Rage Cuts Single-Player When You Buy It Used

[ph0b0s123]

Software and Digitally released products are different. If you paid attention to the EULA, you don't OWN the product, but a license of the product to use.

Have heard this before. If used sales were braking the EULA how come Gamestop etc have not been served with a big fat lawsuit for braking it? I wonder...... Yeah, no court would find for them. That's puts how bad it is in perspective if they don't believe a court will support their claim.

 

[Royas]

If you buy it used, you ain't supporting the developers, just like the pirates do. Don't see anything wrong with it, as long as this new little feature doesn't affect the legit buyers.

A buyer of a used game is just as "legit" as a buyer of a new game. There's nothing illegal or even questionable about buying and selling used goods. The only thing questionable in this whole equation is the hissy fits the developers and publishers keep throwing over legal activities. To the point that most, if not all, of DRM is currently designed to gut the legal used market and not the pirate market.

After all, DRM doesn't even slow a pirate down, but it sure will stop the honest used game buyer. You know, the guy buying his game legally, from someone else who bought their game legally, so forth and so on?

The devs and publishers have no right to any money from the used market. They don't like it, they can get out of the business of selling things. That's what we call the price of doing business in the real world.

 

[Dragunai]

Congratulations, you have successfully alienated the gamers who don't use the online features of their consoles due to not being interested in it or not being able to afford it etc. So there's a dent in your profit margin off the bat.

Now consider that pirates have the ability to break into your code, and don't think they won't or can't, unlock this content and then wave it around on a torrent site for the disgruntled people to take for free.

That dent just got a bit bigger didn't it?

What's that? You don't mind as long as people are still buying it 1st hand?
Right only you get a lot of gamers like myself these days who might have bought the game on an off chance, what with this title being a HUGE Meh to most people, who will now tell you to fuck yourself on principle as I, like others in my category, will happily fore go your repetitive, samey game to make sure you understand that we DON'T want this shit and will not support it.

That dent is pretty bad now isn't it?
Your companies credibility is now also in doubt and seeing as I don't know who the fuck these guys are, this has now set the precedent for me.

Adding these guys to the list of C**ts who I will now go out of my way to boycott at all costs along with Valve and EA.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

(Whistles) That's a pretty gutsy move there id. I always buy whatever game I want brand new because I'm worried about a used copy being damaged in some way, but to cut out the single player? Hm...not sure how I feel about that. Multiplayer I can understand, but single player...coming from someone who loves single player over multiplayer, this sounds like a dangerous slope, although they haven't fallen down it yet.

Read the article

I did. I am well aware of the fact that this only affects people who buy a used game, if that's what you're getting at. If it's not, then I don't know what you're trying to say.

It only cuts out a small side mission that doesn't affect the main game in any way shape or form

But it could start a precedent for others to follow and cut more out.

 

[Keepeas]

I thought bad things when i read the title, but now I know that its only small parts of the SP taht are being cut for used palyers. In my opinion this is the right way to do DRM.

This definitely isn't the right way to go about DRM.
I'm going to argue that the best DRM is NO DRM.
DRM doesn't stop pirates it actually causes more piracy.
DRM hurts legitimate customers and doesn't hurt pirates at all.
DRM DOES NOT do what it is meant to do.

If this section of the game really is insignificant why do this at all?
Are they trying to trick used game buyers into something useless?
Or is it actually very significant and they are trying to down play the severity of the DRM?
Either way it's bad.
I don't see any good in this.

 

[omicron1]

So, as someone who only cares about singleplayer, not only can I not get a discount by buying it multiplayer-free, I get the one part I actually care about cut in half if I DARE to go for "cheap."

All the publishers keep trying to get more money out of the market - it's like watching someone install tap after tap on the same pipe, vainly trying to increase the flow of water, screwing the existing taps as far open as he can. Not only will you not make more money from an already saturated market, gentlemen, you will in all likelihood simply break the market that already exists. I have only a certain amount of money per month to spend on videogames, and that will not change simply because you won't let me get games I like used. All that might happen is that I would be stuck with half as many games for the same amount of money, that I can't sell for as much because nobody will buy them.

Very simply, sirs, you cannot increase revenue this way. The "skyrocketing costs of development" are your doing, and I'm not going to pay for your mistakes. Your two options are: Find new markets, or cut costs. Now get to work!

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I am so fucking sick of devs doing shit like this. No other industry has such a vendetta against the used market. Even the fucking RIAA(the dickheads that sue you for millions for illegally downloading some songs) don't do this shit. Video game devs, if you are lower on this particular issue than the damned RIAA, you seriously need to look at your priorities

No other industry does such a thing and many other games don't do it either and they make plenty of money. It's not like this is necessary for the company to make a profit, it's just a matter of greed that is going to come out of our pockets. I buy used games because I'm at the point where I can still feed my hobby, but can't go spending away.

Now, I understand devs want to make all the money they can, but so do record companies and car companies. With modern technology, both industries could probably put limits on the used market, but they don't.

Lastly, this game is likely to have a lot of DLC, Bethesda games usually do, if less people have the game then there are less potential buyers for the DLC.

 

[Princess Rose]

Here is the funny part. How does hurting 2nd hand buyers increase the number of people willing to shell out $60 for your game? Answer is it doesn't. It just means the 2nd hand buyers will play something else. Congrats Bethesda/ID, you pissed some people off, wasted a bunch of development time your little lock, and gained nothing from it.

Well, they may have gained one thing - hurting Gamestop and other used game sellers.

If no one buys the game uses, then those places will waste their money giving people trade-ins, but never be able to get rid of the traded-in games.

That said, I doubt it will work. **shrug**

 

[Valdus]

Why can't devs just suck it up? Everything else has to settle for 2nd hand sales. Hell I don't know anyone personally who has bought a car new.

Adding Bethesda to the list of companies I don't buy from. Yes, that's right Bethesda, you're on the same list as E.A, how does that make you feel?

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Wouldn't this just end up with modders unlocking it really easily anyway? I mean, they can't remove it from the disc, and it isn't always-on DRM...

Also, it's a sewer level. Who the fuck likes sewer levels anyway?

 

[mirror's edgy]

I think the issue here is that blame is being placed on the wrong parties. The developer is, indeed, screwing over anyone who buys the game used. I buy games used because I don't have a job and they get expensive. Game retailers could give the same fraction of used game profits to developers that they do with new game sales, but they choose not to. This is to allegedly keep their prices competitive, but people seem to be in unanimous agreement that companies like Gamestop would be nowhere without developers, and they deserve a portion of the used game sale money.

This DRM situation would be vastly improved of retailers stopped taking 100 percent of the used profits. Developers could make more games and not have to rip any content out of the hands of anyone who had the sheer gall to try and save money. Even if this did not happen, developers still have no excuse. Extra Credits covered this perfectly; no matter how you try to keep your content exclusive to new copies, the Internet is full of hackers ready and willing to rip the DRM out purely because they hate to see companies mutilating their games for the customer this way. If they would add BONUS content for regular customers or people making new purchases rather than just giving incomplete games to secondhand buyers, the market would be healthier and we wouldn't have a few dozen offended people in this very discussion deciding to pass the game up entirely.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Oh well, I've bought it new, and on PC... so oh well...

And this is going to stop modders from unlocking the content how?

Umm, it is on console...? I've never heard of mods on console, or PC games being sold used...

 

[lonercs]

Bethesda just ensured that their game will be pirated to all hell. Congrats Bethesda, not only are you suing Notch, now your make the biggest "WHAT NOT TO DO" instance of DRM.

You must really want to ass rape your PR, don't you?

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

If you buy it used, you ain't supporting the developers, just like the pirates do. Don't see anything wrong with it, as long as this new little feature doesn't affect the legit buyers.

Used sales help support the people who buy it new. kill the used market, i think will effect the pocket of the new purchase crowd enough to effect the developers

 

[Callate]

Every day, the gravitation towards older games seems less like a nod toward so-called "retro" aesthetics and more of a conscious choice not to play guinea pig to "can we get away with this?" marketing tactics.

 

[Ian Caronia]

Next time I want to buy a used Mercedes, I'll call official Mercedes dealership to ask them if they're gonna cut my brakes if I don't give them a piece of that action.

This is fuckin' stupid. Used games market should be no different than any other market for used stuff. This kind of behavior can only increase piracy. There should be a law against this.

That's a good point, actually. I'm the type who buys games new from my favorite company (Atlus), but even then I'm not going to demonize gamers who can't afford to pay the full price (and I only do so because most of the company's games are on the cheaper side and because the folks at Atlus never pull this kind of stunt with their fans!).
_I get that the devs don't get a cut from used game sales, but if this is how things are going to be between developers and/or publishers and their consumers then:
1. Stop used games sales entirely. Make Used Games the same as piracy: a criminal act. Since the way companies make it seem, it pretty much is. The only reason it's legal is because we're paying somebody "legit" for the copy. Hence why some coin it "legal piracy".
Or, for those with an intellect: 2. STOP WHINING ABOUT IT!

You want to know how to get games sold new? Make the deals that much sweeter. For example: Pre-order swag. I love it. Lots of folks love it. Thus, we buy the game new.
Want to know how to have games not sell much at all? DRM and this kind of abuse.
Id exec: "Just stick to giving them a bonus OST (a real one, not that digital download horse crap), an artbook, or even a simple map for swag persuasion? Bah! BAH, I say! We'll strip content from the game and make it Swiss cheese! Surely they will worship us then."

I get the feeling Mass Effect 3 is going to have something like this happen. Watch. With EA and the newer, shytsier Bioware behind the wheel, ME3 will be ruined for used game buyers.
If I'm wrong then I'll smack my Collector's Edition copy of Dark Souls against my face.
...By the way, that Collector's Edition? I 'll be getting that from simply pre-ordering the normal game. Yeah. Walkthrough, Making-Of, and some other intersting thing all for just pre-ordering.
I want to see what people who support this kind of thing say to companies who act like that. No excuse for this.

 

[DataSnake]

This definitely isn't the right way to go about DRM.
I'm going to argue that the best DRM is NO DRM.
DRM doesn't stop pirates it actually causes more piracy.
DRM hurts legitimate customers and doesn't hurt pirates at all.
DRM DOES NOT do what it is meant to do.

Personally, I think Steam is a pretty good deal. Yeah, you have to register with Valve, but it's actually worth the trouble. I've had quite a few games where over the years I either lost the disk or it was scratched beyond recovery, but since they were Steam games, I could just download them, hassle-free. Also, the automatic patching is pretty spiffy, and it remains possible to play offline.
EDIT: Basically, it's the right approach because there's something in it for the end user, other than the "privelege" of being allowed to play a game they ALREADY PAID FOR.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Sooooo, can non-online player players try the single player?

[HEADING=2]I GUESS NOT.[/HEADING] (I could be wrong)

This is dropping my hope in video games. I hope Valve doesn't catch on.

 

[Inkidu]

That's not fair! That's not fair! God damn it that's not fair! The only way to enforce that is to use a one-time pass code to unlock the single player. A code which you have to enter on Xbox Live. I don't have Xbox Live. I can't get a hard line to my house, I can't get it on wireless. Even if I went and bought it new I still wouldn't get the entire single player experience.

Wake up, you're not punishing pirates, you're not punishing second hand people, you're punishing me. People just unfortunate enough to not have this magical perfect internet that Ted Witless thinks everyone owns. I'm going to go write a letter to id now.

I really think I could cry, and not because I'm not getting my game. I could cry because I'm being punished for doing nothing wrong.

EDIT: If any people or Escapist staff have id Software's email address (for complaint's or fan mail or whatever). Please PM me it. I want to save myself postage if I can.

 

[omegawyrm]

Well that's another game I won't consider buying. I guess I'm not the common sort of gamer, but I have a massive backlog of games I've collected and barely touched that I'm perfectly happy to spend time playing, so when a developer or publisher does anything to even "slightly" deter me from getting a game, whether it be an always-on internet connection, or locking some content, it just makes it easier for me to decide what I want to play next. They do realize they have to compete with other games, right?