I wasn't going to be arsed really to write a detailed reply - my earlier replies seem largely to have fallen on deaf ears tbh, but there were a few points I felt needed clarification, if only for the benefit of other scene members...
Whether you accept it or not Trouty, you were somewhat complicit in the leak of the S4/MPU5 emulators, and as you might put it "I have the evidence to prove it". We all know the actual source of the leak was Gary (directly or indirectly), but you sure had a part to play. That was, without question,
the most damaging act ever taken with relation to the FME scene. It might not seem like it whilst you're sitting there playing S4/MPU5 machines, and I know that you've deluded yourself with the belief that writing FME emulators is such a rewarding occupation that "they'll" be queueing out of the door to fill the void left by MFME (whoever "they" might be, I don't know?), but imho it will be extremely difficult to move on from that. There's a whole slew of knock-on effects too that you can only begin to consider.
In terms of the BBS flood, I've tried to explain the ramifications of that to you many times previously, so I'm not going to waste my breath trying again. That you choose to be so belligerent about the whole thing demonstrates, to me, that your main interest here is in aggrandizing your personal ROM collection (and that of your fellow ROM-hoarders) and not FME per se. The idea was never to "hoard" ROMs from other people, but simply to handle the situation in the most appropriate fashion. At the time, withholding unemulatable or "risque" ROMs seemed the most appropriate thing to do (after all, what use is an FME ROM if it isn't playable, except of course to those who are focussing on that very issue of playability lol! Quite ironically, they were the ones who were ultimately denied access to the resources required to service that issue!) - many people I am certain had managed to acquire copies "under the counter" as it were, and it was the "make public and be damned" attitude that was so damaging in both the short- and long-term.
It must be said that I don't at all "get along" with Mr House or CW any longer (and that's a private matter not open for discussion), but I really ought, morally, to stand up and confirm what he is saying: To suggest that CW 'copied' code from Re-A is, frankly, utterly preposterous.
Re-A is an extremely talented guy for sure, but to suggest such falsehoods about CW simply belittles his equally extreme talents for emulation. I'm sure that some information concerning S2 was passed to him, and I'm also sure by whom. I have a fair recollection of the incident concerned and as I recall, he courteously accepted the information proffered with thanks. As I was working him on MFME at the time, however, I can assure you that S2 was running just fine bar a minor bank-switching issue that he had not yet had the time to investigate (for S2 was not the only tech being worked on). Given that the sound technology in question was identical to that used in IMPACT, and that he'd already implemented it in IMPACT, I hardly think it likely that he would have at all been stumped by it!
The truth of the situation, I feel, is that certain individuals, possibly including Re-A although I can't say with any degree of certainty, wanted access to the source code of MFME, ostensibly I believe for the S4 and MPU5 emulation information (and perhaps others?). Re-A certainly had the technical knowledge and skills to implement S4, but held back from doing so due to his professional commitments I understood. Chris was, understandably, proud of his accomplishments in respect of both technologies and ultimately was giving serious consideration to the release of S4... it is my honest impression that its release was fairly imminent.
MPU5 was never a contender due to its still being a current technology (at that time) used by Barcrest Group and due to the litigious nature of Barcrest: CW you may recall had already experienced that earlier for different reasons. From a technical standpoint, there are reasons why he felt that its emulation was something of a "grey" area legally, hence his decision to withhold it for the time being, but I'm not prepared to elaborate on that. Obviously, his hand was forced, so to speak, and the rest of course is history, along with MFME it appears.
Re-A simply left because he became disillusioned with the whole thing, and because I believe he felt that the inclusion of S2 in MFME somewhat trod on his toes with respect to BFMu.
Also why can't CW lay down his grudges and forgive those who have wronged him and start releasing new MFME versions again? Maybe if he set a example then God knows what might happen.
I would love nothing else as to visit all FME forums, read all the posts, contribute in a friendly witty fashion, enjoy a laugh and basically move forward with the scene HOWEVER for that to happen some people have to do something that they WILL NEVER do so that is hardly my fault.
{CLICHE-WARNING}There's an expression... "Once bitten, twice shy". I'll be damned if I know how it continues beyond there. Because continue it did. Not once, twice, three times, four times but many many times. Perhaps he's simply run out of olive branches, or perhaps he is no longer interested in developing MFME any more? The way it seems to me, though, is that there is only one "winning" position for him to take, and that's never to release another MFME version again. I don't know CW particularly well in all honesty, but I am fairly sure that he will have been left feeling extremely hurt, frustrated and disappointed by the turns of events - I know I have!
I've read so many posts that (effectively) demonstrate an attitude of wanting one's cake and eating it by several "key" FME members, as well as numerous shows of blatant disrespect. If you're the one who's being disrespectful, it's all too easy to say "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it - let's start on a fresh footing", but it's even harder if you're the one being disrespected to effectively take the onus of making the first move, especially when the offered truces, olive branches, call them what you will come across as being as shallow as a piss in the desert.
DT
