My Letter to Frictional Games and the Community

[FudgehogPinata]

Hello everyone. It's been a year or so since my last post, Why I did NOT buy the game, and I have created this thread for a few reasons. One reason being is to congratulate Frictional Games for their success with Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I know this congratulations is very late, but please accept it. Another reason being is to speak what has been in my mind ever since what happened to the above mentioned thread, for the sake of my mental well-being. What ever comes out of this, positive or negative, I can finally be at ease knowing I have done this.

Quite some time before I posted the thread, Why I did NOT buy the game, I read quite a few reviews of Amnesia: The Dark Descent and played the demo available on Steam. Even though I was very impressed with the game, whatever it is in my heart that would enable me to buy the game was beyond reach. But I have played the demo multiple times with the goal of completing it, and, even before I purchased the game, I failed to do so. Some time after I stopped playing the demo, I read a Development Blog entry (I forgot the title and the contents of the blog) which made me want to give my voice (or text) to Frictional Games in hopes they would take my advice into account for future games they could possibly develop. This lead to the creation of the thread Why I did NOT buy the game. (Good choice for a thread title, huh?) The result was nothing I expected; a moderator locked the thread, ending it with the following quote:

"Doesn't the fight for survival also justify swindle and theft? In self defence, anything goes." - Imelda Marcos

From this I got the impression that Frictional Games thought I pirated Amnesia: The Dark Descent, which tore me apart. I wanted to do anything I can in order to proove them wrong, which actually lead me to buy the game. But, shortly after the purchase, I realized there is nothing I can do to proove my innocence. So, while playing the game, I tried to forget everything that happened and forgive. But, even to this day, I could not find myself to forget... and forgive.

Frictional Games, I do not blame you for accusing me of piracy. Rereading Why I did NOT buy the game, I can see why you would do so. So why do I feel so bad about it? There are a few reasons why. One reason being you posted a Development Blog entry (which title I also forgot) which mentions players who pirate games before buying them. I can not help but think that blog entry was the result of the above mentioned thread, which made dealing with my situation more difficult. Another reason being is I posted that above mentioned thread with good intentions, only to be accused of piracy. And the last reason being is you locked the thread before I can explain where my opinions came from. Yes, I could have created a new thread afterwords, but I was so scared of what could come out of it, more so than Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Do I expect an apology? No. All I ask of you, Frictional Games, is to remember this thread and take steps to make sure you do not hurt anyone in the future as much as you hurt me.

Now that I have, at last, said what has been in my find for so long, I only have one more thing to say. Frictional Games... I forgive you.

Thank you for reading, and good luck to you in your current and future endeavors.

[Tanshaydar]

I can not help but think that blog entry was the result of the above mentioned thread,

Isn't this a bit of an over-thinking? Unless you are/were someone so important who put your mark in Frictional Games' workers life; they wouldn't be writing a blog post based one one single person's post which accuses a horror game to be scary...

[FudgehogPinata]

I can not help but think that blog entry was the result of the above mentioned thread,

Isn't this a bit of an over-thinking? Unless you are/were someone so important who put your mark in Frictional Games' workers life; they wouldn't be writing a blog post based one one single person's post which accuses a horror game to be scary...

A lot of people do tell me I think too much. But I did not think of myself as that important. I just thought that, by posting Why I did NOT buy the game, it triggered Frictional Games to think of gamers who pirate Amnesia and how many of them actually buy the game afterwords. And, excuse me, you speak as if I was playing a horror game expecting it not to be scary. Am I a fool to you? Why must you make this more difficult?

Perhaps it would be wise to ignore future posts. I'm not ready to take things like this, especially from a moderator.

[Googolplex]

I think, you overact a little.
Surely no one will claim, that you have pirated the game, when you did not buy it.
But why you did not buy the game? It costs only less money and you will get a rare excellent game.
I do not look at the money! I can blow the 15€ into the wind!
All good things are more valuable than the money. And Amnesia is a rare unique good game.

I'm so fascinated of the Penumbra series, that I bought it directly two times to have an unopened retail DVD for the rest of my live - I love the game, I love Frictional.

But no one forces you to buy the game, if you do not want to buy it, it is your opinion. But I can recommend everyone to buy. And I'm happy to have the game from official store, to can download always the latest version so often I want. Penumbra and Amnesia are the both best games of all for me and they mean a lot for me.

It is not a reason to be angry of Frictional, when someone thought you had pirated the game.

[Fomzo]

How...touchy creature you are, Fudgehog Pinata.

[bobbo]

I'd second the other's replies: I doubt your single thread made them write about piracy. Firstly, game piracy has been around since the very first computer games (there's an interesting documentary about the history of cracking, hope I can find the link again), so it's an issue game developers have to think about anyways. Secondly, there have been several people on this forum who were stupid enough to ask for help while openly admitting they downloaded the game from filesharing networks. So... you can go to sleep happy.

[Hunter of Shadows]

I find it difficult to take OP post seriously...

[Cryaotic]

I'll have you know that, despite everything, I have no idea why you took everyone that happened to seriously. Frictional Games, more likely than not, closed the original thread because it was probably resulting in a flame war and more angry posts than constructive (sort of like the multiplayer threads).

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a game meant for people who do not let something as little as a thread closure get to them as badly as it seems to have gotten to you. You posted 4 times since September, I am sure no one even remembered the thread until you just brought it up. If you were so worried about your name being slandered in such a way, then letting it drop and going on with life would have been the best bet.

It's a forum, this the internet, don't take everything so seriously.

[DamnNoHtml]

bold ALL the words

[Tanshaydar]

A lot of people do tell me I think too much. But I did not think of myself as that important. I just thought that, by posting Why I did NOT buy the game, it triggered Frictional Games to think of gamers who pirate Amnesia and how many of them actually buy the game afterwords. And, excuse me, you speak as if I was playing a horror game expecting it not to be scary. Am I a fool to you? Why must you make this more difficult?

Perhaps it would be wise to ignore future posts. I'm not ready to take things like this, especially from a moderator.

I really do not like being accused for being a moderator (or an admin in past).
None of the moderators here are, in any way, official or unofficial Frictional Games worker. We merely work for community regulation with our free will, without getting, or in any way, expecting any payment or any other payoff.
So, how come being a moderator prevents me to express my very own opinion?

If you really think too much, you would have known that a review copy has been leaked JUST ONE DAY BEFORE ACTUAL RELEASE. So Frictional Games had some greater issues.

Last thing I said, was in respect to your previous thread, where you said why you did not buy the game, and while the first reason was somehow understandable, second reason "The second reason why I did not buy the game is because the game is too scary." was not even laughable. So, what do expect me to say? I did not buy ice cream because it was cold, I did not buy coffee because it was hot?

I don't really like being sounded harsh, and I really don't want to be; but you are overthinking things. Please, don't do that. Frictional Games are so kind that they wasn't even harsh to leaked review copy. There is no way they would take you like that.