[Backer Rewards] Physical Reward Updates

[cryocore]

Why do people insist on a physical copy of a game that they are forced to update via internet later anyway. Might as well just download it all right from the beginning. Saves money, time and space.

Personally, even the box is too much for me nowadays. There's just no place to store all this stuff anymore.

Why on earth are you even in this thread? This is for people who SPECIFICALLY paid more for physical items, including the game, box, book, etc. Your comment could not be more irrelevant. Maybe stick to threads where your opinion provides some value. This is not it.

[Guest]

 

Why do people insist on a physical copy of a game that they are forced to update via internet later anyway. Might as well just download it all right from the beginning. Saves money, time and space.

Personally, even the box is too much for me nowadays. There's just no place to store all this stuff anymore.

/sarcasm "Because everyone life experiences are just like yours and so they must just like to be difficult." /sarcasm

 

Some people, myself included, have to plan to game in offline environments for work. In my case that can mean a new computer or laptop per job or per site. Further GIS software will take whatever amount of RAM you throw in a computer and consume it like a 14 year old in a growth spurt then ask for more. Re-installs happen often in the field. Games who have physical copies are gold to me.

 

This need is complicated by 3 factors, some old, some recent.

 

1. Physical Copies of software are obviously becoming rare due to digital delivery. Then people like Lexx pop up and further encourage the industry to keep moving away from physical copies because golly who could possibly want a old physical copy of a game. Further industry giants the size of GOG or Steam services can start to stagnate or decline, disks are like an insurance policy against that. That may sound paranoid to some, but I have been around long enough to know it COULD happen (/Eyeball lovely collection of old disks.)

 

2. Some games with physical copies completely rely on digital services regardless of containing a patched version of the game complete on the disks. Mass Effect Trilogy comes to mind for me, a great buy for field and rural cabin playing I thought, but required stupid origin to boot up or work anyway, so turned out useless.

 

3. RPG's are complicated and often buggy at launch. 1.0 versions are not the most useful things to have in this genre. Its part of the beast, and as my drug of choice I have to be understanding of that. Unfortunately Obsidian is like the belle of the ball in this category. They release things SO rough and kinda rely on community to finish play testing and bug fixing for them. I always find the end result enjoyable, but we all know Obsidian 1.0s are some of the lowest standards in the industry. \

 

Beyond and despite all these things at a base level the company asked for 200 dollars for support and gave assurance as to what we would receive for our pledges. As you can see from Cryocore's posted pic, Obsidian said we would receive a physical copy of the games AS WELL AS a digital key for those who dont open CE boxes. They advertised it at a pledge level that costs 200 dollars. For such a significant amount of money (and personal faith), I believe a company like Obsidian who has so greatly benefited from its supporting community should at least now recognize that not providing us with everything promised was a mistake that needs to be rectified.

 

On another note, I do want to say thank you Dan for continuing to communicate with us here. I appreciate that you have been so communicative with us on this issue and others post snaffu. It does inject some new good faith into the process.

With respect, nothing you said here addressed her point: even the most well-made game is going to require an update or two and you’re going to have to go online to get it. And it’s not like you can’t run Steam in offline mode.

[Lexx]

 

Why do people insist on a physical copy of a game that they are forced to update via internet later anyway. Might as well just download it all right from the beginning. Saves money, time and space.

Personally, even the box is too much for me nowadays. There's just no place to store all this stuff anymore.

Why on earth are you even in this thread? This is for people who SPECIFICALLY paid more for physical items, including the game, box, book, etc. Your comment could not be more irrelevant. Maybe stick to threads where your opinion provides some value. This is not it.

 

 

lol. Triggered much, huh?

Edited August 19, 2018 by Lexx

[CrazyPea]

In the UK here, and still nothing - not even an email. 

[boffmoffet]

 

 

With respect, nothing you said here addressed her point: even the most well-made game is going to require an update or two and you’re going to have to go online to get it. And it’s not like you can’t run Steam in offline mode.

 

I thought that my anally listed factor number 3 addressed the point with a conceit. Yes 1.0 versions of games are imperfect, especially RPGs, but they can still act as a playable base for when conditions are not ideal. Its better than nothing.

 

Sure I can preload a few games and keep steam in offline mode, but that is assuming I have access to the hardware I am running for the job before I reach the site and can download the games before I leave town and throw steam in offline mode. Those are all a lot of conditions I do not control on every job. Showing up on the job with 3 or 4 physical games is my insurance for getting to pursue my hobby.

 

On a different side of things, maybe if companies were still expected to invest in physical disks still during initial release they might be more inclined to ship with a more stable 1.0.  We might also get more releases with sweet ringed binder manuals and amazing cloth maps that used to accompany RPGs, without the need for a higher price points. Nowadays its just "Well its close enough to ready, lets just end beta and use a larger sample to bug stomp from here on out."

[lycurguscaesar]

So i dont know if its just me but is it normal that my package WONT be delivered to my door ( at the request of the Shipper ), I have to pick it up at the post office. I will also have to pay COD as well, what was the point of paying shipping???

[ManifestedISO]

oh no, I haven't paid cash-on-delivery since flowbee

 

I hope my hoodie is postage paid

[Raygereio]

Sure I can preload a few games and keep steam in offline mode, but that is assuming I have access to the hardware I am running for the job before I reach the site and can download the games before I leave town and throw steam in offline mode. Those are all a lot of conditions I do not control on every job. Showing up on the job with 3 or 4 physical games is my insurance for getting to pursue my hobby.

Activate the game on GoG, get yourself some cheap external memory and throw the game's install executable on there. That's probably a way better idea then lugging discs around. Discs can get damaged or lost while you're on the road.

 

On a different side of things, maybe if companies were still expected to invest in physical disks still during initial release they might be more inclined to ship with a more stable 1.0.  We might also get more releases with sweet ringed binder manuals and amazing cloth maps that used to accompany RPGs, without the need for a higher price points. Nowadays its just "Well its close enough to ready, lets just end beta and use a larger sample to bug stomp from here on out."

We all wish we were still living in homegaming's golden era, but those days are gone. The game has to be profitable and the cost of stuff like printing hardcopies of manuals, shipping copies to brick&mortar stores and even the cost of developing the game itself has gone up compared to the good old days.

 

As for the state of the release build. Every dev wants the game to be perfect. But making bugless code isn't easy: It's time-consuming and as a consequence of that expensive. At some point it simply has to be "good enough" beause the money has run out.

Also I don't mean to sound condescending, but if you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting and games back then didn't have buggy releases, then you have some rose-tinted glasses. Baldur's Gate 2 for example was a mess on release.

[Amentep]

 

Why do people insist on a physical copy of a game that they are forced to update via internet later anyway. Might as well just download it all right from the beginning. Saves money, time and space.

Personally, even the box is too much for me nowadays. There's just no place to store all this stuff anymore.

Why on earth are you even in this thread? This is for people who SPECIFICALLY paid more for physical items, including the game, box, book, etc. Your comment could not be more irrelevant. Maybe stick to threads where your opinion provides some value. This is not it.

 

 

Please allow me to disabuse you of the notion that any thread on the Obsidian forum is not SPECIFICALLY for all posters.  Threads here are open to all users to comment on their own opinions and/or experiences. 

 

 

 

 

Why do people insist on a physical copy of a game that they are forced to update via internet later anyway. Might as well just download it all right from the beginning. Saves money, time and space.

Personally, even the box is too much for me nowadays. There's just no place to store all this stuff anymore.

Why on earth are you even in this thread? This is for people who SPECIFICALLY paid more for physical items, including the game, box, book, etc. Your comment could not be more irrelevant. Maybe stick to threads where your opinion provides some value. This is not it.

 

 

lol. Triggered much, huh?

 

 

Please discuss points, ideas, anecdotal evidence, gut feelings, facts and theoretical constructs not what motivations you've created in your mind as to why another posted may have posted what they posted.

[cryocore]

 

 

 

Please allow me to disabuse you of the notion that any thread on the Obsidian forum is not SPECIFICALLY for all posters.  Threads here are open to all users to comment on their own opinions and/or experiences. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This thread is SPECIFICALLY for physical reward backers. Keeping this thread to physical reward backers ONLY makes the most sense.

And if you're going to be a moderator try not condescending to other members.

[Amentep]

No condescension was intended, and I apologize if you perceived what I wrote or my word choice in a condescending manner.

This thread is an update to physical reward backers about fulfillment of those rewards.  This does not make the thread exclusive to only physical reward backers anymore than the thread would be closed to people who didn't even back POEII.  In short, there is no open thread in an open forum on these boards that are not open for all users to post in.  There is no 'gatekeeping' on threads.

 

A person posting in this thread something like "I wish I'd backed at the physical reward tier, the rewards look awesome" is just as valid as posting a question as to "why does anyone still want physical copies of a game?"  The former may lead to someone, for example, helping the poster connect with physical rewards in the secondary market, the later may lead to posts - as it did - that explains why some people may be reliant on physical editions of games. 

 

What I wished to convey, ultimately, and seemed to have missed the mark is that we request if you have an issue with a post or poster that rather than telling other users where they can/cannot post and acting as a self-moderator of these threads or forums, please report the post or contact the mods instead. Telling other posters that they cannot post in an open thread as a fellow user is at best not going to solve whatever issue is at hand and at worst is going to start a fight between you and other users. My apologies again if my message was lost in the delivery.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Amentep
bad english

[Big-Ben]

Everything I ordered came intact including Eothas and here's the proof! The only thing that's ghastly in this photo is my decade old oven and stove top and for that I beg forgiveness.

 

https://imgur.com/a/Z4ephBx

[Technatorium]

Unfortunately my statue came with the hand broken off.

I heard a clunk clunk when i pulled the box out of the overpack box.

As seen in the attached pictures.

 

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/IYb6SVm

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/6NypkXY

 

How do i go about fixing this?

[Amentep]

I haven't seen any new directives, so I'd suggest emailing support@obsidian.net regarding the issue.

[SiliconMage]

I'm sorta curious about this, as I haven't heard anything about it yet, has there been any movement with the CD soundtrack of Pillars of Eternity II?  I'm guessing that it will ship at a later date?

 

Thanks!

[cryocore]

No condescension was intended, and I apologize if you perceived what I wrote or my word choice in a condescending manner.

 

Thanks, maybe my frustration did lead to posting more "assertively" than I should have. I appreciate the point you were trying to make.

 

Just a heads up though "I apologize if you perceived what I wrote..." this is not an actual apology. I realize you were making one, but the "I am sorry you were upset" apology is inherently problematic and dismissive. It should never be used by anyone for any reason.

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled posting.

 

 

[cryocore]

I'm sorta curious about this, as I haven't heard anything about it yet, has there been any movement with the CD soundtrack of Pillars of Eternity II?  I'm guessing that it will ship at a later date?

 

Thanks!

I was not aware there was a physical version of the soundtrack on offer. I thought it was digital only. I certainly cannot find any mention of it on the campaign page.

[SiliconMage]

 

I'm sorta curious about this, as I haven't heard anything about it yet, has there been any movement with the CD soundtrack of Pillars of Eternity II?  I'm guessing that it will ship at a later date?

 

Thanks!

I was not aware there was a physical version of the soundtrack on offer. I thought it was digital only. I certainly cannot find any mention of it on the campaign page.

 

 

I believe it was an add-on that you could include in your purchase on the backer portal before the order was finalized.  It looks like this on my order.

[Guest]

Hi all, just wanted to let you know that I updated the support page with some news - we paid the deposit for EU and the rest of the world's delivery today and have been told that it's moving along - I'll update the page again on Wednesday with any new news on that front.

 

In terms of broken goods, it seems that it's by and large the statues that are having problems - I'm talking to our distributors, who are looking into making sure the packaging both inside and outside the current box that it shipped in. Still, feel free to reach out to us at support@obsidian.net with any damaged goods and we'll get you sorted. If I haven't responded to your ticket yet, please don't fret - I'm trying to make sure that you won't receive another broken statue as a replacement and get the EU warehouse running smoothly so I have a few tickets on my docket that I still need to get to.

 

I've also been hearing about the soundtracks separately, so I'm looking into it and will make sure those who added them on will get them.

 

I've been following the thread and I understand that there was wording in the campaign that appeared to promise more than an unpledged extra code for the game. I hear you, and I've been talking to various people internally and externally to figure out a solution. I did want to reiterate that we really didn't mean to deceive anyone by this - PoE1's physical discs were delayed by a few months as manufacturing for the disks had to start after the launch of the game to get v1.0 on the discs...and by the time it arrived at anyone's doorsteps the games on the discs had to be patched in a completely different manner from the usual methods, which took down some key folks who could have been making the game better. We honestly wanted to avoid all that (learning!) this time around, but it seems that those intentions were never communicated adequately enough to the people who mattered most in all of this. 

 

Finally, I know I haven't bought enough goodwill to ask for anything, but please be civil to one another. Deadfire could not have become what it is without the support of every person who helped fund it, so you guys and gals helped make something remarkable - together. And, to all of you in this thread helping to make us better than we are: thank you. 

[AndreaColombo]

Appreciate your hard work and communication, Dan. Thank you for keeping us posted!

[boffmoffet]

I just communicated this idea to Dan, but the I thought it might be productive enough to share with the community.

 

I am kinda lazy tho so gonna copypaste. 

 

 Knowing that disks throws a kink in modern development cycles I think a physical copy in a crowdfund development cycle like this can be flexible in form, but still meet the needs of your customer.  Just be upfront about what form it will take. For my own sake I am fortunate to have redeemed on GOG, which provides offline backups of their installers, including the latest patches. I can throw these on a USB and hike with them easily enough.  Update it when I get back to town with the latest files. In future projects, if you want to offer a physical copy you could provide an awesome thumb-drive of sufficient size that is themed to the game, with a GOG key. You could use the first version of the GOG installer as the pre-load, so it wont cost money to develop new installers and patchers on Obsidian's side, and backers could just throw the patches and DLC backups on there as you update it, along with their favorite custom portraits or saves. Would even leave you the option to include exclusive digital extras or pre-load installers for things GOG version backers missed out on like the Deadfire Scavenger Hunt code items.

 

 You gotta admit an animancy thumb drive of copper banded arda would have been cool.

[ShadySands]

Got my hoodies, thanks!

[galbyman]

Thank you Dan, my collector's edition was dinged up but the statue was in good shape. I was getting worried about the no response yet but seeing your post, I feel better.

[Thewarbeck]

I've seen some others mention their disappointment with the miniatures and I just want to reiterate them. They are of such poor quality and detail I can tell you I wouldn't put them out on a table I would play in or DM. Even the paint job was very poor. I'm going to try to strip them of their paint and see what I can do with them, but it's a real let down as a finished product.

Which is a shame, I was really looking forward to using them.

[morhilane]

So i dont know if its just me but is it normal that my package WONT be delivered to my door ( at the request of the Shipper ), I have to pick it up at the post office. I will also have to pay COD as well, what was the point of paying shipping???

 

I got to pay COD as well in the email I received from the postal service today.

Edited August 22, 2018 by morhilane