The Long Wait Continues...

[IkimashoZ]

Hello everyone. Due to some extenuating circumstances in my life, I did not know this game had been released until just recently. It will also be a few more days yet before I can play, and I'm going out of my mind. Here's my sad tale...

I'm a resident of Illinois currently teaching English in Japan. I was visiting an old chat room when one of the chatters dropped out "to play Civ 4." My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. I typed civ4.com into Firefox and surely enough, there it was. I had somehow managed to miss the release of this game.

After my short nuclear meltdown, I began searching online for ways to legally purchase this game via download. Naturally, I've got a high speed connection, so even if the file's huge, no big deal right? I quickly discover two services, IGN and FilePlanet, both of which are really the same service naturally, since they're both the same company. I try FilePlanet. The file downloads. I run it. It installs. I open the file... and it gives me an error. Fine. I go to IGN. I put in my CC# (an American credit card attached to an American back account which contains money I earned in America), and... error. I've got to contact the administrators. >_<

Okay, so I send them an e-mail. And I wait, and wait, and wait. FINALLY, two days later, I get an e-mail from this Christine woman asking me to verify my location for 'security purposes'. I figure that if I explain the situation to her, that I am an AMERICAN using an AMERICAN CC, my physical location should be irrelevant, right? No such luck. Turns out Christine is a racist [Deleted] who thinks I'm a Japanese spy trying to smuggle Civ 4 into Japan. The instant I discolsed my location she became arrogant and dismissive. Way to go IGN.

So, now I'm desperate. I've got the whole game installed. All I have to do is get around that IGN code and trick it into thinking I've got a game disc and I'm gold. Besides, it's not as though I'd not already called home the day Christine got an attitude with me and had someone ship the game to me (the issue of course not being if Sid would get my money, but rather how quickly I would be able to get it to him, and I think I tried pretty damn hard to expedite the process). I just don't want to wait a week to play it. I want to play it NOW. Well, no such luck. I managed to ditch the IGN code by getting another install, but the thing still insists on a disc which I couldn't seem to produce despite my best efforts.

So now I'm sitting here... with no Civ 4... listening to Baba Yetu on repeat... waiting and waiting and waiting yet again. May Christine rot in hell.

Moderator Action: Language deleted. Please watch the language.

 

[Luv_Muffin]

Call your credit card company and cancel the transaction then.

 

[IkimashoZ]

When I asked her to cancel my order, quoth the Deleted:

"There is no order to cancel, it was not able to complete. The game you attempted to purchase is not available to Japan. It is stated on the product page. http://www.direct2drive.com/309/product/Buy-Civilization-4-Download

This title is available for purchase on D2D in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom only."

She didn't believe me that I'm an American national, that I'm running an American version of windows XP, or that despite my e-mail address, I'm a native speaker of English who just happens to have a bachelor's degree in English lit.

Needless to say, I'll be watching my CC anyway. After taking two days to even get ahold of me, who know what other crap they'll try and pull.

Moderator Action: Language removed.

 

[CorruptAssassin]

Im sorry, but she is right.

It doesn't matter [Deleted] that you have 'american' hardware and software and that you are American (my god, how racist are you??? Being of a certain nationality doesn't matter...) your living in a country in which is prohibited from recieving the product from these companies.

Stop complaining.

Moderator Action: Langage deleted. Watch the language please.

 

[Nightfang]

Im sorry, but she is right.

It doesn't matter [Deleted] that you have 'american' hardware and software and that you are American (my god, how racist are you??? Being of a certain nationality doesn't matter...) your living in a country in which is prohibited from recieving the product from these companies.

Stop complaining.

Real helpful there. He paid for a product, so he should at least either a) be able to use it or b) get his money back barring (a).

 

[Venger]

Does the system download an archive you install, or install a stub that downloads directly to your hard drive?

Venger

 

[CorruptAssassin]

Real helpful there. He paid for a product, so he should at least either a) be able to use it or b) get his money back barring (a).

bloody oath it was helpful; he cant play the game through DD, plain and simple.

And apparently he didn't get charged in the first place.

 

[weasel77066]

Sounds like you have to wait then. Either till it comes out over there, or untill you can get family to buy it here and ship it to you. Thats the price we pay for people breaking the law.

 

[IkimashoZ]

Im sorry, but she is right.

It doesn't matter [Deleted] that you have 'american' hardware and software and that you are American (my god, how racist are you??? Being of a certain nationality doesn't matter...) your living in a country in which is prohibited from recieving the product from these companies.

Stop complaining.

As I explained to Christine and I will explain again to you, the purpose of the rule about downloading a law that exists to protect American companies from the sale of their games in countries with different tax policies than America (thus if the game were to be sold there, they would lose money). I tried to explain to Christine that I am not trying to leak Civ 4 into Japan. I just need to play this game! But no, that was not good enough for her. And although she was justified in telling me 'no', the way she did so was extraordinarily rude and tells me that she didn't consider a thing I had to say.

BTW, I noticed you're from a country that's not on the list. Dare I ask how you obtained the game?

 

[philni]

When I have encountered this sort of thing before it is usually because the agreement between the publisher and the local distributor prohibits it.

Often local distributors need this protection, especially if local release is later than US or Europe (perhaps waiting for a translation?). If customers in Japan are allowed to get the DD version this will hurt eventual sales for the Japanese distributor greatly.

And, sadly they cannot make exceptions based on the customers nationality, they never do. It would be racist really, not to mention impossible to police.

Its just something one has to get used to when living in other countries. I hope your CD arrives in the mail soon!

 

[screwtype]

If there's a law against commercial distribution in Japan, then I suggest you buy a copy of the game from someone on Ebay.

 

[Willowmound]

BTW, I noticed you're from a country that's not on the list. Dare I ask how you obtained the game?

He probably bought it at the shop like the rest of us.

 

[AER]

If you give me your email address, I will explain how to do this. It's pretty easy.

 

[walt526]

It never ceases to amaze me how setting up a proxy server (and the advantages it can give, for a small cost in performance) is a foreign concept to so many otherwise internet-saavy people.

 

[IkimashoZ]

It never ceases to amaze me how setting up a proxy server (and the advantages it can give, for a small cost in performance) is a foreign concept to so many otherwise internet-saavy people.

I thought of that, and I don't see how that would help me at all, since the tracer would still track me back into Japan.

And, sadly they cannot make exceptions based on the customers nationality, they never do. It would be racist really, not to mention impossible to police.

Well of course they can't make exceptions based on nationality. How about making an exception based on the fact that I've got an American credit card and am willing to pay in American dollars? I say if a Japanese person is willing to go to the vast trouble of somehow acquiring an American/UK/Canadian/etc. bank account, just give them the freaking game! Most Japanese I'm sure are going to wait for the Japanese version anyway. I wouldn't ever dare try to play this game in Japanese and I've been studying the language for quite sometime. Example: "Okay, so I'm supposed to move my string-of-three-kanji-I-can't-read to the string-of-four-kanji by means of my string-of-five-kanji.... riiiiiiiiiiiiight..." I'm sure the Japanese feel the same way about the English version.

 

[Psyringe]

I don't know about Japan, but at least here in Germany I rarely have problems getting US releases (which I prefer to localized versions because of crappy translations, delayed patches, and incompatible mods of those for many games). There are always some importers. The really large stores sometimes have a small section with imported games. I'd be surprised if there was *no* way of getting the game in Japan.

 

[CorruptAssassin]

As I explained to Christine and I will explain again to you, the purpose of the rule about downloading a law that exists to protect American companies from the sale of their games in countries with different tax policies than America (thus if the game were to be sold there, they would lose money). I tried to explain to Christine that I am not trying to leak Civ 4 into Japan. I just need to play this game! But no, that was not good enough for her. And although she was justified in telling me 'no', the way she did so was extraordinarily rude and tells me that she didn't consider a thing I had to say.

BTW, I noticed you're from a country that's not on the list. Dare I ask how you obtained the game?

Yeah, the game came out on the 6th in Australia to all retailers. We aren't that behind

The DD site's are mainly set up in Europe/America, and its a shame its not available to anyone else. Its true, the servicestaff could have acted alot more helpful and understanding.

I'd say the only thing you can do now is either wait till it maybe becomes available through some DD service in Japan, or wait till its released in retailers over there.

Do you know the release date in Japan?

 

[Trooper4985]

Example: "Okay, so I'm supposed to move my string-of-three-kanji-I-can't-read to the string-of-four-kanji by means of my string-of-five-kanji.... riiiiiiiiiiiiight..." I'm sure the Japanese feel the same way about the English version.

Nope... having spent 3 years in Japan myself... They aren't as ignorant as Americans... Although english is one of the tougher language to master... Japanese are far more adaptive than Americans. Amazing how many JN's had to speak broken english to a GI who didn't even know to say good morning or hi. Granted it was an American military installation but come on... How tough is it to befriend a JN and ask him/her to help you a little with basic communication.

I'd be surprised if there was *no* way of getting the game in Japan.

Should have taken the teaching job as a DOD civilian... would have had access to an American military installation with you gessed it... American computer games at the BX/PX.

Besides... there's always the proxies that someone already mentioned... I can't believe the number of people online who have no real comcept of the true power and vastness of the internet.

 

[IkimashoZ]

I don't know about Japan, but at least here in Germany I rarely have problems getting US releases (which I prefer to localized versions because of crappy translations, delayed patches, and incompatible mods of those for many games). There are always some importers. The really large stores sometimes have a small section with imported games. I'd be surprised if there was *no* way of getting the game in Japan.

Aber, in Japan k&#246;nnen selten Leuten English gut verstehen. Wenn es grosse W&#246;rter gibt, zum Beispeil mit den Namen von Technologie, Units, etc., wurden es fast unwahrscheinlich f&#252;r die Meisten zu spielen. Stell dich vor, wie schwierig es f&#252;r dich den Japanischen zu spielen w&#228;re, sogar du die Sprache vier oder f&#252;nf Jahre studiert h&#228;ttest.

I live in a town of 8k people. There's one video game store and it's got a pretty meager selection of Japanese games. It's a $50 trip by train to Osaka, and even then, I don't think many Japanese people play American games. Honestly, the majority of the time, I don't see why they'd want to. Civilization 4 is big exception, obviously. Lots of major titles get localizations though. I've seen American soccer games and Ratchet and Clank (erm.. 'rachito ando kuranku' rather) games on the shelves. I honestly don't think they're going to localize Civ 4 though. I think a game that allows players to nuke each other isn't going to go over very well in Japan...

Nope... having spent 3 years in Japan myself... They aren't as ignorant as Americans... Although english is one of the tougher language to master... Japanese are far more adaptive than Americans. Amazing how many JN's had to speak broken english to a GI who didn't even know to say good morning or hi. Granted it was an American military installation but come on... How tough is it to befriend a JN and ask him/her to help you a little with basic communication.

It's got nothing to do with will to learn or capacity to understand. It's due the simple fact that when I sit down to play a game, I want to play the game, not the study of the grammar of the instructions! I rent Japanese video games to see what my kids are playing and to come up with interesting correlations for class. I rarely learn a thing about the Japanese language from them. The same principle works both ways. People want to play games to have fun. They don't want a language lesson.

Yeah, the game came out on the 6th in Australia to all retailers. We aren't that behind

I wonder why IGN would still supposedly block you then.

Do you know the release date in Japan?

See my above observation. Genbaku is a big deal in Japan. I doubt the game would go over well, in localized or unlocalized form. I will also not be sharing the fact that I am playing this game with any of my Japanese friends. If this sounds racist to you, imagine going up to an American and saying 'Oh yeah, I'm playing a new game I got from my country where you fly some planes into the WTC.' Same sort of deal. I think it's just a matter of respect.

 

[CorruptAssassin]

hmmm, dont know why they dont allow countries where the game has been released from purchasing it over DD (eg IGN). Id say its more of an issue with copyright/distribution laws in other countries, or maybe they dont have the resources to offer the game to a wider audience. However, thats the main advantage of the Internet; it allows companies to distribute data on a global scale............

Looks as though your last resort is to import the game from America. I dont see why that wont be allowed.