How does Next2 relate to Colossal Order
Network Extensions 2 is finely crafted software, as anyone who appreciates craftsmanship can readily observe, one of the most popular items on the workshop, practically ubiquitous with 1M+ subscribers.
It was released more than 6 months before the Mass Transit DLC, which is profit center for CO, and competes with the mod, which is free.
It was updated promptly and accurately for the Sunset Harbour DLC when the DLC was released.
It has worked very well since, and nothing has changed since (neither the Next2 nor the game), but the old Harmony mod has been updated.
Now, Felix Schmidt (a.k.a. boformer), the author of the old Harmony mod is a Colossal Order employee. Mass Transit is a product of the company, and the mod he broke is a direct competitor's product. Felix prefers to mislead his followers by keeping secret the association with his employer.
Is there commercial value to a free product which is wanted by 1M people who are not (yet) paying customers? Is Colossal Order in direct conflict of interest?
Is releasing an untested Harmony that breaks a mod with 1M subscribers negligent? Willfully so?
Is Colossal Order liable for its employees actions?
So many questions that a judge could answer. I'm available to testify in a court of law.
Game development is a serious business, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Credit where credit is due, integrity
On the issue of giving credit where credit is due, integrity and honesty, and trust worthiness:
Felix prefers to keep his identity and association with Colossal Order a secret, while also openly publicising it on his Steam profile.
In the screenshot below, after releasing my Harmony (which does not break NEXT2 or other mods), I help Felix fix his Harmony, at his request. As a result, instead of giving me the credit I deserve, he publicly attacks me with lies of "doxxing". More on that on my blog (google "boformer Colossal Order" to find it in a few days)
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| I solve boformer's Harmony problem, get no credit (screenshot 1 of 8) |
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| I solve boformer's Harmony problem, get no credit (screenshot 2 of 8) |
Immediately following the February 14 disaster, I directly offered to Felix to take over his Harmony project, with the goal of implementing an orderly cleanup of the mess. That offer resulted in some surprising realizations about Felix's character, which I detail on my blog, "Who is boformer of Colossal Order?"
Since NEXT2 was released 6 months before the Mass Transit DLC, it can be assumed that the DLC contains at least some inspiration from this work. I have not seen any credit given to the NEXT2 creator.
There seems to be some an extreme lack of integrity around this company and its employee(s).
Closing
Don't take my word for any of it, all the info is public. Read it for yourself and decide.
References
- Felix Schmidt (aka "boformer") Steam Profile Page (archived), showing location and membership in the Colossal Order Employee Steam Group
- Felix Schmidt Harmony Workshop item page, showing github account link
- Felix Schmidt github profile, showing location, link to university student's home page, and rich commit history by "Felix Schmidt"
- Felix Schmidt university page
- Colossal Order Employee Group on Steam showing "boformer" as member.
- Colossal Order post on PlayStation Blog dated March 26, 2020, talking about Felix as an employee at CO (before first of Felix's initial commit to his Harmony Source Code)
