Distribution request..
 

Oleg .. Please do not use Steam for SOW, distribution or running the game.

Steam, I'm finding, very problematic with their contact/help desk. I'm sitting a week now with a problem that I cannot play a game, due to a password/change of email combination. Yet Steam seems to be is acting like UBI with regard to it's treatment of customers, and sending me around in circles, instead of directly addressing the problem.

Thanks
K_F

When I changed my email address I just input the new one into the relevant box in my steam account.
Whats the problem KF,maybe we can help?
Have to say,I think I would prefer steam to some ubi DRM just now...

my only problem with steam is, if a nutshell retard manages to hack your account, there you go: no more game to you. And steam accounts get hacked in a daily baises......

My problem is quite simple...

My password was reset(and have no idea of what it now is), but my email address has also changed since 2007, when I registered RO with steam, so I cannot make changes to my game account. I've tried putting my new email addy into the alternative email slot but no joy.

The help desk keep harping on about a CD-Key, and I sent a messages explaining that my retail purchased RO did not have a CD-Key as it was enabled online when installing.. I've sent pics of the box and CDs, as this is the only proof I have, besides my game usage which should be on the steam logs - if they exist.

This is where I'm at... 'tapping' my big right foot, with a 'holy hand grenade' in one hand.

I'm not proposing using UBI, no ways,... I stear clear of them, also I don't like the idea of steam either, but did so with RO, because my kid wanted the game for his BDay.

What I'd prefer with SOW, is that Oleg/1C set up a lite 'drm' management server and in doing so, keep 1C's games within 1C. This I'd be happy with.
:grin:

I have used steam for years and have never had a problem. I would love it if SOW is released on steam but i dont see it happening if UBI is involved. I hope there is going to be a digital distribution though as I live Alice Springs, Australia and it would take quite a while for a physical disk to get here.

I had a similar problem once, I had changed my email and forgotten my password (I hadn't used steam in quite a while).

As requested, i sent a photo of the receipt and cd case (and key), and they fixed it up promptly.

Overall I prefer steam because:
I don't like optical disks, I don't like paying excessive mark-ups in Australian stores, and all of my game purchases are researched, rather than whims whilst in store, hence it's good to be able to pay, download, and run the software quickly.

If my account was stolen (an I was unable to get my titles back), I'd be thinking differently, however.

I find that retail/store price strange.

I realise that as games come in overpriced, but if you have a bit of patience the prices comes down drastically after about 3 months. I always picked up the IL2 series for about 1/3 the price of pre-ordered.

I think today retail play on the impatience of the 'now now' youth, and they succer them completely with high prices. I would do the same, and Steam/UBI will be doing the same, if not already.

Collective bargaining, the power of the consumer is a powerfull tool... if used properly. ;)

I'm curious to know if there is a human behind steams 'helpdesk', because if there is, they are really thick... I mean thick as, not one brick, but two.

The replies I'm getting look to be automated... don't these people learn anything ?
:rolleyes:

I have been using Steam with few games so far and have never had any issues with it. Compared to the prices here in my country - if I buy a game of Steam I usually get it 50% cheaper.

Same here. Any time of the day.

If SOW comes in retail and is runnable offline (online requirements via a 'lite' drm is no problem) I'll buy it anyday.

But if I must have a network connection like steam/UBIs DRM (that interferes with my ability to play offline[or online])... hasta lavista baby, you can kiss one sale goodbye.

Steam has not been a problem for 3 years, which is OK. BUT as soon as there's a problem..you'll be p..ssed off very quickly.
It's all about ownership.. If you sell a product to a client, it's theirs...not your's. Where software companies get this EULA from.. is simply BS.

I'm sure a legal case of unfair business practice can be made of this type of EULA - imagine it...
;)

I´m totally for the ROF style drm. I never had any problem with the server. I can log in offline if my network connection is down (which was o good step I think), and if you play only offline, you really need connection only for updating/purchasing new airplanes. No problem and you buy directly from the team.

Heavens no! Never will I buy a game that has DRM attached. Why do you think they had to drop the constant online thing then?

There are many people who play their games on laptops when they are away from home - DRM prevents them from playing. And there are many other things which haven't been considered when someone "smart" made a choice to implement it. So far any DRM attempted was a failure.

Yet Starforce seems to be hanging on. If I have to choose between two evils - Starforce would be the one.

You work at UBI, right? ;)

I'm sure they have more than four times economic loss by serious customers not buying Ubicrap because they don't put up with this sort of treatment than by software pirates.

I know there are software piracy problems but it should NEVER be necessary to have an internet connection to play a game. Registration is ok but not ongoing play. If I don't own it when I buy it you can keep it.

I buy, I register if required and thats it! MS manage to do it with Windows. Why not SoW? I know Windows does get hacked but if there are potential losses price it in, they do anyway.

Do I have another solution? No. That's what they get paid for, let them work it out.

There have been Issues with IL2 1946 v408m downloads from Steam causing corrupted installations.

I personally don't use Steam, but apparently the downloads passed the hash checks so it was uploaded corrupted to certain servers possibly.





http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4349/steam1.jpg

I would be against ROF's system as well. I still haven't bought it because of that.

Many games use some form of online protection, but there are differences between them.

With RoF, the problem for me is that not all of the single player game modes are available offline. Correct me if i'm wrong, but last time i checked you could only play static campaigns and single missions offline, but not the dynamic campaign.

In my opinion the best online protection method would be an improved version of the one used in Starcraft 2. You buy the game, you make a free battlenet account, you enter the game's CD-key into your account information, launch the game and log-in with your account username/password and you're free to play.
You only need to go online once in order to activate your copy, activation is done by logging in with a valid account that's tied to a valid CD-key.
If you want to download patches or join a multiplayer session then of course you need to be online, but there's nothing stopping you from enjoying the complete array of single player features, from custom games to the entire single player campaign, in offline mode.

Or is there? Well, i guess there is and this is the where they need to implement some improvements. The problem with Blizzard's method is that before you can choose to play offline you still need to log-in online and press the "go offline" button, which totally defeats the purpose and retains the possibility of leaving you with an unusable game in the event of a sudden internet failure :rolleyes:

However, if we had a system where activation was done the way it's done in SC2 (one-time online log-in, using the publisher's server instead of battlenet obviously) AND you could choose to use the offline mode upon game start-up, i think we'd have the ideal solution. It would be hassle free for the customer, plus the publisher wouldn't have to maintain a huge network infrastructure to deal with increased traffic, because nobody would go online just to play a single player campaign.

Long story short, any form of game protection that has the potential to make my game unusable for any length of time is something i don't accept and don't support with my money.

If a game says on the box "nVidia 460 or Ati 5850 or higher required" and all i have is a 4890, then i won't buy that game until i meet the minimum requirements.

The problem with always-online games is that their minimum requirements are like this: "100% reliable internet connection required". Since there's no such thing as 100% reliable connectivity there's no way to meet these minimum requirements ever, which means that either i will never buy it or the requirements will have to be reduced (officially or "unofficially") :-P
Of course they don't print it like this on the box because they know there's no such thing and it would cost them sales ;)

When i really want a game that has this kind of protection, i either wait for the "special edition" box/special patch with no DRM to come out a few months later, or i wait until the pirates crack it and then i buy it. Yes, i don't pirate it, i buy it and then i crack it.

And this is the irony of it all, depending on the pirates to improve a stock game by bypassing the DRM before i can buy it, effectively means that pirates are making sales for the publishers :confused: :-P

That's basically what Steam provides, and for the vast majority it works well (me included). I wouldn't go so far to say that I like the system, because it's still more restrictive than what we had in the past (i.e. install and play) and - as shown in this thread - seemingly trivial problems like a change of a mail address can lock you out of your game collection. But between all those DRM systems out there it's still the most convenient and solid solution. And more or less the limit of what I'm willing to accept - sorry ROF.

Finally got RO sorted, but only after explaining to the help desk what the solution was step-by-step :rolleyes: (you know when you just want to throw sh1t at them but remain calm to get though the simple, but tedious process)

Well that puts me further off any DRMs or Steam products.

I would like retail version (look I have MY disk, in MY hands ;) ) with online activation/updates/security checks with online play as it currently is with IL2 (no logins to play) = no problem.
I don't care if it costs more to buy retail - in the long run it's always cheaper and less hassle.

Thank you
:)