Spore, EA, DRM, etc.

[Paradigm Shifter]

(Also sorry for derailing the thread)

Then stop.

Thank you.

[The_cranky_hermit]

Missed the point.

Elaborate on the point if you want me to get it. Otherwise I stand by the notion that you don't have a point beyond what I've already debunked.

If a new game is 50 dollars, and you only have 5 dollars left over after budgeting for all necessary first world expenses, and it would therefore take ten months to purchase a game, I would say that's most definitely a strain on your cash flow.

No, it means you're doing budgeting wrong. What if you do only have $5 of spare change every month? Even at $5, not every penny of it *needs* to be put aside towards a game. If there are important things to you other than games, then spending 100% of your leftover cash on games is doing budgeting wrong.

Severe? Losing a job and gaining one that pays less is "severe" if you still have enough money for monthly payments for everything?

$1500 a month to $200 a month is severe. I doubt you'll find many people who earn $1500 a month but spend less than $200 of it.

What is your opinion on the Sony BMG Rootkit scandal?

I wouldn't really know enough about the situation to have a strong opinion. I've heard the rootkit described as malware a lot. I don't know how accurate this is, but I think bundled malware that has effects on your computer beyond how it plays the product it's bundled with should be illegal.

[GeneralAdmission]

But he does know "Thou shalt not steal" well

Throwin' down the King James...now that's really going old school. :lol:

[Dem Pyros]

[quote](Also sorry for derailing the thread)

Then stop.

Thank you.
Stopping.

[DaFox]

I'd put the 'needs an online server' as a bigger drawback to the max limit of installs.

Of course the 2 are related.

Example, I have here ev:nova, needs the online server, if it ever goes down, my game is dead.

Kotaku posted this article the other day to stir up the nest:

http://kotaku.com/5051514/steam-drm-vs-spore-drm

I really must disagree with both you and them though.

With Steam I know that I am going to have my games for a very very long time. If valve was going down they would pull something. With EA, they have proven to not give 2 shits in the past. if the activation was going down in 5 years. I would not be surprised if they were too lazy to release a patch to remove the activation..

[Mesh]

So you're ok with losing a game you payed for just because the developper for whatever reason takes down the activation/authentification/etc server required to start or install the game?

Sorry but I don't have that kind of disposable income.

[Dem Pyros]

On that quasi DRM topic:

I'm a little ticked that it seems the COD2 master multiplayer server went offline.

Why don't companies allow third parties to continue the service if they so choose? Isn't that a service the company should provide so you can continue to play?

(I know no one cares because everyone has moved on to COD4, but it's still relevant to the topic of server crashes causing unplayable games).

/Rant. I'll stop now.

[GeneralAdmission]

Why don't companies allow third parties to continue the service if they so choose? Isn't that a service the company should provide so you can continue to play?

Doesn't make me happy to say it, but if we keep playing old games we generally don't spend as much on new titles.

This is a built-in conflict of interest in the game industry: designing a game with massive replayability could actually hurt future sales of new games. What I try not to think about is how many games are intentionally "hamstrung" to limit their longevity.

How many industry people look at Counter-Strike and WoW and ask "How the heck can we get those players to play something new?!"

[DaFox]

How many industry people look at Counter-Strike and WoW and ask "How the heck can we get those players to play something new?!"

Exactly, I still play CS1.6 for 3+ hours a day.

[GeneralAdmission]

Exactly, I still play CS1.6 for 3+ hours a day.

And there's no end in sight for that game to expire:
http://archive.gamespy.com/stats/

Essentially, the best that any new game can hope to get is the #2 spot, because I have yet to see CS get a serious challenge.

-edit- Scratch that last sentence, CS:Source has #2 locked up pretty tight.

I also have a special place of hate in my heart for WoW because it single-handedly killed my LAN group. :evil:

[Mesh]

CS / CS:source to me shows at least one point:

Create a proper remake instead of a sequel and you'll get close to if not better success than the original.

Example, I'd welcome a remake using bleeding edge textures/models/whatever of games such as anachronox or chrono trigger or fallout (though that last one has a sequel on the way, it looks to be 1st person which ruins it for me).

I'd take em easily over the countless ww2 repeats and space sims lookalikes they keep churning out.

The point is, you don't need a new game to get me to move from the old one, if you can't make a new one that's better, take a good old one and remake it with benefit from current day cpu/gpu power.

It's a shame that most fan remakes of the sort more often then not are condemned by the companies that made the original. Bashing your fans ain't gonna fetch you any sales on future products, sequel, remake or otherwise.

[Soduka]

CS / CS:source to me shows at least one point:

Create a proper remake instead of a sequel and you'll get close to if not better success than the original.

Example, I'd welcome a remake using bleeding edge textures/models/whatever of games such as anachronox or chrono trigger or fallout (though that last one has a sequel on the way, it looks to be 1st person which ruins it for me).

I'd take em easily over the countless ww2 repeats and space sims lookalikes they keep churning out.

The point is, you don't need a new game to get me to move from the old one, if you can't make a new one that's better, take a good old one and remake it with benefit from current day cpu/gpu power.

It's a shame that most fan remakes of the sort more often then not are condemned by the companies that made the original. Bashing your fans ain't gonna fetch you any sales on future products, sequel, remake or otherwise.

/thumbs up

If I had the time and the games I would remake one game's content into another in the form of a mod. Game Studios complaining and sending scary letters?

LOL. Not the first time they've done that to me about stuff I've done that's on the fence of what many people consider "Legal". In my experience thus far, they haven't been willing to take it to a court. Methinks they aren't interesting enough in getting a legal team together and spending all that money just to stop some guy making enjoyment for a couple hundred people with no profit attached.

[DaFox]

The point is, you don't need a new game to get me to move from the old one, if you can't make a new one that's better, take a good old one and remake it with benefit from current day cpu/gpu power.

I don't think your picking the correct game to be praising then, its generally acknowledged that the original CS is far better gameplay wise than Source.
The general age group that plays source (hop on and you will notice quite fast) is in the range of 13-16 kids that think graphics > gameplay or they are just to young to have played 1.6 and they dont realize what they are missing.

I highly highly highly! - recommend checking out Bionic Commando Rearmed. Best remake that I've ever played - ever.

[Mesh]

My point was to take a game and remake the gfx/sound without touching much of the actual gameplay.

How many play the original or cs:source is utterly irrelevant to me, I consider both games to be useless, they're multiplayer.

[skeeder]

don't forget TF2 falls in #3!

[chabooka]

don't forget TF2 falls in #3!

TF2 falls in #1 for me :)

[Dem Pyros]

[quote]don't forget TF2 falls in #3!

TF2 falls in #1 for me :)
Seconded to the nth percent!

[GeneralAdmission]

Spore DRM lawsuit
Even if the end result is just further PR thrashing, I'm glad someone made the complaint 'official'.

[DaFox]

http://news.softpedia.com/news/EA-Admits-Pirated-Copies-Do-Not-Equal-Lost-Sales-94516.shtml

EA sees the light?

Thats defiantly the best way to look at piracy. Reward the consumer.


I will go on record right now as a rather hardcore pirate I am MUCH more likely to buy a game if it has content which I would enjoy that is inaccessible to me.
For example if spore's online was a Real Time MMO... I would have been way more interested.

[GeneralAdmission]

http://news.softpedia.com/news/EA-Admits-Pirated-Copies-Do-Not-Equal-Lost-Sales-94516.shtml

EA sees the light?

That is encouraging news. And this right here is the key to the entire issue:

"... the company is getting ready to shift its approach so that it rewards the customer rather than punishing everyone for the sins of pirates."

Paying customers deserve to be treated like gold--with respect and courtesy. This is how businesses of all sorts thrive, and game companies can as well. I hope whoever at EA is leading this change will continue to push the company toward valuing its customers--if it keeps going in the right direction they'll be earning my dollars.

Thanks for the link.