Some of the early software developers / teams started out by creating basic software, cracks and cracktros on Amiga. Without those, there wouldnt be likes of Rockstar, Psygnosis/Sony and many other smaller development companies that slowly merged into bigger and bigger companies over the past 30-40 years.
Piracy and sales
- Thread starter spudbynight
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You can still get AAA games even before official release
I see no point of piracy in multiplayer games - but single player?
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I dunno. It could be suicide to start throwing up paywalls to games people have already purchased. Maybe they'd take a more subtle approach and would limit downloads or start throttling, whichever the more irritating, driving members to pay a small fee p/m for the unrestricted access they're used to.
It is a free platform after all offering unlimited downloads to over 100 million active users.
No probs with gog I think they're alrite reviving older games and always heard good things. I meant to query the download thing as I had no idea, just assumed they'd always ran through their launcher. So more kudos to them if you can run gog games independently.
You can still get AAA games even before official release
I see no point of piracy in multiplayer games - but single player?
Can you name some games? Genuinely curious to know, assuming you're not talking about betas and early access
As for multiplayer games, no, me neither. Unless there's a large clandestine player base to engage with like WoW had, I don't see the point. For SP, I would imagine if you don't mind all the inconvenience that comes with losing the nice perks/features you get through Steam, alongside some stuff in the game itself like SP leaderboards, it's pretty much a no-brainer. They can sometimes run a bit better too. Even Ubisoft used a RLD cracked exe lol.
Of course some people buy games as they like to support their developers, who might argue the moral obligation concerning this practice.
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I still buy games even if they are on GamePass or PSN Premium as I like to support the devs. I have plenty of games on Steam which I will go and buy the physical game for my Switch if its available.
Same with my films, plenty download to my file server but if I like them I buy on 4K blu-ray. Certain films I know I like and never bother to torrent as I watch them at the cinema (yes, I'm one of the few people who still goes to the cinema every few weeks) and I will buy the film later on physical media. All to show my support.
I dunno. It could be suicide to start throwing up paywalls to games people have already purchased. Maybe they'd take a more subtle approach and would limit downloads or start throttling, whichever the more irritating, driving members to pay a small fee p/m for the unrestricted access they're used to.
It is a free platform after all offering unlimited downloads to over 100 million active users.
No probs with gog I think they're alrite reviving older games and always heard good things. I meant to query the download thing as I had no idea, just assumed they'd always ran through their launcher. So more kudos to them if you can run gog games independently.
Can you name some games? Genuinely curious to know, assuming you're not talking about betas and early access
As for multiplayer games, no, me neither. Unless there's a large clandestine player base to engage with like WoW had, I don't see the point. For SP, I would imagine if you don't mind all the inconvenience that comes with losing the nice perks/features you get through Steam, alongside some stuff in the game itself like SP leaderboards, it's pretty much a no-brainer. They can sometimes run a bit better too. Even Ubisoft used a RLD cracked exe lol.
Of course some people buy games as they like to support their developers, who might argue the moral obligation concerning this practice.
Yea they do often run better. A lot of the bloat gets removed. These days the cracking groups seem to be more talented than the developers.
Ubisoft aren't the first to use a crack in an official patch. It's pretty ironic. Developers cry about piracy, then go and use the work of pirates for their own profit. At least the pirate groups credit developers and don't ask for money.
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The one form of Piracy that really does harm sales is pre-release or zero day where the game is leaked via the supply chain and then massively pirated before the game goes on sale or just as it goes on sale.
This isn't as much of an issue with PC games now as often they're not even distributed with the executables, which are downloaded on release.
It was a massive problem with DS games though which were easily pirated and often the pirates were playing the game before the stores even had them out on the shelves. This had a big detrimental effect on the profitability of DS games, especially the bigger more expensive ones.
This isn't as much of an issue with PC games now as often they're not even distributed with the executables, which are downloaded on release.
It was a massive problem with DS games though which were easily pirated and often the pirates were playing the game before the stores even had them out on the shelves. This had a big detrimental effect on the profitability of DS games, especially the bigger more expensive ones.
I dont think Piracy harmed the DS. It was still successful during the R4 card days, probably helped the sales of the console.
Well you probably didn't work on DS games. I have direct knowledge that rampant piracy on the DS had a detrimental effect on sales, particularly of high profile games. Parents were buying R4 carts for their kids and buying no games at all. It wasn't an issue in the early days, but towards the end of the DS piracy was a big issue for developers and publishers.
Ah ok, isnt that the same for the Switch currently then?
It's a lot harder on Switch, but I don't really know much about that console.
I did the same for my friends too.
But I have a nice collection of retail DS games which cost way more then I paid for them
Even the games I purchased at launch, Castlevania games being one of them.
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Soldato
When software was "Buy it once and its yours for life" I was very happy to pay, but the move to monthly subscriptions where you don't actually "own" anything is a huge turn off when I consider updating software. I'm still running Photoshop CS3.0 from 2007 (which I fully own) because I don't want to move to anything newer and be forced to subscribe to a service which Adobe may/may not change, alter, or remove aspects of "my" software as they see fit.
I realise that makes me a grumpy old man shaking his fist at all these modern changes, wishing for Yester-year, but if I buy something it should be 100% mine and unchangeable into a worse product at the whims of someone else.
I realise that makes me a grumpy old man shaking his fist at all these modern changes, wishing for Yester-year, but if I buy something it should be 100% mine and unchangeable into a worse product at the whims of someone else.
Same here, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 from around 2003
My dad still uses Paint Shop Pro 5 from 1998 to view and do basic editing of photos for eBay!
Both work great - load really fast, do everything we need and no update necessary
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I'm the same too, thats why I still buy physical games. If we go all digital with games and the server go offline then the only option would be go to the captain of the Jolly Roger.
Ive had certain games removed from my Steam library. Thankfully it was games I was testing for the Devs but it could happen one day with games I buy through Steam.
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Soldato
Interesting thread, I've recently killed every single subscription plan I had now down to just 2 which are needed services. A NAS now handles my media.
As for games, I am tired of all of the let downs from publishers, I'll find a 'demo' and if its good, I'll buy on steam. I don't like subscription gaming services, I'm not paying to trial a game nor does my gaming schedule fit the monthly sub. I ultimately lose over time.
If I can, I'll buy physical. All of my console games are physical just because I like having them, but pc is steam for 99% of my purchases and it scares me that I don't own those games, I simply have the rights to play them until deemed otherwise by Steam.
As for games, I am tired of all of the let downs from publishers, I'll find a 'demo' and if its good, I'll buy on steam. I don't like subscription gaming services, I'm not paying to trial a game nor does my gaming schedule fit the monthly sub. I ultimately lose over time.
If I can, I'll buy physical. All of my console games are physical just because I like having them, but pc is steam for 99% of my purchases and it scares me that I don't own those games, I simply have the rights to play them until deemed otherwise by Steam.
Soldato
I just use Gimp.Same here, Adobe Photoshop 7.0 from around 2003
My dad still uses Paint Shop Pro 5 from 1998 to view and do basic editing of photos for eBay!
Both work great - load really fast, do everything we need and no update necessary
Suspended
Can you name some games? Genuinely curious to know, assuming you're not talking about betas and early access
Haha that's exactly what I meant - pre relases and betas
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