumb! It’s sad because I’m making shooters because of those guys, you know? As far as I’m concerned, they walk on water… but at the same time, id’s dumb.”
Now, before anyone gets up in arms, I should note that Randy was laughing the whole time he was saying this. He’s right though!
HotDamn!
October 19, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Ahh…but does Borderlands have a flashlight?
Report PermalinkDamocles
October 20, 2009 at 1:34 PM
LOL!
Report PermalinkWaveOfMutilation
October 19, 2009 at 2:27 PM
Randy gets away with being a dick because he’s a self aware dick.
Report PermalinkMichael
October 19, 2009 at 3:38 PM
ID are great game designers. However I do believe Carmack is foolish for the amount of interest he has on iphone games and not enough on Playstation software.
Report PermalinkLuke
October 19, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Currently the iPhone market is a goldmine to video game developers and PS2 didnt have the graphical capabilities to run doom 3 and id said that they would develope the PS3 port of RAGE last. but i do agree that id are great designers and always take time to make playing their games an awesome gaming experience.
Report Permalinkmambodog
October 19, 2009 at 9:22 PM
Correction: id (mainly John Carmack) are great engine designers. There was a time when that was good enough.
Report PermalinkCat Tactics
October 20, 2009 at 5:06 PM
yeh I agree. id games may use some great tech but I wouldn’t say they are exceptionally designed.
Report PermalinkElephant Fresh
October 19, 2009 at 4:12 PM
playstation? only kojima cares about playstation. and even then only in cryptic clues disguised as meaningless prattle.
Report PermalinkBandy Shithorde
October 19, 2009 at 4:59 PM
Sure, let just forget about 18 yrs of great games Such as: – Wolf(s) Doom(s) Quake(s) Keen(s).
Yeah, ID software must be a bunch of idiots to make some of the best and highly respected games in PC history.
Randy Pitchford where do you come up with this crap? Give up on your useless attempts at trolling. It’s so damn obvious with you pathetic comments against various companies…in this case…ID software. You would be so lucky they would even let you hold a candle to them.
Lets see what they bring to the table with Rage. I am sure you will be eating your own words you damn dirty troll.
Report PermalinkBronix
October 19, 2009 at 5:05 PM
You [FINALLY] make one game that gets some decent press and hype from the public, and then suddenly that qualifies you to take a dump over argably the two biggest companies to revolutionise an entire genre of gaming? I’m looking forward to borderlands as much as the next guy, but a part of me is hoping it’ll turn out to be shithouse just because pitchford is being such a freakin douche.
Report PermalinkCameron
October 19, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Hey Pitchford, your loot systems ‘dumb’
Report PermalinkJustin Robson
October 19, 2009 at 5:17 PM
Yeah, pretty much I don’t care who this guy is or what he’s got to say. It’s like he’s saying that Doom 3 would have been better with a gravity gun? not true… HL2 was a completely different game to Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil… one was based around environmental combat, one was based around survival/horror. I’ll bet RAGE or Doom 4 don’t have gravity guns… adding a gravity gun isn’t like opening the Pandora’s box of fun for any game xD The game needs to be pretty much built around it.
Report PermalinkAaron
October 19, 2009 at 5:20 PM
I love how people only read parts of an article to justify accusing someone they don’t know of ‘taking a dump’ on someone else they don’t know.
Report PermalinkSnacuum
October 19, 2009 at 5:45 PM
You’re right, people didn’t read the article to see that while he’s criticizing them he’s not completely dumping on them.
But I do disagree with his opinion on this, Doom has always been a corridor shooter where the brutal gunplay and horror element were most important.
Report PermalinkMinh Do
October 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM
haha exactly.
Report PermalinkBandy Shithorde
October 19, 2009 at 5:42 PM
@Arron – There is no excuse for calling ID dumb.
They have proved themselves many times over during the past 18 years. They deserve more respect from the Pitchford troll.
Same goes with Blizzard….you got something bad to say about them you better have some pretty good evidence to back it up not just some stupid opinions which Richard seems to be full of lately.
Report PermalinkJohnnoz
October 19, 2009 at 6:16 PM
can people seriously not see that this guy is in fact NOT BEING SERIOUS and ISN’T ATTACKING OTHER COMPANIES?
I mean, look at the quote itself, the actual bit that says ‘dumb’ is following him saying that he thinks id are pretty fantastic. The article mentions that he said it jokingly for gods sake.
Report PermalinkArt Pitchford
October 19, 2009 at 6:20 PM
I laughed when i saw this, my last name is Pitchford. I want to be related to Randy.
Report PermalinkSkarteh
October 19, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Hehe amusing story, but really, as a couple have already said, it wouldn’t have made Doom III on par or even in the same league as HL2 adding in the gravity gun. Valve, as always, did it right. ID are too up their own histories arse. They keep making dumbass run and shoot games when the rest of the industry have moved on. They add new gimmicks but they seem to afraid to step away from their comfort zones.
They could learn a lot from Valve and Infinity Ward, both companies balance the tried and true while pushing the envelope. They never blow your mind with innovation, they just massage it in, and polish, polish, polish. Thats what its all about.
Report PermalinkJustin Robson
October 20, 2009 at 6:42 PM
Skarteh, way to completely misinterpret what I was trying to say. God I’m sick of the way mindless fanboys have to do that… that’s called “mental gymnastics”, or taking someone else’s words and twisting them to suit yourself. It’s what people who are obviously worthless at games need to do. If it wasn’t for Id, there wouldn’t be a Valve or Infinity Ward. If you’ve been playing games since before 2006, that would go without saying. My comment wasn’t about how bad or good either game was, but you took the opportunity to make it so. You’re not much of a PC gamer, actually scrap that, you’re just not a gamer.
Report PermalinkThermal Ions
October 19, 2009 at 8:29 PM
Someone either needs to check Randy’s meds or congratulate Gearbox’s marketing dept for a campaign that get’s almost daily blog time.
Report PermalinkAlex Cullinan
October 19, 2009 at 8:51 PM
I’d say id are dumb but for other reasons. Joining the Zenimax conglomerate for starters.
Report PermalinkJustin Robson
October 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM
Yeah, you’d rather they went with EA or Activision, and have no creative control over their work? Gimme a break…
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 19, 2009 at 9:28 PM
Randy Pitchford..
His points are valid in a way, although the way he puts them is EXTREMELY DOUCHEY.
http://g4tv.com/videos/40303/Borderlands-Gearboxs-CEO-Randy-Pitchford-Interview/
What a fucking twat face.
REAL UP RANDY, I AM DISAPPOINT IN YOUR PERSONALITY.
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 19, 2009 at 9:29 PM
I am disappoint in my own too, I am a raving internet loon.
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 19, 2009 at 9:38 PM
I take that back about me being a loon, I just read something else he said, he is a flat-out fucking doucheface.
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 19, 2009 at 9:43 PM
No wait I am an internet loon.
I just feel he doesn’t need to put in the “HEY, YOU PAID YOUR SIXTY BUCKS, you can play your level 50 with your level 1 if you want”, taking what feels like a personal stab at the other devs who haven’t done the same.
And with this article naming names and calling them “dumb” is just unnecessary and he’s a doucheface for doing so.
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 20, 2009 at 2:42 AM
After watching the following it is obvious that him and his friend Steve are actually psychotic. They are on a big, strange trip of some kind. Poor guys.
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/web_exclusives/border_dev_int_hi.flv
Most people are, I guess.
Report PermalinkJoseph
October 20, 2009 at 2:45 AM
Or perhaps – they are just really really “dumb”.
That would make sense.
Report PermalinkKotakuSucks
October 20, 2009 at 2:28 PM
David, you really should be perma-banned from ever writing on the web for that kind of crap. Kotaku – Cesspool “journalism” for an ever increasing cesspool of the internet.
Nice headline, you talentless hack.
Report PermalinkDavid Wildgoose
October 20, 2009 at 2:29 PM
I should be banned for writing about something a developer said to me?
Um, OK!
Report PermalinkCry Some More
October 22, 2009 at 12:53 PM
@KotakuSucks…nick off back to Gamespot with all their 10/10 reviews for every game that crosses their tables.
Kotaku ain’t for you…they don’t seem to fold to blackmail from gaming companies, which gives them the ability to post original unaltered works.
At least Kotaku tell it like it is.
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