Game News Wasteland 2 Kickstarter Update #55: New combat trailer, plus the usual physical release drama

[FeelTheRads]

Congrats for reaching the point.

Well, thanks. Maybe you'll do the same.

And no, Steam platform by itself is not a DRM.

What is DRM then? If you can't run the game without it, what is it?

Larian and inXile are simply trying to be as cost-effective as possible when it comes to getting the physical stuff shipped.

Which is why I said that the most annoying thing about it is the usual bullshitting about how it's all totally in your best interest.

 

[SniperHF]

Putting the disc copy steam-free would piss of way more people,

Doubt it. Every boxed copy comes with a digital through the kickstarter. See that lame ass argument about getting a GOG.com copy goes both ways. People who buy a box know what that entails. Doubt very many computer illiterates are putting down for a CE on a niche sequel to a 1988 game on kickstarter 2 years before release. Most people will be firing up their digital copy ahead of receiving their box.

they are willing to lose money to cater to a minority by burning an extra disc - you effectively get multiple copies of the game.

Delivering what was promised is not losing money. It's allocating monies received where they are supposed to go.

What is DRM then? If you can't run the game without it, what is it?

Well you can RUN the game without it. But you cannot install the game without it. Same difference to me.

 

[FeelTheRads]

It's allocating monies received where they are supposed to go.

Shhh... don't be stupid. Did you know that paying for physical rewards and then inXile having to produce them means they're losing money because of you?

 

[Jack Dandy]

Man this is actually looking damn neat. I'm glad I held back and didn't play the Early Access version.

Looking forward to it!

 

[crawlkill]

but sure as shit they're going to be pissed.

then they'll get over it and forget they cared, if it's any good, or it'll suck and the extra level of hate won't mean much

 

[Haba]

And no, Steam platform by itself is not a DRM.

What is DRM then? If you can't run the game without it, what is it?

Like said, you don't need it to run it. You can copy the files and burn them on a CD and they'll run. I had a HD crash and lost the OS, the games on the steam folder run perfectly fine even without Steam installed (for the most part). Now if I had to deal with Starforce or frigging code wheels or someshit, then I'd be pissed off.

Or having to crack my own retail copy just so I can play it... man that was swell.

Doubt it. Every boxed copy comes with a digital through the kickstarter.

Yeah, and they have the backer survey results which tell them what people want. I reckon if 90% said they wanted GoG, GoG would be on the disc.

 

[Starwars]

The guy talking in the trailer sounds like something Matt and Trey would do for a "cheesy commercial voice" in South Park.

 

[crawlkill]

Which is why I said that the most annoying thing about it is the usual bullshitting about how it's all totally in your best interest.

goddamn 90s Yahoo mail, bullshitting its customers that email is just as good as a telegram

you may want to learn to recognize your own practical best interests before you fucking comment further, baby. I'm gonna go ahead and overrule your notion that "not participating in any technological advancement ever" is in your own best interests, because I assume you're not installing games from punchcards.

 

[hakuroshi]

There are examples of online distribution platforms which do not require to install shit on your end, so fuck off with your cuneiform tablets insinuations.

 

[skuphundaku]

obvious strawman is obvious

Aww, cute. You are saying that YOU shouldn't have to ASK, yet... everyone else should just go with whatever suits you perfectly. Yup, sounds like a straw-man to me!

Read up on what a strawman is and then get back to me. Until then, fuck off.

I hate DRM just like the average guy, but Wasteland 2 doesn't have DRM so I am awright with it. And no, Steam platform by itself is not a DRM.

Not only that you don't know what is a strawman, you also don't know what is DRM. Can you install a Steam game without Steam? No. => DRM.

 

[MicoSelva]

I did not expect to actually see any drama concerning the physical release, but it seems I have underestimated The Codex one more time.

Anyway, I messaged inXile to send me a DRM-free physical copy, because I do not really see the point of having a boxed copy that still requires me to download the game (or a 1.5 GB day 1 patch). This is why Is topped buying boxed copies of games which use steamworks.

Well, I guess this is actually a bonus for me, because I can give away or sell my box steam key, which I will not use.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Hey cool the whole pseudo-intellectual box debate again!

 

[MrEvilGuy]

They lose even more money on me by having to pay international shipping fees twice for the DRM-free physical copy.

 

[Jaesun]

Whats this thread about?

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

Looks awesome!

 

[TheGreatOne]

seriously though is it not utterly plain at this point that boxes serve neither producer nor consumer

Good goyim

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

A system tracking previous purchases and enabling download & install is not in itself DRM - shit like starforce or CD checks with inability to make backups or Sim City style always-online requirements. The fact that you log into a service if you want to install the software on your PC is not DRM. You need to do this for GoG as you do for steam. If a game is distributed via steam but the game does not require steam login to play (like D:OS) it is not DRM encumbered.

 

[skuphundaku]

The fact that you log into a service if you want to install the software on your PC is not DRM. You need to do this for GoG as you do for steam.

Wrong: it is, and wrong: you don't.

If a game is distributed via steam but the game does not require steam login to play (like D:OS) it is not DRM encumbered.

Wrong again: it is.

I see you're schooled at the Putin school of disinformation. This is a new low for Steam fangirls.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

How will GoG be different when they come with their distribution platform as they plan to? Will their interest to ease patching, attract more producers and simplify distribution and installation for their customers cause you to ignorantly label GoG as a DRM encumbered service? Surely you will need to login to purchase, download and patch games purchased from their service.

You are missing the forest for the trees shkaieukasopu. Steam certainly gives developers the ability to leverage DRM in their titles and there were days not long ago where everything on steam was essentially DRM encumbered. This is no longer the case; there are games distributed on Steam strictly for the advantages of the platform and not at all for DRM reasons.

 

[FeelTheRads]

You're saying that being a unable to run a game from a disc without Steam is not DRM? Maybe inXile didn't use it for the DRM, but that's the result of forcing you to use a third-party application to run the game. Maybe after you update it you don't need Steam anymore, I don't know. Then you could argue it's not DRM anymore.

 

[mindx2]

I suppose I see Steam and GOG as very different. You can't even install your game without connecting to Steam whereas I will have an executable from GOG that I downloaded years ago stored on a hard drive, burned DVD or USB stick. I never have to "connect" to GOG again to play my game. That's not true for Steam. I will always prefer GOG over Steam for that very reason regardless if some call/ don't call Steam DRM.

Back on topic: That combat video was very well done and my excitement continues to grow.

 

[crawlkill]

Good goyim

consider how much polish time has been lost to the bullshit logistics of hawking shiny beads to regressive neanderthals (not even your average neanderthals)

just in case we weren't clear here:

neither the producer not the consumer is served by this neolithic nonsense

 

[mindx2]

Good goyim

consider how much polish time has been lost to the bullshit logistics of hawking shiny beads to regressive neanderthals (not even your average neanderthals)

just in case we weren't clear here:

neither the producer not the consumer is served by this neolithic nonsense

 

[TheGreatOne]

consider how much polish time has been lost to the bullshit logistics of hawking shiny beads to regressive neanderthals (not even your average neanderthals)

Because when Chris Avellone isn't getting his ass handed to him by a pack of wolves writing emotionally engaging stories, he works on a production line and delivers the games to the nearest post office on his truck.

just in case we weren't clear here:

neither the producer not the consumer is served by this neolithic nonsense

You still haven't explained how exactly consumers benefit from lowering their standards. Publishers and developers can make bigger profits with less effort if they can sell unfinished products with DRM for the same price that consumers paid two decades ago for games that:
A) Could be installed on multiple computers, brought over to a friends house to play and sold forward or traded
B) Were actually your property
C) Came in neat boxes with cool cover art and well written, actual manuals (and at times stuff like maps, lore/spell books and misc stuff)
D) Were tested by actual QA teams rather than fans who are willing to pay to get into early access. Again; consumers lowering their standards. Corporations should beg the customers to buy their product, not the other way around.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

I suppose I see Steam and GOG as very different. You can't even install your game without connecting to Steam whereas I will have an executable from GOG that I downloaded years ago stored on a hard drive, burned DVD or USB stick. I never have to "connect" to GOG again to play my game. That's not true for Steam. I will always prefer GOG over Steam for that very reason regardless if some call/ don't call Steam DRM.

Back on topic: That combat video was very well done and my excitement continues to grow.

You have to log into Gog to download your game so that assertion is incorrect. D:OS for example does not require you to run Steam to play it so in this case your assertion is incorrect.

Benefits of auto-patching, available-from-anywhere install capabilities are compelling IMO, particularly when you pay for your software. It is nice to have an executable on a disk I suppose though it's not like Steam will prevent you from installing anything anywhere you want and as I mentioned already, Gog requires an account, a purchase and a login in order to download your game. You will likely find Gog's new platforms closer to Steam in nature than to the current Gog paradigm. If they continue to make standalone installation media available then that is certainly a plus and an advantage over Steam if that is important to you, however, I am not convinced that really brings value anymore.