EA Defends Origin From Hardcore Crowd

[lacktheknack]

I must be the only person on Earth that hates Steam. The way I see it, why waste 3 hours downloading a game when you can get it off a disc, install it, and then play it with in the next 5 minutes?

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

 

[mjc0961]

The difference is that Steam was the first serious digital distribution network. They made plenty of mistakes.

Origin has the benefit of a decade of Steam's mistakes, yet they continue to make *EXACTLY THE SAME ONES*. They're even managing to make the mistakes that Steam managed to not only avoid, but explicitly called out so that other distribution networks would be able to benefit from those experiences.

That's the problem people have with Origin: This is the year 2012, and they've produced a service that isn't even as good as Steam was *when it launched*.

This, this, this, this, and also this.

And offering to list crowd funded games for free isn't going to change any of that, EA. You and Origin still suck.

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

Not retail's fault that you suck at owning a car, getting to the bus stop on time, and ignoring people berating you for taking something they wanted in a store. In addition, not retail's fault that you suck at preordering either in-store or online so that a disc is guaranteed to either be in the store waiting for you or delivered to your door on launch day. Finally, it's not retail's fault that you suck at not going to Steam to buy the game in the first place when you know you suck at all of the things mentioned above.

 

[lacktheknack]

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

Not retail's fault that you suck at owning a car, getting to the bus stop on time, and ignoring people berating you for taking something they wanted in a store. In addition, not retail's fault that you suck at preordering either in-store or online so that a disc is guaranteed to either be in the store waiting for you or delivered to your door on launch day. Finally, it's not retail's fault that you suck at not going to Steam to buy the game in the first place when you know you suck at all of the things mentioned above.

Nope, this was my discovery of the suckage of the above.

You also haven't disproven my point that Steam is faster/easier. If anything, you've conceded in a rather aggressive way.

 

[PlaidHatter]

EA, if you want to be successful, you have to give a bit back but you won't because your only reason for living is to make sure all you see is dollar signs by any means necessary.

Don't kid yourself. That's the goal of every company. If you're not making money, there is literally no reason to stay in business. Valve wants your money just as badly as EA or any other company.

 

[Aeonknight]

I'm sorry EA but you're going to have to face it sometime... hardcore gamers hate you. They hate you with the irrational mindless rage usually reserve for Star Wars prequels. The nerd rage is beyond measure and they will never like you, ever. Cut your loses and stop trying to make them happy.

Since when did you speak for all of them? Valve fanboys hate EA sure, but personally I don't have a problem with either company. Nor am I silly enough to pledge undying loyalty to one digital distribution service over another when it's perfectly acceptable to use both. They are not mutually exclusive of one another.

This whole arguement is worse than the silly console wars.

 

[shrekfan246]

Heh, love the gif, might have to grab that.

It was actually made by someone on these very forums.

And I know that does exist. Though as part of my defense, Mass Effect 2 was definitely a title I loved playing, and was also released before Dragon Age 2. To me Dragon Age 2 just marked a point wherein Bioware titles started to see a decline in overall quality with random ups and downs for each title.

Dragon Age 2? I loved the new art style, loathed the horrid lack of class freedom for customization. If I wanted Merril to be a healer/bloodmage, there's no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to spec her into that. And taking what was once a lovable mage and turning up the emo to 11 while also making him the games single NPC healer, bull-oney!

Well, I'm glad that you're not just spewing irrational hatred for the sake of being angry. I can agree with your points, the overall quality of Bioware titles has dropped and been massively fluctuating since their acquisition by EA. I actually preferred the new skill system, though, because I find that the "typical" system that games like DA: Origins usually take always end up giving you countless talents, skills, and spells that are absolutely useless. And, okay, Merril can't be a healer, but assuming your Hawke isn't a mage, Bethany can be a healer. Mage-Hawke can be a healer too. And considering you can only have three other party members, loading up the group with healing-mages seems a little counter-productive anyway. I suppose if you don't like Bethany or don't want to play a healer yourself, it would be frustrating though.

Mass Effect 3? Such a ramp up, not just across the first and second game, but throughout a majority of the 3rd. Then those last few minutes hit and nothing. All that work gets just a statistical indication, where Mass Effect 2 had clearly shown effects to what you did or didn't neglect. Not to mention the ending they had to have their arms twisted just to patch a little. And its multiplayer does nothing for me, at least with how it works now.

I can't comment on the multi-player (it doesn't interest me), but while I certainly agree that compared to Mass Effect 2 the final act of 3 was horribly done, I still had tons of fun with the game and I'm one of those wacky, crazy people who didn't hate the ending.

As for The Old Republic? Well... they've been forced to have to bribe their own player base just to switch or stay in select servers, in a struggle to keep said servers from turning into an entire ghost town. That game has plenty of issues.

I can't really comment on this either, as I've never played it, but I do know that many of my guildies from WoW who went to TOR have since returned to WoW.

 

[Drejer43]

I dislike EA as much as the next guy but people who complain about EA making their titles exclusive, is kinda being silly, when Valve is doing the exact same thing, granted vavle Isn't a publisher of as many games but still.

 

[bandman232]

I must be the only person on Earth that hates Steam. The way I see it, why waste 3 hours downloading a game when you can get it off a disc, install it, and then play it with in the next 5 minutes?

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

How about you get a car then?

 

[bandman232]

I must be the only person on Earth that hates Steam. The way I see it, why waste 3 hours downloading a game when you can get it off a disc, install it, and then play it with in the next 5 minutes?

Because some people live 5 hours away from the nearest retailer? Because it takes longer to get it through mail? Because some people think Steam is more convenient? Because of Steam sales and awesome customer support?

I have been using Steam since 2007 and not once have I had a decent experience with it. It was such a hassle trying to get my Orange box to work, and even then support was completely unhelpful. Added to the fave that it takes forever to download something (6 hours for TF2? Are you fucking kidding me?) compounded with the procrastination of HL3, makes me now officially hate Valve. The retarded community doesn't help either.

 

[GAunderrated]

I must be the only person on Earth that hates Steam. The way I see it, why waste 3 hours downloading a game when you can get it off a disc, install it, and then play it with in the next 5 minutes?

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

How about you get a car then?

That is a very troll statement. Steam is convenient for many people hence why its so popular. Nit picking people's reasons by using blanket statements is just your way of not admitting the other person has a legit point of view

 

[Friendly Lich]

Maybe so, but steam offers me at present the better service of the two, so I will stick with that.

If Origin can prove it can be better than Steam, and not trying to constantly excuse itself, then I may think of switching.,

I agree, if origin didn't spend so much time trying to talk itself up and actually gave me a reason to use origin maybe I would use it.

Their logic seems to be: People like us, they just don't know it yet, one day they will realize their mistake and use our service instead.

 

[nasteypenguin]

Since when did you speak for all of them? Valve fanboys hate EA sure, but personally I don't have a problem with either company. Nor am I silly enough to pledge undying loyalty to one digital distribution service over another when it's perfectly acceptable to use both. They are not mutually exclusive of one another.

This whole arguement is worse than the silly console wars.

The thing is, the existence of one detracts from the existence of the other. I have loyalty to steam purely because I have built a library on steam. The existance of Origin however forces me to use at least two libraries and have two pieces of software installed- which do the exact same thing- if I want to play all the games I desire. This is inconvenient and when convenience is the only thing that matters to customers of an entirely entertainment based medium, it affects peoples attitudes.

I don't necessarily have any meaningful opinions about either product or company, but it's entirely untrue to stipulate that, in the current condition, the two compliment each other or even just provide the same convenience to the consumer as if only one existed.

As a sidenote, the only difference between this and the console wars is that no one console is more liked than the other. If the Xbox came out 6 years after the Playstation (or vice versa) the Xbox would likely be just as derided as Origin, because the two don't compliment each other in the eyes of the customer; exclusives are not convenient.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

How about you get a car then?

Maybe cars are very expensive where he lives? For me, Car Insurance alone would cost me a tremendously substantial portion of my wage that would all but prevent me from actually buying any games and given that the biggest game retailers here (Game and Gamestation) are now gone digital distribution is left as one of my only options. Sure, there's Amazon, but it takes longer for it to be delivered than it does for me to download games. Often costs more, too.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I'm sorry EA but you're going to have to face it sometime... hardcore gamers hate you. They hate you with the irrational mindless rage usually reserve for Star Wars prequels. The nerd rage is beyond measure and they will never like you, ever. Cut your loses and stop trying to make them happy.

Since when did you speak for all of them? Valve fanboys hate EA sure, but personally I don't have a problem with either company. Nor am I silly enough to pledge undying loyalty to one digital distribution service over another when it's perfectly acceptable to use both. They are not mutually exclusive of one another.

This whole arguement is worse than the silly console wars.

I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over the sound of the very vocal group of people who hate EA and feel driven to post nasty things about them on every story the Escapist publishes about them. Oh whats that? You think I was doing something besides taking a cheap jab at this unrelentingly annoying group? Nope. I don't have a problem with Origin or EA. It does occur to me though that the abundance of news stories published here that portray EA in a negative light and the fact that few people I've seen here express positive feelings towards them (there are neutral guys but many positive guys) probably means that there not the most loved company around and need more PR work.

 

[Antari]

EA can never be forgiven on this in my book. They murdered Origin Systems, which is the rightful holder of the name Origin. This bastardized digital distribution service is just another way for Electronic Arts to rip people off. I will never have anything to do with it under any circumstances. The damage is done.

 

[lacktheknack]

I must be the only person on Earth that hates Steam. The way I see it, why waste 3 hours downloading a game when you can get it off a disc, install it, and then play it with in the next 5 minutes?

Because it's faster and easier.

Let's say I'm trying to buy Skyrim. This is a recount of a real experience.

I have to get on a bus, wait for twenty minutes, get on a train, wait for ten more minutes, then I have to wend my way through a mall's bus depot (five minutes), get into the mall itself, strongarm my way through the crowds to the local EBGames (ten minutes), find it's not even there (seriously, EBGames sucks), get back to the train (fifteen minutes), wait because the train is delayed and then ride it back (fifteen minutes), wait twenty minutes for another bus, take a fifteen minute bus ride to the local Future Shop, set off the alarm on the way in and lose ten minutes with dumb people trying to demagnetize my jacket, find that they've sold out, walk over to the nearest Best Buy (ten minutes, three near-fatalities because people cannot drive), grab the last copy, stand there for five minutes as some douche berates me for daring to take the last copy because it was clearly HIS, stand in line for twenty minutes, pay for it, get outside, miss my bus, stand there for forty five minutes before finding out I missed the last one, walk to a nearby bus stop to catch a different one (ten minutes), miss it again, scream in fury and walk home (two and a half hours).

And it started raining half way there.

Which method was better again?

How about you get a car then?

Because counting insurance, gas and my general hatred and distrust of people in cars, combined with my lack of wanting to go places, it's easier/safer/cheaper for me to take the bus and use Steam.

Tell you what: Give me six thousand dollars for the clunker and a thousand bucks a month for the insurance, and I'll use a car. Because I'M certainly not shelling out for that.

 

[Callate]

"The hardcore sometimes has issues with Origin, but they seem to love these crowd-funded games," says David DeMartini, chief of Origin at EA. "It was one of the few things we have done that wasn't controversial and nobody had anything negative to say."

...Is anyone else seeing envisioning a disapproving older gentleman saying, "We think it's a buncha noise, but those crazy teenagers, they sure seems to love the rock-and-roll?"

Yes, DeMartini. Lots of people love crowd-funding. Mostly, because it takes a portion of the games industry out of the hands of people like, well, you and your bosses. And while I'm not going to criticize EA for offering to distribute independent games on Origin, I'm not conflating that with EA being responsible for those games, or their existence, or the success of their funding model.

And while we're noting such sharp disparities, might I take a moment to note that things like console exclusivity, which is essentially what EA is trying to haul into the PC arena in the form of Origin, are part of the reason many PC gamers stay out of the console wars in the first place?

Go ahead, guys. Keep telling yourselves its not you, it's us. Keep mouthing the "We're sorry you feel that way" and "We regret that you aren't willing to be reasonable" "apologies". Keep pretending that the nonsense you spout to your shareholders and board members is eaten with equal gusto by your customers. The only response we need to make is to not buy your games.

 

[hooksashands]

More proof that EA is filled with chumps like this DeMartini guy: exploitative, carpetbagging assholes looking to cash in on our hobby. "Hardcore" gamers don't like your platform or your company because they know it's one giant demographic circlejerk. Just crash and burn already. Videogames don't need their own Hollywood.

 

[theultimateend]

The difference is that Steam was the first serious digital distribution network. They made plenty of mistakes.

Origin has the benefit of a decade of Steam's mistakes, yet they continue to make *EXACTLY THE SAME ONES*. They're even managing to make the mistakes that Steam managed to not only avoid, but explicitly called out so that other distribution networks would be able to benefit from those experiences.

That's the problem people have with Origin: This is the year 2012, and they've produced a service that isn't even as good as Steam was *when it launched*.

THIS!

How hard is that for companies to understand?!

You aren't starting from a Tabula flippin' Rasa, you have TONS of data to work off of!

It's like when MMO's fail and their mistakes are ones that WoW made at launch or some other title.

"Well they did it too..."

Yes...yes they did...you should have learned from that.

...probably means that there not the most loved company around and need more PR work.

Yes.

I might be going out on a limb but when your history involves buying extremely popular companies and then dissolving them, you might build a bad reputation.

Look at Bain Capital. They made their money largely from shutting down companies and moving jobs overseas.

Regardless of whether or not its good "business" it overlooked the fact that they only exist because the country they are in has the good setup to actually allow them to exist. There should be some sense of loyalty.

But I digress, EA is similar, they existed initially because of their quality and the good graces of their consumer base. Now they mostly buy up competition and strong arm. Eventually that house of cards is going to come down and its sad because some nice people will be (at least momentarily) unemployed.

You know, they're basically right.

When Steam launched, it was shit. And people complained. A LOT.

Now Steam is the same shit or worse, people just got used to it. For some reason.

I for one won't buy any game that requires Steam, Origin, UBI-something, Rockstar Club or any other of this crap.

Saying steam is worse now is literally objectively untrue.

You might not like it but at a very basic level it is literally better than it once was. People didn't get used to it, their system improved to a point that people accepted.

Origin may eventually do the same. One can hope.