KB: Crossworlds DVD release date?

[Jah]

Originally Posted by Csimbi

2. I just participated a course (no title necessary). It has been emphasized that stuffing you personal space with items that represent your hobbies is important. Why? These items define who you are. You can find friends a lot more easier. How? When someone visits your cubicle, it leaves an imprint in them - without saying a word -, and creates room for discussion. They are more likely to engage in conversation with "the guy who likes King's Bounty" than with "the guy from the empty cubicle". Some of you will laugh, but then I would encourage you to read up on workplace psychology...

I suppose it depends on what you do for a living, but I'm not sure how thrilled my boss would be if I had video game boxes lying around my office. Kind of suggests you're spending your time playing games rather than working.

Originally Posted by Csimbi

3. I want to have the game with me, because I travel. For each trip I get a loaner laptop. How many activation would I need to purchase in a year - and how would I activate on an airplane between say, Toronto and Hong Kong (which is about 16 hours flight time)?

Why would you need to activate the game during a flight? Normally, you only activate a game once after you've installed it, which you would have done beforehand. If the game requires an Internet connection even for single player, you won't be able to play it on an airplane anyway, whether you bought it digitally or on a disc.

Originally Posted by Csimbi

Since the trend is the see less and less games on disk, I am guessing that the production cost of the internet-based game sales is so small, that it yields a lot of profit per units sold - including gamers who play their friend's games, pirates with all their sales - more profits than the disk-based products.

I think that's more or less a given: Digital distribution eliminates the costs of duplicating discs, printing manuals, packaging and shipping, and in some cases allows the publisher to sell the game to customers directly without middlemen (i.e. retailers) who take their share of the profits and raise the price. I would also argue that for the customer, it facilitates the purchase when you see a potentially interesting game on a website that you can order with a few clicks and start playing as soon as the download finishes, as opposed to having to leave your house and physically travel to a store to get a physical copy, or ordering online and having to wait for days or weeks for a delivery by mail.

Another thing is that since digital downloads don't take up physical space, online stores can keep them available much longer. Except for the biggest hit games, retail stores only keep boxed copies on the shelf for a few months at most. If you don't get a boxed copy when the game is new, ordering one online from Amazon or somesuch is pretty much your only hope, and even then, you might have to settle for a second-hand copy.

I can understand why some people still prefer physical copies of games, but the general trend is definitely towards digital distribution, especially with niche games that aren't going to sell millions anyway.

[Csimbi]

Originally Posted by Jah

I suppose it depends on what you do for a living, but I'm not sure how thrilled my boss would be if I had video game boxes lying around my office. Kind of suggests you're spending your time playing games rather than working.

Having pictures of your children on your desk does not mean that you take your kids to the workplace, does it?

Originally Posted by Jah

Why would you need to activate the game during a flight?

Because I pick up the loaner laptop pretty much a few hours before the flight (no time to do it on land).

Originally Posted by Jah

I think that's more or less a given

Yes, but it does not mean that it's the right thing to do.

[Jah]

Originally Posted by Csimbi

Having pictures of your children on your desk does not mean that you take your kids to the workplace, does it?

Except you weren't talking about pictures of video games, but the actual games themselves.

Originally Posted by Csimbi

Yes, but it does not mean that it's the right thing to do.

From a company's point of view, the right thing to do is whatever gives them the most profit. Like it or not, that's the way business works, which is why I see no reason to believe the current trend is going to change.

[Csimbi]

Originally Posted by Jah

Except you weren't talking about pictures of video games, but the actual games themselves.

I was talking about the box - which is not the game.

Originally Posted by Jah

From a company's point of view, the right thing to do is whatever gives them the most profit. Like it or not, that's the way business works, which is why I see no reason to believe the current trend is going to change.

Yes, income is important - but only for the corporations.
People on the other hand will do what they believe is right and always find a way. Plus, law is what the majority of the community agrees to.
Look at Sweden for example. They believe unrestricted access to information, art, culture is vital to the benefit of the community and therefore they do not give a damn about copyright. Where are they? Only one of the top countries not only in the EU, but the world.
Look at the USA. They believe the dollar's more important than education, freedom and people.Where are they? Sinking into oblivion - with the next civil war just outside the door.

[Jah]

Originally Posted by Csimbi

Yes, income is important - but only for the corporations.

And games, unfortunately, are made mostly by corporations.

Minimizing costs by eliminating the expenses of packaging, disc duplication, shipping etc. isn't just a question of greed, however. Digital distribution is what allows many small, indie developers to stay in business by letting them sell their products directly to the gamers without the involvement of a commercial publisher. I shudder to think what the gaming market would look like if we were at the mercy of major publishers like EA, Activision or Eidos, i.e. the players with enough financial muscle to effectively distribute physical retail copies worldwide. If that were the case, we'd probably have little to choose from except shooters, racing sims, light RTS' and maybe some JRPG's.

[Csimbi]

Originally Posted by Jah

Minimizing costs by eliminating the expenses of packaging, disc duplication, shipping etc. isn't just a question of greed, however. Digital distribution is what allows many small, indie developers to stay in business by letting them sell their products directly to the gamers without the involvement of a commercial publisher.

Excuse the expression, but I call BS on this one.
Ever wondered how games/apps were distributed earlier? Think 80s, 90s here. Remember floppies? Remember that people did that for fun?

Regarding the rest of your points. It does not matter if it's efficiency, greed, whatever. Some people will want their disk and the box in their hands, and be able to do whatever they wish with it. Install on two PCs, play on and airplane, hang it in their car/office, trade it for another game, sell it, flush it down the toilet, etc. I am one of those, and there is nothing in this world that would convince me otherwise.
I was bringing up addition points to indicate more reasons to have a traditional boxed release because I am not buying into this online distribution rubbish. My message was to 1C, not to you or any other user here and as such, it is not up for debate. You got your online rubbish, I am asking for my boxed rubbish. That's all, leave it at that, find another thread that you can demerit.

[Jah]

Originally Posted by Csimbi

Excuse the expression, but I call BS on this one.
Ever wondered how games/apps were distributed earlier? Think 80s, 90s here. Remember floppies? Remember that people did that for fun?

So you're trying to say that distributing floppies by mail and advertising by word of mouth offers the same business potential as digital online distribution? My turn to call BS.

And just in case it wasn't obvious, by indie developers I mean people who are actually able to make a living out of making software without the need to work for a major corporation, not some guy sitting alone in his basement coding stuff in his free time as a hobby.

Originally Posted by Csimbi

My message was to 1C, not to you or any other user here and as such, it is not up for debate. You got your online rubbish, I am asking for my boxed rubbish. That's all, leave it at that, find another thread that you can demerit.

Oh, pardon me for thinking that a post on a discussion board was open for discussion. If you have nothing to say to anyone but 1C, why don't you send one of them a PM instead of spamming a public board?