Some personal thoughts on piracy (warning - long post)

[BeefJerky]

[quote='Scraper' pid='44491' dateline='1288973006']

[quote]
Hah, this sounds like EA.
I bought Need for Speed: Shift for 50€ and it didn't even work well even though my computer is better than what they show as recommended on the back of the box.
[/quote]

LOL yea, I may have been talking a bit about EA, or a certain company that sounds like "lizard".

I wasn't really talking about Frictional. So far the only problem I've had is when I tried throwing a barrel at the ladder to get it down in Overture and broke the puzzle because the barrel was blocking the conveyor belt shaft.

But look at the arguments being made here. "It's ONLY 20 dollars!" Yeah, it's ONLY 20 dollars when it's MY 20 dollars. Suddenly, when it becomes only YOUR 20 dollars, then it's an issue, right?

Sorry, but when you've been around the block a few hundred times buying games you tend to get really stingy when every other product is a bug-filled mess, especially with the big studios. Since there's no recourse for the consumer once they have my ONLY 20 or 60 dollars, sometimes the only way to tell if I want the product is to see the full version.

[Spooder Wekd]

sometimes the only way to tell if I want the product is to see the full version.

I see where you're coming from, but it does not make much sense (well it does, but not enough to justify it...if that makes sense). You have so many resources nowadays to find out if you want it. you can look up user reveiws and "official" reviews or you can ask friends if they own it. you can download the demo (most of the time) and if there is no demo i dont think you should take it upon yourself to steal a demo. It would be like going to a camera store and stealing a camera so you can test it rather than google-ing reviews of it to see if it is any good. it is up to the retailer to decide whether or not to spend time to make a demo for their product or to isolate a section of it for evaluation purposes

[Urrah]

But look at the arguments being made here. "It's ONLY 20 dollars!" Yeah, it's ONLY 20 dollars when it's MY 20 dollars. Suddenly, when it becomes only YOUR 20 dollars, then it's an issue, right?

Sorry, but when you've been around the block a few hundred times buying games you tend to get really stingy when every other product is a bug-filled mess, especially with the big studios. Since there's no recourse for the consumer once they have my ONLY 20 or 60 dollars, sometimes the only way to tell if I want the product is to see the full version.

Yes a game being cheap alone isn't enough to warrant a purchase, but combine Amnesia's ridiculously low price with the execellent reviews it's been receiving, not to mention the fact that you can watch actual gameplay footage on youtube, and there is no excuse for pirating the game.

I understand your suspision of "big studio's", I'm the same, but I tend to give indies the benefit of the doubt.

[Frontcannon]

It would be like going to a camera store and stealing a camera so you can test it rather than google-ing reviews of it to see if it is any good.

ಠ_ಠ

[BeefJerky]

sometimes the only way to tell if I want the product is to see the full version.

I see where you're coming from, but it does not make much sense (well it does, but not enough to justify it...if that makes sense). You have so many resources nowadays to find out if you want it. you can look up user reveiws and "official" reviews or you can ask friends if they own it. you can download the demo (most of the time) and if there is no demo i dont think you should take it upon yourself to steal a demo. It would be like going to a camera store and stealing a camera so you can test it rather than google-ing reviews of it to see if it is any good. it is up to the retailer to decide whether or not to spend time to make a demo for their product or to isolate a section of it for evaluation purposes

Here's Gamespot's summary of New Vegas, a game that by anyone's standard is buggy and broken to all hell at release: "A few technical problems aren't enough to sully this enjoyable and sophisticated adventure through the western wastes." Here's another excerpt: "Don't let the quirks frighten you away, however: New Vegas' nooks and crannies are bursting with grimy treasures waiting to be dusted off and admired by intrepid explorers."

Could the ass-kissing get any more obvious? How about a 5.0 rating with a promise to re-review it after a decent patch instead of an 8.3 because it's broken? Now, here's a statement from a well-known review site from 10 years ago:

"Do you have a new product or title to be released before Christmas?

Typically this is the busiest time of year for the gaming industry
and we at the Adrenaline Vault are ready to help you get the word out!

Between now and the end of the year for every company the that advertises with us we will run a feature article on their game or hardware. That is like having a seperate site devoted to your product exclusivly ...a site complete with interviews, screenshots, and a preview. See our our most recent features at:

As you can see the " Feature Article" along with an advertising banner is a very effective and informative tool. If you are interested in scheduling it is important that you contact me asap, as these articles are time consuming and require coordinating the times of both our writers and the artist with the necessary personnel from your company."

Getting the picture yet? The game industry by and large isn't a bunch of nerds who love their hobby anymore. It's a billion-dollar industry that will cut corners and collude for a profit margin and screw you over doing it.

Nobody cares about what the game industry wants us to see in demos. We know better. It's too late to play the morality card.

[Tottel]

Beefjurky: Luckely there are exceptions in the game industry.. Indie developers for instance.

[Yuhaney]

Personally, I have lost interest to buy PC games from big companies such as EA and Ubisoft due to these bugs and compatibility problems that comes if you have wrong components on your computer, etc.

I more likely buy console games on this case than PC games.

[BeefJerky]

Yes a game being cheap alone isn't enough to warrant a purchase, but combine Amnesia's ridiculously low price with the execellent reviews it's been receiving, not to mention the fact that you can watch actual gameplay footage on youtube, and there is no excuse for pirating the game.

I understand your suspision of "big studio's", I'm the same, but I tend to give indies the benefit of the doubt.

I agree with you 100% on this. I only have a problem with people who insist morality somehow comes into play with all pirating. It's not that simple, and the gaming industry at large is really not helping itself.

---

[quote='Tottel' pid='44536' dateline='1288980686']
Beefjurky: Luckely there are exceptions in the game industry.. Indie developers for instance.

Again, agreed 100%.

[Spooder Wekd]

Here's Gamespot's summary of New Vegas, a game that by anyone's standard is buggy and broken to all hell at release: "A few technical problems aren't enough to sully this enjoyable and sophisticated adventure through the western wastes." Here's another excerpt: "Don't let the quirks frighten you away, however: New Vegas' nooks and crannies are bursting with grimy treasures waiting to be dusted off and admired by intrepid explorers."

Well have you played New Vegas? It is FANTASTIC by any gamers standards! I encountered one bug in the entirety of the game. ONE. Yes there are many others but the game is well worth the price of admission. Pointing out one buggy game is not enough to justify stealing every game (not implying that you do) I think that the game was actually scored too low for the amount of playtime and quality gameplay and story. If you feel otherwise, that's fine. But ask most people and you will see that New Vegas is great.

[BeefJerky]

Well have you played New Vegas? It is FANTASTIC by any gamers standards! I encountered one bug in the entirety of the game. ONE. Yes there are many others but the game is well worth the price of admission. Pointing out one buggy game is not enough to justify stealing every game (not implying that you do) I think that the game was actually scored too low for the amount of playtime and quality gameplay and story. If you feel otherwise, that's fine. But ask most people and you will see that New Vegas is great.
[/quote]

Well, we're going to have to agree to disagree. I say if the product needs a day 1 patch and bimonthly patches afterward it should never have been released in the first place. If I spend 5 hours playing and have to install a patch and start over again, that's not very friendly now is it? 8.3 for a bug-filled mess at release? That's ridiculous.

But anyway, besides making the case that piracy is not always done with malice, what I'm getting at here is that indie developers with larger aspirations should learn from these mistakes. It's unfortunate that the sins of the larger developers make indie development the hell that it is, but most people today don't really care if you're a small dev house, so it's even more vital that companies like Frictional always put their best foot forward.