...because he knows where to find it and hence stopped being a casual pirate.Casual pirate goes to net and downloads the game...
How are you posting?
From the morale and recreation room.
Can't hook the laptop up there in any way?
What about your laptop's morale?
I dislike steam because it bumps me. I can't play anything for more than about 45 minutes without disconnecting from steam (but I stay connected to everything else I have running at the time.) I've spent tens of hours trying to solve this with both my best friend and my wife, both of whom are pretty strong technically. It works on both of their rigs. Doesn't work on mine. I'm still playing 30-45 minutes at a time, then disconnecting from steam for 2 minutes, then asking to please rejoin the game I was just in.
I have no philosphical problem with steam, it just doesn't work right. So will I be boycotting any must-have games based on this? No, good games are too few and far between. But if I'm ever on the edge as to whether or not to purchase something, being on steam will result in a non-purchase.
Everyone ignored you because you were the last post on the page, but I see all!
Try using Offline Mode? Save your user/password and put Steam into offline mode, second option down under File. Although I'm surprised that you're having problems as Steam shouldn't need a constant connection. Thats ubisoft's territory.
They didn't blackmail me. It was more along the lines of extortion since no crimes were committed by either party. It is their policy to cancel your account if there is a chargeback. However, I didn't realize that this, combined with their "no refund" policy, gave them the right to not deliver on orders, take your money regardless, and tell you to stick it. It is my policy, (as a consumer), to get my money back if I paid for something and didn't get it.
For anyone who has to use Steam for a game, your best bet is to open a different email account for each game you order. This way, if a game doesn't work and Steam will not give you a refund or a replacement, you can do a chargeback and not lose everything else you have paid for.
On 17 August 2010, six weeks after the release of APB, Realtime Worlds entered administration with Begbies Traynor, announcing major layoffs to their Dundee division, and mostly closing their Colorado office.[12] References state that 50 employees will be held to maintain the game APB, though it is unclear to what extent.[13][14][15][16] Joint administration was conducted by Paul Dounis and Ken Pattullo of the Begbies Traynor Group.[16]
Dounis stated: "Our intention is to continue trading the company while we attempt to find a going concern buyer which will safeguard the future of the business."[16] The following day (18 August), Begbies Traynor announced that Real Time Worlds had attracted interest from potential buyers "from both sides of the Atlantic."[17] On 19 August Begbies Traynor confirmed that a buyer needs to be found for the company as a going concern by the end of September.[18] If that deadline is not achieved liquidation is the most likely option for Realtime Worlds.
On 16 September 2010, the remainder of the Realtime Worlds staff was laid off with a temporary skeleton crew left in place to close the offices in Dundee and Colorado.[19]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realtime_Worlds
It's not Steam's responsibility that your code didn't work, just as it wouldn't be Best Buy's responsibility if you had bought it there instead. In fact, you're told that if there is a problem of that nature you need to see the game developer/studio/provider.
In this case, you bought something from Steam, it turned out to not be what you wanted, you tried to get your money back, but tried to do so from the wrong source. Game keys don't get replaced at that retailer level, you have to go to the game creator company to get your justice.
I can see where the confusion comes into play, expecting a refund since you were attempting to bring the "merchandise" back to store (Steam). It doesn't work that way here though because you're not dealing with a physical medium of any sort, so there's no defective merchandise to be had for which to exchange with. The actual media would be available for download, you were just buying the key for which to have access to it with. So Steam (the Best Buy in this scenario) can't help you because you got the media from them and it's deemed to not be defective and can't deal with your in-game account since that's being managed by a whole different company.
The same can be said for any game out there that utilizes some form of key activation for it's game, whether that be an initial activation, a time card, or other supplementary item(s).
I'm sorry for your loss of $100, but it was not Steam's fault that your key was faulty.
Its like buying a plane ticket and showing up to the airport to get on your plane and finding the airline out of business. Unfortunately you cant ask the airport for your money back.
Consider the $100 bucks you are out the cost of learning the lesson to not to buy a product from a company that may not be able to deliver
I think of Steam as like a cable tv provider, but instead of providing you with tv channels Steam provides you with games. It's fine.
Well, except that if I also choose to buy Season X of whatever show on DVD --- and then the cable goes out, cable tv doesn't force me to find some way to get cable tv back on just so I can tell it that I would now prefer to watch my DVDs without cable...
Cable tv also doesn't automatically change the channel to Law & Order: Los Angeles, if I'd prefer to just watch the old classic Jerry Orbach/Sam Waterson L&Os on TNT.
Cable tv also doesn't pepper me with ads for VH1 if I'm watching HBO, finish watching Boardwalk, then turn off the tv.
Your problem was in buying a product from a company that was imminently going out of business. Did you order before August 17th? If not, then you should have been aware of their problems and gone a different route:
Its like buying a plane ticket and showing up to the airport to get on your plane and finding the airline out of business. Unfortunately you cant ask the airport for your money back.
Consider the $100 bucks you are out the cost of learning the lesson to not to buy a product from a company that may not be able to deliver
Turn off this, turn off that. I can't possibly understand how some people actually enjoy that a company have complete control over the games you've already paid for. And I can't see how it could be legal either.
...because he knows where to find it and hence stopped being a casual pirate.
It's not against those who already know to get pirated games. Its against average joe getting a copied DVD from his buddy/class mate/room mate/etc.
Or who quickly googles the game's name plus "crack"
And since the first couple of days of sales is the most important, that's when the DRM is mainly required (and cracks rarely turn up perfectly working 0-day).
Really? Could you link it to me please.
If you would buy the plane ticket directly from the airlines, ie on their website and they won't deliever, indeed it's your problem and your risk to try to get back your money from them.