BlackShark cracked on day zero :(

Tefal · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:25

Teki187 said:
I never made it out to be a noble struggle, more of a struggle between wasting money on a unfinished pile of **** sold to us as being finished and great and downloading that game to find out it was **** without spending money.

Then using that money to put it into something that deserves it more then the EA cash cow.

Don't like it don't use it.

Stop trying to justify it as thier fault because the game isn't what you wanted.

so does this justification of "it's crappy so should be free" apply to everything?

Don't like the cheap fake leather in a car, ahh well just nick it serves em right for not doing a better job eh?

Delvis · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:32

Tefal said:
Don't like it don't use it.

Stop trying to justify it as thier fault because the game isn't what you wanted.

so does this justification of "it's crappy so should be free" apply to everything?

Don't like the cheap fake leather in a car, ahh well just nick it serves em right for not doing a better job eh?

Ah, that's what goes through the thieves minds! I always did wonder

Tefal · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:34

Sleepless said:
- Remove the publisher from the equation using steam

So where you going to get your funding from?

How are you going to pay valve?

Are you not going to have any physical medium, thus cutting your market dramaticaly?

- Release my own game torrents which dont actually work.

Would be imediatly noticed by the first person who downloaded, and removed from private sites. piratebay, comments would make it clear too.

- Infiltrate posters onto the usual torrent sites and report these as fantastic versions.

People would belive the guy/known poster saying this relase from an unheard of group is fake over you.

- Let everyone know the only way to update the game is through the client.

This would be cracked after the first update.

- Spam torrent patches which trash the install.

Again people wouldn't down laod them after the first few, you would be banned from the tracker.

but you might make it more than £23 worth of effort to pirate it.

but you wouldn't, people would just download the release from thier favoratie/recognised group.

All you'd be doing is inviting attacks on your business.

Streeteh · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:40

The problem is at the moment we are seeing publishers effectively bribing publications for good reviews. As mentioned above, spore got rave reviews, while some people defended it against the masses that hated it for a while even that stopped after around a fortnight. Does anyone still play this '9/10' game?

The same applies for many other games, Farcry 2 getting 3% less than half-life in PC Gamer!? GTAIV has an average score of 98% on metacritic! There's no way those games deserve those scores, sure they may be above average but the reviews they have 'earned' are imo (and many others too) miles off. The result of which is utter disappointment for many, if they hadn't magicked up these insanely high review scores and piles of hype would everyone have ended up so let down by these titles?

I'm beginning to wonder if these tactics with reviews are hurting more than they are helping, i know i have become far more wary since playing farcry 2.

Tefal · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:43

Streeteh said:
The problem is at the moment we are seeing publishers effectively bribing publications for good reviews

often it's not really bribing (which is ilegal), but just removeing access to previws/review copies to those that don't give favorable reviws (which is perfectly legal)

Metalface Mark · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:43

The best way to get round piracy is to make games completely free to play and just add support the hell out of them.

Tefal · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:45

Metalface Mark said:
The best way to get round piracy is to make games completely free to play and just add support the hell out of them.

which would be cracked an removed

and still wouldn;t cover costs of a game development.

Streeteh · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:47

Tefal said:
often it's not really bribing (which is ilegal), but just removeing access to previws/review copies to those that don't give favorable reviws (which is perfectly legal)

Maybe 'strong arming' would be a better term for it. To the best of their abilities publishers try to force reviewers to give them good scores. Whether this be by giving them huge sums of money for advertising that turn the publications website into an elaborate banner ad for the game (Kane & Lynch, Farcry2 etc), or outright refusing to give them a review copy thus reducing the number of hits they receive due to other websites getting reviews out earlier, the end result is a publication feeling pressured to give games higher scores than they deserve.

While not illegal, it's just as bad in my eyes. Both bribing and this 'strong arming' i have described result in the consumer being deceived.

Teki187 · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:49

Metalface Mark said:
The best way to get round piracy is to make games completely free to play and just add support the hell out of them.

On that topic, i wouldn't actually mind in game advertising, as long as it's tasteful.

Example a Coke advert doesn't belong in a medieval RPG, but in a futuristic game or modern day game, i don't see why not.

As for the medieval rpg advertising, they could be really clever and advertise things that are in the current market and would have been around in those times. Like banks, bakeries, etc.

Though that does make me wonder what oblivion would have been like with hovis and warburtons adverts everywhere

, at least it would be OCUK approved.

Amnesia · 30 Oct 2008 at 13:57

only release fully working versions.
lower prices of games.
make them available to download digitally without charging extra for not including manuals/box/dvd.
release all formats at the same time.
put a little effort in your game rather than some lame port or cash in.

lol i forgot to quote the post i was answering too....nevermind

Devlish · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:02

Tefal said:
which would be cracked an removed

and still wouldn;t cover costs of a game development.

So basically you reckon piracy is here to stay and theres nothing anyone can do.

Amnesia · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:03

Sleepless said:
So basically you reckon piracy is here to stay and theres nothing anyone can do.

piracy has been here since the tape decks...it wont be leaving any time soon

Metalface Mark · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:03

Tefal said:
which would be cracked an removed

and still wouldn;t cover costs of a game development.

It wouldnt cracked it the ads were part of the game. (like fifa with trackside advertising etc).

The whole korean games market is done like this, there was an article in edge recently on how no one buys games in korea, and its extremely lucrative.

iviv · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:06

Tefal said:
So where you going to get your funding from?

How are you going to pay valve?

Are you not going to have any physical medium, thus cutting your market dramaticaly?

Would be imediatly noticed by the first person who downloaded, and removed from private sites. piratebay, comments would make it clear too.

People would belive the guy/known poster saying this relase from an unheard of group is fake over you.

This would be cracked after the first update.

Again people wouldn't down laod them after the first few, you would be banned from the tracker.

but you wouldn't, people would just download the release from thier favoratie/recognised group.

All you'd be doing is inviting attacks on your business.

Introversion did this, though I dunno how well it worked.

Also, I don't believe that there are any torrents for the impulse only updates for Sins of a Solar Empire. I'm quite suprised by this, but good on them.

orderoftheflame · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:09

Metalface Mark said:
The best way to get round piracy is to make games completely free to play and just add support the hell out of them.

I don't think you'd get the millions it costs to develop out of advertising alone.

asimmd · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:17

The statement"Both were available to pirates before they were released to the public"

So where do you think the Pirates get these Pre-release copies from,dosen't take much thinking about does it.

Problem with copy protection is that ALL protection can be broken,some just take longer than others.

Stick the games on a server like Steam,and never download the actual code to your hard drive,no code means no pirate copies.

Alan

Dano · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:23

asimmd said:
Stick the games on a server like Steam,and never download the actual code to your hard drive,no code means no pirate copies.

Alan

LOL, until we all have superfast super wide net connections that are capable of handling almost instantaneous full HD video and sound feeds and servers capable of running everybodies game clients this will never happen.

Chronictank · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:26

Sleepless said:
Of course you wouldnt stop piracy and all the forums on the net would be trying to lynch you, but you might make it more than £23 worth of effort to pirate it. Ah hell, lets face it nothing would work probably but right now its so easy. Id love to know what securom say to try and persuade developers to include their software "were pretty sure it will delay the piracy by 12 hours!! woot!'

It would probably be £20 if they didnt bother with wasting money on anti-piracy

platypus · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:28

Tefal said:
Don't like the cheap fake leather in a car, ahh well just nick it serves em right for not doing a better job eh?

No, you try the seats out, realise they are not what you want, and then either buy better or don't buy at all.

One reason piracy is so rampant has to be the complete lack of good demo's anymore.

Dano · 30 Oct 2008 at 14:30

One reason piracy is so rampant has to be the complete lack of good demo's anymore.

That and the fact that it is so easy.