Slashman wrote:Ebany wrote:2nd; More choice would be allowing us to take our "Digital Rights" elsewhere, not trying to lock them in further with a new o/s.
When other DRM platforms (e.g. Origin) were in development the word was they wouldn't just be for EA games. I remember a thread where people talked about migrating all their games from Steam as Origin would be its competition ....... maybe later, but we know how it stands currently.
For something like that to even begin to work, there would need to be a universal agreement between all digital distributors. Good luck getting EA, Ubisoft, GOG and the countless other digital stores to agree to game transfers.
Very likely, but not required if majority start doing it. Think "churning" your internet service.
Also, what would it benefit one game store, by having you move your games from another one? If I'm Origin and you move a game from Steam to me, do I allow you to download and patch it through my servers? What benefit do I gain from giving you free bandwidth for a game you didn't buy from me? Why would I even care?
Ideally your serial keys activate the game with all of them, not one-at-a-time. This way the companies which offer the cheapest games/customer service/best packages (what ever their market strategy is) get the customers.
After all, we're basically paying for the right to play the game, not paying for a game and then having our rights dictated to us. Much like a trust fund.
Maybe these services could try charging a subscription fee?
The implication is that most people are waiting to jump ship and move to another platform. Most people simply don't care past playing the game as long as what they use works well. For the vast majority of its users, Steam works well.
While true I was thinking more about people like me who have a crap load of games with Steam but never ending problems. Steam seams to be catered more for people have a good and regular internet connection, for this reason I prefer a service like Origin where you only require validation only download/install.
I cannot ever really see that working like telecommunications because when you switch phone providers, you continue to pay whoever you switched to.
Think of your handset (i.e. HTC One XL) as the purchased (games) product, not the service been provided (by Steam). The handset is yours to do with as you please, destroy it, sell it, loan in, drop it down the toilet. At the end of the day only one (1) person can use it, but they have the choice of who to use it through. Telecom's get revenue from selling you airtime, bandwidth, etc. DRM providers (Steam) get money from selling you games, subscriptions, virtual items, etc.
Steam is DRM and Social Networking. I'm unclear, the way I translate your beliefs is that if a person purchases a game through Steam, then Steam holds all the rights to this game?
If this is true, let me ask a theoretical question. If I pick any EA game in my Steam inventory (e.g. Crysis, Sims, etc) and (assuming I can't access it myself) I email Steam to ask for the serial so I can register it with Origin, what "should" their answer be? If you think it should be a "no", do you believe they have a good legal standing?
I find it amusing that you like the way RSI does business when they have never released a game before. Chris Roberts released most of his games under EA/Origin at a time when digital distribution largely didn't exist.
He has sold the game, people have paid, releasing is totally different and unrelated. I do not need the games release to see RSI's effective business strategies just like I don't need X:Rebirths release to know it's my type of game.
And your right about DRM for the time, it didn't really exist when he started releasing games, but it exist now so I can make judgement. He chose a method which excludes platforms like Steam, Origin, Uplay, etc. His release is RSI exclusive ..... and since I like the game/company.
If X:Rebirth was exclusively Egosoft I would be instantly, but they chose Steam exclusive. I don't fault them, in return I expect the same for my choice to withdraw any forthcoming financial support support.
Since you are talking about two completely different methods of funding. I'm not sure how you could ever tell.
Funding is still funding regardless, and it's source will show the more intelligent way of doing business. Success is always clear at the end, can be foreseen at the start as well.
Wing Commander and Chris Roberts are hugely popular in a way that Egosoft and the X Games have never been. There is no way that Egosoft could produce that much funding from a Kickstarter.
Hugely popular before most people were out of nappies, the Wing Commander series died off years ago! What you see, all that financial support, that comes from the dedicated fans. People like me who have maturated nicely and can now invest our money into things we enjoy.
RSI came onto the field with almost zero cash and FA reputation amongst current gamers. Egosoft has an awesome reputation and ..... cash, though my guess is the funds were running low before pre-start sales. They excluded many people with their choices, many things can be changed gamewise (single ship, SETA, etc), don't think the Steam one will be.
Further, I have no idea what this has to do with Steam. Practically every kickstarter promises a DRM free release as a matter of course. Well almost. Shadowrun actually requires Steam for some things.
The last game I supported through Steam, though the kickstarter I bought into was soooo long ago. In fact I just got my Dog Tags ...... the memories ..... the 80's/90's, night clubs, women, then the boys around the Shadowrun table.
That said, X:Series didn't start as a "Steam" game, Shadowrun did and always said it would. It's been more than a year since I bought a game through Steam and I don't regret it in any form.
