Talk:John Romero/Archive 1

Breakup?
Anyone know why he broke up with Stevie Case? It'd be interesting for both articles. &mdash;Frecklefoot 15:41, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC)

We never disclosed the reason nor will we. It was just between us.&mdash;Romero 06:10, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
 * At least you kept some parts of your life private. After the debacle that was Ion Storm Dallas, at least you learned the virtue of being just a tad conservative with letting people in on your private life. Shadowrun 06:58, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Midway or Monkeystone?
The article says he is working for Midway, but the Monkeystone website (http://www.monkeystone.com/about.php) still lists him as "Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer." Which is it? Or is he doing the game for Midway via Monkeystone? Either way, it should be clarified in the article.

Also, he doesn't look like the picture in the article anymore. He shaves his head completely bald now. It'd be fine to keep, but should have a "circa" or some other type of descriptive text. &mdash;Frecklefoot 15:41, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I've never shaved my head in my life. And my hair is long right now.&mdash;Romero 20:59, 22 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Romero explained on his forums that Lucas Davis would be in charge of the Monkeystone offices now and used "we" as if he still maintains his ties. --Mrwojo 19:50, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Monkeystone is still a legal entity and still survives. Tom and I will dissolve it someday but there are no employees working on anything&mdash;Romero 20:59, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Masters of Doom
The book Masters of Doom has been used for certain claims about Romero:


 * Romero's work ethic slowed down as his fame grew from Doom to the point that John Carmack wrote an application that would document when Romero started and ended his Quake sessions and found that Romero was at that point producing little work for id. Romero was eventually let go from id Software for coming in and playing deathmatches and responding to emails on Quake for the better part of the day.This was at the time catastrophic to Romero who saw Carmack as a friend and id Software as his own personal achievment.
 * (References to Masters of Doom has been removed in this quote)

First of all, the book doesn't actually say that Carmack made a program to document when Romero played Quake. What the book actually says is:


 * Carmack knew what he had to do. He had to prove that Romero was slacking. And he knew just how. He wrote a program that would create a time log whenever Romero worked on his PC. According to the results, his partner wasn’t working much.

So this claim is obviously wrong. And even if we rewrote it to say what the book said, it's still conjecture that work weren't being done based on this program. According to the book, it was merely the opinion of Carmack.

But I think what's more important here is that every claim made above is merely conjecture and interpretation of a novelization based on various interviews, some anonymous, with no specific sources mentioned for the respective claims made in the book. Novelization should be emphasized, there's absolutely no way of knowing what precisely what of actual information the author has used and what is just made up for dramatic effect short of asking the author and that's not a reliable source for such contentious claims about a living person, which as far as I can tell goes against Wikipedia policy. Debolaz 19:10, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Daikatana sales
the article says it sold 200,000 copies in the first year, worldwide as if that's pretty good for games; is this true? I know nothing about typical game sales for that era, but 200,000 across the whole world over a whole year doesn't seem that great.. anyone?


 * 200,000 units in 12 months is a failure for a big name game. God of War II sold a lot more units than that in the span of a month. Simply put, Daikatana is hailed as one of the biggest gaming disasters in history, up there with Battle Cruiser 3000, by Derek Smart. Some people feel that sales were hurt by the advertisement "JOHN ROMERO WANTS TO MAKE YOU HIS BITCH!" and then in little size 3 font letters at the bottom of the ad, it says "Daikatana, coming soon," and others hail it as being due to lack of playability due to large gaping bugs (though, I think some people blew this one out of proportion). Of course, a lot of bad publicity for anything comes from the people who don't even intend to play or give it a test run anyway, and I never had a copy of the game myself. So yeah, poor sales, and not sure if the game was ever good or bad. -Emhilradim 08:06, 7 May 2007 (UTC)


 * In the PC world circa 2000, selling 200,000 units was great. Console is a completely different metric. The sales of the PC and N64 versions of Daikatana paid for its cross-collateralized cost of development. At least it wasn't a loss. Romero 19:19, 7 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Deus Ex has sold about a million since it was released. According to this Daikatana had a budget of 10 million or so at $30 or so that's 6 million in revenue. At $50 (which is too high a variable price when you factor in retailers net) it's 10 million. http://www.mobygames.com/game/john-romeros-daikatana/trivia. Of course these numbers are anything but exact, but with such close numbers and negative reviews no executive would pursue a sequel.

Fair use rationale for Image:John Romero's Head.png
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BetacommandBot (talk) 21:37, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

CPL
As of March 13, 2008, Cyberathlete Professional League has closed operations. This article needs more current information as to what John Romero is doing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.7.114.53 (talk) 08:22, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

Departure from id Software
I find it suprising that there is no mention of the supposed firing of John Romero. Does it not deserve a place in the article? Some of the information is rather vague as it is. Unconscious 09:34, 12 May 2007 (UTC)


 * He wasn't fired, he quit. After Quake, he stated that if id decided to revisit the Doom storyline again (for Doom 3), he'd quit. They did, and he did. It wasn't a huge deal—he just said he didn't want to do another Doom game. Other people at id did want to do another one. That's when he started Ion Storm.&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 12:53, 14 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah, he wasn't fired, but Doom3 shouldn't have anything to do with it. The pre-production of that started several yers after he left. (atleast 4 years). He probably only wanted to continue in his own direction, seeing as Quake 1s original design [by him] was kinda..slaughtered. //Zarkow 124.120.81.214 09:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I am aware about John quitting, but there is no mention of this in his article. I'd like to add that Carmack insists that Romero was fired from Id Software, and did not resign on his own account. It wouldn't be a bad idea to find out the truth, and shove it up in the article. Unconscious 10:18, 16 May 2007 (UTC)


 * John Romero was ejected from the company, he didn't exactly leave on good terms. And it's not really valid to say he quit because of DOOM 3 because that game didn't begin production until 4 years after Romero was gone and began to create Daikatana. Let's remember that Id was beginning development of Quake II at the time. -Emhilradim 23:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)


 * However, debating over whether he resigned/fired because they were planning to make Doom 3 was not my question... Was he fired, or did he resign? We can't have 'buts' or contradictions in an article. It could really do with it being placed into the article. Unconscious 17:33, 17 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Obviously, there is discrepancy in the whole fired/quit debate. That can be mentioned in the article: "There are discrepancies as to whether Romero quit or was fired from Id."


 * And Id was planning to revisit the Doom storyline way back in the Quake II days, even though it hadn't even gone into pre-production. IIRC, Carmack said he liked the storyline and wanted to revisit it. Romero said it was tired and "done" and didn't want to go back over it again. So he quit. Maybe Carmack then "fired" him—I have no idea. Too bad all my recollections are from old magazines and not online sources so we could use it in the article.&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 13:43, 18 May 2007 (UTC)


 * If we're lucky, maybe the man himself might be able to give us a visit here on Wikipedia. I might drop him a PM over Rome.ro, but we shall see if he visits us before then. It could do with a mention. IRT "There are discrepancies as to whether Romero quit or was fired from Id.", I agree. We could have that, could we not? Unconscious 20:02, 20 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I think the last option is the best. While Romero (or someone claiming to be him) has dropped by here from time to time, we can't use any of the info unless he points us to other sources that can be verified (like a magazine interview). Otherwise, it's just OR, which is prohibited here.&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 18:33, 21 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Hey guys, for all intents and purposes I was fired from id Software, even though they presented me with a resignation letter that I agreed to sign. Legally, I resigned. But they didn't want me there anymore, especially because the day before they handed me my resignation I had contacted GT Interactive about starting Ion Storm. Put 2 + 2 together. Besides, in January 1996 I had already made a deal with Tom Hall that we would start our new studio together after I shipped Quake. Our original name was Dream Design. So it was really just a matter of time (within weeks) of my resigning. Romero 23:39, 21 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I won't add any of this information, as it's not a reputable source. However, I'm pretty sure this is "The Romero" [shock horror], I'll leave it up to someone else to judge. I'm sure I read this claim somewhere else, also... I'm assuming it was a thread at rome.ro, so I'll have a sniff about. Unconscious 10:41, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * What do you mean I'm not a reputable source? I'm the one it happened to? How much more reputable can you get? Romero 17:06, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I think Unconscious meant a "verifiable" source.&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 18:58, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Whoops, yeah. Verifiable source, sorry. Still getting used to all these fancy words. ;) There isn't really a way we can prove that you are, in fact, yourself. At least not to wikipedia's standards. Unconscious 21:53, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Ok, then it's totally useless for me to correct anything in here. Romero 19:26, 7 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Hey Romero, I am Fabien, we had a small conversation by mail. It seems that if you want something to be added/modified here, you'll have to put first the informations on rome.ro, then to quote your blog article there.
 * I am actually having troubles with the informations you gave me about wolf3D because the guys says that i can be a lier.
 * It's not easy to put the truth on the wiki. HR 15:27, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

This is a glaring omission from this article, but I am having trouble finding decent sources online, which is strange because I remember this being treating like common knowledge back when the event itself happened. I also distinctly remember a PC Gamer article on Quake 2 where people from ID Software talked about the firing of John Romero, talking about how he started showing up to work around noon time and leaving around four (my time may be off but that was the gist). I don't have the issue on me, it's in storage so I won't add anything until I reconfirm it with my own eyes but it was the October 1997 issue. I very much doubt several of Romero's former co-workers would make up a lie about him being fired, especially considering libel laws. At the very least the article needs a reference to his rocky departure from Id. Uselesswarrior (talk) 03:38, 6 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Here is one source, I will add more as I find them. EDIT: Here are some more , [ http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Id-Software ], . The article on Masters of Doom even says he was fired, though I realize that isn't a source, it suggests the book says that he was fired, though I don't have a copy so I can't verify myself. Other sites use the wording "forced resignation" but it really becomes semantics at that point. Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth (though I suspect user:romero is in fact, the John Romero, I can understand how there is no way to confirm this) , the way he puts it in the interview "the guys at id decided to ask me to leave." There is also the section on Masters of doom in this talk page, which I didn't notice before I typed all this. It is pretty clear to me now that certain people just do not want this information included in this article, regardless of citations, so I will leave it at that. Uselesswarrior (talk) 03:49, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Personal info
The page says " In January 2004, Romero married Raluca Alexandra Pleşca, originally from Bucharest, Romania . He has two children with his ex-wife, Michael and Steven Patrick Romero." - does that mean he is divorced from his..uh..current wife, or that he had another one previously? Something is mixed up or missing. 124.120.71.35 20:00, 13 February 2007 (UTC) Z

I was married to Kelly Mitchell from 1987-1990 with 2 boys. I was married to Elizabeth McCall from 1993-1999 with one daughter. I got married to Raluca in 2004, no kids. - Romero 19:24, 6 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Thank you. The section, as it is now, is just confusing and it would probably be better if the above is explained briefly insted of just listing your children like that...but thanks for giving the proper info. Unfortuanly, due to really sad rules on wikipedia, I cannot ad those facts since it would be Original Research, it has to be stated on other sites or in a book. :D //Zarkow 124.120.81.214 09:22, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Well i know about his doom game94.192.30.13 (talk) 22:10, 8 February 2010 (UTC)

Rhaluka
It seams all mention of John's wife, Rhaluka, has been removed. Why is this? Are they still together? John's site makes no apparent message of a split between the two, so why has the information been removed? Possibly by John himself? TheFearedMachina 17:59, 31 October 2006 (UTC)


 * I see the information on his marriage to Raluca Alexandra Pleşca. Is this what you're referring to? It's still there.&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 19:00, 31 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Rhaluka's blog (http://www.rhaluka.com/) indicates they are still together. Outside of her blog, she is a private citizen - she doesn't seem to do any of the things that Case did to turn herself into a public figure. Therefore she and her marriage to Romero deserve some privacy.

Yes, we are still together.&mdash;Romero 21:01, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

And now we aren't. Romero (talk) 06:17, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Addition to the article
Does any of this content makes sense here? http://www.scribd.com/doc/83366654/John-Romero-s-Letter — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.83.172.140 (talk) 06:55, 31 May 2012 (UTC)


 * It's certainly interesting. If you can find a place for it, go ahead and insert it. And include a link to the source, as above.&mdash;Fr&epsilon;ckl&epsilon;fσσt | Talk 13:04, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Ethnicity
He doesn't seem caucasian. Anyone knows if he has either hawaian or native american heritage? Kinda looks like Keanu Reeves or johnny depp (both have hawaiian or cherokee blood in them) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.138.1.71 (talk • contribs)


 * I can't see that it matters, but he visits this article often and adds and corrects content. He may answer...&mdash;Frecklefoot | Talk 17:32, 13 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I'm 1/4 Spanish (Basque), 1/4 Mexican, 1/8 Cherokee, 3/8 American mix&mdash;Romero 06:12, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

63.207.204.66 22:36, 5 February 2007 (UTC) I took the liberty of removing the text "John Romero eats ass." True or not, it was uncited and has no place in this article until a sufficient source can be found.

White + Native American according to Romero's site, he looks sorta like Johnny depp [which isnt a bad thing at all]. 107.222.205.242 (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 23:46, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

Daikatana
An anon user changed a lead sentence in the article to this:


 * He is best known as the creator of Daikatana as well as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake.

Yes, he infamously created Daikatana, but is he really known for that anymore? When I think of Romero, it's mostly his work with Id that I think about, so I reverted it. It's mentioned later in the article. But the anon user changed it back. So I'm bringing it up here. Does that really need to be in the lead? — Fr&epsilon;ckl&epsilon;fσσt | Talk 23:53, 1 June 2014 (UTC)

Agree, I remember Romero from doom days and have no idea what is "Daikatana". As it is now, sounds like someone trying to steer the remembrance of history into their own preferred direction... 116.48.92.71 (talk) 20:32, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

And where is the details about romero's relationship with the romanian teen girl who got him the domain rome.ro. There was an article about this somewhere in print... 116.48.92.71 (talk) 20:42, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

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Big Blue Disks
Five of the entries in the Games table are "Big Blue Disk #XX". These aren't games, but issues of a disk magazine. According to Mobygames, Romero was a contributor, but it's not clear what his contribution was. If he wrote a game, then it should be listed instead of the disk number. If he didn't write a game, but instead helped produce the issue, then they shouldn't be listed as games. Dgpop (talk) 02:15, 14 January 2017 (UTC)

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Dubious claims of Cherokee and or possibly Yaqui heritage?
Hi. Beyond his own claims, is there any reliable source which can verify his Yaqui and Cherokee heritage? Is he a member of any tribe in the United States? Though perhaps through his Mexican heritage, he could have Yaqui blood (they are after all, also found throughout Mexico and in the Southwestern U.S states, but in a Tweet, he has claimed that they're "Native to Southwestern Arizona").

I ask this given how so many Americans claim they're part "Cherokee" (and other Native U.S tribes to a lesser extent, but mostly Cherokee), when this is usually not true at all, or their "Cherokee/Native heritage" is very, very distant and insignificant.

As early as 2003, a New York Times article about him only stated that his father was Mexican-American, with no mention of his mothers background or him having any Yaqui or Cherokee roots and that his fathers marriage/relationship with his mother "Ginny" was an "interracial relationship that wasn't tolerated", hence why they moved to Colorado in hopes that the place would have more "tolerant surroundings". I'm not entirely sure how racial laws worked in the U.S at the time of his birth, but this seems to imply that at least one parent was considered "white", presumably his mother, hence why the relationship wasn't "tolerated".

Furthermore, in recent years, he seems to give very conflicting responses on his background. Although that interview with the NYT mentions nothing about Yaqui or Cherokee heritage, he has stated he was only "Yaqui and Cherokee" when asked in 2018, and this is the only heritage that is mentioned in this interview with his wife Brenda. Though in 2016, he gave a "breakdown" of his heritage, claiming that "one grandparent was Yaqui, another Mexican and another Cherokee", but doesn't mention the fourth grandparents background.

From the interviews and sources I've seen, his claims, particularly on the alleged Cherokee heritage seem very dubious. Clear Looking Glass (talk) 19:24, 25 March 2021 (UTC)

Hyperthymesia?
Romero has long claimed that he has hyperthymesia. He is well-known to have a great memory, which John Carmack can attest to. The issue is that this is an extremely rare condition, with 61 or so known diagnoses, so I'm a little hesitant to add it just on his word. Would it be acceptable or worth adding a little tidbit in the "Personal Life" section? 2601:602:8D80:36A0:AC8D:2A4:63FB:4CF9 (talk) 00:55, 7 March 2022 (UTC)