alanschu

I haven't looked too much into it, but I thought that the general consensus was that Vista would be a step in the right direction for PC gaming.

But that's still economics. THe reason why the price is where it's at is because the game sells (and sells well) at that price. If enough people feel like you, they won't buy the game at that price. As a result, the price will go down, as the developers look to make a profit. That could very well be. Though this distinction still exists in retail. Not all games are released at $50 on the shelf. I wouldn't be surprised to see this happen either. In fact, I expect it. But the price will always fluctuate back to what the developer feels is the optimal price point for him to maximize his profits. Furthermore, competition makes this price go down. If Direct Download is as an improved method of distribution as I anticipate it will, maybe we'll get lucky and get more high quality games out there that have to compete for our dollar.

That certainly would explain why the population keeps growing and how we somehow haven't eradicated ourselves yet.

I am thinking that Eldar was implying that the war wasn't really all about intense hatred...or something (excluding the start of course). For instance, WW2 was in large part revenge against the Allies for it's treatment of Germany post-war, as well as an inherent hatred towards the Communist force of the Soviet Union. I'm not sure...I'm grasping at straws here.

Uh huh. Thankfully, there are those that are interested in our society that are interested enough in social and economic power to finance the video games we like to play.

Like I said, enjoy your hobby while you can then.

If you don't already recognize the desire for power that some people have, I probably can't explain it to you anyways. Especially given the medieval context of chivalry and the decided lack of paperwork that would have existed in owning a slave.

Enjoy your hobby while you can then.

Then don't buy the game right away. And if you find a boxed copy that is cheaper, then buy all means buy it. Your expectations may seem reasonable, but they completely go against economics. Even if there is concern about retailers not stocking a game because it is cheaper, it's still a pipe dream to assume that any business is not going to try to maximize its profits. I suspect that few, if any, of us on these boards would willingly sell a product they made at a cost that they knew would get them less money in return. The only exceptions would be some form of altruism or charity, but even then that decision is still made to maximize your "gain" from the sale. We don't know the details of acquiring the Source license to really comment. The nice thing is, if you don't like it, don't buy it. The price is what it's at because (basic economics here), that's what people will pay for it. I do not particularly value CDs or manuals, and since I'm going to pay $50 for a game, I'd rather the developers (the people in charge of the creative content of the game I am making) get the money, rather than a bunch of middle men. It's no guarantee, but increased capital for developers does increase the likelihood of them being more experimental in their games. It's no longer devastating to a developer if their game isn't a sure hit. As a result, game developers won't have to insist (and have less pressure from the publisher) to make a game that tries to follow the formula of a different sure fire hit. And, as you acknowledged, it provides avenues of distribution that smaller developers otherwise would never have been able to achieve. People can try to argue that games made by smaller developers mostly suck (and they'd probably be right), but I'd rather not deny the next prodigy genius an opportunity to revolutionize the entire industry if I can try.

You can burn it to disc. Though technically, you aren't supposed to install games from CDs on to other PCs either, unless you remove it from the first PC.

Yes, absolutely. The reason why I choose not to drink is because I haven't grown out of my geek phase or I'm a religous nut. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Theres the two other reasons too: A. Youre a very boring person B. You either are an ex-alcoholic... or your dad/mum/whatever used to be one and youre afraid youll go the same way <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes. Absolutely spot on.

Because people enjoy power.

Even still, it's been around for years...heck, probably centuries.

It's been going on for years, and not just in the video game industry. I figured the advantages of developing for only a single console would be obvious.

I declare you interim champion of the internets.

Just for you I checked the Steam store (from the get steam here link). Can't say I call 30,- for an expansion, $10 for original Half-Life, $30,- for Half-Life2 less expensive than in the stores. Quite the opposite... Not a single new game has a price listing there either; only older ones. And I mean $10 to play deathmatch ... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The expansion for Half-Life 2 is only $20, not $30. And what do you consider a "new" game? Red Orchestra is not even two months old yet.

Supply and Demand? I'd rather feed Developer Greed (as they are the ones that make the games) than publisher greed anyways. Why exactly do you pimp PC gaming because developers get a "larger cut" of the profits? Valve funded the development of Half-Life 2 entirely out of their own pocket.

Agreed. A military that picks and chooses its fights could be a horrible thing. Sounds like a situation ripe for a coup d'etat, or something similar.

I was a bit disappointed when we didn't score on that 5-on-1, but we scored right at the end of the PP so I was a bit forgiven.

Yes, absolutely. The reason why I choose not to drink is because I haven't grown out of my geek phase or I'm a religous nut.

Tom Hanks a horrible actor?

Dear god we have something in common.

Which is why I feel the "I like to get the manual" argument is losing steam. As for what happened to the manuals, people are trying to find ways to cut corners to combat the quickly rising cost of development. EDIT: Get Steam here

I have not played the game, and I tend to enjoy Bioware's games. I will likely get this one.

The hockey forums are rife with morons that think the Oilers just putting in the effort. In terms of physical intensity and emotion, last night's game was fantastic.