The Noise & Progress
For some this may re open some old wounds and for others it will add clarity to the situation of which has unfolded over the past month and a half. To show the progress of which has been made since the Kickstarter campaign I must first bring light to the situation of the vindictive nature of some of the ex developers. This is to highlight that whilst not a lot of visually has been accomplished a lot of the back end system has, which includes the move from 5.1 to 5.3 of Unreal Engine and of course the counter actions to all the false DMCAs, be it from YouTube, Kickstarter and even the Steam page. Their actions are only a mere bump in the progression going forward, all that coupled with the Christmas and New Years break things slowed and even in some cases stopped. With the Holidays behind us its full steam ahead!
First we will start with Amish (Alex Dragutesco) On 15th of November 2023 I received an email containing the following;
As you can see the mentioning of “we” and “our” yet no other persons included, he began by DMCA the YouTube channel claiming ownership of assets which included the Huey chopper. This DMCA failed and as a result the channel was reactivated. Though he didnt stop there he then proceeded to do the same thing to the Kickstarter campaign along side a fellow ex developer Cuncio (Cody Cunico) claiming that the US character models were his.
Recently the Kickstarter page was reinstated publicly again showcasing the fact that the ownership is that of Zero Hour Interactive, and they are just making noise not wanting to follow through with legal proceedings because they know the company remains the rightful owner.
Steam DMCAs
Then in December the Steam page was DMCA by 2 ex developers Arkanoid (Justin Rowntree) and DevilsD (Matthew Boatswain) who is also a moderator on the unreal slackers discord which makes it even more shocking to his actions.
Below you’ll see some screenshots that were provided to me by Steam as part of these guys DMCA attempts claiming ownership.
When (Justin Rowntree) Arkanoid left he also sabotaged our virtual server, build machine and other company assets stopping us from getting new updated builds out onto Steam. Than began to reach out to our server provider partner asking for private information and even attempting scare tactics claiming ownership of said assets to be removed.
REF; DMCA 2
REF; DMCA 2, you can clearly see there is no names assigned to the copyright
REF; DMCA 1
REF; DMCA 1, you can clearly see there is no names assigned to the copyright
Both their files can be seen to of clearly been modified in an attempt to falsely information for the DMCA as seen as in my videos of me opening said files. Their attempts to falsely this information is even more confusing when they admit to the fact the company does own the copyrights as seen in the discord video further down.
These ex developers acting as part of a collision, can be very much seen here within side a discord server of which they can be clearly seen discussing the fact that the company does own the rights to the materials produced and that they are just doing these DMCAs to create hurdles and noise for me, the business and the project.
Part of the Cease and Desist
They even within these conversations still continue to spread additional misinformation, because as part of the cease and desist they received it mentions they would receive the agreed upon remuneration as part of our agreements if they were to return all relevant material to the company, of all the ex developers only two members did so.
Thus the others are subject to the company seeking damages from them and will not be entitled to any agreements until the material is returned.
Within this video (1:24m) you can see Arkanoid mentioning that his contract does state he’s assigning all rights to the company. He also mentions that he is “owed money” for doing so, of which isn’t true as all developers signed contracts for revenue share. Which is only on the bases of they return all material relevant to Burning Lands in their possession including all source files and source codes to receive their agreed remuneration. Because only 2 of the ex developers did so, these others are now liable for damages and will not receive any remunerations until the assets have been returned.
Progression
Since then we have been able to focus on;
Engine update to Unreal Engine 5.3.2
Khe Sanh performance increases
Standardize lighting
Rain effects
Dai Loc map
Main menu music & additional music scores
UI adjustments
Bug fixing
Vehicle handling adjustments
Alongside these developments I’ve had a few productive calls with some angel investors who reached out towards the end of November / early December, as well as a third party studio who has been involved with the development of similar titles in the tactical shooter genre who would like to partner up for a co-development.
Obviously at the end of the year things slowed down and went on pause for the time being, though likely to resume again shortly especially with bringing light to these vindictive unprofessional ex developers.
The environment within our discord server still remains a bit too toxic to be introducing the new members of the development team but rest assured they will slowly come to light.
The project is always still actively looking for new members to join the team from sound design, level design, environment art, animators, programmers and blueprinters as well as 3d hard surface and character artists.
Development Boost
We are thrilled to announce the upcoming opportunity for enthusiasts to join our testing phase through two exclusive tiers: Instant Access and Q2 Access. This initiative is designed to boost our development efforts as well as our testing, without losing 5% of the proceeds directed towards Crowdfunding. Limited slots will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, emphasizing the importance of early participation.
By opting to be part of this testing phase, you not only gain access to the project but also play a vital role in supporting its ongoing development.
We want to emphasize that this is entirely optional, and your contribution will significantly contribute to the success and growth of the project. Join us in shaping the future of our venture, securing your spot and becoming an integral part of this exciting journey.
Grateful for the trust, patience, and commitment; the best is yet to come.