Ink Blot

You still have time. Stick of Truth isn't that long (and I found it was such damned fun that I went through it fairly quickly), so get on it!

I'd actually be surprised if they 'forced' people to sign up to a third party site to get patches, given that these same people are opting to get a DRM-free disc in order not to use a third party site/software.

Agreed. But I'd bet I'm older than you . This is just one way the world is changing. The younger generation (generally speaking) wants things right NAOW, and they're focused on social media so that's what companies are catering to with the streaming youtubers. Biggest problem for you, me, and others like us is not getting hit with a truckload of spoilers before we get to play it. Here's to having a spoiler-free experience! *lifts glass*

The GOG patches wouldn't necessarily be compatible with the DRM-free disc. I still think these patches will be accessed through the backer portal.

ARE there people who are already streaming it, though? I thought there was an embargo until release. The embargo was lifted on the 23rd (today here, but several hours ago anyway). And like it or not, but youtubers/streamers are considered media now. Hell, some of them have hundreds of thousands of followers. As for other people watching it, that's not an issue for me. I'm not going to, as I want my experience to be unspoiled. If others want to see the game before they play it, then that's their choice. Don't know why that would make anyone feel bad. If anything, you should feel good that it may inspire people to buy it that may otherwise have given it a pass or not have even heard of it.

I'm not a Steam hater, but given the choice, I never choose to shackle my games to a client, so I'll go with GOG. Sure, it means I'll likely get ptatches/updates a couple days later and I'll not be able to pre-load. But the latter doesn't really bother me and the former sometimes means that patch glitches are discovered and fixed before I get the patch. No big deal there either. I want the game on release day, but I don't need it a 12:01 AM (although I'll likely be up and get the DL started at that time...)

Coffee, Red Bull, whatever it takes, Sensuki. Sleep is not an option. Now... get on it!

I haven't seen official word on this, but my assumption is since the DRM-free CD is only available to backers, then you'd get updates for it from the backer portal. Would seem logical to me, at least.

It's not messed up - that's the way it always works. Media gets a press copy of the game for reviews so they can get their reviews out on day 1 or before (whenever the embargo is lifted). Pretty much SOP.

I disagree. Using twitter and getting the game keys up and active for all the backers are, IMO, vastly different in degree of difficulty and amount of work. I highly doubt they're going to announce anything on twitter before they actually have it ready to go on the backer portal.

Nice job on the first installment. Looking forward to part 2, as I've not been keeping up with the changes in game mechanics in the beta (well, haven't been keeping up with the beta changes for a couple months now, to be honest) and I'm interested to get a grip on some of those.

Obs is on the West Coast USA. It's not even 9 AM here yet, so I doubt they've even begun their day in earnest. Gonna be a few more hours at least.

Okay, that's pretty damned cool. See, I knew you guys would come up with something that was an actual achievement.

Achievement! Created character! Achievement! Equipped weapon! Achievement! Opened door! Achievement! Picked herb! Sorry for the cynicism, but 'cheevos seem mostly pretty lame to me. However, I expect Obs will come up with some that actually reflect a real accomplishment in the game.

Yep: it's impossible to wash the rose tint off those +10 Spectacles of Nostalgia.

My thoughts as well. What the OP is overlooking is that any revenue generated by sales of PoE will be funneled into the development of an expansion(s) first, so there may actually be a necessity to crowd fund (at least in part) PoE2.

I, too, am a compulsive powergamer, but this doesn't bother me. Part of the fun of powergaming (for me) is figuring out how to do so given limited resources, be that gold, items, skill points, etc. So this isn't a big deal to me, at least. Infinite resources kind of makes it a borefest after a while (kind of like MMOs, I'd guess).

Ah, apologies. I hadn't read the entire thread and didn't see that slave comment.

"anarchist revolutionaries"? Why the insults? Just because there are some people that don't like a service that you prefer, is it really reason to cast aspersions?

This is pretty understandable. Unfortunately, many of us who hate DRM have been burned by it, which is why we loathe it. Disregarding the fact that some types of DRM completely prevents me from playing games on my off-line rig, DRM has resulted in my inability to play three of my games for extended periods. Once bitten and all that. Hopefully you'll continue to have no issues, but if you do, don't be surprised if you change your stance on DRM.

Yes. When the game is released (possibly shortly before?) you'll go to your Rewards page in the backer portal and generate a key for Steam or GOG, whichever you want to go with (you won't be able to generate both).

Currently (as of this post) it's only 8 AM here on the west coast, so the Obs guys are probably just starting to file into work. Give it a couple more hours.

Doubtful. The PC gaming market is obviously there, so if Steam did not exist, there would still be a market. Whether that would mean retail in brick and mortar stores would be much more prevalent than it is now (like it used to be) or whether other digital distribution methods would have cropped up (much more likely), it would still be thriving. Steam may have jumped in at the right time to capitalize on the movement to digital distribution and become the de facto 900 lb gorilla, but IMO, the reports of it being the 'savior' of PC gaming are highly exaggerated.

On the bright side, you've had to wait long enough that you're now able to reap the benefit of a number of patches that would have likely made you want to start over if you'd been able to play from the release date.

How would Option 2 contribute to this issue? There's no pre 1.0 version that's going to be shipped out if you choose Option 2. What Option 2 does is delay you getting the 1.0 version on disc as well as the other physical goodies for a few weeks. You'd still have the choice of grabbing the digital 1.0 version on release day (Assuming you're not in a crappy internet access situation). Basically, Obs is giving you the choice of when you're going to get your on-disc 1.0 version. You're not going to get a pre-1.0 version with either option.