Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Retropunch]

I'm sorry if it wasn't more clear to you when I said Interpol agents lead local law enforcement teams to make arrests. You can also see by the quote that you yourself shared, just how contradictory the information is. Interpol doesn't send agents, however, member nations have their own teams of Interpol agents(NCB) that work with local law enforcement to make arrests. The Interpol representative leads the investigation but due to jurisdiction, it is the local law enforcement that makes the arrest. Most of the information from law enforcement is a matter of public record, even more so for Interpol, an agency that believes strongly in transparency. In fact, if you would like to find out just how cooperative they are, I suggest you send a letter requesting information on a specific topic and enjoy the massive amount of material they send back to you. Also, they don't use NDA's to constrict the flow of information. I think you might be thinking of information that is related to ongoing investigations? I would like to keep the rest of the discussion on topic please.

*edit: I have no intention of recreating a perfectly realistic simulation of the arms trade or geopolitics. That's rather tedious and boring. In fact, I set the whole game universe a few years into the future to allow for maneuvering around perfect realism without breaking immersion. Also, it's generally considered polite to use the correct spelling of someone's name especially when engaging in a passive aggressive multi post effort. Thanks.

I don't see how this isn't on topic, and I'm certainly not being passive-aggressive with you, I was just pointing out that Interpol don't do what you say they're doing. I mistakenly thought you were aiming for realism (and there's no harm in not doing!!) and I just wanted to help. My apologies for spelling your name wrong also.

Regardless, NCB agents are just points of contact as it states on their website and NCB ones (for instance http://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/Europe/United-Kingdom), although they do occasionally assisting with operations in an advisory/training role they do not lead or assist in an operational/field role.

I can't argue with you if you're saying that you did get a lot of useful information back from them, just that you're very, very lucky.

[Neonivek]

I am just reminded of Chun-Li and how she is an Interpol agent.

[hemmingjay]

I don't see how this isn't on topic, and I'm certainly not being passive-aggressive with you, I was just pointing out that Interpol don't do what you say they're doing. I mistakenly thought you were aiming for realism (and there's no harm in not doing!!) and I just wanted to help. My apologies for spelling your name wrong also.

Regardless, NCB agents are just points of contact as it states on their website and NCB ones (for instance http://www.interpol.int/Member-countries/Europe/United-Kingdom), although they do occasionally assisting with operations in an advisory/training role they do not lead or assist in an operational/field role.

I can't argue with you if you're saying that you did get a lot of useful information back from them, just that you're very, very lucky.

I'm not looking to get in a pissing match with you but I can't tell if you are intentionally trying to be daft while arguing this point. Even the link you provide and the stories on that site both provide explicit evidence that they do indeed do exactly as I have stated and exactly as several representatives described it to me in interviews. For your benefit, I will provide some highlights:

"The INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) for the UK is part of the National Crime Agency (NCA), a powerful new body of operational crime fighters with the responsibility of leading the UK’s fight to cut serious and organized crime. The NCA addresses national threats and incorporates the functions of numerous former UK organizations, agencies and units in order to:

    Tackle serious and organized crime;
    Strengthen UK borders;
    Fight fraud and cybercrime;
    Protect children and young people.

The NCA also provides a range of support services to police forces and law enforcement agencies across the country, including the services provided by INTERPOL Manchester."   Please note in particular the line "body of operational crime fighters with the responsibility of leading the UK’s fight to cut serious and organized crime." which contradicts your claim that they do not lead investigations or provide operational/field role. I'm not sure why you are hellbent on trying to discredit the information I spent months painstakingly collecting while you think your 10 minutes of skimming (incorrectly) a webpage. However, in case providing the information specifically from your own "evidence" wasn't enough, here are a few more links - http://www.interpol.int/News-and-media/News/2010/PR014     and    http://www.interpol.int/INTERPOL-expertise/Response-teams. There are many more of course. You are correct that they primarily provide training and logistics, but claiming that they do not operate in the field, leading investigations and coordinating arrest teams is irresponsible and offensive. 

[Retropunch]

The NCA (the UK's version of the FBI) addresses those threats, not Interpol. Interpol just provides international links: "INTERPOL Manchester staff deal with crime-related enquiries, translations and the coordination of international police action to locate UK fugitives abroad or fugitives thought to have fled to the UK from elsewhere". I'm not trying to be belligerent but give it a second read.

Similarly, on those links you posted, there is nothing about them conducting operations - you'll see that they coordinate "The operation, co-ordinated by the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme with strong support from the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).."

and that the list of operations on the IRT page states that they:
Issuing international notices for fugitive terrorists whose arrests are sought by member countries;
Database queries of fingerprints to quickly identify suspects;
Access to the database of lost or stolen travel documents;
Money laundering expertise;
Coordination of response to disaster victim identification through a wide network of international experts and laboratories.

None of that is operational - it's just a coordination and support organisation - nothing more, nothing less (at least publicly!). I know this is the case from past work, and although there's nothing I can do to prove that, it really is.

A few more links to prove this is all they do:
http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2398&issue_id=62011 (Very good source)
http://www.justice.gov/interpol-washington/faqs.html (good source)
http://people.howstuffworks.com/interpol1.htm
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InterpolSpecialAgent

[Sensei]

Stuff

I don't see how this isn't on topic, and I'm certainly not being passive-aggressive with you, I was just pointing out that Interpol don't do what you say they're doing.

I'm not looking to get in a pissing match with you but I can't tell if you are intentionally trying to be daft while arguing this point.

Oi, stop it, both of you. retropunch, you're being kind of anal, it's just a video game, let it go. Hemmingjay, you're definitely taking it too personally, don't involve yourself in a pissing match (it HAS become that, but it takes two to tango) over whether you or retropunch might be wrong over the specifics of Interpol operations.

Spoiler: And if it matters... (click to show/hide)

No, the INTERPOL General Secretariat does not send officers into countries to arrest individuals. All investigations and arrests in each INTERPOL  member country are carried out by the national police in accordance with national laws. Each member country has an INTERPOL  National Central Bureau(NCB) which is staffed by highly-trained law enforcement officers and acts as a designated contact point for the General Secretariat and other member countries.

This is sourced from The Interpol website. So, no, they don't have field agents at all. Unless they're secret!

However, this doesn't really matter. You can just put Interpol agents in your game, if you think having a bunch of different national agents doesn't add anything.

[Retropunch]

Agreed, as a fictional work (set in the future) you can have Interpol do whatever you like!  Hell, I know the EU is really pushing for a new EU-wide policing agency, and I wouldn't be even the slightest bit surprised if by 2018/2020 we also have an international policing force doing that kinda thing.

I really didn't mean for it to devolve into a pissing match, and I apologize unreservedly for any aggro caused - it wasn't my intention at all.

[hemmingjay]

Likewise it was not my intention and if anything, you have helped me to re-learn a valuable lesson which is that the consumer is always right and not to argue regardless. I cede defeat here and will even consider changing the policing agency in the game. I am now also more inspired to write the book as well as it seems we have a lot of misleading/contradictory information out there. It should prove interesting and I can also call on this particular issue in the book. I think it might also be interesting to dissect the realities and farces of Interpol "field agent" representation in the half dozen movies and many books. I'm sure I am not the only one to take liberties, but I would like to see which ones were most accurate or offbase.

As for my behavior, I can't apologize enough, but I hope that Retropunch will accept a free copy of the game upon release as part of my apology. Sensei, you get one too for bringing reason back into the picture.

[Retropunch]

Likewise it was not my intention and if anything, you have helped me to re-learn a valuable lesson which is that the consumer is always right and not to argue regardless. I cede defeat here and will even consider changing the policing agency in the game. I am now also more inspired to write the book as well as it seems we have a lot of misleading/contradictory information out there. It should prove interesting and I can also call on this particular issue in the book. I think it might also be interesting to dissect the realities and farces of Interpol "field agent" representation in the half dozen movies and many books. I'm sure I am not the only one to take liberties, but I would like to see which ones were most accurate or offbase.

As for my behavior, I can't apologize enough, but I hope that Retropunch will accept a free copy of the game upon release as part of my apology. Sensei, you get one too for bringing reason back into the picture.

That is very, very kind hemmingjay, thank you very much! I can't wait to see new updates as (regardless of our unfortunate bickering) I am extremely excited to hear and see more about it.

Also, if I may be so bold, is there any ETA on a video/trailer? I'm sure a lot of people would love to see it in action!

[hemmingjay]

The trailer is coming in roughly 2 weeks. I am in negotiations with two firms as well as considering producing it internally. I don't want my trailers to have a bunch of logos or announcements in the beginning of the trailer. I hate when I have to skip 30-40 seconds into a 60 second trailer just to see the game. That being said, there will be two different trailers. One will be a gameplay trailer and the other will be a story board/graphic novel trailer with gameplay footage at the end. The game is played from a world map and menus, like a 4x game or a business sim, so it's not very exciting footage to watch, but I want people to be able to see the great screens that our team is working on.

Also, I have my team working on the issue but I thought why not involve you all here in the process. I need a new global police force to pursue the player approximately 10 years in the future. Any ideas? Here is what I have after five minutes of brainstorming.

United Nations Security Force                  U.N.S.F.

United Nations Police Force                      U.N.P.F.

Global Investigative Mobile Police              G.I.M.P.

International Police Force                           I.P.F.

International Mobile Police Services            I.M.P.S.

United Nations Secret Police                       U.N.S.P.

United Nations Police Department               U.N.P.D.

Worldwide Investigative Service Personnel  W.I.S.P.

[werty892]

Definitely not gimp or Wisp, but I found this handy website.

http://acronymcreator.net/

Edit:The name should play off of GUN or ARMS somehow, sound similar maybe... I GOT IT! A.R.M.S Arms Response and Management Syndicate. Some kinda future department that combines all the worlds intelligence services against gun runners.

[Girlinhat]

It's always kinda cheating when your acronym's first letter, is the actual acronym's word.

[TCM]

Hemmingjay, that's an awesome apology, swallowing your pride as well as giving away two free copies of the game? I'm impressed. If certain people on this forum emulated the type of behavior you demonstrated, we wouldn't have some of the drama that's plagued our forums for the past few days. But on a happier note, great job! I just hope when you're famous in five years, competing with Ubisoft and Capcom and whoever else on that level, you still treat your fanbase the way you do now. 

If you're okay with answering these questions, how big is your team? Do you have an office space? I'm curious to know how many people it takes to create a game of this magnitude.

[stabbymcstabstab]

W.I.S.P.S., I.P.F. and I.M.P.S. sound pretty good because we all know the UN isn't going to get anything done this century, and G.I.M.P. is something I wouldn't take seriously at all.

[choppy]

i think i like W.I.S.P.S  acronym the best.

[Rakonas]

I think $15 is definitely fair, but I'd say to go with a $10 sale to start off. Generally people will think more highly of the game if the price is lower, so it should be played by more people with a lower price, and that's especially great if you're going to make a sequel.