Civ 4 complete on steam for $10, one day only

[Quintillus]

The one-day Civ4 sale has been resurrected to live another day! You have another 23 hours to get Civ4 The Complete Edition for $10.

PieceOfMind, I know I have several Steam games that I haven't played much/at all, but those are all amongst the more recent games I've purchased. All the games I bought in the first 9 months I had a Steam account, I've played significantly, except one that turned out to be a dud (so much for buying from that developer in the future without a demo). Of the ones I've purchased in the past 9 months, I've only played one a lot (quite a lot), although to be fair a good number of those games I bought in the past 2.5 months.

Steam has certainly increased the number of games I have bought, and lowered the price at which I've bought them. I've probably spent a similar amount on games as I would have otherwise, but with my spending more spread out - this probably hurts the developers from whom I would traditionally buy anyway, and helps those whose games I try out for the first time and end up liking. I do find myself asking, "Will I have time to play this game?", but this model also gives me a wider variety of games to choose from when I do have time to play, which probably makes gaming more interesting for me.

Nevertheless, I do still tend to play my favorite games heavily. Part of the reason I was playing Civ3 last night.

Perhaps the biggest winner out of the Steam sales is the hard drive vendors. My Steam folder has ballooned to dozens of gigabytes. If that keeps up I might have to buy double my hard drive again to 640 GB in a year or so.

 

[Commander Bello]

The one-day Civ4 sale has been resurrected to live another day! You have another 23 hours to get Civ4 The Complete Edition for $10.

So, within 7 days we are "offered" two sales being limited to just one day?

Would some of you guys be so nice and help me in spelling r-i-p-o-f-f?

 

[ilmonstre]

you obviously didnt go and look why they added another 24 hour sale for 10 bucks.

just like the christmas sales the last day is a encore day for the games that sold the most so people who missed those can get another chance in picking them up for a low price

 

[AZSportsFan]

So, within 7 days we are "offered" two sales being limited to just one day?

Would some of you guys be so nice and help me in spelling r-i-p-o-f-f?

How, in any sense of the word, is that a ripoff? Or even dishonest? The game bundle was on sale for one day. That day ended, so did the sale. Today is a different day, and steam chose for their sale today to run the more popular titles that have been on sale over the past 10 days. One of those is the Civ IV bundle.

It seems to me that you are trying too hard to be contrary.

 

[bjbrains]

So, within 7 days we are "offered" two sales being limited to just one day?

Would some of you guys be so nice and help me in spelling r-i-p-o-f-f?

Do you really have to automatically judge anything steam, civ 5, or 2K/Firaxis related as bad/negative/terrible/evil?

 

[Commander Bello]

The one-day Civ4 sale has been resurrected to live another day! You have another 23 hours to get Civ4 The Complete Edition for $10.

Do you really have to automatically judge anything steam, civ 5, or 2K/Firaxis related as bad/negative/terrible/evil?

I am just going by the first quote. "One-day Civ4 sale"...

A "one-day sale" repeated within one week to me seems to be a rip-off, since the first occurance would have indicated a "one-time chance, not to be repeated very soon, so grab it RIGHT NOW!"
This obviously was not what was intended, but to make people buy it.
And after people have bought it, more people should buy it. So, the same "sale" was "offered" again. (Whether it still deserves the term "sale" now may be questionable).

 

[LaRate]

Hmmm... you get the Civ4 complete edition on CD for 9,99€ (at least here in Germany) already for months, and since the last BTS patch you don't even need the CD in tray to play (which practically removes any DRM mechanics).

So please enlighten me: why should anyone buy a steam version??

 

[ori]

because of Colonization - which isn't included in the European Complete Edition

 

[PieceOfMind]

Indeed 2K/Firaxis in all their wisdom sarcasm: ) decided to call one version "civ4: complete edition" and the other "civ4 complete".

The one that includes Colonization, from what I've seen, is only available to North American customers. This is why many people won't even see it on Steam.

 

[ori]

we had it from high up that this could never ever create confusion

I love Take2's marketing strategy - they sell
Civilization IV Complete - that does not include Colonization and now they want to confuse their american customers by announcing
Civilization IV: The Complete Edition which does include Colonization and is the same as
Civilization 4 Ultimate - which has been released without announcements in Europe (at least Germany and Switzerland ) a month ago...

Edit: I do applaud the no-DRM thing though - if that bears out and means they got rid of safedisk I'll likely buy it even though its an expensive Colonization for me...

Those others are European only products. Civ IV The Complete Edition is a North American-only release, so there's no confusion there. Except for people like you who shop worldwide, I suppose.

 

[Senethro]

I am just going by the first quote. "One-day Civ4 sale"...

A "one-day sale" repeated within one week to me seems to be a rip-off, since the first occurance would have indicated a "one-time chance, not to be repeated very soon, so grab it RIGHT NOW!"
This obviously was not what was intended, but to make people buy it.
And after people have bought it, more people should buy it. So, the same "sale" was "offered" again. (Whether it still deserves the term "sale" now may be questionable).

So you've complained that STeam only offers good prices during sales and now you're complaining that they sale too often? What?

This is how they've ran their sale weeks before. On the last day they repeat all the most popular deals.

 

[Commander Bello]

So you've complained that STeam only offers good prices during sales and now you're complaining that they sale too often? What?

First of all, it seems that you really have to wait for the "sales" to get good prices at Steam.
Second, even if there are "sales", prices are not always that good.
Third, if a "sale" is repeated within just one week, as it looks from the advertisement here, I question if this is really a "sale" or if the "normal" prices are just to rip-off the customer.

This is how they've ran their sale weeks before. On the last day they repeat all the most popular deals.

And some people seem to fall for it.

 

[bjbrains]

I am just going by the first quote. "One-day Civ4 sale"...

A "one-day sale" repeated within one week to me seems to be a rip-off, since the first occurance would have indicated a "one-time chance, not to be repeated very soon, so grab it RIGHT NOW!"
This obviously was not what was intended, but to make people buy it.
And after people have bought it, more people should buy it. So, the same "sale" was "offered" again. (Whether it still deserves the term "sale" now may be questionable).

Bello, I don't think you understand. This isn't some kind of hidden trap, this is common information that steam can and will repeat sales on the Sunday after their weekly sales events. This is exactly what I was talking about when I said you had to put everything valve/steam/civ5/2k/firaxis related in the most negative way possible, even if its not true.

 

[Senethro]

And some people seem to fall for it.

Yeah, I really fell for some cheap prices. :smilie used sarcastically:

 

[Commander Bello]

Bello, I don't think you understand.

May I just return that compliment?

This isn't some kind of hidden trap, this is common information that steam can and will repeat sales on the Sunday after their weekly sales events.

Sure they can. And sure they will, as we have just seen.

This is exactly what I was talking about when I said you had to put everything valve/steam/civ5/2k/firaxis related in the most negative way possible, even if its not true.

May I ask, to what you refer with "even if it is not true"? It's not true that Steam repeats "sales" with a high frequency?
Or doesn't a sale on day 1 being repeated on day 8 constitute high frequency?

So, what is your problem if not that somebody dares not to join in this endless cheering about such so-called "sales"?

Some people here advertise Steam's so-called "sales". Obviously, to prove how "great" that company is, or what "great deals" that company offers.

And I can very well understand how annoying it is for these people when somebody points out that a "one-day sale" isn't that great if it is repeated just one week later.
Even if it were not advertised as "one-day sale", the immediate repetition of such a "sale" makes the term "sale" itself really questionable.

Actually, I have to wonder why people seem to be offended when such practises of the company are pointed out?

Discussing a company's more or less questionable marketing manouvres now counts as putting everything in the most negative way?
May I then assume that advertising such manouvres here would count as "putting Steam in the most positive way"?

 

[deanej]

It's a common practice for stores to increase the regular prices and then have a "sale" where the items are sold at what was the regular price. This is also shown by Raymour & Flanagan, where everything in the store is "on sale" 365 days of the year. It's a shame that most people are stupid enough to fall for this.

 

[Senethro]

This is literally the Anti-Steam crowd being mad at Steam for not being as bad as they want.

 

[bjbrains]

May I just return that compliment?


Sure they can. And sure they will, as we have just seen.

May I ask, to what you refer with "even if it is not true"? It's not true that Steam repeats "sales" with a high frequency?
Or doesn't a sale on day 1 being repeated on day 8 constitute high frequency?

So, what is your problem if not that somebody dares not to join in this endless cheering about such so-called "sales"?

Some people here advertise Steam's so-called "sales". Obviously, to prove how "great" that company is, or what "great deals" that company offers.

And I can very well understand how annoying it is for these people when somebody points out that a "one-day sale" isn't that great if it is repeated just one week later.
Even if it were not advertised as "one-day sale", the immediate repetition of such a "sale" makes the term "sale" itself really questionable.

Actually, I have to wonder why people seem to be offended when such practises of the company are pointed out?

Discussing a company's more or less questionable marketing manouvres now counts as putting everything in the most negative way?
May I then assume that advertising such manouvres here would count as "putting Steam in the most positive way"?

You keep thinking this is some kind of deception by valve (aka making sales not really sales), but in reality, the sales rarely repeat except on the sunday after a weeklong sale event and christmas week. That's not high frequency by any standard. Also bello, again, it's not about you "pointing out" what they're doing, it's about you interpreting (and misinterpreting) their actions as negative things for consumers, when they're really, really not by any objective measurement.

 

[12agnar0k]

Commander Bello, I know some people simply refuse to listen, that they have a personal view that will never change no matter how much evidence and sophisticated reasoning is displayed to them, I suspect you are a member of this crowd. This condition I expect you of suffering may well have an official title, but I will just dub you and other follower's Creationistlike.

Okay now to the point, which you will probably not understand or refuse to acknowledge.

"A ripoff (or rip-off) is a bad financial transaction. Usually it refers to an incident in which a person overpays for something. ..."

Steam are not ripping you off when they repeat a previous sale they made before, in fact they are doing the opposite, they are offering again the same deal as before where someone gets to buy civ4 complete for less than the normal price, which is underpaying compared to normal pricing and thus not a rip off by definition. This in no way rip's any customer off.

You seem to base your entire pointless arguing that Steam offered a one-day sale to try and get your money and then went back on thier word and offered it again, they did no such thing, they had a sale, which ended 24 hours after it began, they made you no promise they wouldn't reopen the exact same deal 24 hours later or in this case the next week.

The only way you as a customer can feel "badly done by" is if you buy an item at a certain price and then the next day you find you could have brought a product cheaper, but this doesn't happen anymore on Steam than it happens anywhere else, and its never the fault of the seller its your fault as a consumer for not window shopping more so to speak.

So if you wish to bad mouth Steam I would appreciate it if you actually picked a topic where Steam are at fault. Steam don't rip you off, certainly not by offering you fantastic discounts more than once in a lifetime o.0 lol.

So unless your reply to this very reasonable explanation is "Yes 12agnar0k I understand now I was wrong and you all have my applogies, How could I of been so silly to think Steam offering me a very good sale twice could be classified as a rip-off." I will be forced for ever more to refer to you as Commander Creationistlike Bello.

Moderator Action: Flaming/Trolling - warned
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[The_J]

Ripoff is maybe the wrong word for it, but it's still missleading for the customer.
By crying "It's cheap! Now! For one day! Buy it!", you'll seduce people to buy it now, because it's cheap and you'll probably will not get it tomorrow again.
By crying it every day, you'll just get more of the uninformed users to buy a game.
And do you not feel mocked when you hear "It's cheap! Now! For one day! Buy it!" every day? I do.