Mass Effect 2 is listed at 17.99 pounds on Play.com, which is about $26.50 US dollars (though I'm quite surprised as I though it was closer to 1:2 ratio. Pound is weakening?)

Mass Effect 2 is listed at 17.99 pounds on Play.com, which is about $26.50 US dollars (though I'm quite surprised as I though it was closer to 1:2 ratio. Pound is weakening?)

 

Mass Effect 2 was about 29

Ah. Well I think Steam itself tends to have pricing issues in Europe (which is balls for Europe in general).

 

It was $23.99 on Steam according to this thread.

It was $23.99 on Steam according to this thread.

 

Bummer. I would have bought it for that price.

Oh, whatever. I still have games to play and exams so I guess I can wait.

Oh, and an Alpha Protocol playthrough to end too!

Got my key now.

 

You guys talk about bugs in Obsidian games (which I've rarely experienced). I can't get the sound to work, and the graphics are glitching like a mo'fo' even at the lowest settings.

 

My God is clearly punishing me for collaborating with the DRM bastards.

 

Not sure why that is. Doesn't seem to be Steam, but try this just in case: Right click on the game in your games list -> Properties -> Local Files -> Verify integrity of game cache.

 

It checks whether or not there are corrupted/missing files in your game and redownloads them.

Edited June 21, 201015 yr by taviow

Could also just be a Mass Effect bug.

IIRC the PC port had some problems with some sound cards.

Probably going to the official forums and checking a faq or running a search would be useful.

IIRC ME had problems with sound channels where it would try to put to many sound channels out and so you'd hear your footsteps really well and the music, but god help you hearing dialogue and weapons fire.

 

I think the work around was switching things to "Use hardware sound"

I bought ME1, and now I'm told I can't contact the key server. Apparently thousands have been affected by this.

 

Nice one, you 'anti piracy' douchebags. Offer the game for a pittance to get me to abandon my principles then actually help me out by making me even more angry than I was before. This kind of admin slapstick is PRECISELY why I don't trust draconian DRM nd believe the gok-brained dimwits who champion it in management should be flung into the pacific.

 

This isn't really a DRM issue. Steam was selling more product than they actually had on hand. The problem is they collected your money, then released they did not have the product, and then had to go get it from the publisher. I understand this is all a bit different in a digital medium, but Steam still has to pay for every unit of a game that they sell.

The stupid part is that they run out of something that should be endlessly and perfectly reproducible.

 

That part is EA's fault, though.

The stupid part is that they run out of something that should be endlessly and perfectly reproducible.

 

That part is EA's fault, though.

 

Why?

 

Sounds to me like the two parties haven't automated something that should be automated to a sufficient degree. I'd say it's primarily the fault of the party running the webstore, not the publisher...

I meant the limited number of activations was EA's fault.

I meant the limited number of activations was EA's fault.

 

I know what you meant.

that particular problem should be hung on the publisher. They gave the activation codes to Steam in the same way that gamestop recieves copies, not enough activations means "out of stock"

that particular problem should be hung on the publisher. They gave the activation codes to Steam in the same way that gamestop recieves copies, not enough activations means "out of stock"

 

... so the publisher just sends an x amount of stuff to a ®etailer, who has no control over the amount bought?

 

Come on... If this were CD Projekt, you'd all be in arms against Valve.

I wouldn't, and in general when something new is released the number of units sent to a location is based on the # of preorders (at least at gamestop). I'm guessing with ME they didn't expect the turn out they had so didn't allot enough codes. The interesting bit is that they appear to have corrected it... in 1-2 DAYS. Not weeks, DAYS... which wouldn't be possible under any circumstance other than something like steam.

I would think Steam would have something in place to prevent selling games that they don't have keys for. But it seems like a rather minor issue. Plenty of folks probably didn't even have the game downloaded by the time the keys came in.

 

The key system is necessary here from a business standpoint. EA can't just let Steam sell copies of the game willie-nilly.

Sure they can, this is a problem with the DRM. Most of EA's games have unlimited stock because they don't require to be activated, especially since Steam already does that anyway.

Can you actually see what the "stock" is for a game on Steam?

Not as far as I know.

 

They have never "run out" of Valve games, however...

Not as far as I know.

 

They have never "run out" of Valve games, however...

I think they ran out of ME and possibly ME2 (when it first came out)

Not as far as I know.

 

They have never "run out" of Valve games, however...

 

 

Color me unsurprised that they haven't run out of the games they have more direct control over...

Would you like a specific color or should I just choose at random?

 

Having CD-keys for downloadable games is redundant.

Stating that Valve doesn't run out of Valve games is also redundant.

A better question would be if all Valve's digitally bought games still have cd-keys.

 

The download only indie games sure don't.

Would you like a specific color or should I just choose at random?

 

Having CD-keys for downloadable games is redundant.

 

I'm not entirely sure how the business model works here, but the CD-keys are likely a matter of bookkeeping, and that is very important. Steam sells products for other publishers. They need to be able to keep track of all that meticulously, or else the publisher will not do business with them. The CD-Keys are likely the easiest way to do this.

 

EA gives a bunch of CD-Keys to Steam. They track the keys, and when they are activated, they send Steam a bill. Again, I'm speculating here, but I imagine it works something like that.