Class action lawsuit

[wit>trope]

Uhmm.. define "viable"

Yes, lawsuits have been filed. And, yes - every single one has been thrown out of court or or totally lost.

Then that means some were not thrown out. In terms of losing them, well people lose against tobacco companies too ... so you don't know if you will lose or not until you try.

And BTW, the famous "hot coffee" lawsuit award was reduced by the courts by about 90% from the jury award - a fact that never made the headline news.

Isn't that still like 1 million or at least hundreds of thousands?

So, yes, anyone CAN file a stupid lawsuit - like the OP - but in real life your chances of winning are less than spectacular.

Even if you don't win, it can still be worth the effort. It makes a point. And it puts game companies on notice. Just like AMD's lawsuit against Intel -- AMD may not win, but it puts Intel on notice and discourages Intel from doing anything greedy.

Is anyone disputing the fact that game companies these days are all greedy?

If a lawsuit won't change that, then how are we going to change it? Any alternative suggestions?

 

[Undertaker798]

OMG, whine whine whine. You don't like it? Live with it? Law suit, god...

 

[chrissicom]

I experienced some bugs in the game and even had the graphics problem, the solution on the 2k Games site worked for me though and everything is fine now. The game rocks!! And when you look at EA Games they have way more bugs before the first patch

 

[Huxley Hobbes]

Guys, this is a silly idea. You simply don't have a genuine cause of action to file a class action suit. Basically you weren't forced to buy this game and you weren't defrauded by Firaxis by buying it (I know you want to claim you were duped into it, but no one would buy that). As mentioned above, you're simply unhappy about the deal you made, but that's not a valid basis for a lawsuit in this case. Plus, there's no way you could afford it.

Surely if the game can be shown not to work on a variety of systems which meet the specs (A variety because any judge will accept that bugs occur.) you'd have a case, based on the fact that a significant proportion of the products do not function as advertised?

Although I'm not interested in any such thing, because it works fine for me. But still, if the situation is as bad as suggested (I've not looked into it.) then surely it's worth considering some kind of action.

 

[Fredric Drum]

Nice of you to highlight the important part:

SOME STATES/COUNTRIES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS AND/OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS AND/OR EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.

 

[CyberChrist]

A lot of things certainly seem to have gone wrong on several levels with the initial release of CIV - and it is in sore need of being fixed/tweaked ASAP.

However, I fail to see how a lawsuit could promote such fixes/tweaks to come about faster.

 

[Fredric Drum]

It should be obvious that it wouldn't be to get Civ4 fixes out faster, it would be to tell the software houses that they can't rush software and sell defective products and get away with it over and over again.

 

[Telecide]

Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury... this is Chewbaca

 

[AER]

The gaming industry has been ripping people off for a couple of years now. TakeTwo & Firaxis have crossed a line, and I think it's time to make an example of them. Who's interested in seeing a class action lawsuit against TakeTwo and/or Firaxis?

Hahahaha

Good luck with that one.

 

[CyberChrist]

It should be obvious that it wouldn't be to get Civ4 fixes out faster, it would be to tell the software houses that they can't rush software and sell defective products and get away with it over and over again.

If they don't fix the problems and deliver the product working as advertised within a reasonable timeframe, THEN maybe radical steps such as lawsuits would be worth considering, but until then it is just overreacting IMHO.

At the end of the day isn't a wonderfull copy of CIV - delivering all we were promised and (hopefully) dreamed of - the only thing we all really want?

 

[Hrothgar]

By the way, after several hours of work, I finally got Civ4 working on one of my machines. I must've experienced half the bugs named on the tech support forum. I'm afraid I'll be too busy playing to attend to my class action lawsuit - someone else will have to take over. I still think someone should hang for letting this game get shipped. I have no doubt there are a plethora of bugs awaiting me, but at least the game runs... only took me 3 hours.

This is the best part of this whole thread. He got the game to work, abdicated his leadership role in this glorious enterprise (yes, that is sarcasm)...and suggested that someone should die. "Someone should hang for letting this game get shipped."

Watch out, game developers. In the old days, if you released a game that some people don't like, you might lose your job. If MrManganese has his way, that will be a crime worthy of the death penalty.

 

[warpstorm]

Be careful what you ask for. If you could convince an unscrupulous lawyer to take this case (you did agree that you wouldn't sue) and won the ramifications are not what you think they would be. Sure you might even get $100 out of it (minus the 40% take for the lawyers). Then there would never be another Civ game or pathches to this one. Ever. Firaxis would be out of business and the title wouldn't be touched by another developer (cursed). The already dying TBS genre would breathe its last gasp as the last developer who is interested in it goes under. In addition, all PC software (not just games) from then on would go way up in price and take a lot longer to come to market (to afford better lawyers and more testing). I would also think that all game developers would bail out of the PC market and go to consoles because at least there you know that the purchaser doesn't have a really screwy system configuration that you assumed nobody in their right mind would still have.

 

[Gazaridis]

I'm going to sue them because I haven't got my copy of Civ IV yet, and it's only five days before the official release date! Disgraceful!

 

[wit>trope]

if more or less all the game companies were sued class action, then it may cause a death to PC gaming, but that death would only be temporary. Soon, new companies or reformed companies will arise that will actually care about customers as opposed to just about profits.

 

[Undertaker798]

Waste of time, time, time, waste of time.

 

[MobBoss]

This is why we need to have tort reform in the U.S. Try to bring a stupid lawsuit like this vs Firaxis, and they will own your house, your business and sell your family off for medical experiments.

Their defense would be easy. Just roll a computer in that can play the game and let the jury all have a turn!...or two...or three..or four..or...etc...

 

[Matte979]

If this is how the human race bahaves we are doomed...

Grow up.. Take you valium...

 

[Oddible]

Hahhaha aha...

You don't remember the release of PTW do you...

Hee hehe hahaha hehehaaa.

Sue Firaxis.... Haah ahahhahaheh hheheh ehahhaaha.

 

[Mujadaddy]

Even if you don't win, it can still be worth the effort.

You have fun with that then. Let us know how it turns out

It makes a point. And it puts game companies on notice.

"Hey, Sid, did you notice we countersued a buncha n00blets and your stock is worth more now?"

Just like AMD's lawsuit against Intel -- AMD may not win, but it puts Intel on notice and discourages Intel from doing anything greedy.

Yep!!! Intel no longer does anything greedy!! That worked like a charm!!

Is anyone disputing the fact that game companies these days are all greedy?

(This is the best one ) YOU JUST SAID THAT INTEL WAS DISCOURAGED FROM BEING GREEDY!!

If a lawsuit won't change that, then how are we going to change it? Any alternative suggestions?

Don't give money to things you don't want to encourage. Return the game. That will save everyone time, money, and the desire to

 

[honus]

OMG - cry me a f4rking river, build a bridge and GET OVER IT!!