they should stop woring about branching out until they fix the game

And, for that matter, the track record of licensed novels vs. original sci-fi isn't so hot. Quality-wise, people working with a license have a lot more leeway than someone trying to get something published on its own merits. I don't think I've ever read one Star Wars novel that was actually inherently worth reading - there might be some minutia about the galaxy's background, or something that's at least partially interesting in terms of watching the film again - but if any of them had to sink or swim on their own, without the Star Wars license to sell it, I don't think a single one of them would be successful.

But this is way off-topic. When did I start ranting about sci-fi again?

Well, my mistake then. My only point, and this is explicitly my subjective opinion, is that novels based on computer games is a huge step down the ladder from doing feature film work. I don't care if Tolstoy came back from the dead to write Command and Conquer: Yuri Has A Train Accident; it's still way off the reading charts for me.

I acknowledge my prejudice, but I think I have good reason for it; for every Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Diablo, Warcraft, Doom (!) novel that's on the shelf, that's one less completely original sci-fi or fantasy book that's out there and available to discriminating readers. In my mind, originality of concept counts for quite a bit when I go to pick up a sci-fi book; I don't particularly want to read some yahoo's take on the work of someone probably far more talented than he or she. I'd rather read what the yahoo has created from his or her own mind. If Tornquist created the Anarchy Online universe, then more power to him (though I have whole other issues with licensed anythings...).

frankly, they could ressurect Ayn-freaking-Rand to write about smiting retards and 'community relations', but you know, spit and polish...it still SMELLS.

There were 3 - you forgot Jumpgate.

www.3do.com/jumpgate
www.mightygames.co.uk
www.netdevil.com
planetjumpgate.net

AO worked out of the box... if you didn't mind appalling frame rates and numerous bugs, some of which would crash the game. If you did mind these things then no it didn't work.

There have been 2 MMOGs which were crash free and working as advertised on release, Asheron's Call and Dark Ages of Camelot. Everquest didn't crash either, but the servers were unplayable for a week or two. Anarchy Online ranks somewhere between WWII online and Ultima Online. That isn't good. Looks great in screenshots though.

er, yes, he wrote movies _and_ films. there's a subtle difference you see, the difference being that i repeat myself when i get worked up.

at the risk of not being the sort of bigot who reads 'AO' or 'funcom' and lets loose with the abuse, ragnar tornquist has written movies, films, and yes! books too!, as well as scripting and designing 'the longest journey', which - in the absence of any decent lucasfilm adventures for the last 5 years or so - was easily the best adventure game i've played on the PC.

and it didn't need patches and it worked out of the box, and it came from funcom, which you'd think would be impossible, since they wrote the worst game in the universe ever and swindled us all wouldn't you?

now you could have found this out pretty easily, or, alternately, you could have just taken the piss out of him without having any idea.

sometimes gamers really suck.

Can an author sink any lower? I don't care if it's AO or Warcraft; there have to be more personally fulfilling things to be writing about than some video game. At least this guy was responsible for the game in some part, but it's still about twelve steps shy of literary acceptance...twelve very big steps. I think the author of Diaper Changing for Dummies is in line ahead of these people.

I hear that, to stay true to the game, the novel will only be half-finished, and many of the chapters will actually be unreadable until they release a series of patches. Even then, it'll be a slow read: I hear the passages that take place in the cities can take several hours to read.