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General discussion (archive)What do you think?(13 posts)(13 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted April 04, 2011
It's a somewhat age-old thing since digital copies existed... but, do you think that companies should offer digital downloads of games you already own on CD/DVD?

I personally think every copy of a game by any developer should have a wholy unique code associated with it, that one can register, and download a digital copy should the need arise. Why do I think this? Well because discs get scratched/damaged over time, and it's a sucky deal to have to go get a new one. But my main reason, is actually when it comes down to hardware faults stopping you playing something you paid good money for.

I am in such a situation, I have Civ IV complete on DVD, I also have a tonne of other games on CD/DVD, including some games in the gog catalogue funnily enough. However my laptop DVD drive has given up with reading discs of all kinds, they spin up for about 10 minutes then the drive tells me it's a blank disc and would I like to prepare it for writing (how about preparing for reading it you stupid machine???), and try as I might with all my learneded skills of being an ex laptop repair engineer, and a general IT Technician... it be "fudged" and being on the unemployment breadline right now, I can't shell out anything to get a replacement drive (even though my keyboard is screwed too and needs replacing (damn I don't have much luck lol)).

But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: It's a somewhat age-old thing since digital copies existed... but, do you think that companies should offer digital downloads of games you already own on CD/DVD?

I personally think every copy of a game by any developer should have a wholy unique code associated with it, that one can register, and download a digital copy should the need arise. Why do I think this? Well because discs get scratched/damaged over time, and it's a sucky deal to have to go get a new one. But my main reason, is actually when it comes down to hardware faults stopping you playing something you paid good money for.

I am in such a situation, I have Civ IV complete on DVD, I also have a tonne of other games on CD/DVD, including some games in the gog catalogue funnily enough. However my laptop DVD drive has given up with reading discs of all kinds, they spin up for about 10 minutes then the drive tells me it's a blank disc and would I like to prepare it for writing (how about preparing for reading it you stupid machine???), and try as I might with all my learneded skills of being an ex laptop repair engineer, and a general IT Technician... it be "fudged" and being on the unemployment breadline right now, I can't shell out anything to get a replacement drive (even though my keyboard is screwed too and needs replacing (damn I don't have much luck lol)).

But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
It would be great if they did, but most won't.
Especially in the current climate, they like the income from making you buy the same game multiple times anytime something goes wrong.
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: It's a somewhat age-old thing since digital copies existed... but, do you think that companies should offer digital downloads of games you already own on CD/DVD?

I personally think every copy of a game by any developer should have a wholy unique code associated with it, that one can register, and download a digital copy should the need arise. Why do I think this? Well because discs get scratched/damaged over time, and it's a sucky deal to have to go get a new one. But my main reason, is actually when it comes down to hardware faults stopping you playing something you paid good money for.

I am in such a situation, I have Civ IV complete on DVD, I also have a tonne of other games on CD/DVD, including some games in the gog catalogue funnily enough. However my laptop DVD drive has given up with reading discs of all kinds, they spin up for about 10 minutes then the drive tells me it's a blank disc and would I like to prepare it for writing (how about preparing for reading it you stupid machine???), and try as I might with all my learneded skills of being an ex laptop repair engineer, and a general IT Technician... it be "fudged" and being on the unemployment breadline right now, I can't shell out anything to get a replacement drive (even though my keyboard is screwed too and needs replacing (damn I don't have much luck lol)).

But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
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Rodzaju: It would be great if they did, but most won't.
Especially in the current climate, they like the income from making you buy the same game multiple times anytime something goes wrong.
Kind of reminds me of how they charge for listening to baseball games online when you can use the radio free of charge. How stupid is that?
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: ...snip
But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
I agree, we should be able to download games we have proof of purchasing whenever we want, if some disaster strikes my hard drive, my cd/dvds or any other media i store my purchased goods on I should be able to acquire them without much fuss...
Also, good luck with finding a new job, get out there, be proactive, don't let negative thoughts overcome you, you have a good profession, get out there and find somebody that wants to give you a job.
Buy a new laptop after you save some money ;)
Posted April 04, 2011
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Gerin: Kind of reminds me of how they charge for listening to baseball games online when you can use the radio free of charge. How stupid is that?
Because bandwidth costs? And those that are listening to it online surely don't have a radio available to listen at (or aren't in the area the broadcast frequency covers).

As for the first question, people, remember that once something is online it's not staying there without any money going towards it; bandwidth costs (and costs a lot if you want a CDN, and it costs even more if you do little traffic over a CDN), storage costs, power (if you use your own datacenter) costs, support costs. And these are recurring costs that come into play month after month after month even if someone downloads it or not. People seem to neglect these associated costs.
Posted April 04, 2011
I had the same with dungeon siege 2, i have the game but cant play it cause i lost my manual where the registration key was
Posted April 04, 2011
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Gerin: Kind of reminds me of how they charge for listening to baseball games online when you can use the radio free of charge. How stupid is that?
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AndrewC: Because bandwidth costs? And those that are listening to it online surely don't have a radio available to listen at (or aren't in the area the broadcast frequency covers).

As for the first question, people, remember that once something is online it's not staying there without any money going towards it; bandwidth costs (and costs a lot if you want a CDN, and it costs even more if you do little traffic over a CDN), storage costs, power (if you use your own datacenter) costs, support costs. And these are recurring costs that come into play month after month after month even if someone downloads it or not. People seem to neglect these associated costs.
Oh I know it costs money, but the CEO's of such companies can afford mansions etc, the cost to run their car collections can pay for a huge datacenter. We've paid out for the games in the first place, that should pay for a couple of gig stored on huge server HDDs which people will download as and when needed, it's not like it's a constant stream going out, but hell, there's enough sites streaming illegal movies to hundreds of thousands of people, for free, paid purely out of a little advertising... so I'd say huge developers can afford it.
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: . We've paid out for the games in the first place, that should pay for a couple of gig stored on huge server HDDs
Sorry but no; those money were used to recover the money paid to all the people that worked on that game. It seems like you aren't aware how investments in general work. You rarely start with money already there, and even if you do, you still have to recover that and maybe make a little profit. The margins are tight as they are.

As for those CEO's who afford mansions and car collections, why take their money? Do you think that their work isn't hard? It's just amusing to say that those people don't deserve their money as it is to say that money you spent on a game should give you limitless access to backup of that game.

As for not being a constant stream going out, it doesn't really matter, bandwidth is the cheapest of the things that cost, and the rest still need to be paid even if no one downloads that game.

As for sites streaming illegal movies, I say you take a closer look at where those videos are stored and streamed from (hint, it's not on the website, or even the same server).
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: \ But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
Battle.Net and Blizzard.

Enough said. :p
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: \ But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
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KavazovAngel: Battle.Net and Blizzard.

Enough said. :p
That was my thought. It's Blizzard's way of killing the second hand market, but at least they don't force it on you. For somebody like me that doesn't sell his games used, there isn't much of a disadvantage to it, but I'm sure for some there is.

Probably the only thing better would be if the developer allowed you to either deactivate the digital copy or trade with somebody else.
Posted April 04, 2011
I don't see it as an obligation but it is nice when they do it. As mentioned before, Blizzard does it and EA let's you register your CD-keys on EADM optionally. Valve on the other hand, forces us to use their service making every copy of the game digital.
I doubt many companies will do the same because they would need to have a very strong presence in the PC market to justify it our use a third party service like Steam, which I wouldn't mind as long as it was optional.
Post edited April 04, 2011 by OmegaX
Posted April 04, 2011
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acemarch: \ But again, I pose the question, what are your thoughts/feelings on registered games allowing free digital download copies for the possible situations that crop up stopping you using your purchased hard copy?
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KavazovAngel: Battle.Net and Blizzard.

Enough said. :p
YES YES all hail the mighty blizz!!!
if only they would put aworking copy of diablo1 on there...i miss that game my win 7 machine wont play it ... :{ so sad
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)What do you think?(13 posts)(13 posts)
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