Seriously...can't install the game?

[Dale]

I'm not one to jump on the "I hate Steam" bandwagon, but after picking up a copy of Civ tonight at Walmart I find that I can't install and play the game. Steam says it's not released. To heck it isn't! I've got it in my hands. But no, I have to wait for some arbitrary time for Steam to "unlock" the game I currently have physical possession of.

Thanks.

/rant

Have a cry. Release dates aren't for nothing.

 

[Robovski]

Honestly, look at the shelf-space for PC games. Time was that was an aisle of a store. Now in a game shop you are lucky if it's more than 1 bookcase of shelves. Digital and internet distribution (on-line shops like Amazon) are the future for but the most major releases.

 

[Shurdus]

Modern warfare 2 us the most pirated pc game of all time and it is steam exclusive, so no steam does not really provide a good anti-piracy protection.

Yeah, I see this really helping the fight against piracy.

 

[WaKKO151]

it will be released at 10am eastern time.

 

[Sphinx]

You cant play it before it releases.

 

[ValugaTheLord]

They reached parity about two years ago but digital sells more than retail now.

interesting how did you get that info xD

 

[sosueme]

Let's be fair here. It's not Steam's decision. It's TAKE 2's.

This.

 

[Swift777]

Big American consumer blaming Steam for thier own ignorance and Wal Mart's incompetence.

I got to tell ya, threads like this really make me smile. Wait in line with everybody else and quit moaning about it, you're not doing yourself any favours. Alternatively, continue moaning about it and make the majority's day

Scotland here by the way - 2 days 13 hours til my game arbitrarily unlocks. Oh, and I paid for it before you did.

 

[strollen]

I am totally on-board with this feeling (I have been there), but this is another example of punishing paying customers. It no longer matters if you handed over the money for the game and have it's media in your greedy hands, it is no longer good enough. Thanks to the internet the publisher wants to be sure you bought the game and won't let you play without internet validation, and you can't validate without their being ready to validate and think you should be able to do so.

Does this need to change? IMO yes. The fact I buy a license for a game is in itself a major problem. Next Parker Brothers will be shutting down yard sales for old copies of Monopoly being sold off...

As others have said, you didn't buy the game you bought a license to use the game, under the terms and conditions specified in the agreement. In fact a recent court case ruled that companies can prevent you from transferring this license to other people.

So if you wanted to sell your copy of Civ V, or an Xbox game as a used game you are SOL if the courts ruling holds up.

To some extend you can blame greedy corporations, and to some extent you can blame a large group of people who think why should I pay much for intellectual property when I can pirate. It sucks to be law abiding but...

 

[Gerurun]

interesting how did you get that info xD

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=npd+digital

 

[Schuesseled]

@OP they clearly warned you, that you wouldn't be able to play until the time of release.

 

[Me,myself,and,I]

Two hours eleven minutes!

 

[Snoopaloop]

i hope every person who supports that terrible store, that is Wal-mart, gets screwed over and has to wait.

 

[MasterDinadan]

If you intend to pick up a game as soon as it is getting released, do your research and find out exactly when it's going to be released.

Don't count on the retailer to know anything beyond a date. The date just tells them when they can put the product on the shelf and sell it. It's of no interest to them whether the product actually activates at that time.

Imagine if Wal-Mart refused to sell the game until 10AM EDT. People would come in at midnight hoping to get the game, and they would just be told "You have to come back tomorrow." Wouldn't you rather just get the game now even if you can't play until tomorrow, just to save yourself a trip? Wal-Mart did the smart thing really.

And even if they had sold it to you but told you that you wouldn't be able to play until the next day, what would you have done, told the cashier "Oh, that's okay, I'm just going to go home and come back in tomorrow?"

 

[onedreamer]

I'm not one to jump on the "I hate Steam" bandwagon, but after picking up a copy of Civ tonight at Walmart I find that I can't install and play the game. Steam says it's not released. To heck it isn't! I've got it in my hands. But no, I have to wait for some arbitrary time for Steam to "unlock" the game I currently have physical possession of.

Thanks.

/rant

That's what you get for supporting crap like Steam.

Have a cry. Release dates aren't for nothing.

And what are they for if not for when you are able to buy the game? Before crap like Steam was ever invented, if you had a game box in your hands it would mean you could install the damn thing right away.

 

[MasterDinadan]

And what are they for if not for when you are able to buy the game? Before crap like Steam was ever invented, if you had a game box in your hands it would mean you could install the damn thing right away.

The video game industry has changed. The business model used by brick-and-mortar retailers doesn't fit the business model used by digital retailers.
Personally, I think it's a change in the right direction. The problem is that we cannot implement the change overnight, and we seem to be stuck between the two at the moment.

 

[sosueme]

Love Steam or hate it, the platform is great for developers because it allows them to reduce their distribution costs and makes it easier for them to focus more on developing great games and less on fighting over limited retail shelf space. This allows projects like Torchlight that have relatively small budgets to still be successful.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29788/Torchlight_Sales_Well_Over_600K_Primarily_Downloads.php

 

[onedreamer]

The video game industry has changed. The business model used by brick-and-mortar retailers doesn't fit the business model used by digital retailers.

Sorry but I don't buy it. If it was changed as you claim, the guy would not have the box in his hands.

Personally, I think it's a change in the right direction. The problem is that we cannot implement the change overnight, and we seem to be stuck between the two at the moment.

Forcing software on customer's PC isn't the right direction and I'm pretty sure that as soon as a valid alternative to Steam will show up, you'll see how long it will last.

 

[Swift777]

Awfully quick to forget the fact that Wal Mart f*cked up, aren't we?

The release date and time was set to keep it nice and fair between digital and brick-and-mortar retailers. Don't come ing when you don't get to "Cheat" and play the game before the rest of us.

 

[Dermo]

They reached parity about two years ago but digital sells more than retail now.

Perhaps with PC games, but developers and publishers also have to consider their console business, which I imagine is still largely retail business