Hurlshort

If you didn't like the original, you wouldn't like the updated games. That's the point, they're releasing updated versions of the games to keep cash flowing so they can take chances on other ips I enjoyed SW:KoToR and SimCity. I still play them. EA hasn't released anything that I see as an improvement on them really...though there was the release of the double disk set of SW:KoToR I and II that I got...didn't think that was an EA release though was it? If it was I guess I got something, but their MMO and always online SC aren't improvement in my book, more like...putting more restrictions down without actually enhancing anything other then more restrictions. IMO of course. I'm not an MMO type of guy if you couldn't tell. The always online stuff doesn't really have anything to do with the quality of the games though. Your complaint about TOR is totally valid, they took the franchise in a very different direction.

I've been bamboozled!

Ea has had major missteps of late, but they really aren't total failures. In fact a lot of the games at the core of their experience are very good, even though they have been marred by server issues and such. BF3, SimCity, and TOR are all very playable games that also sold very well at release. Are these games inventive? Heck no, but that just means EA is the same as every other large publisher.

My movie ticket example is clearly poor, and I apologize and recant. It was made in haste. I'd like to focus completely on mkreku's unopened box. In that box is a product key, which he is not using. Instead he has downloaded from another source, clearly not a legal distributor. Do you guys feel this is acceptable?

You have an unopened box, so I don't see how that proves anything. The thing that really bothers me about your whole stance is how it can be abused. When you open up that game, you devalue it. But that is the price you pay in order to play the game. You are skirting around that. If someday your unopened collector's edition becomes valuable, you can sell it for a heck of a lot more than you could if it was opened. That might not be your intention, but I doubt everyone is so pure. I have one unopened game on my shelf, and that is because I received the key via email before the box. That means the key in there is registered to me. That is the agreement I made with the distributor.

You stole the game. For those that are hung up on specifics, you copyright infringed on the the game. It may not matter to you how you procure the code, but it does matter to the distributer of the code, and they have not authorized you to do what you are doing. Do you understand that what you are doing is considered illegal in most countries? It's not like we haven't had enough piracy discussions on these forums.

I noticed some people seem surprised at how slow this is moving, but this isn't Obsidian or inXile. This is an unknown studio with no real marquee names. They are probably going to hit their target at the current rate, but I don't see them going way over. It is likely going to take the whole 30 days. The Quest for Glory creators also barely hit their target, so even star power doesn't always work.

Is heinous a legal term? The content supplier is offering the content under certain conditions. If you don't like those conditions, then don't buy the product. Changing the conditions is not justifiable.

I have paid for exactly every one of the games I have played. Some games I've paid for three times (Gothic 3). Now tell me: what did I steal? You paid for a product (or a product key) and then you chose not to use it. That doesn't give you the right to then download it illegally. You don't see how silly that sounds? If I buy a ticket to a movie and decide to just hold on to the stub, then go home and download it illegally, that doesn't put me in the clear. edit: This is also a very slippery slope. If I buy a movie without a digital copy, does that give me the right to download it off a torrent?

Your updates about this MMO are interesting. I am considering trying this MMO out? I highly recommend doing so. It can be a bit overwhelming to get into, but it has a lot to love. We have a few people here who play pretty regularly, or used to at least. It's free to play makes it easy to try out, although subscribing opens up a lot of options too.

I've noticed you really are hung up on this. I agree it should be something that is worked on, but it was improved in 1.13. AI is a weakness in the entire genre, Xcom was horrible and the new one is only a slight improvement. That being said, I don't consider it the most important aspect of the game, it just needs to be passable.

The new Lord of the Rings Expansion will allow players to go to Helm's Deep. I'm pretty happy how quickly this is coming, Turbine is really hitting their stride on content releases. It also ups the level cap to 95. I just hit 75, so that is great news for me. I hate sitting at the cap, that will give me a lot more levels to gain. I'm guessing we wil be in Mordor in just two years. Pretty epic journey so far.

The latest update adds some good tiers, including a physical boxed game for $65. I also like that t-shirt and I'm thinking about throwing in for it. Even if the game doesn't turn out great, a Jagged Alliance shirt would be sweet. They are also in talks with some of the modding community behind 1.13, so that could be a cool addition. My excitement for this project has notched up a bit, and I'm looking forward to hearing more about their progress.

That would be cool. The JA2 modders are phenomenal, but I don't know how active guys like Batman are anymore.

I've watched a few of these Amazon Pilot series. I like the idea of us voting on pilots to get them on the air, and the quality of them has been pretty high. The show called Betas was the most intriguing, since it is set in my neck of the woods. Dark Minions was also fun, basically about two stormtroopers who are just doing the job for the benefits.

I don't think the Jagged Alliance name carries a lot of weight. A lot of the goodwill that it did have was also burned over the years, either by dead development cycles or weak entries like the recent real time version. Couple that with an unknown team with no ties to Sir-Tech and you have a pretty tough sell. I wish them the best though, I'm imaging something similar to what the Shadowrun Returns team is doing.

Hey Vortex, did you ask a question about Ian Currie on their comments section? If it was you, I'm the one who answered it. I use my real name on kickstarter.

I've done a lot of camping and backpacking in California. I started when I was about 12 with my dad and some of my best memories growing up were out in Yosemite or along the John Muir trails. For me, car camping is pretty boring, I prefer to strap on my hiking boots and walk as far as I can before settling down to make camp. That being said, now that I'm older it is much harder physically, and so I'm enjoying the RV lifestyle where you can get out and travel, but you still get a comfy bed to return to at night. One great thing about backpacking is once you've bought all the initial gear, there is really very little cost involved. It can be pricey to get into, buying a tent, a decent backpack, and all the gear is not cheap. But once you own it, which I still have most of my gear from 15 years ago, all you need to do is buy the food. Heck, my exoskeleton backpack is probably as old as I am. It's a wonderful physical challenge to take 50 pounds of gear out into the wilderness, hiking over mountains, streams, and rocks. I really recommend everyone try it at least once in their lifetime.

Lord of the Rings Online - Hit level 75, and I'm pretty close to the end of the Isengard storyline. When I finish it I get to go out to Rohan and learn how to ride a war stead. Captains are supposed to be pretty awesome on horseback, so I'm excited.

A root canal would be more fun than BIA.

After reading surprisingly positive reaction from the folks at Bear's Pit, I also am going in for the minimum. Although I was tempted by the $85 tier that lets you write an enemy response.

The A's are so good they don't even need 9 innings to win their games. The reverse can be said about the Red Sox, sadly

All that really shows is that their stock was grossly overvalued for awhile. 2012 does not look like a good year though.

I also once spent an hour on the phone with EA because I couldn't get some of my older games to show up as registered products on Origin. They patiently helped me fix my problems ( I had two accounts conflicting) and now all my EA and Bioware games in the last 8 years or so are easy to find and download if I need them.

This doesn't actually say anything about a product key, it sounds like he lost the entire game, and it is what started the entire discussion. I lost my key for a copy of my Windows OS once, and I was able to call Microsoft and get a new key. But yeah, cracking a game is different than pirating it. edit: Oh and buying a collector's edition and not opening it, then downloading it off a torrent is ridiculous AND it's piracy.