Arena For the PC?

Frankly there haven't been much good PC games last year. I think the only ones I bought where Fallout3 and RA3. Everyone was focusing on the consoles.
Also a big plus for the console sales is most likely Nintendo with its Wii. Press was full of salesnumbers where Nintendo had about the same sales as Sony and MS together.

Currently the trend to PC to be secondary is not all that bad. Some indi developers are getting stronger and take there chance. I see more Adventure games these days then in the last few years together and the few PC titles I bought where at a fine quality and most of them have been developed on the console first and where then ported to the PC with some nice additions. I like beeing treated like royalty, haveing a few selected top quality games ^_^
I don't have the time for playing so many titles anyway.
 
Delance said:
"If the current trend continues, the Kilrathi will be walking on Earth on six months, maybe less..." -- But I think those numbers will settle down and the PC will be a nice secondary market after the consoles... Hopefully.
Click to expand...

I'm still building a giant laser and a few earth-shattering-kaboom bombs, just in case.
 
mass effect is way better on PC (I own it for both) precision aiming makes the game so easy you actually feel like the badass you are supposed to be playing.

and I can drive the Mako on PC
 
AD said:
I get really tired of people voicing the anti-drm arguments no matter how valid they feel it is. Also EA is now selling their games on Steam minus all the DRM people are complaining about. Digital distribution is the wave of future PC gaming.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sure. We are so nice as to let people replace the draconic securom internet authentication scheme with the Steam internet authentication scheme. The difference is what?! I get really tired of people telling me to switch from one stupid drm to another one that is just as bad. You don't get it. The game can install every fucking rootkit on my PC (as long as it doesn't cause hardware damage - which isn't sure for securom) I don't care as long as I know it does (the game will get its own sandbox in that case and thats it). Its purely and only the activation that is not acceptable. Ever. Under no circumstance.

Repeat after me: This is a single player game that I own. It does not need any form of internet access to play. Any form of internet connection to install the game is not acceptable if only because the necessary server might not be available by tomorrow.

Imagine WC1 had this authentication. We wouldn't be able to play it today with the server long gone. And yes - it would be gone, you can bet on that.
 
cff said:
Yeah, sure. We are so nice as to let people replace the draconic securom internet authentication scheme with the Steam internet authentication scheme. The difference is what?! I get really tired of people telling me to switch from one stupid drm to another one that is just as bad. You don't get it. The game can install every fucking rootkit on my PC (as long as it doesn't cause hardware damage - which isn't sure for securom) I don't care as long as I know it does (the game will get its own sandbox in that case and thats it). Its purely and only the activation that is not acceptable. Ever. Under no circumstance.

Repeat after me: This is a single player game that I own. It does not need any form of internet access to play. Any form of internet connection to install the game is not acceptable if only because the necessary server might not be available by tomorrow.

Imagine WC1 had this authentication. We wouldn't be able to play it today with the server long gone. And yes - it would be gone, you can bet on that.
Click to expand...

Wow, Just.... WOW. Since when did I tell you you had to do anything? YOu need to cool it or you'll earn a nice vacation.

The thing is, if the DRM options available to game companies existed 15 years ago you can sure as hell bet they'd have used them. In fact, if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't be able to play WC1 today if I lost my manual and blueprints.

The fact that you are complaining about me needing to authenticate *ONLINE* a game I bought *ONLINE* is silly. Also, since I imagine the internet will still be around after steam dies (not likely at the moment) I assume someone will post a patch that will get around any authentication required should that happen. At least it won't actually ruin my PC as some securom versions are reported to do. I'm not going to argue that I wouldn't rather all games ship minus any form of DRM but I don't live in a dreamworld either.

I'll admit that needing to authorize an install of a CD I bought in a store was annoying at first, but I can't say that it's something I can take issue with. It doesn't affect my other programs on my computer and it doesn't affect my ability to play the game once it's installed. Quite the opposite actually. Steam enables me to redownload the games I purchased on CD any time I want on any PC as many times as I want since it's tied to my steam account and not some artificial gauge of how much my PC has changed when I swap hardware.
 
Mh if I had to choose between securom, a system that is known to make problems with some systems/software or Steam that at least offers some kind of service in addition to the "copy protection"...I think I will choose Steam.

Still I agree that for an offline game that I bought in a shop there shouldn't be any online registration progress and if so it should be marked very very big on the outside of the box.
I just remeber a friend of mine who dosn't have an internet connection, he bought a game that needed the connection just for registration and how angry he got.
And it wasn't clearly visible on the box. There was a very very small text about it but in my opinion something like this should be at least be the size of the system requierments text, as it is a requierment and be in the same spot.

What I still miss is the complete explanation of the DRM in written form inside the box. I mean how should you know what your rights are with the game? As the DRM isn't a fixed thing but differs from game to game its not common knowledge. And frankly it shouldn't be. To me its against the "philosophy" of gameing. Games are there to have fun. Careing about rights and overcomplicated installing procedures and searching throught the small printed parts on a gamebox is quite the oposite to haveing fun.

Going a bit back to the topic. Arena for PC.
I doubt that there would be a conversion except the developers would do it for pratical nothing. I don't think that this kind of game would sell very well on the PC. Its to "complicated" for a casual game and to "uncomplicated" for the average PC gamer.
The sales numbers for the console where not even the highest one so its even less likely.
 
I find it more confortable to play some games on the PC (FPS, Strategy games), but in most cases the console is just more confortable... and more practical... And I say that as someone that generally prefers PC gaming.
 
For me its what genre I am playing. Except for a beat'm'up games I realy don't play much console games and these aren't even my favorite genre.
To me its the "where are the games that I like" question. The PC offers me the games I like or at least did so in the past and except for one or two titles there isn't much on the console I like to play.

Something that allways bothered me when I was playing at my friends, basicly all have the console connected to the "main" TV that is in the living room and there was a constan noise from people in the back. While playing beat'm'up, jump&runs...stuff like that its not a big problem but I would hate that if I am into a RPG or any other story driven game.
I prefere to withdraw into my little room and then its only me and the story.
Okay this is not realy an arguement against consoles in general but for me it would be pretty much the same case if I buy a console now or I spend about 800€ additinaly to buy a TV.

PS:
Just heared Mass Effect2 has been confirmed to be released on PC and at the same time as the console version. I just hope that this is true and the quality is at least the same as with the last game.
I am playing it the third time now...
 
gevatter Lars said:
From what I heard DRM is a point that influences the buying behavior. IIRC Amazon lost a good number of pre-orders when it was anounced that Spore would have DRM.
RA3 had its DRM loosend, not removed but changed from the original press release. Fallout3 on PC has no DRM but should had it in the beginning.
So for me it looks like DRM is indeed a valid point in PC sales numbers. Maybe not as high as some people claim it to be but high enough to allready change some companys behavior regarding DRM
Click to expand...

The news was that people were whining about Spore's DRM at the Amazon.com feedback area. There were a few hundred forum posts and no information on cancellations. Like I was saying above, more internet talk. Spore sold more than a million copies in its first two weeks. People who wanted to play Spore bought Spore regardless of the DRM.
 
ChrisReid said:
The news was that people were whining about Spore's DRM at the Amazon.com feedback area. There were a few hundred forum posts and no information on cancellations. Like I was saying above, more internet talk. Spore sold more than a million copies in its first two weeks. People who wanted to play Spore bought Spore regardless of the DRM.
Click to expand...

Spore is also the most pirated title ever AFAIK. The ratio is about 1 pirate for 2 legal buyers. And a considerable number of them because of the DRM. So yes, it was quite a hit (duh! It isn't like it wasn't cracyly overhyped), but it also lost a huge number of sales nonetheless.
 
Uhm, there wasn't DRM back in the day?

.... hey Origin guys, have any of you PLAYED the old versions Ultima without the manuals? Sure it might not be *D* RM, but by god they had some pretty crazy anti piracy stuff, and they definitely did appropriate anti piracy measures for the technology of the day!
 
There as a HUGE difference between copy protection done by manuals etc (good), copy protection doene by installing low level drivers (problematic, can harm your setup and might not work on new OS) and DRM (extremely evil. Do not tolerate that someone else can decide when and if you can play a game you bought).
 
Do not tolerate that someone else can decide when and if you can play a game you bought).
Click to expand...

I'm mad as hell! On the internet! Look at me! My TOTALLY EXTREME ideas are similar to those of others! Lets all start MySpaces and REBEL AGAINST THE SYSTEM!
 
I believe I know only three people who bought the original prince of persia for reel, and i do now know anyone who did not had a pirated copy of it installed on their parent's computer in the early 90's. Same goes for Golden Axe and the Blues Brothers game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top