Downloadable?

[trucknisse]

I think the best way to fight piracy, is to take away the incentives for it. I hope this game is going to be a megahit, and that will be available everywhere, in every little shop that sell games, in every little town. I remember a few years back when I wanted to get hold of 18WOS-PTTM on a physical CD. I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked everywhere. The only way was to import it through a website, where I had to pay shipping and customs, making the game three times as expensive. But the game was also available through paid download, and thats how I bought it instead.

What I am trying to say, is that some people at least, will always have problems finding a place to buy the physical game. Making the game available through paid download, will make it a lot easier for people to buy it legally, so that the money can come back to the people that deserve it, like the developers. This should be in the interest of everyone including us gamers, as more sales and profits make it more possible for us to see patches and upgrades to the game.

But of course, there will always be people who rather steal the game, but I guess there will always be criminals. It is therefore I am stating that having the game available for downloading takes away the incentives for illegal downloading. Their only arguments left will be illegal ones.

Now, having the game also available for downloading, as well as physical retail, will increase the possibility for higher sales. I think this is in the interest of everyone.

[Sire]

trucknisse:

I couldn't agree more.

But I think the root of the piracy problem is the price.

I can admit that I have downloaded illegal games in the past. Just beacuse I couldn't afford to buy games. When you are unaployed you don't have much money.

But I have a job now, and nowadays I buy all software/games instead. I am now so honest (and well paid) I will buy another copy of Windows Vista to install on my desktop computer. (running a newley installed Vista on this laptop) And yes, it's a retail version.

How about buying a game in second hand? This should be illegal too, as the developer will never get their share of that grayzone dollars.

If a full pc game would cost about 10$ I bet 95% of all gamers out there could afford to buy their favorite game. Instead of 60% and the remaning 40 % downloading the game illegally. (don't know any real numbers here) And if a game is so cheap that averyone can afford to buy it, the piracy versions would dissapear. Or at least drop down to the 5% I wrote about above. You know, it IS more forfilling to know you have bought a game legally. Trust me...

A game for 10$?!!? That can't be done! you say. Of course it can!
In the mean time the developers making the game, they should make a downloadable version as well. When the retail copies have been sold out *, the downloadable version will still continue to sell for a additional year or two.

* A retail version will sell about a year, then the title is old and will be removed from the shop shelf as new titles comes in.

What happens with a game title after one year?
If you're lucky you can still find it in webshops, or maybe on Ebay (or such) as a second hand version. If there would have been an downloadable version of the game, the developers would still have an income from the game, the gamer himself wouldn't have the hazzle of finding the game AND it would cost less to buy. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

[Alex Pianist]

He is talking about warez! It's A**holes like him that makes companies not make PC games and focus on consoles

Oh really? I didn't know that I'm so powerful to make the other companies make games for the consoles. @$$h0le$ like you can judge anybody without any logical thoughts.
I'm sorry Ubaku for returning to this theme, but - in Ukraine where I live the the most time you can say that it is a warez game even talking about retailed DVD or CD, because there is no guarantee that it is really retailed version, without cuts or something else. The price for the DVD, usually around 15$. It is not the U.S. or other countries where the minimum game price is 50$. Yep I prefer first to download the game or at least demo to check it, and then to decide - whether I buy it or find an another way to play it.

[Ubaku]

Alex I am from Ukraine myself. I was born in Kiev and now live in America for the past 10 years. I have recently been to Ukraine and yes you are right, I bought some movies in Kiev and I have no way of knowing whether they are legal or not. All I know is that I bought them, so I did nothing wrong. But the best way is to buy products in a supermarket like mega market or etc, major companies like that are responsible for what they sell.

And I know how poor most everyone is in Ukraine, I lived there half my life, but no matter what you should never resort to stealing, I believe this and have lived by this in Ukraine and in America.

Personally I fully support a brand new system of encryption and etc that the developers should develop to prevent piracy.

[Alex Pianist]

Well, do you actually believe that in the supermarkets (in UA) there are real retail versions? What's the point to buy, if the developers will not receive your money because it goes to the store. Of course I cannot tell that for sure, but I do not believe that ukrainean store managers will send money to developers. My friends bought S.T.A.L.K.E.R. "retailed" DVD for 20$ in the store... the game was cracked without many things and with huge lags. I haven't stolen anything. It is like - when you using internet - you are stealing kylobytes... it's funny but it's kinda the same. You do not stealing them you using it. The same thing with the games... well, I am stopping right here to don't say anything about the illegal downloading of anything.

However the developers can allow to download "demo version" that can "become" the full one when you pay money for it. (as we see in 18wos)

[Trucksims]

After waiting and waiting and being lied to over and over. I seems like I dont feel like paying for this game anymore and rather download it off some illegal site. I know alot who feel the same as I do, I was going to pay for this game but seeing how things seem to turn up I have second thoughts of buying. Now I still plan buying but it all depends no how the game turns out. Thats my $0.2

[Ubaku]

Ukranian store managers dont send money to the game developers. I know a little of how retail businesses work. They buy 5,000 games from Softlab-Nsk and keep the games in a warehouse, and put some games into the store and sell them at whatever price they choose.

I know for sure that a major corporation in any country will never buy software from anyone but the company which developed it. The publisher is responsible for packaging and selling the games and they get paid by the developers for this.

The only place you will find pirated software in Ukraine is at open air markets called (bazzar in russian) but the police is really fighting this now especially as Ukraine becomes more and more western.

And enough of this topic, talk like this WILL get you banned from this forum I told you. Please stop if you are smart.

[Alex Pianist]

Ok my friend, and btw - thanks for the interesting information - I didn't know that.

But still - they can use 18wos idea of download release, it's legal. I understand that RnR should be much larger, but still - somebody can aford to download it in a LEGAL way (I didn't write anything about illegal things in this post )

[Evgeny]

Well, guys, it's better to stop this discussion, until it runs too far.

[Sire]

Evgeny:

It would VERY interresting to know WHY the game is not going to released as a downloadable version. Could you give me an answer on this question? I only wan't to know why...

Did you read my previous reply?
In my opinion there are plenty of benefits to make a downloadable version.
Am I wrong?