StickyMicky

bump for this

gears 2 will come with a redemption code for free map packs for anybody buying a new copy

https://www.scoobynet.com/computer-r...ing-issue.html

second hand copys will not have a valid code, so miss out on the map packs!!

unsure if they will be available to purchase from XBL ?

spectrum48k

The issue for me is this...

From my point of view I'd previously go out and buy a NEW copy of a game, a scenario for which everyone wins - the consumer, the developer, the publisher, etc...

BUT

And this is what makes the games industry different from the examples mentioned on this thread, unlike a car or whatever, a game is something I'll only keep typically for a COUPLE OF WEEKS until I finish it. Then I'll sell it back to Blockbuster, or whoever.

So the conclusion to this for me is, now instead of buying a NEW game, I'll simply wait (couple of weeks?) and pick up a USED copy of the game for a considerably cheaper price. Then 2 weeks later, after I've completed it I'll go back and sell/exchange it to Blockbuster and Tom, Dick then Harry will do the same thing.

So in summary, instead of a developer shifting 1m (!) copies of a game, I think they'll shift considerably less and for each one they sell, there'll be a queue of people buying it used for 2 weeks, then selling it back for the next guy.

If I were a developer I'd pin my hopes on digital distribution.

Iain Young

I am a developer, and I don't

Digital distibution has downsides as well as upsides, mainly concerned with the fact that you lose the box. For example. All those sales on the run up to xmas where granny goes in to the shop to buy the grandson the latest GTA will be be lost. You also lose your "shop window", and eliminate casual purchases from people wandering down town at lunch time for a browse etc.

Broadband speeds are also an issue. Wipeout HD took nearly 7 hours to download for me the other day (on a 20mb broadband connection). The slow download was mainly down to the general naffness of the PSN, but it raises an interesting point. There are large areas of the UK where broadband of any type is simply not available (as is not likely to be for a few years yet), and others which only have very slow speeds. With digital distribution you are excluding these people from buying any games.

I'm not saying it won't work, but I think a lot more thought and much better infrastructure needs to be in place before it will.

spectrum48k

I completely agree - digital distribution IS in it's infancy, BUT that situation will change over time.

When I mentioned the word "developer", I was of course referring to games developers who are particularly plagued by this problem, not some 2 bit belligerent old hacker like yourself . I can almost see it now

Iain: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU'VE LOST YOUR BOX FFS ?!?!?"
Customer: (gulp!)
Iain Young: (in true Victor Meldrew fashion) "I DOOON'T BELIEEEEVE IT!!"

Iain Young

Does it make it worse by admitting I'm writing COBOL programs at the minute

DanPhillips

Best thing about digital distribution?

You can get the games for free, everyone wins...

https://www.scoobynet.com/computer-r...-nds-roms.html

Cheers

Dan

spectrum48k

Gawd, I *thought* you were referring to some kind of in-game-advertising business model, subsidising the developer!

DanPhillips

No, this is the in-internet-try don't buy business model, hurting the developer

Seriously though :-O

I'm still not convinced that picking up the box and looking at the "screen shots" on the back adds all that much to game sales, casual game buying just doesn't happen at 50 quid a pop.

Steam has flaws, but the games can't be pirated and you can "sometimes" have it ready to play on release day before the shops are open. They don't have 2nd hand sales but they do discount over time.
As a developer I'd rather have fewer sales at full price or even discounted price than twice as many but I only see the money from 50% cos the rest were traded in and re-sold for nearly the same price, thats a rip off for the consumer and the developer.

Cheers

Dan

Iain Young

It does when I wander down town at lunchtime

True, but then you have other problems. My one and only steam download (half life 2), was rendered useless when I upgraded the graphics card in my pc. After making the upgrade, it would no longer recognise my license code. I've heard of people having similar problems with spore (which isn't a download but has similar protection). How about people who reinstall / upgrade their operating systems, or upgrade their processors? Do they throw all of their old software away?

Steam didn't stop pirate copies of HL2 appearing. The draconian licensing systems in Spore haven't stopped that being pirated either. As with most protection schemes, all it hurts is the honest users.

What should be implemented is a licensing system such as Adobe uses for photoshop etc, where licenses can be transferred between machines via an actiavtion/deactivation process. That should help matters considerably, but non of the developers/publishers seem to be interested...

imo of course