PC Game Piracy Examined
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Frant
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 13:12    Post subject:
iNatan wrote:
Frant wrote:
WaldoJ wrote:
Cheapen pc hardware and you'll see software sales increase tenfold.


There some truth in that. Or rather, new games shouldn't require the top-of-the-line hardware that a small minority can afford to look and play good. But on the other hand, if technology wasn't pushed (by Crytek, iD etc.) games would look like 2004-titles today.

What? If a game is properly coded, it would never require you to have the top of the line hardware. You'll be able to play it just fine with low settings. But then you'll cry "I don't want to play that game on low, it looks like crap compared to high!"

I don't know, I am for constant advancement of graphics, but not just for that. When gameplay takes a back seat just for graphics, like in the case of Crysis, it looks good but it's pointless.


I was only posing two different points of view. I still remember when Unreal was released. Even the top-of-the-line PC's could barely handle it at top resolution (at the time) or every effect maxed out. It caused a slight boom in PC upgrades (I still remember the articles and headlines), and the same effect came from the first 2-3 Quake games etc.. They pushed the envelope of technology which other games took advantage of since the hardware industry pushed ahead. It's a constant race between faster hardware and more demanding software. They're driving each other. It's a good thing, it's just completely different from consoles which are static.


Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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Frant
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 13:13    Post subject:
sabin1981 wrote:
*chuckles*

That's just awesome. NOW we know the reason why Crysis was so ridiculous with its sys-reqs; piracy. NOW we know why GTA4 and Bully were such god-awful ports; piracy.


Spectacular. Thanks, you really showed me!


Did you watch Michael Jacksons Black & White video or something???? Rolling Eyes
Read before you waste your breath and you may finally get it right. Wink


Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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sabin1981
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Posts: 87805

PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 13:15    Post subject:
Frant wrote:

I still remember when Unreal was released. Even the top-of-the-line PC's could barely handle it at top resolution (at the time) or every effect maxed out.


Horse manure.

Again, you're doing what you accused ME of doing; making up nonsense to support your claim. *I* remember when Unreal (and Unreal Tournament) both came out .. and I ran those games PERFECTLY with HIGHEST settings using a machine that didn't even meet the recommended requirements. Why? Because they were optimised great (and 3DFX/Glide was king at the time)

You optimise your game and it will run great. Fail to optimise, for whatever reason, and it runs like shit and you just end up treating the consumer like a dick.

Frant wrote:


Did you watch Michael Jacksons Black & White video or something???? Rolling Eyes
Read before you waste your breath and you may finally get it right. Wink


Eat me.
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Frant
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 13:18    Post subject:
sabin1981 wrote:
Frant wrote:

I still remember when Unreal was released. Even the top-of-the-line PC's could barely handle it at top resolution (at the time) or every effect maxed out.


Horse manure.

Again, you're doing what you accused ME of doing; making up nonsense to support your claim. *I* remember when Unreal (and Unreal Tournament) both came out .. and I ran those games PERFECTLY with HIGHEST settings using a machine that didn't even meet the recommended requirements. Why? Because they were optimised great (and 3DFX/Glide was king at the time)

You optimise your game and it will run great. Fail to optimise, for whatever reason, and it runs like shit and you just end up treating the consumer like a dick.

Frant wrote:


Did you watch Michael Jacksons Black & White video or something???? Rolling Eyes
Read before you waste your breath and you may finally get it right. Wink


Eat me.

I don't swing that way my Norwegian friend.


Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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sabin1981
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Posts: 87805

PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 13:19    Post subject:
hahaha!

Actually, I'm English.. but don't worry, I don't swing that way either Wink Very Happy
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djaoni




Posts: 8061

PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 17:16    Post subject:
Frant just mention the oh so many console exclusive AAA titles then..
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Vikerness




Posts: 3616
Location: Brasov
PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 18:01    Post subject:
You missunderstand him, and
Frant wrote:
you place me in the <black or white> / <right or wrong> fold even though that's very far from the truth

He is right
This kind of tunnel-vision is putting me and a lot of people off for even posting something in the first place..
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B1kudo




Posts: 770

PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 18:42    Post subject:
Back on topic.
From my end I believe we are indeed f*** Pc gaming. Game industry is a business and will go where the money is. Sales figures is what drive the industry not players.
If nothing is changed we will get console ports after another. GTA 4, Far Cry2 are fine examples- This will be increasingly painful in the next years as we are closing the life cycle of the present consoles.
Imagine playing games made for a 3 year PC (next gen console) in the next years..

PC offers the better gaming platform hands down - Better visuals sound interface- so it should naturally be the AAA titles showcase platform but this is now past. (with some increasingly rare exceptions )

I wonder how INTEL, ATI, NVIDIA .. and the hundreds/ thousands of hardware company's living partially or in total of PC gaming look at this - Maybe in the future we will have to pay in hardware what we spare on the software.
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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 18:49    Post subject:
Why is FC2 an example? That was always being developed as a multiplatform release, exclusivity for neither console nor PC -- and the PC version not only looks better, but runs gloriously too.
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B1kudo




Posts: 770

PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 19:23    Post subject:
sabin1981 wrote:
Why is FC2 an example? That was always being developed as a multiplatform release, exclusivity for neither console nor PC -- and the PC version not only looks better, but runs gloriously too.


Because it plays and feels like a console game. I was expecting a free rooming shooter i get a go there kill go here kill "you can save your game in this box" pooping or having to kill the same grunts every cross road you have just passed (console memory limitation?).. it kills the immersion for me.
I use the usual way to get FC2, played for half an our and uninstalled it, no harm done.
GTA 4, I bought it! Not bad.. actually a good game. But it could be a great game if it would have been done for PC first... with a 100 million tag on it, wouldn't it?

And that's the main problem IMO. Games are made to use gamepads, TV screens with inbuilt crappy sound columns. Not to take advantage of a PC - and it shows

PS: I game since the ZXspectrum 48k, maybe, like someone said earlier, i´m just getting hold and expect more of a game.
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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 19:31    Post subject:
I guess we're all just wanting, and expecting, more out of games these days. It's just the way of life.
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rhagz
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PostPosted: Mon, 15th Dec 2008 19:38    Post subject:
B1kudo wrote:
having to kill the same grunts every cross road you have just passed (console memory limitation?).


No.

Just terrible game design.

Quote:
Games are made to use gamepads, TV screens with inbuilt crappy sound columns.


Uh no again. Pretty much most console games use 5.1 surround.
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NuclearShadow
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Posts: 1948

PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 04:41    Post subject:
madmax17 wrote:
Thanks to a few people that are clueless about pc gaming this discussion has turned into retard street, oh and console gaming is dead Razz


Not dying rather evolving.


You know its funny on how there is actually a debate on whether or not piracy has effected the release of PC exclusives games or not. The 360 is probably the console with the most console game piracy. Its probably still a growing # of people pirating on it as well. Yet I don't see the developers and publishers running to the PS3. In fact despite the piracy of the 360 games that people once thought to be PS3 exclusives like FFXIII are going to the 360 as well. Yes clearly piracy has such a giant and drastic effect God help us all! Rolling Eyes

Its clear that the reason why we get ports is because console games averagely sell better because there are more console gamers than PC gamers. It would only make sense to make the game aimed towards the console gamers. Even we counted pirated copies as sales the PC would still come short for the games that consoles and PCs share.

Piracy however is a effective excuse to try to swing the blame around so we PC gamers don't blame the developers and publishers. Even if a game was a large hit on the PC in the past the game would often find itself on a console. Even older RTS's which tends to be way more popular on the PC than consoles found themselves to be on the consoles. Dune2000, Command & Conquer, Warcraft 2 just to name a few. This goes to show you even back then they knew that the consoles would someday have a place for RTS's and they were right just look at Halo Wars being made specifically for a console.

Yet releasing a game on the PC is obviously still profitable if it wasn't then we wouldn't be getting any new games its simply that the consoles are where the majority is at and we have to realize that we are the minority and just like any minority under any circumstance we will be ignored or treated poorly compared to the majority. Its that simple.
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Sin317
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Location: Geneva
PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:23    Post subject:
yeah its kinda fun to see a console like the ps3 , which afaik hasnt been hacked yet, still sucks total arse in sales .. (gamewise)
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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:25    Post subject:
It's because no bugger can afford the damned thing. When Sony finally lower the price to something a tad more reasonable ... sales will take off.
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Sin317
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Location: Geneva
PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:30    Post subject:
apply this to pc and piracy will lower


Prices are too high, especially for what little they deliver (come on, some games like bioshock have what, 6 hours campaign and then nothing ?)

lower prices and make them affordable for anyone (also outside the "rich" countries like NA/Wester EU)

i live in switzerland, one of the highest GBP income countries, and i can't afford to buy 5 games a month lol... im happy if i can afford 1-2 a month, with all the costs we have here Sad (well and because i spend a shitload of $$$ in booze and drugs weekends rofl but thats for another time.)

Anyway, Games are paid with spare money ... this times , we simply dont have much left to spend...
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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:33    Post subject:
Oh god.. no! Don't say that! Whatever you do, don't blame piracy on high costs! You're just making excuses you pathetic excuse for a human!


/sarcasm

Mate, I agree totally. As I've outlined before; unless I REALLY love a game, I'll be damned if I'm paying £30-40 for it - especially as most games'll last you 5-6hrs at best. RPGs usually get the bulk of my money because I at least know the damned thing is gonna last!
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jerry12
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PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:47    Post subject:
if devs would to save their products they have only to put all on steam, giving to games steam functions like steamcloud or steamworks and make many many updates. steam is 100% online and 100% unbreakable. any other protection they go to put can be cracked. this is what i think


Last edited by jerry12 on Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:50; edited 1 time in total
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Sin317
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Posts: 24322
Location: Geneva
PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:49    Post subject:
jerry12 wrote:
if devs would to save their products they have only to put all on steam and make many many updates. steam is 100% online and 100% unbreakable. any other protection can be cracked. this is what i think


OMG guess who THAT is


first one gets a cookie ...
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sabin1981
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Posts: 87805

PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:50    Post subject:
YaaaaY!!

Thanks to Boundle, I get a cookie!

(funny how the fool keeps parrotting about how Steam is 100% unbreakable when I've got a ton of Steam-rip games. Yeah, that Steam is damned Fort Knox, isn't it? Razz)
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Sin317
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PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:58    Post subject:
/me hands sabin1981 a cookie fresh from the oven , careful, its hot
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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 14:59    Post subject:
Yippee!!!
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NuclearShadow
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Posts: 1948

PostPosted: Tue, 16th Dec 2008 19:40    Post subject:
Honestly I think we all know we are getting screwed when it comes to the prices of games. Just look at digital distribution and how its clearly cheaper for them and yet they charge the same or even more than a physical copy. For example CoD4 on steam is $49.99 the same exact price as CoD5 but on Newegg its $37.99 with free shipping and you may even get a lower price if you decided to buy it from a local store.

What I believe independent developers should do is make a program similar to steam and simply have a low membership fees to cover the costs of the bandwidth and maintenance of the program. These fees would be much lower than the % publishers demand so the developers would make a much larger profit and could afford to lower prices to maximize sales.

Lets be honest now would you want to buy the game that was worked on long and hard or one that was rushed by publishers by enforcing a deadline? Even worse if the publisher owns the developer. Which do you honestly think is going to make the better game in the end? Also wouldn't you be much more likely to purchase a game knowing the developers would be getting the money and the games priced is much more fair?
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dr-nix




Posts: 996
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 11:43    Post subject:
Before the internet became what it is today big distribution companies was needed to reach the masses. It would've be difficult for the developer of a game or a musician to sell their work directly. Now this doesn't hold true anymore, big distribution companies still exist and make money but there is an alternative.

I hope more developers would get their act together and sell their stuff directly via the internet, via some steam-like application for instance. They could lower the prices because they wouldn't be selling via another company and this would increase sales. I'm guessing this potential future is very scary to companies that make their money but selling other peoples work.


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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 12:11    Post subject:
It's not just about the distribution, it's about capital. Publishers put all the money for the development of a game - up front. The very reason a publisher is needed is mainly because of money. If developers didn't need publisher money, then selling via Steam would be a great idea.
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SycoShaman
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Posts: 24468
Location: Toronto, Canada
PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 14:48    Post subject:
For me, it comes down to this. I like to try a game before I buy it. Whether its a PC, 360 or PS3 game (have all three platforms).

I dont play my 360 anymore to be honest as any good game that comes out for the xbox comes out for the PS3 and I get it for the PS3.
And if I do buy a game for PS3, its a game I KNOW im gunna like and play more than once ala MGS4.

As for PC games, Ive download games, played it for an hour and went out and bought it. I like being able to get the patch, plus the insets, plus the manual, plus the actual box/case/whatever you wanna call the thing a game comes in.
Take Mass Effect. I downloaded it, played it through and got addicted. So I went out and bought it...not just because I loved it, but because of the DLC.

I buy TONS of games, but they are only the best games. Hence the reason I havent picked up End War. I dont trust game reviewers...cuz if the game is made by Ubisoft or a similar big name company, it automatically gets a good review.
When End War comes out, I'll download it, and if its good and I like it, of course I'll go buy it.
I have tons and tons of videogames. I have shelves of games for the PS3 and PC (and a few for xbox).

If I cant try a game (and I dont mean a demo which is obviously made perfectly as in no bugs, shows off its best features), like play it for an hour or 2 and determine if I like it, Im not gunna go spend 80 bucks (after tax) for a game I dont know if Im gunna enjoy
And its not like you can return the game if you dont like it and get your money back...you return it and you get what, 15-20 bucks....so I basically paid 60 bucks for nothing.....pure scam
Especially when it comes to the PS3. The PS3 games havent been pirated so you should be able to return the game for full value but thats not the case is it?

'Piracy' does help sales imo. Aside from the kiddies who pirate everything in sight because mommy and daddy wont buy it for them, there are tons of ppl like me - adults who spend tons of money on games.

Again, no way am I shelling out 80 bucks for a game without trying it first. Unless its one of those games that I know is going to kickass ie MGS4 and GTA4 (ps3). I knew those games were gunna be awesome so ofcourse I bought them

The next game I probably will buy without testing or anything is Terminator:Salvation. Looks incredible. And Im willing to take the chance with it. But from what ive seen, it looks like its worth the money.

If companies wanted to all but elimate piracy, they would sell games for 29.99. That way if you buy it and it suck, well, your only out 35 bucks. No big deal.

But while new games are still retailing for 69.99 (80 after tax), Im not gunna buy it unless I can test it first.

The game companies have it all wrong...piracy helps sales, doesnt hinder them.


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sabin1981
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PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 15:44    Post subject:
*Standing Ovation!*
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rhagz
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Posts: 1017

PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 18:32    Post subject:
SycoShaman wrote:

The game companies have it all wrong...piracy helps sales, doesnt hinder them.


I'm not sure how anyone can say this with a straight face. Piracy costs devs thousands of sales. That may not be a bad thing for the consumer since it helps them avoid wasting money on shitty games, but you have to be pretty fucking naive to think piracy increases sales.
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djaoni




Posts: 8061

PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 18:40    Post subject:
How can you say it costs thousands of sales? Can you read the minds of people who pirate games and say that they honestly would buy them if they couldn't pirate them? You can't really say it affects sales for the worse or better since we most likely will never see the day of no piracy.

If the game does NOT have a demo I'd say it most likely increases sales. I for one would NEVER EVER buy a game I haven't tried at all, sheep might buy games based on reviews only though..
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rhagz
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Posts: 1017

PostPosted: Wed, 17th Dec 2008 18:43    Post subject:
Such denial.

Yes, piracy is great. It's awesome. Publishers and developers love it. It makes them so much money. They just put SecuROM and all this nasty shit in the software for fun and to give crackers something to do with their time. Rolling Eyes

That better?
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