It's very sad.. But what's positive about this, is when TTG updates the games, they can't just download the updates. They have to wait for someone to crack it, which is likely not to happen.
This can force those pirates (downloaders) to buy the legal version, to be able to play those updated versions
did anyone ever read about the copy protection for the game XIII? at a certain point in the game, it prevented the player from obtaining an object and had a message saying 'if you want the object buy the game'. i thought that was the most inventive (and guilt creating) piracy preventive i'd heard of.
i'd agree that the best way to combat it would be to make a joke within an episode about it. if i was playing it without buying it, that would make me feel guilty!
but truth be told, i bought up the series purely for the reason that i love sam and max . . . i think a lot of people did, and with that, a lot of people like me would have been willing to pay more for it. (that doesn't mean that telltale should make it more expensive though! they should just make more and more really, really awesome games!)
people who play pirated games don't do it for game or company loyalty or the ethos of the game itself. it's my firm belief that the people who buy the game are more likely to become loyal telltale customers - i know i will - i bought both bone games the same time as culture shock, thus providing more resources to telltale to make further games.
actually, i just had a bright and evil idea . . . us loving and slightly crazy users of sam and max could get together and poison torrents for the upcoming episodes a couple of days after they're released. all we'd need do is create a torrent with the following:
* the demo version of the episode
* an NFO file detailing a fake fancy hacker group
* an executable called 'cracker.exe' or similar
then post it on some torrent sites . . .
the executable could be written by anyone to look authentic, but instead of cracking the program, can link directly to the telltale site.
it's a method of fight fire with fire . . . but these are harsh times we live in!
Well, for a simple measure... couldn't the demo just be separate from the main game?
I know that there are merits to the instantaneous-quality of paying and unlocking a demo that can be played right away, but could the demo be of a smaller file size, and the full version available to download when you pay?
It would force would-be pirates to pay for the game, and people that pay are less likely to go and pirate it off, I would think. Besides, that's at least a couple of sales instead of the zero sales that occur when the pirates download the demo and then start trying to crack that free download. If the full game content was separate from the free demo, the pirates would have to pay to get access to the full game, then start cracking.
Still not ideal, but that and an in-game pirating jab/joke are all I have for ideas...
oh that was your idea, numble? sorry, i didn't credit you, i'm at work and it's stinking hot and i was too lazy to check who said it way back on page one (take your pick for an excuse from me!). kudos for the idea, it rocks!
as for the demo/full game, agreed . . . i hadn't actually realised that they weren't different, myself. i just bought the game. demos be damned . . . if some poor bugger or buggers across the other side of the planet are going to trouble themselves to design a new sam and max game, well by jingoes, by crikey. . . i'll go to the trouble remember my credit card number for them.
unfortunately, the state of computing these days is that nearly anything that's released, and anything that has a fan base or market, will be cracked at somepoint.
i can't see the logic of the guy who said "I'd be tempted to get S&M from a P2P site as I'm completely broke as we speak and NEED a Sam 'n' Max hit" . . . this is the unfortunate world of instant gratification we live in.
need is a very strong word, best not to misuse it.
Haha.. no I wasn't trying to point out the ownership of that joke idea... just saying that I was all out of ideas.
And I actually don't really know the mechanics of how buying from Telltale works, since I'm admittedly playing it via Gametap. So my ideas are not based on any experience I have with how the demos/downloads work.
Since the game is downloadable, and we need to provide easy access to it for our customers, separating the demo from the full game wouldn't make much of a difference.
As for poisoning torrents... some clever ideas, there. Incientally, the first day Culture Shock went on sale at our site it also showed up on a torrent, but it was actually 800MB of gay porn. :eek: Dunno who did that but we got a good laugh out of it.
poison torrents on public torrent sites works but many people use private trackers now. Piracy is a neverending game of chess. I remember the old sam and max colouring book. Now there was top notch copy protection.
Well until I lost it and had to remember the answers by memory.
good times good times.
I think the price point for this game was a great step against people stealing this game. Now only if I could find my essay on piracy. It was a good essay too back in high school when the dmca was about to come out.
Piracy isn't going to destroy the world but I'd say it's about as hard to stop as say... global warming.
I was really annoyed when I learned that S&M would be released first on Gametap which, at the time I heard it, was not available in Canada. When a friend told me about the availability of the pirated version I downloaded it immediately, but while it was downloading I checked the official site just in case. Lo and behold, direct download was on sale, and for a phenomenally fair price, so I bought it then and there.
There is nothing that can stop piracy, so I REALLY appreciate that Telltale didn't use any drastic forms of DRM/copy protection like Starforce to "protect" its game. Software like this only serves to frustrate legitimate users.
Thanks to the small file size and easy authentication process I had begun playing S&M a mere 5 minutes after paying for it. Considering my excellent experiences with Steam I was a little surprised and disappointed to see a simple EXE download link on their site instead of a unified download manager, but this is purely cosmetic and not a big deal.
I love this distribution model and I'm very hopeful for the future of episodic gaming. Kudos to Telltale and Steve Purcell for risking these uncharted waters and making the experience as convenient as possible for its customers! We really do appreciate your trust in us!
I checked the official site just in case. Lo and behold, direct download was on sale, and for a phenomenally fair price, so I bought it then and there.
There is nothing that can stop piracy, so I REALLY appreciate that Telltale didn't use any drastic forms of DRM/copy protection like Starforce to "protect" its game. Software like this only serves to frustrate legitimate users.
I have to agree that the best thing that one can do to stop piracy is to make it really quick and easy to buy and get playing. For a game that's under ten bucks (around six bucks if you subscribe to a season), even if I were into software piracy, that's cheap enough that it's worth just saving the effort.
I think that most users would be happy to pay for games if it were easy and they could afford it. There are still a number of hardcore "I won't pay for anything," people, but those are probably people you can't reach no matter what you do.
Yep, if it's easier to buy than to pirate it, it's really great When there is a good stream, when it's quick (as telltale currently does), and cheap of course, why pirating... Why iTunes Music Store is so popular ? because it's the easiest and the fastest way to search, find and download music. And it's cheap.
I hate Starforce things... I bought a game that use a starforce authentication... I'd prefer to crack it, each time I want to launch it, it takes 1min to check security... pouah ^^
Well i wont be buying the game until its released on DVD/CD. And il be honest if that takes too long il be tempted by a pirate copy.
Before anyone says anything, fine $8 is cheap but for what iv heard is a 3 hour once through game, that works out probably more than a full game ($30-40 for anything upto 50 hours of play plus multiplayer).
Oh, and the reason why i dont pay for downloaded content? I dont trust computers.
P.S - Im here as the voice of the silent majority! Just release a damn full game, we dont mind waiting a few years inbetween its a good rest in between releases. Besides, builds up expectancy too..
Do you really think your a majority anymore? Just look how many people pay for a MMO these days.....I too once thought as you did. I still won't pay per month a play a game but online content isn't a problem as long as it is quality. All we need to do now is step up the difficulty of the telltale games and we'll be set
Runaway just went out. It costs 60€ (more than 60$). Okay, it's a full game. I won't pirate it... but I won't buy it either. I never played a Runaway (except a demo) before. I liked it. I never played a new release of Sam&Max, in 3D, made by telltale... I bought it.
With 8€ I can drink two beers, with 60 bucks I can have a lunch every day of a week.
Well i wont be buying the game until its released on DVD/CD. And il be honest if that takes too long il be tempted by a pirate copy.
Before anyone says anything, fine $8 is cheap but for what iv heard is a 3 hour once through game, that works out probably more than a full game ($30-40 for anything upto 50 hours of play plus multiplayer).
Oh, and the reason why i dont pay for downloaded content? I dont trust computers.
P.S - Im here as the voice of the silent majority! Just release a damn full game, we dont mind waiting a few years inbetween its a good rest in between releases. Besides, builds up expectancy too..
You don't trust computers, yet you'll go to a torrent site and download a game or a reg key?
You have any idea what kind of crap they put in those torrents just to freak out people like you?
If you do pirate this game because you're such a technophobe and won't download it legally as it comes out, I hope you do get a virus.
Originally Posted by patchit
Oh, and the reason why i dont pay for downloaded content? I dont trust computers.
i know other people who don't trust computers . . . but they don't post on forums either . . .
Originally Posted by patchit
Im here as the voice of the silent majority! Just release a damn full game, we dont mind waiting a few years inbetween its a good rest in between releases. Besides, builds up expectancy too..
as for that quote, you have to remember in this case, with sam and max . . . we've been waiting years anyway. i think telltale realised the disappointment some of us had when lucasarts pulled the plug on freelance police and did their best to get a new game to us as soon as humanly possible. or as soon as rabbitly possible, if you prefer.
it's as much a sign of the times anyway, that some people just prefer to be entertained for a few hours, rather than walking aimlessly around for days on end in adventure games looking for the masking tape so we can put it on the shed door to make our moustache . . .
episodic releases via online purchase are most likely going to become a major part of adventure gaming in the years to come. i for one welcome it. i think a lot of other people here would agree.
Well i wont be buying the game until its released on DVD/CD. And il be honest if that takes too long il be tempted by a pirate copy.
Before anyone says anything, fine $8 is cheap but for what iv heard is a 3 hour once through game, that works out probably more than a full game ($30-40 for anything upto 50 hours of play plus multiplayer).
I'd say that it's probably closer to 4-6 hours, although for really skilled adventurers (which I'm not), it may be 3. If you buy the season instead of the single download, it costs $6, not $8, and you get a CD for the price of shipping at the end. $6 for 3-6 hours of entertainment is pretty good value, I think. Compare that to a movie theatre. (That's what I usually use as my entertainment metric.) It'll cost you $10 - $14 for two hours of entertainment.
Oh, and the reason why i dont pay for downloaded content? I dont trust computers.
Fair enough, but the season purchase gives you a CD as well as the downloads. You could also burn a CD of each download after you pull it down.
I had kind of an opposite experience last night. I much prefer to buy via instant download than via a shipped CD if I can, so I'm used to that being the case. I saw my Massive Assault disc lying around and realized that I hadn't installed it on my new computer. I tossed it in and ran the installer and it wanted the program key and the network key typed in. They're in the manual. Normally I'm very organized about this sort of thing, but for the life of me I can't find the manual anywhere! I find that way more tedious. With a download key, I can stick it several places and I always know where to look. I keep a copy in a folder in my e-mail, a copy on my file server at home, and a printed copy in my records. It's much easier for me to track down the registration information for a download than to hunt around the house for a manual which has some codes printed on the inside cover.
P.S - Im here as the voice of the silent majority! Just release a damn full game, we dont mind waiting a few years inbetween its a good rest in between releases. Besides, builds up expectancy too..
I think that a lot of these issues are practical. I wouldn't be surprised if it was simply not reasonable for a company like Telltale to get shelf space in Electronics Boutique in between Quake 47 and Ghost Recon 22.5. Offering by download is probably these days the only realistic option for small companies starting out or companies operating in niche markets. Splitting it into episodes allows them to get some cash flow while they're working on a large product and also allows them to keep the cost of each module low enough to overcome people's reticence about buying a game online.
Hmm interestin reply Maize, you make a good arguement. I guess il think about gettin the series, especially after reading that when the seasons out in full it'l be shipped to you on disk anyway.
I'd still say im definately opposed to the episodic idea, iv heard 3 hours max for this first episode (except perhaps for complete newcomers), that just aint enough time to really get absorbed in a game. Especially an adventure game, which is all about the journey..
In reply to an earlier post, id say anyone who really trusts PC's has never actually owned one. Anyway, heres waiting for the disks..
In reply to an earlier post, id say anyone who really trusts PC's has never actually owned one. Anyway, heres waiting for the disks..
Nobody was saying that you should trust computers, just that using that as an argument against paying for downloadable games, but for downloading pirated games makes no sense whatsoever.
Well, I decided long ago that adventure games were the only games I would never EVER consider aquiring by other means. "Culture Shock" is no different. I have far too much respect for the writers, designers, and programmers to not compensate them for their hard work for my enjoyment. Honestly, short 3-4 hour bits is a good thing, keeps me from hermiting up for a few days at a time to play it, plus I have something to look forward to soon.
I'd say that it's probably closer to 4-6 hours, although for really skilled adventurers (which I'm not), it may be 3. If you buy the season instead of the single download, it costs $6, not $8, and you get a CD for the price of shipping at the end. $6 for 3-6 hours of entertainment is pretty good value, I think. Compare that to a movie theatre. (That's what I usually use as my entertainment metric.) It'll cost you $10 - $14 for two hours of entertainment.
Ah, but see, if you read his post, you'll notice that he's expecting 50 hours of gameplay for 30 bucks (plus multiplayer). To which I say that he'll probably need to look elsewhere than adventure games, seeing as how the only ones that last 50 hours are the ones that, in fact, last infinitely more than that because they're so hard and stupid you never finish them. And by the way...
About the ONLY multiplayer adventure game happens to be coming out this December. It's called Myst Online: Uru Live. And it too comes only by download. Guess he's just expecting more than he's ever going to get... :rolleyes:
About the ONLY multiplayer adventure game happens to be coming out this December. It's called Myst Online: Uru Live. And it too comes only by download. Guess he's just expecting more than he's ever going to get... :rolleyes:
About the ONLY multiplayer adventure game happens to be coming out this December. It's called Myst Online: Uru Live. And it too comes only by download. Guess he's just expecting more than he's ever going to get... :rolleyes:
In a very roundabout way of speaking. I do see what you're getting at though. It's just that its more sneak-em-up than adventure really. Although tricking someone into thinking you're an NPC then following them around without their noticing for half an hour then beating them to death with an umbrella is very satisfying. Until you get blown up by some silly kid who's gotten hold of large gun and refuses to play the game properly. "LOl u r all teh sux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111 why u not shot bak?????????????????////////lol"
...Although tricking someone into thinking you're an NPC then following them around without their noticing for half an hour then beating them to death with an umbrella is very satisfying. Until you get blown up by some silly kid who's gotten hold of large gun and refuses to play the game properly. "LOl u r all teh sux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111 why u not shot bak?????????????????////////lol"
oh damn, that's makling me laugh so much . . .
i haven't played it . . . i'm a bit anti-multiplayer, myself.
I played it back when it was free mod on the original Half Life engine. I'm not certain if I can justify paying money for it now just because it's on the Source engine. Although it was quite a lot of fun. I heartily suggest finding out about it if anyone here doesn't know what it is. Just remember that although trying to kill someone in a 30's style cruise ship while finding out who's trying to kill you and not get caught by police is great fun right up 'til someone tries to play it like HL2 Deathmatch. You just can't enjoy it when people are flinding grenades around and typing words in Pygmy English about how they keep getting thrown into jail and how it, and everyone else "sux".
Although you have to use the dreaded "Steam". Which apparently some people here take offense at.
i think we've gone a bit off the topic though . . . it was on piracy, or something . . . i can't remember. will there be a test on this?
I sure hope not. I'm already in the middle of exams.
Just in reply to a few posts, just what is everyones beef with episodic games? I can understand stuff like SiN maybe (6 4-5 hour games which add up to an obscene amount of cash. Quite a good game series but bloody expensive) but I personally find most of these episodic games to be quite good. I have a huge stack of games I'm trying to play through. Many of them I probably won't get around to doing so for at least 3 months. But when I buy my HL2: Episode 1 and my Bone and my Sam and Max etc. I'm able to mess around for few hours, really get into the game, discover a whole bunch of secrets and enjoy the little moments and then happilly put it away for the next one which comes out in a few months (although I'm still waiting on Bone 3). And the Alone in the Dark formula (shipped as a full game but when you play it, it's split into multiple chapters or episodes) seems pretty interesting to me. I can play part of it 'til I get bored, play another game and then come back and enjoy a new chapter with a short reminder video from the last. Maybe it's just me but when I play most games I tend to get bored of the same backgrounds and gameplay after a while and I stop enjoying the game and find it a bit of a chore.
As for downloading games, I used to hate the idea too. Then I got a decent broadband connection . I still prefer buying my games with a box and a lovely glossy manual but I don't mind downloading where necessary. Besides, it removes the cost of producing the box and CD/DVD plus shipping etc. and all that crap which seems to account for 2/3 of the price usually.
You have any idea what kind of crap they put in those torrents just to freak out people like you?
I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. The pirate scene has always been about bragging rites, and this is achieved by releasing the newest games and making them as convenient to play as possible. Piracy isn't as big a competitor as rival software developers, but it's still important for game designers to release a product with more value than the pirated version.
I must admit my surprise and respect at how Telltale has achieved this without a physically tangible product. I happily purchased this game on its own merits, but also so that its business model can serve as a beacon to the rest of the industry.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. The pirate scene has always been about bragging rites, and this is achieved by releasing the newest games and making them as convenient to play as possible. Piracy isn't as big a competitor as rival software developers, but it's still important for game designers to release a product with more value than the pirated version.
I must admit my surprise and respect at how Telltale has achieved this without a physically tangible product. I happily purchased this game on its own merits, but also so that its business model can serve as a beacon to the rest of the industry.
On the other hand, the VIRUS scene is ALSO a lot about bragging rights. Virus makers want to get their viruses everywhere. And one way to do that, believe it or not, is to stick viruses on p2p networks under the guise of pirated games...
Since the game is downloadable, and we need to provide easy access to it for our customers, separating the demo from the full game wouldn't make much of a difference.
As for poisoning torrents... some clever ideas, there. Incientally, the first day Culture Shock went on sale at our site it also showed up on a torrent, but it was actually 800MB of gay porn. :eek: Dunno who did that but we got a good laugh out of it.
So now I know what the torrent you said you found before the one I alerted you too (if they were different) was about. Haha, boy, am I extremely happy I didn't download a pirated S&M. Paying 35 bucks for the full season and no gay porn was definitely a great deal.
On the other hand, the VIRUS scene is ALSO a lot about bragging rights. Virus makers want to get their viruses everywhere. And one way to do that, believe it or not, is to stick viruses on p2p networks under the guise of pirated games...
Right, just as it is important for the torrent people to get a clean file out quickly, it is important to the virus gang to add a tiny .dll that is hidden that will create havok on your machine.
I purchased the 6-pack of episodes. Tried the first episode the day it came out, and found the copy protection loader conflicts with the front end I use to launch games.
So I went on-line and downloaded the crack the same day. There were a lot that were just virus, but it was still easy to find. And with the cracked version, it now works great with my front end.
So I probably will have to download new cracks as each episode comes out. Even though I paid for them.
I generally have to download cracks for all games I own, which really sucks. The cracks being needed so I don't have to get off my butt and put the CD in for validation. So as long as the cracks are easily available, I have no problem paying for programs that are reasonably priced.
I have also downloaded pirated games and then paid for them, such as "Chewy - Esc from F5."
Tried the first episode the day it came out, and found the copy protection loader conflicts with the front end I use to launch games.
i don't get it . . . there's difference between a no cd 'patch' and a crack . . . anything you're using to patch sam and max is quite different from a no cd patch, in that the loader would most likely fill your registry with random product registration info, which would also be sent to telltale. if telltale ever pooled those registrations, and block them in, say, the version, you could well find that you're waiting for a crack to apply to that version so you can play it again. which, in actual fact, despite you owning the game, is still piracy of sorts.
it sounds, with this 'front-end', a lot like you're using some random and unnecessary software in an attempt to somehow make you're computer life easier or massively populated start bar less cluttered. the only acceptable 'front-ends' one should ever use, are interpreters, like scumm or dosbox or whatever.
Comments
This can force those pirates (downloaders) to buy the legal version, to be able to play those updated versions
i'd agree that the best way to combat it would be to make a joke within an episode about it. if i was playing it without buying it, that would make me feel guilty!
but truth be told, i bought up the series purely for the reason that i love sam and max . . . i think a lot of people did, and with that, a lot of people like me would have been willing to pay more for it. (that doesn't mean that telltale should make it more expensive though! they should just make more and more really, really awesome games!)
people who play pirated games don't do it for game or company loyalty or the ethos of the game itself. it's my firm belief that the people who buy the game are more likely to become loyal telltale customers - i know i will - i bought both bone games the same time as culture shock, thus providing more resources to telltale to make further games.
and besides . . . karma comes to everyone . . .
* the demo version of the episode
* an NFO file detailing a fake fancy hacker group
* an executable called 'cracker.exe' or similar
then post it on some torrent sites . . .
the executable could be written by anyone to look authentic, but instead of cracking the program, can link directly to the telltale site.
it's a method of fight fire with fire . . . but these are harsh times we live in!
I know that there are merits to the instantaneous-quality of paying and unlocking a demo that can be played right away, but could the demo be of a smaller file size, and the full version available to download when you pay?
It would force would-be pirates to pay for the game, and people that pay are less likely to go and pirate it off, I would think. Besides, that's at least a couple of sales instead of the zero sales that occur when the pirates download the demo and then start trying to crack that free download. If the full game content was separate from the free demo, the pirates would have to pay to get access to the full game, then start cracking.
Still not ideal, but that and an in-game pirating jab/joke are all I have for ideas...
as for the demo/full game, agreed . . . i hadn't actually realised that they weren't different, myself. i just bought the game. demos be damned . . . if some poor bugger or buggers across the other side of the planet are going to trouble themselves to design a new sam and max game, well by jingoes, by crikey. . . i'll go to the trouble remember my credit card number for them.
unfortunately, the state of computing these days is that nearly anything that's released, and anything that has a fan base or market, will be cracked at somepoint.
i can't see the logic of the guy who said "I'd be tempted to get S&M from a P2P site as I'm completely broke as we speak and NEED a Sam 'n' Max hit" . . . this is the unfortunate world of instant gratification we live in.
need is a very strong word, best not to misuse it.
And I actually don't really know the mechanics of how buying from Telltale works, since I'm admittedly playing it via Gametap. So my ideas are not based on any experience I have with how the demos/downloads work.
As for poisoning torrents... some clever ideas, there.
Well until I lost it and had to remember the answers by memory.
good times good times.
I think the price point for this game was a great step against people stealing this game. Now only if I could find my essay on piracy. It was a good essay too back in high school when the dmca was about to come out.
Piracy isn't going to destroy the world but I'd say it's about as hard to stop as say... global warming.
There is nothing that can stop piracy, so I REALLY appreciate that Telltale didn't use any drastic forms of DRM/copy protection like Starforce to "protect" its game. Software like this only serves to frustrate legitimate users.
Thanks to the small file size and easy authentication process I had begun playing S&M a mere 5 minutes after paying for it. Considering my excellent experiences with Steam I was a little surprised and disappointed to see a simple EXE download link on their site instead of a unified download manager, but this is purely cosmetic and not a big deal.
I love this distribution model and I'm very hopeful for the future of episodic gaming. Kudos to Telltale and Steve Purcell for risking these uncharted waters and making the experience as convenient as possible for its customers! We really do appreciate your trust in us!
I have to agree that the best thing that one can do to stop piracy is to make it really quick and easy to buy and get playing. For a game that's under ten bucks (around six bucks if you subscribe to a season), even if I were into software piracy, that's cheap enough that it's worth just saving the effort.
I think that most users would be happy to pay for games if it were easy and they could afford it. There are still a number of hardcore "I won't pay for anything," people, but those are probably people you can't reach no matter what you do.
I hate Starforce things... I bought a game that use a starforce authentication... I'd prefer to crack it, each time I want to launch it, it takes 1min to check security... pouah ^^
Before anyone says anything, fine $8 is cheap but for what iv heard is a 3 hour once through game, that works out probably more than a full game ($30-40 for anything upto 50 hours of play plus multiplayer).
Oh, and the reason why i dont pay for downloaded content? I dont trust computers.
P.S - Im here as the voice of the silent majority! Just release a damn full game, we dont mind waiting a few years inbetween its a good rest in between releases. Besides, builds up expectancy too..
With 8€ I can drink two beers, with 60 bucks I can have a lunch every day of a week.
You don't trust computers, yet you'll go to a torrent site and download a game or a reg key?
You have any idea what kind of crap they put in those torrents just to freak out people like you?
If you do pirate this game because you're such a technophobe and won't download it legally as it comes out, I hope you do get a virus.
I've never heard a more pathetic excuse than this. Be a man and admit that you're even too cheap to fork out a lousy 9 bucks. :rolleyes: Unbelievable.
--Erwin
i know other people who don't trust computers . . . but they don't post on forums either . . .
as for that quote, you have to remember in this case, with sam and max . . . we've been waiting years anyway. i think telltale realised the disappointment some of us had when lucasarts pulled the plug on freelance police and did their best to get a new game to us as soon as humanly possible. or as soon as rabbitly possible, if you prefer.
it's as much a sign of the times anyway, that some people just prefer to be entertained for a few hours, rather than walking aimlessly around for days on end in adventure games looking for the masking tape so we can put it on the shed door to make our moustache . . .
episodic releases via online purchase are most likely going to become a major part of adventure gaming in the years to come. i for one welcome it. i think a lot of other people here would agree.
I'd say that it's probably closer to 4-6 hours, although for really skilled adventurers (which I'm not), it may be 3. If you buy the season instead of the single download, it costs $6, not $8, and you get a CD for the price of shipping at the end. $6 for 3-6 hours of entertainment is pretty good value, I think. Compare that to a movie theatre. (That's what I usually use as my entertainment metric.) It'll cost you $10 - $14 for two hours of entertainment.
Fair enough, but the season purchase gives you a CD as well as the downloads. You could also burn a CD of each download after you pull it down.
I had kind of an opposite experience last night. I much prefer to buy via instant download than via a shipped CD if I can, so I'm used to that being the case. I saw my Massive Assault disc lying around and realized that I hadn't installed it on my new computer. I tossed it in and ran the installer and it wanted the program key and the network key typed in. They're in the manual. Normally I'm very organized about this sort of thing, but for the life of me I can't find the manual anywhere! I find that way more tedious. With a download key, I can stick it several places and I always know where to look. I keep a copy in a folder in my e-mail, a copy on my file server at home, and a printed copy in my records. It's much easier for me to track down the registration information for a download than to hunt around the house for a manual which has some codes printed on the inside cover.
I think that a lot of these issues are practical. I wouldn't be surprised if it was simply not reasonable for a company like Telltale to get shelf space in Electronics Boutique in between Quake 47 and Ghost Recon 22.5. Offering by download is probably these days the only realistic option for small companies starting out or companies operating in niche markets. Splitting it into episodes allows them to get some cash flow while they're working on a large product and also allows them to keep the cost of each module low enough to overcome people's reticence about buying a game online.
I'd still say im definately opposed to the episodic idea, iv heard 3 hours max for this first episode (except perhaps for complete newcomers), that just aint enough time to really get absorbed in a game. Especially an adventure game, which is all about the journey..
In reply to an earlier post, id say anyone who really trusts PC's has never actually owned one. Anyway, heres waiting for the disks..
Nobody was saying that you should trust computers, just that using that as an argument against paying for downloadable games, but for downloading pirated games makes no sense whatsoever.
Besides, waiting is good for you.
Ah, but see, if you read his post, you'll notice that he's expecting 50 hours of gameplay for 30 bucks (plus multiplayer). To which I say that he'll probably need to look elsewhere than adventure games, seeing as how the only ones that last 50 hours are the ones that, in fact, last infinitely more than that because they're so hard and stupid you never finish them. And by the way...
About the ONLY multiplayer adventure game happens to be coming out this December. It's called Myst Online: Uru Live. And it too comes only by download. Guess he's just expecting more than he's ever going to get... :rolleyes:
What, no iJet?
Sorry, googling that isn't showing anything relevant up for me. Care to provide a link?
isn't 'the ship' a multiplayer adventure game as well?
http://www.theshiponline.com/
In a very roundabout way of speaking. I do see what you're getting at though. It's just that its more sneak-em-up than adventure really. Although tricking someone into thinking you're an NPC then following them around without their noticing for half an hour then beating them to death with an umbrella is very satisfying. Until you get blown up by some silly kid who's gotten hold of large gun and refuses to play the game properly. "LOl u r all teh sux!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111 why u not shot bak?????????????????////////lol"
i haven't played it . . . i'm a bit anti-multiplayer, myself.
Although you have to use the dreaded "Steam". Which apparently some people here take offense at.
i think we've gone a bit off the topic though . . . it was on piracy, or something . . . i can't remember. will there be a test on this?
I sure hope not. I'm already in the middle of exams.
Just in reply to a few posts, just what is everyones beef with episodic games? I can understand stuff like SiN maybe (6 4-5 hour games which add up to an obscene amount of cash. Quite a good game series but bloody expensive) but I personally find most of these episodic games to be quite good. I have a huge stack of games I'm trying to play through. Many of them I probably won't get around to doing so for at least 3 months. But when I buy my HL2: Episode 1 and my Bone and my Sam and Max etc. I'm able to mess around for few hours, really get into the game, discover a whole bunch of secrets and enjoy the little moments and then happilly put it away for the next one which comes out in a few months (although I'm still waiting on Bone 3). And the Alone in the Dark formula (shipped as a full game but when you play it, it's split into multiple chapters or episodes) seems pretty interesting to me. I can play part of it 'til I get bored, play another game and then come back and enjoy a new chapter with a short reminder video from the last. Maybe it's just me but when I play most games I tend to get bored of the same backgrounds and gameplay after a while and I stop enjoying the game and find it a bit of a chore.
As for downloading games, I used to hate the idea too. Then I got a decent broadband connection
I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. The pirate scene has always been about bragging rites, and this is achieved by releasing the newest games and making them as convenient to play as possible. Piracy isn't as big a competitor as rival software developers, but it's still important for game designers to release a product with more value than the pirated version.
I must admit my surprise and respect at how Telltale has achieved this without a physically tangible product. I happily purchased this game on its own merits, but also so that its business model can serve as a beacon to the rest of the industry.
On the other hand, the VIRUS scene is ALSO a lot about bragging rights. Virus makers want to get their viruses everywhere. And one way to do that, believe it or not, is to stick viruses on p2p networks under the guise of pirated games...
So now I know what the torrent you said you found before the one I alerted you too (if they were different) was about. Haha, boy, am I extremely happy I didn't download a pirated S&M. Paying 35 bucks for the full season and no gay porn was definitely a great deal.
Right, just as it is important for the torrent people to get a clean file out quickly, it is important to the virus gang to add a tiny .dll that is hidden that will create havok on your machine.
So I went on-line and downloaded the crack the same day. There were a lot that were just virus, but it was still easy to find. And with the cracked version, it now works great with my front end.
So I probably will have to download new cracks as each episode comes out. Even though I paid for them.
I generally have to download cracks for all games I own, which really sucks. The cracks being needed so I don't have to get off my butt and put the CD in for validation. So as long as the cracks are easily available, I have no problem paying for programs that are reasonably priced.
I have also downloaded pirated games and then paid for them, such as "Chewy - Esc from F5."
D.
i don't get it . . . there's difference between a no cd 'patch' and a crack . . . anything you're using to patch sam and max is quite different from a no cd patch, in that the loader would most likely fill your registry with random product registration info, which would also be sent to telltale. if telltale ever pooled those registrations, and block them in, say, the version, you could well find that you're waiting for a crack to apply to that version so you can play it again. which, in actual fact, despite you owning the game, is still piracy of sorts.
it sounds, with this 'front-end', a lot like you're using some random and unnecessary software in an attempt to somehow make you're computer life easier or massively populated start bar less cluttered. the only acceptable 'front-ends' one should ever use, are interpreters, like scumm or dosbox or whatever.