Class action lawsuit

[ainwood]

Okay, listen up. If 15%, or 1 out of every 7 people found the game unplayably bad within 1 week, then statistically speaking 1 in 7 beta testers would have found the same thing in a week. Naturally this isn't an accurate measurement, but I'm certain it's well within the ballpark.

The major problem appears to be graphics problems with ATI cards. Now - statistically speaking, many of the testers probably had these cards as well. And statistically, quite a few people with ATI cards can still play it. I think there's more to it than just a lack of beta testing.

 

[OurEmpire]

The major problem appears to be graphics problems with ATI cards. Now - statistically speaking, many of the testers probably had these cards as well. And statistically, quite a few people with ATI cards can still play it. I think there's more to it than just a lack of beta testing.

Yes, my ATI Radeon plays it without a stutter or shutter anywhere in it. In fact, it plays it with graphics on high, and the resolution on 1024x768 much better than I thought it would.

 

[ombak]

On the contrary, satisfied customers are far more likely to speak up and defend the game they're in love with, than unsatisfied customers are to speak up and risk being ganged up on by its defenders (as I have been).

OK, see, before this statement I just thought your reasoning was poor. Now I'm not sure you're reasoning at all. If you seriously believe what you just said you either have little to no experience with people or just don't understand them.

Plus there's little reason for people to speak up, if they think $50 is an insignificant matter.

Based on the responses here I'm guessing 50 bucks isn't insignificant. No need to go to China to defeat your point, you just did.

Take a trip to China and see what they do to you if you say $50 USD isn't a big deal. And to think, people have been calling me spoiled.

Your logic is bass-ackwards.

 

[MrManganese]

Brota - Good story, but I fail to see the parallels
OurEmpire - I don't imagine either of these companies is in an ideal financial position. They'd like to avoid a lawsuit every bit as much as we would. I'd be content if they just recalled the game until it stood a reasonable chance of working.

ombak- I believe what Musica means is that democracy is at its lowest right now. The idea of voting (read: wishing) as a way to control the world around us is antiquated. We vote with our wallets, not only with what we buy but with who we hire to fight our political battles. Most gamers are ignorant to the larger picture, and think some hero will swoop down and enact business standards to guarantee that industry doesn't continually lower the quality of its product just to make a buck. Well Musica has news for you: the political realm doesn't give a crap what happens to the little guy unless he has money/power and is willing to use it to make a statement.

 

[belamorte]

I must sue for the Firaxs for the lost wages I have incurred for the last 2 days and next 2 days I have taken off work for this addiction. Crystal meth, Coke, Herion doesnt compare to this. Rather then safe injection sites we need safe Civ4 sites and if I dont get them Im gonna sue...

/end

If you are actually serious I feel sorry for you...

"Life sucks untill you get dropped on your head then its all better"

 

[Multiplicity]

To back up my 'no' vote, I base my reasoning on the fact that not a single piece of software developed remains bug free upon retail release. When I purchase software, I expect that there will be some issues with it, and I even expect it to the point where the software may fail on my machine. To me, it boils down to being a smart consumer. I would wait for offical game reviews, the overall trends of opinions on game forums, and what issues players are coming up with and the frequency of their occurances. I took a chance with this game, pre-ordering it a month prior to release (am still waiting for USPS to deliver it), and I am ready to accept any issues that may crop up with me as it did with other consumers. I'll be bummed if the issues make the game unplayable, but I won't place blame anywhere and hope for a patch to come out ASAP to fix such issues.

 

[MrManganese]

OK, see, before this statement I just thought your reasoning was poor. Now I'm not sure you're reasoning at all.

I was just responding to people on the same level that they've been responding to me. That is to say, I'm just saying stuff. It's a totally plausible theory to explain the results of the poll. Your obviously superior idea of common sense withstanding, there's no evidence to reinforce or deny either side's arguments.

 

[ombak]

ombak- I believe what Musica means is that democracy is at its lowest right now. The idea of voting (read: wishing) as a way to control the world around us is antiquated. We vote with our wallets, not only with what we buy but with who we hire to fight our political battles. Most gamers are ignorant to the larger picture, and think some hero will swoop down and enact business standards to guarantee that industry doesn't continually lower the quality of its product just to make a buck. Well Musica has news for you: the political realm doesn't give a crap what happens to the little guy unless he has money/power and is willing to use it to make a statement.

You're preaching to the choir here and I'm not going to turn this into a political thread just to expand on the point.

I will say that if you applied some of the reasoning behind the picture you paint you might see why your point above (about satisfied gamers somehow being more likely to speak) is nonsense.

 

[Mujadaddy]

For all that voted NO

another reason why America is becoming more and more like a <removed>. Moderator Action: Trolling - warned.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889 people don't mind letting the government and corperations run the damn country. whatever happened to state control and the people running the country, not a bunch of minority agencies who benifit in everyway. you all should be ashamed of yourselfs for at elast voteing no, uner principle. I do understand its hard for most people to shell out the money to do something like this. but again, American principles of freedom and liberty, are all being lose. how shamefull.

Quoted for Posterity

 

[ombak]

I was just responding to people on the same level that they've been responding to me. That is to say, I'm just saying stuff. It's a totally plausible theory to explain the results of the poll. Your obviously superior idea of common sense withstanding, there's no evidence to reinforce or deny either side's arguments.

It's not a totally plausible theory. It only becomes a totally plausible theory if you ignore reality.

Your point about there being no evidence to point us towards one theory or the other should also make you realize that the poll cannot be a representative sample.

 

[MrManganese]

I shouldn't realize anything of the sort. The fact is that Civ4 players come to this forum. I'm polling a group of people who play Civ4. You want proof that there are people who got the game working who come to the forum anyway? Scroll up the thread a bit and bear witness, because they've spoken their piece. We don't presently know how dense their concentrations are, but you could make a poll to find out if you're so concerned.

 

[Mujadaddy]

Since we're posting pictures... Moderator Action: We're not. Its just spammy threadjacking.

 

[JiggleTheHandle]

After lurking for a while, I believe that some of the people with exceptionally strong complaints about the game working properly:

Have systems barely at or below minimum requirements
Aren't using Windows XP, SP 2
Haven't installed the proper drivers
Haven't installed Direct X from the Civ CD
Haven't followed the Radeon fix from the Civ4 site perfectly
Haven't adjusted the graphic quality slider in the game
and/or
Are plants from other publishers

For whatever reason, it won't run on your computer. If it runs on someone else's computer with the same specs, it's your fault. Period. If it should run on a particular configuration and doesn't, it's been less than a week since a pushed-up release - you know patches are coming.

This is one of the most fun and addictive games I have played in my life. I can understand people not being used to it and expecting a new coat of paint on an old game, but it's a new game with deep, awesome new strategies that will grow on you. Back to playing.

 

[ombak]

I shouldn't realize anything of the sort. The fact is that Civ4 players come to this forum. I'm polling a group of people who play Civ4. You want proof that there are people who got the game working who come to the forum anyway?

No, I don't. I want you to make a better argument as to why your sample is not skewed to have more people for whom the game is not working. Don't start with the strawmen. I never claimed that people who are satisfied are not posting at all.

Scroll up the thread a bit and bear witness, because they've spoken their piece. We don't presently know how dense their concentrations are, but you could make a poll to find out if you're so concerned.

That poll would be skewed too.

 

[Fjolle]

Sorry, but this thread is really sad.

Mrmanganese:
I havent found any bugs in this game. Could you give me a bug that would make the game unplayable, which is reproducable and havent been fixed yet.
I have an ati card, and the game works just fine.

The thing with a forum like this is that when people buy a game like this and find a problem (like when they dont read the requirements on the box), they google and finds this place, whereas the majority of players will never hear about this site. Therefor this forum and poll is nowhere representative at all.

I can read that the distribution has not been great, but its not the programmers fault. They made a great game

 

[rtilley]

OK, I've had a bad experience with Civ4... I had the ATI renderer bug, the French Tech Tree, the diplomacy screen causing the computer to crash and even completly reboot at times, tons of errors in the handbook, etc.

I have never had a piece of software this buggy! Did anyone else notice the gold date? October 18, 05. Perhaps they rushed it out the door to catch AOE3?

Having said all of that, I still enjoy the game and hope/believe they'll patch the bugs soon. I'm sure they will. Wish they could re-write the handbook... it's awful. How can QAQC departments let an obviously incorrect manual go to print? It HAD to have been rushed.

For me, it was a lesson learned. Never buy on release day. And never buy from companies who REPEATEDLY release shoddy games. Civ is a great and fun concept, but I'm sad to say that it stops there. Technically, this game sucks.

 

[Mujadaddy]

Since we're posting pictures... Moderator Action: We're not. Its just spammy threadjacking.

Saarry...

Is it a crime to threadjack a thread about SUING THE COMPANY that sold us the software that we're all here for, though? Moderator Action: Yes.



Manganese, the bottom line is that, per the EULA, you are entitled to exactly your purchase price in damages. AND *YOU* are required to pay Firaxis/Take2's legal bills.

 

[SkorzenyNinja]

Yes, my ATI Radeon plays it without a stutter or shutter anywhere in it. In fact, it plays it with graphics on high, and the resolution on 1024x768 much better than I thought it would.

This is exactly how mine works.

 

[Isak]

A quarter of the people in these forums are viewing technical support, in case you hadn't noticed.

I don't think this poll is representative, because it's being posted in a forum composed primarily of fans.

I'm not sure what to make of those two quotes. Do you think the forum is representative enough to pick up a lawsuit, but not representative enough make you give up a lawsuit, or am I missing something?

There were, as has already been said, lots of people involved in betatesting, myself being one of them, and also one of those who have run the game perfectly for the entire duration on an ATI card. Go figure. That's just life in PC gaming and Tech Support. What works on one PC may not work on another similar PC, and you can spend a long time trying to figure out why, and even if you manage to fix the problem, it's quite possible no one has a clue what it was.

Maybe, instead of filing lawsuits, you should consider posting about what problems you're experiencing, and let those of us who don't mind helping out, try to figure out why your PC doesn't seem to want to run the game. And if it turns out to be a bug in the game after all, then we'll probably have enough info to get the 'powers-that-be' to fix it in a patch.

 

[MrManganese]

ombak- So you didn't claim that nobody on the board has gotten the game running, but you did claim that most people who have it running aren't here, and that continues to be a claim that can't be backed up.
"That poll would be skewed too."
So it would. Stop using so much logic!


As for responding to everyone else, I'll let rtilley's post speak for me. Thanks for taking the time to detail how unpleasant your experience has been