190 réponses à ce sujet

[Kenichiukiya]

Wow such trolls and flames. I'll throw in my complain as well.

I just came to know about SE on what? 13 Jan 2011??!! And EBGames was still advertising it!! On the poster it says DA2:SE available to pre-order, with no end date on it. When I went to pre-order the staff member told me: "Sorry it's been discontinued". I know it's EBGames Australia's fault for still advertising it but not putting a date on the poster I blame it on EA. In this case I do not think it's my fault.

Putting a timed pre-order bonus ending so early 2 months before the game comes out just doesn't make sense to me.

[Captain Iglo]

If I hadn't preordered I could still get one via amazon...though the price has gone up of course.

Modifié par Captain Iglo, 15 janvier 2011 - 10:25 .

[LordPaul256]

So no one have information on how Steam is charging more than retailers? I figured it was hearsay, but part of me was genuinely curious if anyone could provide publicly available information. At the very least, it would have gone against their assumed business model, and that would have been interesting. I guess I'm filing this one next to Nessie.

[Matchy Pointy]

LordPaul256 wrote...

So no one have information on how Steam is charging more than retailers? I figured it was hearsay, but part of me was genuinely curious if anyone could provide publicly available information. At the very least, it would have gone against their assumed business model, and that would have been interesting. I guess I'm filing this one next to Nessie.

Well, atleast here, games on steam are usually quite a bit more expensive then ruying them from other places (this is kinda offtopic though).

[KingDan97]

Destructo-Bot wrote...

So why even bother with a TIMED preorder anyway? It is a digital good... can't be a scarce resource. Just allow anyone who PRE-ORDERS the game to get the Signature Edition. Pre-orders still support Bioware by purchasing sight unseen and in advance and Bioware rewards ALL their customers that pay full-price for the game before release, THE SAME WAY.

Why is one pre-order better than another pre-order? The signature edition being time limited for only part of the pre-order period makes very little logical sense.

But there are Bioware fanboys just like there are Steam fanboys so this topic will continually revolve around the drain. Just a note, I've bought every Bioware game at full price on or before release. I will not be buying DA2 immediately, and perhaps not at all... there are a lot of other games out this year. The poster above me is quite correct.

They never tried to hide their reasons for why they wanted to do the timed preorder, it was to reward those who had enough faith in Bioware to put down the money before the torrent of information.

You may think this to be a foolish notion, but Bioware didn't. They aren't with holding content from anyone, they were giving you something extra for being loyal.

But this doesn't even matter, because in the end if you didn't get the SE then you aren't getting the SE and I guess if Bioware have learned one thing it's that it's "true fans" are ingrates.

[KingDan97]

Hanz54321 wrote...

Destructo-Bot wrote...
 The signature edition being time limited for only part of the pre-order period makes very little logical sense.

It makes perfect logical sense.  It's based on the principle of investment and quarterly interest.

If you pre-order 3 months ahead of release, EA can take your money, invest it, and profit a percentage before you even receive your copy of the game.

If you pre-order 2 days ahead of release there is no time for interest to acrue and thus no profit in it for EA.

Economics.

Except it's illegal for them to take money out of your account for mail orders until it ships. Presumably for digital order it's until it's available for preload. The only money they get in advance is from those who go into a store and put down the cash there.

Preorders are used merely for bragging rights. Even then they aren't pulled out unless they break some record or something(even if it's beating out the predecessor) and almost no one finds out about it. Preorders do one thing, and one thing only. Guarentee you a copy, and in more recent years, give you a little something extra for having faith in the company and not waiting for reviews.

[TJPags]

Destructo-Bot wrote...

KingDan97 wrote...

Destructo-Bot wrote...

Steam didn't have to do a darn thing for the Signature Edition.

How it could/should work:

You pre-order and get a key from EA and register it on the Bioware Social site that activates your DLC... as long as you register before 1/11/11. When the game is released you install the DLC from your social account to your game.

You make the assumption that this is a simple task, but if the infrastructure isn't there then it isn't as easy as you'd like to think it is. Steam are the only ones who have the list of people who preordered, not EA, not Bioware, Steam. If the structure isn't there for them to compile a list of so arbitrary a fact as "who preordered before XX:XX on XX/XX/XX" then it's a very hard thing to do. They make the credit to your account for "one copy of X" but who's to say they keep as specific a record as would be required so that everyone doesn't get it.

The point still stands, if Steam doesn't have it set up so that a cut off can exist for a preorder while still keeping the digital rights to those who preordered before that date, then it couldn't have happened anyway. Regardless of whether this is true or not, your whining and tantrums will do nothing when it comes to Bioware's bottom line. Even if everyone who claims they won't be buying any Bioware games ever again because of this actually go through with it, it's still only a small shave off their bottom line, and I'm sure they don't mind rounding up 20 when deciding whether they sold 1,000,000 copies or 900,000 copies.

So why even bother with a TIMED preorder anyway? It is a digital good... can't be a scarce resource. Just allow anyone who PRE-ORDERS the game to get the Signature Edition. Pre-orders still support Bioware by purchasing sight unseen and in advance and Bioware rewards ALL their customers that pay full-price for the game before release, THE SAME WAY.

Why is one pre-order better than another pre-order? The signature edition being time limited for only part of the pre-order period makes very little logical sense.

But there are Bioware fanboys just like there are Steam fanboys so this topic will continually revolve around the drain. Just a note, I've bought every Bioware game at full price on or before release. I will not be buying DA2 immediately, and perhaps not at all... there are a lot of other games out this year. The poster above me is quite correct.

Because the SE deal wasn't just for digital content, maybe?  It was also for physical content, ie - a disc.

They wanted to increase pre-orders.  That makes logical sense.  To do that, they created a time senstive edition, which including free content, at the same price that the regular game would be.  Again, makes sense - they wanted to increase pre-orders.

Kenichiukiya wrote...

Wow such trolls and flames. I'll throw in my complain as well.
I just came to know about SE on what? 13 Jan 2011??!! And EBGames was still advertising it!! On the poster it says DA2:SE available to pre-order, with no end date on it. When I went to pre-order the staff member told me: "Sorry it's been discontinued". I know it's EBGames Australia's fault for still advertising it but not putting a date on the poster I blame it on EA. In this case I do not think it's my fault.
Putting a timed pre-order bonus ending so early 2 months before the game comes out just doesn't make sense to me.

Whether there was a date on the poster or not, you would have missed the SE by 2 days.  Yet you want to blame Bioware or EA for that? 

That doesn't make sense to me. 

See above for the explanation of why the SE pre-order deadline makes sense.

[toli_man]

so far, all i've seen is that the actual reasons are very very thin on why steam doesn't have a signature edition.



if there was a steam version of DA2 SE, i would have bought it. now, without any kind of advantage to preordering it, is there a point in paying for it 3 months early at all.



i can't see the advantage in EA literally playing with customers, pushing crazy deals and DLC offers on day -100 makes no sense. just leak a dev video, push some content every 3 weeks, you'll be up there with ToR in no time, and they've got a decade to sell copies.



the only reason i post this is that reading all the threads so far, people on this forum have indeed been shameful and should be ashamed of their reaction. saying it's the customer's fault for not preordering, is a visible sign that you are deranged and may need help.



baiting preorders with DLC content is a terrible way to gauge customer reactions, and it burns people out from the whole DLC process if there's 19 types of DLC for preorder specials, and 5-8 aren't available for any reason because you didnt buy your copy from X, or Y or Z retailer. it's as useless as offering players tribbles or in game pets if they buy soft drink. it's insidious and evil, and has no end in sight.



still, the SE's just a preorder and EA will still have release parties with execs snorting coke from the naked bodies of expense account funded hookers if you don't pay for the game up front. your money will be wasted by EA regardless of wether you give it to them now, or in march.



and you know, i bought DAO and ME2 through steam, i even bought awakenings for god's sake at retail prices, and bought nearly every bioware game so far, with the exception of sonic, and i've repurchased steam versions of games i already bought as well.



i understand the concept of limited releases, but failing to release to only one distribution platform, and calling those customers stupid or lazy or blaming customers for not choosing another option, is wrong, heinous and damaging to the reputation of bioware,



damaging EA's reputation, would be impossible, simply due to the reality that EA obviously doesn't care to respond on the issue, and bioware has almost no responsibility on distribution platforms.



while chris priestly or someone else at bioware could comment, i haven't seen that they will on this issue, as it's always going to be a problem for bioware having signed themselves to EA, and being at the mercy of their distribution methods. it's also quite obvious EADM and steam have a bad history, as seen by the complete lack of DLC on EA games released via steam, but have been released on EADM.



there's 2 major reasons i refuse to use impulse/D2D/EADM, first i'm not in the US, so i'm invalidated for 98% of games released via D2D/impulse, second, i refuse to use EADM, it's broken, horrendous and just plain disgusting as a distribution system, and the regional pricing is even worse than steam, which is hard to fathom.



here's a tip - fix or at least try to shore up some of the bloat that is EA marketing, make better DLC, and test your game's online social system works with thousands of users *before* you release the next game

[TJPags]

[quote]toli_man wrote...

so far, all i've seen is that the actual reasons are very very thin on why steam doesn't have a signature edition.[/quote]

That's your opinion.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
if there was a steam version of DA2 SE, i would have bought it. now, without any kind of advantage to preordering it, is there a point in paying for it 3 months early at all. [/quote]

You realize that pre-orders still get bonus items, right?

[quote]toli_man wrote...
i can't see the advantage in EA literally playing with customers, pushing crazy deals and DLC offers on day -100 makes no sense. just leak a dev video, push some content every 3 weeks, you'll be up there with ToR in no time, and they've got a decade to sell copies.[/quote]

They wanted to increase pe-orders.  That's why they created those deals.  Why is that so hard for people to understand?  I can get not liking how they did it, but not understanding why there would be a pre-order bonus at all? 

[quote]toli_man wrote...
the only reason i post this is that reading all the threads so far, people on this forum have indeed been shameful and should be ashamed of their reaction. saying it's the customer's fault for not preordering, is a visible sign that you are deranged and may need help.[/quote]

What people are saying is 2 things.  First, for people who are showing up saying they never knew about the existence of the SE, yes, that IS their fault.  How could it be anyone else's?

Second, for those who knew about it, and had access to other purchase options, failing to use one of those other options, again, IS their fault.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
baiting preorders with DLC content is a terrible way to gauge customer reactions, and it burns people out from the whole DLC process if there's 19 types of DLC for preorder specials, and 5-8 aren't available for any reason because you didnt buy your copy from X, or Y or Z retailer. it's as useless as offering players tribbles or in game pets if they buy soft drink. it's insidious and evil, and has no end in sight. [/quote]

So far as I know, there haven't been any "buy from X retailer, get this DLC item free - buy from Y retailer, get a different DLC free" deals.  There was the SE, which was available everywhere except Steam, and offered certain DLC.  There is now the preorder bonus, which as far as I know, is again available everywhere.  So, this argument doesn't apply here.


[quote]toli_man wrote...
still, the SE's just a preorder and EA will still have release parties with execs snorting coke from the naked bodies of expense account funded hookers if you don't pay for the game up front. your money will be wasted by EA regardless of wether you give it to them now, or in march.[/quote]

Umm, okay.  Don't see how this needs a response.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
and you know, i bought DAO and ME2 through steam, i even bought awakenings for god's sake at retail prices, and bought nearly every bioware game so far, with the exception of sonic, and i've repurchased steam versions of games i already bought as well.[/quote]

Why does everyone complaining feel the need to point out how many past Bioware games they bought?  To show brand loyalty or something?  Considering, for example, that ME and DA are different types of games, that doesn't make much sense to me. 

But what really makes no sense to me, is that these same people who feel the need to point out they've bought every Bioware game EVER in the past 10-12-15-20-whatever years, couldn't break their loyalty to a specific distributer (Steam) to purchase the next game from a company's whose products are, apparently, good enough for you to purchase EVERY ONE FOREVER.  And then they somehow jump to "It's Bioware's fault" (substitute EA there if you want) when every retailer had the game except one.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
i understand the concept of limited releases, but failing to release to only one distribution platform, and calling those customers stupid or lazy or blaming customers for not choosing another option, is wrong, heinous and damaging to the reputation of bioware,[/quote]

So, every company should make their product available through every retailer, regardless of the terms of that product?  McDonald's doesn't sell Pepsi - Pepsi is, therefore, teh debil.    Or do you understand that a retailer offering a product is the result of an agreement between the manufacturer and the retailer?  If you do, then you need to place some fault on Steam - to the extent that "fault" actually deserves and needs to be placed on anyone.

But again, if you CHOSE not to go someplace else to buy the SE, and KNEW it was available other places, then yes, THIS IS YOUR CHOICE, AND YOUR FAULT.  Why does nobody understand that? 

[quote]toli_man wrote...
damaging EA's reputation, would be impossible, simply due to the reality that EA obviously doesn't care to respond on the issue, and bioware has almost no responsibility on distribution platforms.[/quote]

Okay, you're another one who hates EA.  Fine.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
while chris priestly or someone else at bioware could comment, i haven't seen that they will on this issue, as it's always going to be a problem for bioware having signed themselves to EA, and being at the mercy of their distribution methods. it's also quite obvious EADM and steam have a bad history, as seen by the complete lack of DLC on EA games released via steam, but have been released on EADM.[/quote]

Chris Priestly and others from Bioware HAVE commented.  Repeatedly.  In many of the other hundred threads that have existed for the past 3-4 months on this topic.  They were unable to reach an agreement with Steam in time to release the SE.  You may not like that comment, but please don't try to say they never commented.

And again, unless someone shows me otherwise, the same current pre-order DLC bonus available everywhere else is available on Steam currently.  So, to say that Steam customers are not getting any bonuses is a fallacy.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
there's 2 major reasons i refuse to use impulse/D2D/EADM, first i'm not in the US, so i'm invalidated for 98% of games released via D2D/impulse, second, i refuse to use EADM, it's broken, horrendous and just plain disgusting as a distribution system, and the regional pricing is even worse than steam, which is hard to fathom.[/quote]

Your first reason is perfectly valid, so far as it goes.  If you can't order from another digital retailer because of where you live, that's certainly not your fault.  However, it's not necessarily the fault of Bioware, or of EA.  But - could you have ordered from, say, Amazon or Gamestop.com or BestBuy.com or something like that, and gotten an actual physical version of the game?

Your second reason is valid, but again, so far as it goes.  You don't like using EA.com, and that's fair.  But if it's your only way to make a purchase, you have to make a choice - either use it, or don't make the purchase.  You can't fault others for choices you make.

[quote]toli_man wrote...
here's a tip - fix or at least try to shore up some of the bloat that is EA marketing, make better DLC, and test your game's online social system works with thousands of users *before* you release the next game
[/quote]

I'm assuming you mean something similar to Steam's chat options, sharing achievements and the like with other users, etc.  I can't comment on this, as I don't use Steam at all.  But if all we're talking about is ordering a game, is this really such a big deal?

[toli_man]

KingDan97 wrote...
Preorders do one thing, and one thing only. Guarentee you a copy, and in more recent years, give you a little something extra for having faith in the company and not waiting for reviews.

first, i get no guarantee on preorders ith my local games store, and when i do get the call to pick it up or pay $30 to put my name down on a list, there's still no guarantee it will arrive. been there, got the in-store refund. from a consumer's PoV, it's useless to trust the retailer can deliver, and while it's great to get a t-shirt or a silver anodised tin a few days later, pre-orders on digital content are not limited, they can easily be infinite, or hacked to be so.

i have faith in bioware to create great games.
i have faith that EA is anti-consumer
i have faith that the preorder i put in for a game, will mean nothing when i have to pay 3x more for the boxed copy in a few months, and still not be guaranteed a copy will be there if i put $30, 20% down.  

i have faith that, when i see a game on steam, for $60, i don't need to preorder the box for $150 and be ripped off on the release day for ~$7 of DLC.

then, there's DLC. preorders do not work if you attach more and more strings.
it also defeats the purpose of gaining prestige, when retailers game the system for increased resale value,

and its incredibly immoral when the publisher / distributor  does it on purpose, i.e. ME2's release, and RDR's release of different preorder DLC benefits, with higher prices attached for that benefit.

[Melca36]

StormbringerGT wrote...


If I ran a business thats how I would do it. Fry's electronics most of my business because of this. As oppose to other stores which charge to get as much money out of you per purchase frys trys to sell a lot of everything at lower price. I suppose a laymans way of explaining what you just said!

Do you know how many times Frys has been sued for selling things new when they have been returned?

My husband once brought a supposedly brand new Asus Motherboard from Frys and when he opened the box, found a cigarette butt and items missing.

Needless to say the whole store heard him when he returned it. 

[Melca36]

I have no problems paying the extra $7.00 for a DLC on release day.



You can't even go to a matinee for $7.00 where I live.

[msp]

KingDan97 wrote...They never tried to hide their reasons for why they wanted to do the timed preorder, it was to reward those who had enough faith in Bioware to put down the money before the torrent of information.

Oh to be young and innocent again... No, It's not to reward loyal fans who have faith in Bioware. You don't reward fans with limited, carefully timed pre-orders. It's to drive sales through preferred retailers (most likely those who agreed to give EA more generous terms in exchange for an early start and extra content). After the deal expires, the game becomes available for pre-order from all retailers and extra content is sold separately to bring in more cash. There is nothing illogical about any of this, and all parties get to benefit. Well, except loyal fans who like or have to purchase through specific retailers and want to play a complete game. They get to pay extra $10 for the honor.

[KingDan97]

msp wrote...

KingDan97 wrote...They never tried to hide their reasons for why they wanted to do the timed preorder, it was to reward those who had enough faith in Bioware to put down the money before the torrent of information.

Oh to be young and innocent again... No, It's not to reward loyal fans who have faith in Bioware. You don't reward fans with limited, carefully timed pre-orders. It's to drive sales through preferred retailers (most likely those who agreed to give EA more generous terms in exchange for an early start and extra content). After the deal expires, the game becomes available for pre-order from all retailers and extra content is sold separately to bring in more cash. There is nothing illogical about any of this, and all parties get to benefit. Well, except loyal fans who like or have to purchase through specific retailers and want to play a complete game. They get to pay extra $10 for the honor.

Oh to be pigheaded and ignore the fact that every major retailer offered the SE....

Honestly, you're just angry that you would've had to buy through another digital retailer or, god forbid buy a physical copy to be shipped to your house.

[toli_man]

[quote]TJPags wrote...
What people are saying is 2 things.  First, for people who are showing up saying they never knew about the existence of the SE, yes, that IS their fault.  How could it be anyone else's?

Second, for those who knew about it, and had access to other purchase options, failing to use one of those other options, again, IS their fault.
[/quote]

i agree, not knowing, is significant. i don't argue there. i knew about the preorder. that wasn't an issue for me.

the second, i was never going to use any other purchase option apart from steam.
knowing there was a promotion for DA2, and not being offered it, both, are not my fault as a consumer,

it is the fault of the marketing department.

if an album isn't released on itunes or a blu-ray not sold on amazon, it's going to be a very large problem for sales.

you mention pepsi and mcdonalds, and i get that point in all it's subtlety, but it's as if mcdonalds is selling seven up, fanta, sprite, coke, and pepsi max, but not pepsi. 

[quote][quote]toli_man wrote...
and you know, i bought DAO and ME2 through steam, i even bought awakenings for god's sake at retail prices, and bought nearly every bioware game so far, with the exception of sonic, and i've repurchased steam versions of games i already bought as well.[/quote]

Why does everyone complaining feel the need to point out how many past Bioware games they bought?  To show brand loyalty or something?  [/quote]

because the illustrated point of a preorder was supposedly to show brand loyalty, but now, it's loyal to buy the game from obscure/restricted retailers to get a few game-changing trinkets.

[quote]But what really makes no sense to me, is that these same people who feel the need to point out they've bought every Bioware game EVER in the past 10-12-15-20-whatever years, couldn't break their loyalty to a specific distributer (Steam) to purchase the next game from a company's whose products are, apparently, good enough for you to purchase EVERY ONE FOREVER.  And then they somehow jump to "It's Bioware's fault" (substitute EA there if you want) when every retailer had the game except one.
[/quote]

pretty much. i hate EA with a blinding passion, and have not seen a reason to dismiss or ascribe stupidity to their actions, where malice or poor management has proven to ascribe thus far.

if i wasn't using steam, i'd be downloading the game from elsewhere, legal or not so.

i haven't seen a better deal, and while the US may have choices, when living in australia, there's very few D2D companies that will sell games here and very few distributors, since EBgames and GAME are actually the same company, so they single-handedly manage 2/3 of AU preorders

[quote]
you need to place some fault on Steam - to the extent that "fault" actually deserves and needs to be placed on anyone.

But again, if you CHOSE not to go someplace else to buy the SE, and KNEW it was available other places, then yes, THIS IS YOUR CHOICE, AND YOUR FAULT.  Why does nobody understand that? 
[/quote]

steam had a listing for Dragon Age 2 for preorder  with the details of the game back in december 2010.
it did not have a price attached.

after the january 11th deadline had passed, the price was updated to US$60. 
that's not a choice.

[quote]
Chris Priestly and others from Bioware HAVE commented.  Repeatedly.  In many of the other hundred threads that have existed for the past 3-4 months on this topic.  They were unable to reach an agreement with Steam in time to release the SE.  You may not like that comment, but please don't try to say they never commented.

And again, unless someone shows me otherwise, the same current pre-order DLC bonus available everywhere else is available on Steam currently.  So, to say that Steam customers are not getting any bonuses is a fallacy.
[/quote]

the january 11th appstore page update with pricing and the lack of a signature edition or the option for purchasing it, is the main problem, as the thread title indicates.
 
[quote][quote]toli_man wrote...
there's 2 major reasons i refuse to use impulse/D2D/EADM, first i'm not in the US, so i'm invalidated for 98% of games released via D2D/impulse, second, i refuse to use EADM, it's broken, horrendous and just plain disgusting as a distribution system, and the regional pricing is even worse than steam, which is hard to fathom.[/quote]
Your first reason is perfectly valid, so far as it goes.  If you can't order from another digital retailer because of where you live, that's certainly not your fault.  However, it's not necessarily the fault of Bioware, or of EA.  But - could you have ordered from, say, Amazon or Gamestop.com or BestBuy.com or something like that, and gotten an actual physical version of the game?
[/quote] 

not really. games are often region restricted, and international delivery is not always available.
from canada ? sure. but canada also has the same jackass retail problems with preorder restrictions.

[quote]Your second reason is valid, but again, so far as it goes.  You don't like using EA.com, and that's fair.  But if it's your only way to make a purchase, you have to make a choice - either use it, or don't make the purchase.  You can't fault others for choices you make.
[/quote]

i should illustrate this better.
i can
a) buy a regular copy for US$45-60 via cdwow / amazon / steam,
i can buy a local copy in march for US$90.
c) i can preorder a SE from the US, but not from amazon/steam/cdwow
d) i can preorder a SE local copy for US$100
e) just download it when it comes out and get all the DLC

i suppose that's a choice i can make

[quote][quote]toli_man wrote...
here's a tip - fix or at least try to shore up some of the bloat that is EA marketing, make better DLC, and test your game's online social system works with thousands of users *before* you release the next game
[/quote]

I'm assuming you mean something similar to Steam's chat options, sharing achievements and the like with other users, etc.  I can't comment on this, as I don't use Steam at all.  But if all we're talking about is ordering a game, is this really such a big deal?[/quote]

i was referring to DA:O's release where the bioware social network system didn't work with the game for the first month, failed to update game progress, or tell you if the process actually worked. i've finished the game, BSN  stil thinks i'm up to ~level 5 on one character. i'm just hoping that got fixed in DA2's inevitable push out the door in a few months time.

Modifié par toli_man, 15 janvier 2011 - 05:44 .

[msp]

KingDan97 Oh to be pigheaded and ignore the fact that every major retailer offered the SE....

Honestly,
you're just angry that you would've had to buy through another digital
retailer or, god forbid buy a physical copy to be shipped to your house.

Except Steam. Chances are, EA and Steam couldn't come to agreement as to how divide up my $60; or EA got a sweet deal from every other "major retailer" by agreeing to specifically lock Steam out of the SE deal. There is nothing to be angry about here - it's just business. It's not like it was difficult to understand what's going on and make my purchasing decisions accordingly. Ultimate Edition in a year or so for me. Cheaper, and with a lot more content.

Edit: quote

Modifié par msp, 15 janvier 2011 - 05:30 .

[Aldandil]

What I don't get is why anyone would feel that a certain game SHOULD be available with a particular retailer. I live in Sweden, and over the years, there have been games and movies that haven't been shipped here at all, since the market is comparatively small. If and when this happens, I would hardly be pissed with the Swedish retailers or the game distributor (and definitely not with the game producer), but instead try to get the game some other way.



If a game isn't released in Sweden, it must be because someone, somewhere didn't think it would be worth it. There is no better reason in business to not do a thing, including as many factors as possible into your decision. Clearly, the same is true for releasing the SE on Steam. I'm not sure how many people pre-orders games three months in advance. Probably not that many compared to those who buy the game after it's released. Clearly either Steam or EA didn't think the cost would be worth it, all things considered*.



I don't see why anyone would feel that they have the right to have a game they want distributed the way they want.



*All things considered would likely factor in things like EA trying to build a digital distribution store of their own and the alienation of some of the customers who refuse to buy stuff anywhere else than Steam.

[AngelicMachinery]

KingDan97 wrote...
The only money they get in advance is from those who go into a store and put down the cash there.

And this is why it wasn't released on steam,  a company is free to market their product as they see fit and to maximize their profit.  Sorry steam guys,  but this is the way the world works sometimes.

[TJPags]

First, I'm snipping this because the quotes seem to be a bit messed up.  Second, I'm also snipping to respond only to certain points.

toli_man wrote...
i agree, not knowing, is significant. i don't argue there. i knew about the preorder. that wasn't an issue for me.

the second, i was never going to use any other purchase option apart from steam.
knowing there was a promotion for DA2, and not being offered it, both, are not my fault as a consumer,

it is the fault of the marketing department.

if an album isn't released on itunes or a blu-ray not sold on amazon, it's going to be a very large problem for sales.

you mention pepsi and mcdonalds, and i get that point in all it's subtlety, but it's as if mcdonalds is selling seven up, fanta, sprite, coke, and pepsi max, but not pepsi. 

I don't think it's the marketing departments fault.  It would be their fault (again, assuming there needs to be fault) if you didn't know about it.  But you admit you did.

Not being offered something is not your fault, I agree there.  But choosing not to use another purchase option is not BIoware/EA's fault.

toli_man wrote...
because the illustrated point of a preorder was supposedly to show brand loyalty, but now, it's loyal to buy the game from obscure/restricted retailers to get a few game-changing trinkets.

You have a point here.  It is what they said.  Personally, that may have been prt of the reason, but at the end of the day, I think the major reason was that they simply wanted to boost pre-orders.  But, yes, they did give this as the reason, so your point is valid.

toli_man wrote...
if i wasn't using steam, i'd be downloading the game from elsewhere, i haven't seen a better deal, and while the US may have choices, when living in australia, there's very few D2D companies that will sell games here and very few distributors, since EBgames and GAME are actually the same company, and jb-hifi have never honored a preorder when it doesn't arrive or reduced the price below RRP.  

Again, I don't know your limits when it comes to purchasing.  Allow me to say, in all honesty, that your situation sucks.  I'm surprised that Australia doesn't have more options.  I guess, living in the US, and NYC, of all places, I'm flooded with options, and take it for granted.

It does suck that you didn't have other valid options.  I suppose that's likely one reason why people in your situation like Steam, since they seem to distribute pretty much anywhere.

toli_man wrote...
steam had a listing for Dragon Age 2 for preordering  with the details of the game back in december 2010.
it did not have a price attached.

after the january 11th deadline had passed, the price was updated to US$60. that's not choice.

That - makes no sense to me.  They listed the game, but you just couldn't actually purchase it.   

To me, honestly, this sounds like an issue with Steam.  I admit that this may have been somewhat misleading to people looking at the Steam site.  But I'm not sure you can fault Bioware/EA for how Steam listed the game, or even that they did. 

It actually makes more valid to me the statement by Bioware that a deal couldn't be reached in time for the SE to go on Steam - the fact that Steam listed it meant they knew they were getting it, consistent with a deal in place, just not for the SE.

BTW - the SE was $60 US.  The regular version is also $60 US.  The SE benefit was the free DLC.

Not sure how this applies to choice, though.

toli_man wrote...
there's 2 major reasons i refuse to use impulse/D2D/EADM, first i'm not in the US, so i'm invalidated for 98% of games released via D2D/impulse, second, i refuse to use EADM, it's broken, horrendous and just plain disgusting as a distribution system, and the regional pricing is even worse than steam, which is hard to fathom.

Again, the fact your options are limited sucks.  But that's not the fault of EA.

Maybe EA can and should improve their system.  I'm not familiar with it, myself.  But I can understand not really wanting to buy from a certain retailer, for various reasons.  Again, though, not really a poblem for me, since I do have plenty of options.

Perhaps, rather than complaining about this issue with the SE, people should be calling for EA to improve their own system.  That would probably meet with less opposition from people, and seems like it would be more helpful than simply venting.  This may not be the right forum for it, however.


*edit - I posted before seeing your edit.    And I don't want to edit my own.  I apologize if it seems I've now misquoted you.

Modifié par TJPags, 15 janvier 2011 - 06:00 .

[Inzhuna]

Seriously, like Bioware or EA did this on purpose. There are TONS of companies who would ship a game copy internationally. Amazon, just one example. 5 mins of googling and you would've found it.

[toli_man]

Aldandil wrote...
 I'm not sure how many people pre-orders games three months in advance. Probably not that many compared to those who buy the game after it's released. Clearly either Steam or EA didn't think the cost would be worth it, all things considered*.

I don't see why anyone would feel that they have the right to have a game they want distributed the way they want.

*All things considered would likely factor in things like EA trying to build a digital distribution store of their own and the alienation of some of the customers who refuse to buy stuff anywhere else than Steam.

i wasn't bothered until i saw the price, and the lack of bonus items.

then i looked at the release date, and how the date was intentionally after the preorder deadline to remove the entire option from steam. 

i admit, it's up to EA on how they sell their games, or not sell them, but it's a huge blunder, and not many have reported on that decision outside of game forums.

i can see why and how it happened, but it could have been handled through any number of intermediaries to explain why EA games like mass effect 2 and dark age origins get a deluxe edition, with bonus price/content and also preorder cdkeys, but the current sequel for dark age origins, does not. 

well, that is, unless they add the SE content to the steam archives/files for DA2, and have the game code unlock it later via DA2's DLC activation in-game.

[Aldandil]

toli_man wrote...

i wasn't bothered until i saw the price, and the lack of bonus items.

then i looked at the release date, and how the date was intentionally after the preorder deadline to remove the entire option from steam. 

i admit, it's up to EA on how they sell their games, or not sell them, but it's a huge blunder, and not many have reported on that decision outside of game forums.

i can see why and how it happened, but it could have been handled through any number of intermediaries to explain why EA games like mass effect 2 and dark age origins get a deluxe edition, with bonus price/content and also preorder cdkeys, but the current sequel for dark age origins, does not. 

well, that is, unless they add the SE content to the steam archives/files for DA2, and have the game code unlock it later via DA2's DLC activation in-game.

If EA makes a huge blunder, that's their problem, right? Why should we care? If they chose not to sell their product on Steam, and it hurts them, I guess it sucks to be EA.

To me, it's clear that DA2 came up on Steam after January 11 is because EA and Steam couldn't agree on the SE, but that they could agree on DA2. I'm also guessing that EA and Steam view the SE and DA2 as two different products, and that's probably why you won't see any SE features in DA2's Steam version. You might, but I don't think it's likely. From the distributor's view point, they offered you the SE, you didn't buy it, now they're going to offer you DA2.

[Melca36]

Aldandil wrote...



To me, it's clear that DA2 came up on Steam after January 11 is because EA and Steam couldn't agree on the SE, but that they could agree on DA2. I'm also guessing that EA and Steam view the SE and DA2 as two different products, and that's probably why you won't see any SE features in DA2's Steam version. You might, but I don't think it's likely. From the distributor's view point, they offered you the SE, you didn't buy it, now they're going to offer you DA2.

You will be able to by the DLC that came with SE seperately and that is really all that matters.