Remember in 2015 we will turn it around... #nopreorders

iD had a good PC track record and then came Rage.

Rage is actually a very good game. The end was a bit lacking, and it did have some issues on AMD hardware at the start, but it's a very solid shooter, runs silky smooth, and a couple of odd choices in texture resolution aside here and there, it's absolutely gorgeous to this day. Also the gun play is better than most single player games, the characters are pretty fun, the buggies and driving are decent for a game that they're not the primary focus in, etc. The DLC missions were also fun. I still play it fairly frequently along with all of the other id games. It may not be to your taste, but it's definitely not a bad game.
 
I'm not going to change my purchasing habits because other people purchased something they weren't satisfied with.

Really? Because that's the exact reason why I did change mine. I've realized that the games and studios I've come to love and support aren't bulletproof. If a launch is botched but the problems are resolved to satisfaction, I will give them my continued support then. I'm very much looking forward to playing Arkham Knight when that game comes around, I don't doubt it will.
 
I'm not going to change my purchasing habits because other people purchased something they weren't satisfied with.

Thats not the point.

It's that for some games you have 50 retailers with 50 different missions, packs, etc for pre-ordering. they're shifting even more things to be in the game only if you pre-order. and if you pre-order (esp on consoles, or not steam/origin) you are stuck with that product.
 
Rage is actually a very good game. The end was a bit lacking, and it did have some issues on AMD hardware at the start, but it's a very solid shooter, runs silky smooth, and a couple of odd choices in texture resolution aside here and there, it's absolutely gorgeous to this day. Also the gun play is better than most single player games, the characters are pretty fun, the buggies and driving are decent for a game that they're not the primary focus in, etc. The DLC missions were also fun. I still play it fairly frequently along with all of the other id games. It may not be to your taste, but it's definitely not a bad game.

Gotta agree here. I stayed away from it initially because of all the raging about it, picked it up a couple years down the road and was really pleasantly surprised - had a blast. But then I'm a sucker for wasteland themed games.
 
Gotta agree here. I stayed away from it initially because of all the raging about it, picked it up a couple years down the road and was really pleasantly surprised - had a blast. But then I'm a sucker for wasteland themed games.

I thought so too. I didnt buy it at first because of it being so broken and the graphics being all borked but a couple years later I picked it up on a Steam sale for $20 I think it was and played it for a while and enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
I pre ordered Pip Boy Edition Fallout 4 for obvious reasons. I wouldnt have done otherwise if it wasnt Bethesda.

I plan to buy quite a few games when they are ready to launch, but dont see the need for pre orders in general.
Total War Warhammer
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada
Space Hulk Deathwing
Dishonored 2 (maybe, the girl model in the trailer creeps me out, they made her look weird as fuck)
Star Wars Battlefront

I am done buying EA titles like Battlefield, the series has turned into COD, with an addition of bad netcode.

In general the bonuses given for pre ordering (besides the collectors editions) are just not worth buying at all. Majority of those bonuses would be replaced sooner or later with added content or something youd receive by simply playing the game.

Pre ordering games these days, in a digital age just doesnt make sense.
 
Just preordered
Fallout 4
Uncharted 4
Halo 5
Star Wars Battlefront
COD BO3
Ass Creed Syndicate
The Division
Hitman
and MGS V

:bleh:
 
Just preordered
Fallout 4
Uncharted 4
Halo 5
Star Wars Battlefront
COD BO3
Ass Creed Syndicate
The Division
Hitman
and MGS V

:bleh:
Those Ubisoft games... I would never preorder an Ubisoft games, not even for CE swag.

Fun fact: I was able to pick up brand new CEs for Watch_Dogs, AC Unity, and Far Cry 4 for PC two months after release for $40 each at Gamestop.
 
So I have a question. What different does it make if you preorder or not? I mean, in the case of the latest Batman game... judging by the previous game you'd think it is going to be good. So you don't preorder it, but you still want to buy it at launch b/c obviously you want to play... so at this point what difference does it make to preorder? If you know there is a game coming out that you have to play on day 1 then why not preorder it instead and get the bonuses that come with it?

I honestly don't understand this whole "campaign" of not preordering stuff. I understand it in principle, but in practice it makes little sense because if there is a game you REALLY want to play then why wouldn't you preorder it?
 
So I have a question. What different does it make if you preorder or not? I mean, in the case of the latest Batman game... judging by the previous game you'd think it is going to be good. So you don't preorder it, but you still want to buy it at launch b/c obviously you want to play... so at this point what difference does it make to preorder? If you know there is a game coming out that you have to play on day 1 then why not preorder it instead and get the bonuses that come with it?

I honestly don't understand this whole "campaign" of not preordering stuff. I understand it in principle, but in practice it makes little sense because if there is a game you REALLY want to play then why wouldn't you preorder it?

Why is there a movement to not pre-order?

There are 2 sides to the issue:

1 - Pre-Ordering is rewarding the developers before you even know if the game is functional.

  • AC Unity (I "think" it was AC Unity...right?) and BMAK are examples of atrocious releases which were practically unplayable on launch.
  • Skyrim had broken Xfire support on launch.
  • I recall one game developer stated they'd support eyefinity/nvsurround out of the box, then, on release, they'd ban you if you used Eyefinity/NvSurround because it was an "unfair advantage".
  • H1Z1 (whatever the SOE game was) made all sorts of promises when people were pre-ordering and, once the game launched, they intro'd P2W airdrops (then nerfed those "drops" after a major crapfest all over the internet)

-Or-

2 - Pre-Ordering is a great way to get your copy (and some nice SWAG items) as early as possible (like with steam where you can pre-download the game, then unlock it the second the game is "officially" launched) If the game works as advertised, on release, this is a great option.

Whether or not you pre-order is up to you. I choose not to, personally, but I don't begrudge people who do.
 
To me, the issue is with games being released in a beta or even unplayable state, when waiting a month or two for patches would make the game experience more enjoyable than launch day AND likely cheaper.

By pre-ordering you are telling developers that you don't care what state the game is in when it's released, you're giving them your money regardless.
 
I pre ordered Pip Boy Edition Fallout 4 for obvious reasons. I wouldnt have done otherwise if it wasnt Bethesda.

I plan to buy quite a few games when they are ready to launch, but dont see the need for pre orders in general.
Total War Warhammer
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada
Space Hulk Deathwing
Dishonored 2 (maybe, the girl model in the trailer creeps me out, they made her look weird as fuck)
Star Wars Battlefront

I am done buying EA titles like Battlefield, the series has turned into COD, with an addition of bad netcode.

In general the bonuses given for pre ordering (besides the collectors editions) are just not worth buying at all. Majority of those bonuses would be replaced sooner or later with added content or something youd receive by simply playing the game.

Pre ordering games these days, in a digital age just doesnt make sense.

You say you are done buying EA titles like Battlefield but then say you are planing to buy Star Wars Battlefront. Im confused here. You do realize that Star Wars Battlefront is an EA title and is pretty much Star Wars Battlefield right?
 
I honestly don't understand this whole "campaign" of not preordering stuff. I understand it in principle, but in practice it makes little sense because if there is a game you REALLY want to play then why wouldn't you preorder it?

Depends on each individual I guess, but for me, I want to play the game I enjoy in the best experience it could offer, which means no game breaking bug. But in recent years, PC games have taken a back seat in terms of quality, as most companies focus on releasing their console version at its best, then they'll come back and fix the PC release.

So had I pre-order it, chances are I would still end up waiting for them to fix the game anyway. (and if they don't, then I'll regret purchasing it). And besides, while on console we could get extra physical stuff such as steelbook cover, we don't get anything physical on PC. So it actually makes lesser sense for me to pre-order something that comes in digital form where we know it's always available at all time.

But as I said, with Steam's refund policy, it's less risky now as we can just request for a refund if the game is broken. So either way is fine I guess.
 
Depends on each individual I guess, but for me, I want to play the game I enjoy in the best experience it could offer, which means no game breaking bug. But in recent years, PC games have taken a back seat in terms of quality, as most companies focus on releasing their console version at its best, then they'll come back and fix the PC release.

So had I pre-order it, chances are I would still end up waiting for them to fix the game anyway. (and if they don't, then I'll regret purchasing it). And besides, while on console we could get extra physical stuff such as steelbook cover, we don't get anything physical on PC. So it actually makes lesser sense for me to pre-order something that comes in digital form where we know it's always available at all time.

But as I said, with Steam's refund policy, it's less risky now as we can just request for a refund if the game is broken. So either way is fine I guess.

But realistically speaking, how many games have you bought that were broken at launch, but didn't get fixed pretty quickly? I mean, I can't think of a single instance where a game was released, was buggy as hell, but didn't get fixed within a reasonable amount of time. It's not like I don't have other games to play in the meantime while it gets fixed, and it's not like I won't want to play the game again once it gets fixed so it really makes no difference to me when it's purchased.
 
But realistically speaking, how many games have you bought that were broken at launch, but didn't get fixed pretty quickly? I mean, I can't think of a single instance where a game was released, was buggy as hell, but didn't get fixed within a reasonable amount of time. It's not like I don't have other games to play in the meantime while it gets fixed, and it's not like I won't want to play the game again once it gets fixed so it really makes no difference to me when it's purchased.

It's not solely due to whether or not a game is broken. There are also devs and publishers who release games that exclude features that were previously . IE 'broken promises'.
 
It's not solely due to whether or not a game is broken. There are also devs and publishers who release games that exclude features that were previously . IE 'broken promises'.

I don't buy that argument ... software is complex and features change all the time ... and they always have ... If they willfully took it out to add it as a paid feature later (not a common occurrence) then that would be a broken promise ... if they took it out because they couldn't get it to work or added it later in a patch for free then that is effective business in my book

Preordering has its risks which is why I only do it with a handful of games but boycotting a good game because developers wanted to do a feature they couldn't get working in time doesn't make sense either
 
I don't buy that argument ... software is complex and features change all the time ... and they always have ... If they willfully took it out to add it as a paid feature later (not a common occurrence) then that would be a broken promise ... if they took it out because they couldn't get it to work or added it later in a patch for free then that is effective business in my book

It's still a very real occurrence, one that becomes more obvious with the 'Day One' DLC releases.

I'm definitely not saying it occurs regularly. Just saying there are more reasons to avoid pre ordering than just the standard 'broken game' arguments.
 
Just to post that I was joking about preordering all those games. I do want to preorder them but am holding out :)
 
It's still a very real occurrence, one that becomes more obvious with the 'Day One' DLC releases.

I'm definitely not saying it occurs regularly. Just saying there are more reasons to avoid pre ordering than just the standard 'broken game' arguments.

Day one DLC is not a common occurrence and is only a major issue if the feature was one they originally promised as a base feature ... extra weapons or areas (like in Far Cry) that weren't part of the main story line are valid DLC features (even when offered Day 1) ...

PC game prices have been relatively stable for more than a decade ... it is not unreasonable to assume that companies will pursue new features that increase their revenues or profitability ... as long as those aren't blatant money grabs (here is half the game, pay XXX for the last half) I am not opposed to Day one DLC
 
After Bethesda's E3 conference
top-20-seinfeld-episodes-i-m-out-419307.gif
 
... as long as those aren't blatant money grabs (here is half the game, pay XXX for the last half) I am not opposed to Day one DLC

Problem with day-1 DLC is that it seems like content that was completed by release date should be included with the game. I know there is sometimes a period between the game "going gold" (a fairly useless term these days, though) and being released, time in which DLC could theoretically be produced, but for the most part if they had content that was so close to done that it could be released on the same day as the game, they should just give it to players for free. Paid day-1 DLC just feels disingenuous as hell.
 
Problem with day-1 DLC is that it seems like content that was completed by release date should be included with the game. I know there is sometimes a period between the game "going gold" (a fairly useless term these days, though) and being released, time in which DLC could theoretically be produced, but for the most part if they had content that was so close to done that it could be released on the same day as the game, they should just give it to players for free. Paid day-1 DLC just feels disingenuous as hell.

It is a judgement call ... any form of DLC is a form of money grab ... some is more in the form of an expansion pack ... others are just alternate ways to monetize the games ... as I said, Far Cry has Day 1 DLC but you can play the game successfully without it (sometimes it is more of a power skew ... like buying an upgrade to get a jump start) ... I don't have any problems with that form of DLC in non multiplayer games ... Many multiplayer games offer customization packs at the start that don't impact gameplay (except visually) and I don't see anything wrong with those

As I noted in my earlier post, the launch price of games for PC has essentially remained fixed at $50-60 (the same level AAA titles were at in the early 2000s) ... however, the costs to make games haven't decreased or stayed the same ... console games often retail for $70+ until used titles hit the market ... if they don't break the game to add the DLC then I see nothing wrong with truly optional purchases ... if I cannot finish the base game or the base game is incomplete without the DLC then I agree there is an issue ... with all such things though, your mileage may vary ;)
 
You say you are done buying EA titles like Battlefield but then say you are planing to buy Star Wars Battlefront. Im confused here. You do realize that Star Wars Battlefront is an EA title and is pretty much Star Wars Battlefield right?

Did you miss the part where I said Battlefield? Modern Battlefield titles...They are as boring as COD series now.
 
Battlefield 3 and 4 multiplayer have more action and require much more skill than COD. Please don't compare the two.

It's hilarious to get pissed at an FPS when clearly it's intentions are to kill things.

You would be down right the minority if you said playing Goldeneye is funner than playing online Battlefield.

No matter what, a FPS is a FPS, regardless of what you do to change it's looks, it's still the same. Shoot em up.
 
Rage is actually a very good game. The end was a bit lacking, and it did have some issues on AMD hardware at the start, but it's a very solid shooter, runs silky smooth, and a couple of odd choices in texture resolution aside here and there, it's absolutely gorgeous to this day. Also the gun play is better than most single player games, the characters are pretty fun, the buggies and driving are decent for a game that they're not the primary focus in, etc. The DLC missions were also fun. I still play it fairly frequently along with all of the other id games. It may not be to your taste, but it's definitely not a bad game.

Gotta agree here. I stayed away from it initially because of all the raging about it, picked it up a couple years down the road and was really pleasantly surprised - had a blast. But then I'm a sucker for wasteland themed games.

I thought so too. I didnt buy it at first because of it being so broken and the graphics being all borked but a couple years later I picked it up on a Steam sale for $20 I think it was and played it for a while and enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised.

That was my point in mentioning Rage, the launch had some serious issues on PC. I had preordered the game and couldn't play it as with many other PC gamers, though finally ended up finishing and enjoying the game. Diablo 3 and Battlefield 4 also turned into great games IMO, but preordering them was pointless because I didn't enjoy D3 until the "Loot 2.0" patch and BF4 had terrible issues for weeks after launch. Other's have said it, preorders made sense when games shipped in limited quantities to brick and mortar stores and, perhaps through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, didn't ship with as many problems. Now that most games are available digitally in infinite quantities, to me it just makes sense to wait and see how the launch goes. I feel fortunate to have moved on from the days when preorder exclusives and collector's editions seemed to matter to me, circa Unreal Tournament 3. I think that only comes with age though. As long as there's a fresh crop of untarnished gamers to market to, publishers will keep pumping out the preorder "incentives".
 
That was my point in mentioning Rage, the launch had some serious issues on PC. I had preordered the game and couldn't play it as with many other PC gamers, though finally ended up finishing and enjoying the game. Diablo 3 and Battlefield 4 also turned into great games IMO, but preordering them was pointless because I didn't enjoy D3 until the "Loot 2.0" patch and BF4 had terrible issues for weeks after launch. Other's have said it, preorders made sense when games shipped in limited quantities to brick and mortar stores and, perhaps through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, didn't ship with as many problems. Now that most games are available digitally in infinite quantities, to me it just makes sense to wait and see how the launch goes. I feel fortunate to have moved on from the days when preorder exclusives and collector's editions seemed to matter to me, circa Unreal Tournament 3. I think that only comes with age though. As long as there's a fresh crop of untarnished gamers to market to, publishers will keep pumping out the preorder "incentives".

Yeah, it did have its launch issues. Especially on AMD hardware. I actually move my AMD card that I had just bought over to another system, popped in a GTX-460 and then played it. However, if I wasn't able to do that easily at the time, I might have been a bit more upset, and don't begrudge anyone that was. The only people I argue with over this game are the ones that just kept hating it just to hate it even though it was a good game.

You're also correct about "the good old days". There were less problems that shipped with games at launch. However, it was generally more of a pain in the ass to get patches, apply them, etc. back then too. Or if we want to go way back, call support, and have them send you a new floppy disk with a fix. :eek: So there are definitely some tradeoffs. I think it sucks that publishers (and devs sometimes) rely on fixes so soon after launch. But it's also nice that Steam fixes it all for me in the background automatically.

Luckily most pre-order crap doesn't interest me. The only things that I'll still do it for is a significant discount on something I know I'd pick up pretty close to launch anyway (heavily researched of course,) or maybe some additional in-game content that I might want. Even the latter is ultra-rare for me though.
 
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This is the same for me as quitting things like red meat. I am great at it, until there's something I want.

Oh well, Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and Deus Ex are my only pre-orders so far. Not too terrible, right?
 
Didn't pre-order Witcher 3, waited until the reviews came out. Deus Ex, I may pre-order, I need more information on it first.

Fallout 4, I pre-ordered. Mostly because Pip-Boy reasons. I am very happy I did not pre-order Arkham Knight on PC. Avoided that gongshow.
 
My only recent ones were for the Witcher 3 (got a crazy deal over a year ago) and Street Fighter 5, which will grant beta access to the game this fall. Plus, it's Street Fighter. It's not like I'm not going to buy it anyway. Plus, Capcom's recent PC efforts have been great.
 
Just preordered the following games:

The Witness
Adr1ft
Tom Clancy's The Division
Inside
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Minecraft: Story Mode
Mad Max
Hitman
Dishonored 2
 
It's funny to watch people come in here and make a big trolling announcement about all the games they're pre-ordering just to be contrary. It reminds me of the whole "Freedom fries" thing. Ah america, because fuck'm. Them who? Doesn't matter.

It's not that I don't support an occasional kickstarter if the rewards match up, no I haven't pre-ordered anything. There's just no benefit to me. There's this weird thing call high-speed internet where if I have a fancy to play fallout 4, I can buy it. It'll take an hour to download and then I can play it. The day it's released if I'm not busy. Since almost every game thats come out lately on the high-end has needed day one patches that's enough for me to not feel in any rush.
 
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"I'm out!" I just finished watching the series... this was the moment he lost the who-can-go-the-longest-before-fapping contest :D

I remember that episode. One of the best, IMO. Still remember George's "sexual camel" line. Hilarious.
 
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Problem with day-1 DLC is that it seems like content that was completed by release date should be included with the game. I know there is sometimes a period between the game "going gold" (a fairly useless term these days, though) and being released, time in which DLC could theoretically be produced, but for the most part if they had content that was so close to done that it could be released on the same day as the game, they should just give it to players for free. Paid day-1 DLC just feels disingenuous as hell.

Some people assume that the DLC was to be part of the game, and then "removed" so the developers/publishers can charge for it. Meaning they are getting less of a game for their money. In reality this typically isn't the case. Another team or studio is working on DLC which was planned alongside the main game. It was never to be included in the main game.

Often times DLC is passed off to other studio/games before the main game is released. The primary studio then fixes up the main game and immediately starts work on the next project. A lot of content/features often won't fit in the budget or the release time frame. Rather than scrapping these ideas and waiting 2-3 years for the next game (if there is one) they are often flesh them out in DLC/expansions.

For some reason people seem to think that if development started before the main game's release, or if it was even thought of, then it should be free. :rolleyes: By their logic, most game sequels should be free because it was a planned trilogy and some work had started on the sequels before the previous game had been released. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of over priced DLC or games which a geared towards micro transactions. There is a reason why I hate MMOs & free to play games.
 
Some people assume that the DLC was to be part of the game, and then "removed" so the developers/publishers can charge for it. Meaning they are getting less of a game for their money. In reality this typically isn't the case. Another team or studio is working on DLC which was planned alongside the main game. It was never to be included in the main game.

Often times DLC is passed off to other studio/games before the main game is released. The primary studio then fixes up the main game and immediately starts work on the next project. A lot of content/features often won't fit in the budget or the release time frame. Rather than scrapping these ideas and waiting 2-3 years for the next game (if there is one) they are often flesh them out in DLC/expansions.

For some reason people seem to think that if development started before the main game's release, or if it was even thought of, then it should be free. :rolleyes: By their logic, most game sequels should be free because it was a planned trilogy and some work had started on the sequels before the previous game had been released. Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of over priced DLC or games which a geared towards micro transactions. There is a reason why I hate MMOs & free to play games.

Not really seeing how this relates to day-1 DLC in particular. If the DLC is done when the game is released, why not release it with the game for free? Charging extra for content that is already finished at game release is BS, IMO. Even worse is the on-disc DLC that is already completed and mastered when the game ships, but they charge you to unlock the files.
 
Not really seeing how this relates to day-1 DLC in particular. If the DLC is done when the game is released, why not release it with the game for free? Charging extra for content that is already finished at game release is BS, IMO. Even worse is the on-disc DLC that is already completed and mastered when the game ships, but they charge you to unlock the files.

I somewhat disagree.

As long as they are clear about what they are selling I'm fine with it. But if not getting the DLC greatly hinders your experience that's no good. I am also not OK with having annoying DLC advertising during gameplay before you even finish one play-through.

Some arguments for it would be: the team just completed the game but needs something to do prior to release so they work on DLC content as opposed to just loafing around. It also gives people a way to throw money at the creators to reward them if they really enjoyed the experience.
 
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