[Jadefalcon]

Originally Posted by kadji-kun

Thats like saying you prefer the old brick of a cell phone over today's cells. Same concept, different design.

Eh...no it doesn't. I'm buying a normal retail game I much prefer to buy a physical copy. However, sites like GOG.com are bringing games on the digital download market that are either extremely rare or next to impossible to buy nowadays, unless you either strike lucky in a second hand games store or you are willing to pay silly money on sites like Ebay.

It's practicality, plus the GOG releases are optimised to work with todays OS's. The difference is with modern games. Example, I bought the disc with the otherwise available downloadable content for Fallout 3. It's been available on Games for Windows Live for a while, but I prefer a physical copy. In the case of the GOG stuff, its due to lack of choice.

[Adventure Onward!]

Originally Posted by inm8#2

I'd love to see all the old Sierra games, but the way Vivendi (now owned by Activision or whatever) mishandled the release in 2006 of the Quest series, I don't see any commitment or desire for them to invest anything in those old games. Especially not now with Activision being in charge.

Sierra is long, long gone

I hope your wrong it's probably unlikely but I want to have hope that LucasArts will be so successful that Activision and other companies will wise up.

[kadji-kun]

Originally Posted by Jadefalcon

Eh...no it doesn't. I'm buying a normal retail game I much prefer to buy a physical copy. However, sites like GOG.com are bringing games on the digital download market that are either extremely rare or next to impossible to buy nowadays, unless you either strike lucky in a second hand games store or you are willing to pay silly money on sites like Ebay.

It's practicality, plus the GOG releases are optimised to work with todays OS's. The difference is with modern games. Example, I bought the disc with the otherwise available downloadable content for Fallout 3. It's been available on Games for Windows Live for a while, but I prefer a physical copy. In the case of the GOG stuff, its due to lack of choice.

Actually it is. In reality buying the box is only a fetish. There is no real point to owning a physical copy because systems like GOG and Steam stay without you until the account is closed. It outlasts physical copies. Its also wasted space. I'm talking on a factual level and not opinion. Its only practical if want it to be practical, but Digital Copies are a lot more practical than physical copies.

[Marduk]

I was going to point out that many companies using online distribution only allow you to download the game within a certain period of time (lord only knows why; you don't need months to download and install it on multiple computers), however in that time you're capable of making as many back ups as you like (and I've actually that argument before).

If companies are worried about people making multiple downloads of a single game (on computers of friends, etc) then they should make it's available to you forever but so that you can only download it only a few times (3 or 4, maybe) within a couple of weeks and have a 'cool-down' period of a few days each time you do. This would be fairer, prevent exploitation and help prevent traffic.

[Jadefalcon]

Originally Posted by kadji-kun

Actually it is. In reality buying the box is only a fetish. There is no real point to owning a physical copy because systems like GOG and Steam stay without you until the account is closed. It outlasts physical copies. Its also wasted space. I'm talking on a factual level and not opinion. Its only practical if want it to be practical, but Digital Copies are a lot more practical than physical copies.

Wrong again, buying the box is not only a fetish, so I'd thank you not to presume why I do things, though don't take this the wrong way.

1. A 'hardcopy' can be sold on, or traded in in some game stores. This I understand is not common in the US however.

2. What happens if the servers with the download copies go kaput. I don't mean on a temporary basis either, I mean on a permanent basis. I'm sure there are many games companies that were out there that we didn't think would go under that have, or have been swallowed up by bigger companies essentially losing their identities.

3. There are certain games that come with fair sized manuals that I prefer to look at in paper form, though this has also largely disappeared since the switch to DVD style cases.

I'll give another example. I've noticed a lot of tabletop RPG products being offered in PDF form. In some cases you get the option to get the hardcopy, others you don't. I worked on one such product where you had both a PDF and the hardcopy. The main book including all background material etc was over 600 pages. Are you going to tell me preferring the hardcopy is a fetish?

[kadji-kun]

Originally Posted by Marduk

I was going to point out that many companies using online distribution only allow you to download the game within a certain period of time (lord only knows why; you don't need months to download and install it on multiple computers), however in that time you're capable of making as many back ups as you like (and I've actually that argument before).

If companies are worried about people making multiple downloads of a single game (on computers of friends, etc) then they should make it's available to you forever but so that you can only download it only a few times (3 or 4, maybe) within a couple of weeks and have a 'cool-down' period of a few days each time you do. This would be fairer, prevent exploitation and help prevent traffic.

Steam and GOG don't have a time limit. They allow you to download as many times as you want from one account.

Originally Posted by Jadefalcon

Wrong again, buying the box is not only a fetish, so I'd thank you not to presume why I do things, though don't take this the wrong way.

1. A 'hardcopy' can be sold on, or traded in in some game stores. This I understand is not common in the US however.

2. What happens if the servers with the download copies go kaput. I don't mean on a temporary basis either, I mean on a permanent basis. I'm sure there are many games companies that were out there that we didn't think would go under that have, or have been swallowed up by bigger companies essentially losing their identities.

3. There are certain games that come with fair sized manuals that I prefer to look at in paper form, though this has also largely disappeared since the switch to DVD style cases.

I'll give another example. I've noticed a lot of tabletop RPG products being offered in PDF form. In some cases you get the option to get the hardcopy, others you don't. I worked on one such product where you had both a PDF and the hardcopy. The main book including all background material etc was over 600 pages. Are you going to tell me preferring the hardcopy is a fetish?

1. Makes sense. Forgot about that since I haven't done that for decades. To me, its like buying a book. I like to keep my games. The downside is losing them.

2. Yeah, did you know CD's disappear? That happens to. Thats why you backup your games. Steam and GOG allow you to make physical backups. Not to mention, you can buy a hard physical copy from GOG upon purchasing the game. If you have such a problem with that, then its your fault for not burning backups.

3. Most games today really don't rely on manuals as they do back in the day. So this is quite void for modern games. Though if you went the classic route, you'd have to fork over a lot more money than you should. Hmmm, should I care more about material items over the actual game? Not to mention

4. Thats a book. Thats a tabletop RPG. Your experience for the game isn't found in the physical realm. Makes sense? No?

My point is physical copies just for the boxart or manuals is purely fetish nowadays, unless its in regards to classic games, which really you can't complain about since physical copies anyways are expensive as hell.

[Jadefalcon]

Well another point is that I live in 'rip off Britain', and often I've found that digital downloads aren't really cheaper, or not significantly so than hardcopies. There's too often a price is listed in $, and the British sites quite often take the £1=$1 route in regards to games downloads.

I'm not totally against the idea of digital download, what GOG does for instance is great and I hope more of the older adventures became available, if for nothing else put to wipe the smug grins off some of those shysters on Ebay.

However, where there's a choice and it's not significantly different in price, I'll prefer the hardcopy route, it's maybe just a foible of mine.

[kadji-kun]

Originally Posted by Jadefalcon

Well another point is that I live in 'rip off Britain', and often I've found that digital downloads aren't really cheaper, or not significantly so than hardcopies. There's too often a price is listed in $, and the British sites quite often take the £1=$1 route in regards to games downloads.

I'm not totally against the idea of digital download, what GOG does for instance is great and I hope more of the older adventures became available, if for nothing else put to wipe the smug grins off some of those shysters on Ebay.

However, where there's a choice and it's not significantly different in price, I'll prefer the hardcopy route, it's maybe just a foible of mine.

True. If only I wasn't picky about the space in my room. If I can get a digital copy, I'd get it. I can't stand boxes everywhere. If I want to waste space, I'd get a bookshelf and put books on it....which I do. Unlike Books, games require a system to use it...and if that system can store it and remove excess space, i'll take it.

I use to collect my old giant boxes....now its just a memento of spending more than you need to on a $50 game.

[Jadefalcon]

Well there is a difference in the boxes we use now over the old style ones we used to get. Look at Microprose flight sims for example, you got diskettes or a CD, a huge manual, maps, history of the aircraft and in addition the box was the size of a breeze block with the toughness to match. We can moan about storage but DVD cases are nothing compared to that, or in the case of films and tv series, VHS tapes.

[Marduk]

Originally Posted by Jadefalcon

British sites quite often take the £1=$1 route in regards to games downloads.

If they're british sites and you're british then why would they need to convert dollars to pounds?

[Jadefalcon]

What I mean is quite often you can see a game on a US site at say $20. Go to a British site and the game is £20. This sometimes even happens with Amazon and you can't ship games from the US sellers to the UK as this is forbidden by Amazon for some reason.

[kadji-kun]

haha, a monolith of a box weren't they? lol Still sucks for those who buy pc games and are stuck with the cardboard pieces of crap. DVD cases though are acceptable.

Were there boxes larger than those pre-2000?