stepurhan

I think that what MdaG was referring to was the idea someone proposed further up the thread about making patches and additional content only available to registered users as an incentive to purchase a legal copy. Only a handfull of companies currently limit patch downloading (Sage accountancy software has downloads from a secure login webpage for example) Of course a registered user could copy a patch but they'd be putting their access to updates at risk by doing it.

I still can't agree with you MoriartyL but I do appreciate some of the particular problems you have with more legitimate forms of "try before you buy". The more limited your options are and the more expensive games are the greater the incentive for pirating. Guess we need to lobby games companies to be more proactive in Israel (get a few game hire shops in there Nintendo!!)

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No Nonsense Nonsonnets #43

Cold Topic

A thread most controversial, that’s what I want to start
Full of impassioned arguments, of posting from the heart
And for this stimulation all will be thankful to me
On come on everybody it won’t work if you agree

samIamsad

Well, stepurhan, you already said it yourself: The copy is exactly that, a copy that usually includesanything that makes the original game worthwhile. Sometimes even more, especially in these day and age of unbelievably hideous copy protection software. I used to joke about what you actually bought by forking out your cash for HL2. An install instruction, Valve's EULA that told you that the software stored on the disc wouldn't be yours. And to top it all, that Valve were in the position to charge more money from you in the future if they wanted to. It's not as if all files you needed to start the game had been right there in that box. Heh.

So, piracy. I'm certainly no angel here myself, having grown up playing on Commodore machines. Who doesn't remember happily trading disks at school? Ah, memories. I did buy original games occasionally, even back then when your heard-earned pocket money was all you had to spend. But in the end, we got what we deserved, I guess. Nobody wanted to produce games for a pirate-infested system like the Amiga anymore.

I agree with Mory on one arguement. As with everything from music to movies to whatever, piracy can do good for a developer or artist, at least in the long term. Unfortunately pro games cost a crapload of money to make, and one flop might already lead to the closure of a software studio. I'm still feeling bad for having bought "Baldur's Gate" instead of "Thief". Borrowed the latter one from someone who was with me in the shop that day telling me to buy BG, because I could borrow "Thief" from him.

Still, wasn't it Warren Spector who had the balls to say: "Every gamer that acquired a pirated copy of your game wouldn't have bought it anyway."

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Look, Mr. Bubbles...!

insane_cobra

Yup.

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What you piss in is yours for life.

Aj_

That's one for the tombstone!

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