RANDOM VIDEA GAME NEWS!

[AwesomeOcelot]

 

 

Arranging the DLC policies with EA, EA had to be involved with the policies, and I some how doubt they weren't involved in the exclusivity deal.

Well, EA wasn't. The Crysis 2 DLC wasn't even available on Origin. It was exclusive to Gamespy.

 

It was an EA partners game. EA was operating as the retail distributor. Same deal Valve does.

 

 

Crysis 2's official website was run by EA, and news announcements lead with Crysis from Crytek and EA, plus there's a EA logo at startup isn't there? I don't know for sure what the exact nature of the deal is, but it's not the same as Valve's.

[Zoraptor]

You can buy that DLC through Steam, I know because I did, that's the difference.

You can buy the Ultimate Edition, sure, at 2.5x the price of the base game- but originally, of course, you could not and bought the basic edition with its built in dlc vendor, and at that point steam was fine with the situation, they only became 'not fine' later. The point of DAO being available still are twofold, firstly it shows that the Valve policy was not always what it is now, and secondly it shows that EA had no particular wish to stop selling their games on Steam as it is still there. Note also that despite Cry2: Max* being available on steam the base game is not**, which is different from the situation with DAO where both are available. As Tale said, the discrepancy is due to grandfathering, ie the changes to Valve's sale policy were not retroactive- unlike changes to their Subscriber Achievement...

 

For how EA Partners games are different you can also look at KoA: Reckoning which went out of its way to appease Steam. The Steam version had no compulsory Origin, something that no 'proper' EA game has had since the last Alice game (?)

 

*I hope the link is right, all of steam's game pages are displaying a blank page for me at the moment, guess someone has reported me to the mothership for Thoughtcrime and my IPs been blocked...

**As above, from memory as I cannot check.

[alanschu]

I get a blank page on that link too (though you can find it properly).  Though I don't know if I really consider buying the Ultimate Edition through Steam as "getting the DLC through Steam."

 

 

To clarify, Crysis is an EA Partner's game, and as such is treated very differently even internally.  EA offers all sorts of benefits/perks for EA staff wanting to acquire EA games, and the Crysis games are not covered under that umbrella.

 

 

Without going into too much detail, the primary issue with DA2 was that we had released DLC for it after Valve changed their policy, so Valve removed DA2 from their storefront.  I am pretty sure that had new DLC come out for DAO, it would have been subjected to the same removal.  Valve and EA had their issues and IMO neither party is without blame, but at the same time both entities are free to conduct their business however they feel as far as I'm concerned.  A jaded cynic type could see that there is extra motivation since EA was releasing Origin, but I don't have ears in Valve so I can't substantiate any claim of that sort.

 

Although any idea that we pulled our games off of Steam isn't entirely accurate.  No doubt there's some level of "fine if you're going to be like that, we won't play by your rules" and some may think that's childish or whatever, but ultimately it came down to two entities not wanting to back down for how to do business with each other, to which I chalk up irreconcilable differences.

 

In the end it's unfortunate, since Steam is my preferred platform, but in the end I'm not too affected.

[TSBasilisk]

Banner Saga: Factions released to backers, non-backers wait a week

[Zoraptor]

I cannot believe that the most important news of the past week, maybe the past decade has been missed; after decades of development in a top secret bunker in the Australian outback the demo for Grimoire has been released. This thread is Videa Game News in name only.

 

I get a blank page on that link too (though you can find it properly).

It was the link generated by a search for 'Crysis 2', method was working for me yesterday as that is how I got the DAO link. Not a big deal anyway if it's easy to verify.

[Tigranes]

Grimoire link is on my desktop. IT CALLS ME.

[Katphood]

Diablo 3 on PS4 as well as PS3?! Damn!

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-diablo-3-coming-to-playstation-4-as-well-as-ps3

[Malcador]

http://www.bistudio.com/english/company/developers-blog/356-arma3-steam-dev-blog

 

Arma 3 requires Steam, hm.

[TSBasilisk]

*prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

 

Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC detailed

Final single-player DLC for the game, roughly a year after the launch. This may be trying to carry over more of the consequences from previous games so players can get a bit more closure. It's also good to know that, even with the fate of the galaxy on the line, Shepard still has time to decorate both his personal quarters and an apartment.

[Tsuga C]

*prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

 

Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC detailed

Final single-player DLC for the game, roughly a year after the launch. This may be trying to carry over more of the consequences from previous games so players can get a bit more closure. It's also good to know that, even with the fate of the galaxy on the line, Shepard still has time to decorate both his personal quarters and an apartment.

*shrieks from perch in tree* *throws poop*

[Nepenthe]

*prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

 

Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC detailed

Final single-player DLC for the game, roughly a year after the launch. This may be trying to carry over more of the consequences from previous games so players can get a bit more closure. It's also good to know that, even with the fate of the galaxy on the line, Shepard still has time to decorate both his personal quarters and an apartment.

I hope it's better than Pinnacle Station, since a lot of the themes seem similar. "More Closure" sounds good, so cautiously optimistic here. Not sure where the hell it's going to fit in the timeline...

[sorophx]

http://www.bistudio.com/english/company/developers-blog/356-arma3-steam-dev-blog

 

Arma 3 requires Steam, hm.

this has "disaster" written all over it. no beta patching, no way to launch the game with third party tools, god knows how this will affect modding... man, I wish they delayed the game's launch more instead of making an exclusive deal with Steam.

[alanschu]

My only experience with ArmA II (which wasn't DayZ) didn't really have me thinking it was NOT a disaster (my tutorial trainer was actually killed by some random patrol while giving me instructions... A+)

 

I doubt it affects modding, however.

Edited February 21, 2013 by alanschu

[Tale]

 

*prepares to be pelted with rotten fruit*

 

Mass Effect 3: Citadel DLC detailed

Final single-player DLC for the game, roughly a year after the launch. This may be trying to carry over more of the consequences from previous games so players can get a bit more closure. It's also good to know that, even with the fate of the galaxy on the line, Shepard still has time to decorate both his personal quarters and an apartment.

I hope it's better than Pinnacle Station, since a lot of the themes seem similar. "More Closure" sounds good, so cautiously optimistic here. Not sure where the hell it's going to fit in the timeline...

No Legion romance, no buy.

[Mamoulian War]

The truth is, that you can romance your left hand in this DLC!

[Malcador]

My only experience with ArmA II (which wasn't DayZ) didn't really have me thinking it was NOT a disaster (my tutorial trainer was actually killed by some random patrol while giving me instructions... A+)

 

I doubt it affects modding, however.

 

Well nice to see you gave the game a good go. 

 

Annoying that you have to use Steam for it, but oh well.

[alanschu]

I downloaded the demo and found myself feeling underwhelmed.  That the tutorial (of a complex game) was apparently a live action combat zone where some guy can randomly walk by and shoot the guy teaching me how to do stuff in the game isn't the best thing to have happen.  It's funny, but in that "laugh at the game" sort of way (rather than laugh with the game). 

 

Unfortunately there's no shortage of games to play so I'm not keen on spending too much time on something if I don't see much promise.  A game like War in the Pacific is Grognard in its level of detail and micromanagement, but it hooked me early to the point where I had no problems paying for the Admiral's Edition (enhanced gameplay across the board) at another $70.  Some games grab people, others don't.

 

The interesting thing is that the game is more known for a mod someone made, than the base game itself.  And it doesn't take much research to read up on a lot of the issues that ArmA II had at release and beyond. 

 

 

The devs themselves talk about how really difficult it is to deliver to the wide variety of distributors, particularly from a patch perspective, and when your previous game is laden with a ton of bugs at release, there are definite advantages to doing so.  It's one thing to go "I don't like Steam, this isn't for me for that reason."  It's another to suggest that it has disaster written all over it simply because of Steam.

[Malcador]

Weird, tutorial in the release and I presume the free one is just Cooper doing firing range stuff, or flying around in safe environments (why Force Recon fly UH-1s I dunno).  Guess the demo was different, strange. Not that interesting that the mod is more popular than the game itself either, given that the base game is a military simulation game (and the niche appeal that has).  See DayZ players in Arma 2 servers for some rather funny approaches to the game

 

Addons for Arma 2 were a huge part - sound mods, vehicles, weapons or more significant ones, so I guess if Steam fscks that up it'll be bad (unlikely).  The reaction to this is funny to me.  Alot of BIS fans seem to be a bit grumbly about it on the forums, not liking DRM and all.  DayZ people seem giddy about mods being easier to install and patching being easier, heh.

 

I wonder if it'll ever pop up on GOG, though.

Edited February 22, 2013 by Malcador

[Zoraptor]

The devs themselves talk about how really difficult it is to deliver to the wide variety of distributors, particularly from a patch perspective, and when your previous game is laden with a ton of bugs at release, there are definite advantages to doing so.  It's one thing to go "I don't like Steam, this isn't for me for that reason."  It's another to suggest that it has disaster written all over it simply because of Steam.

Paradox said exactly the same thing- and in their case at least it is complete rubbish since every single version of their games is identical no matter which vendor you buy from so there's zero need for extra patch testing, if it works on one it works on all. Don't know if the situation is the same for Arma as I ain't played, but I'd suspect so if there's unified multiplayer or anti cheating.

[greylord]

 

http://www.polygon.com/2013/2/5/3954410/square-enix-posts-61m-loss-struggle-due-to-difficult-console-sector

 

Square Enix is blaming consoles for its losses, and says PC sales are doing well... Oh how times have changed...

 

Well, I would tie this to a fact, that PC is:

 

1) More mod friendly

2) More Multiplayer and Social medium friendly

 

In the past, the main driver towards the consoles was the fact that it's a single machine, with a single configuration, meaning that risks of game breaking bugs is minimal, and there is no need to constantly upgrade your machine for a next 4-5 years.

 

With platforms like Steam (DRM excluded) PC is becoming very user friendly medium. We can have everything what consoles have and more.

 

The trend might reverse though, if the new consoles will be truly NEXT-GEN

 

Riiight. 

 

1. RTS is dying because it's a PC thing, and unless you are using STEAM which used to be only 6% of PC sales until they KILLED retail PC sales by requiring STEAM and DRM and chasing us all onto consoles...there isn't any real options of playing most RTS games.  Almost all RTS games released these days require some form of DRM (steam counts as DRM).  That killed the PC market comparatively to what it was...which in turn has killed the RTS market.

 

2.  Square is doing poorly.  They had sales that were HIGHER this past year than the year previously.  They only brought in a net of ~3.5 BILLION USD.  That's $3,500,000,000.00 which...last I checked, is about more than the ENTIRE PC gaming market at this point.  That's one company.  Not all of a group, not even all of the Nintendo, or Sony or MS...one company that makes games.  SE.

 

The reason they are struggling is that their sales were only about 1.5 Bilion USD.  That was severly hampered because they sunk a bucket ton of gold, savings, and money into a few games that NO ONE liked and hence NO ONE bought.  It's like that Disney John Carter thing...hey, making 282 million USD is GREAT...until you realise you spent 250 million USD to produce it and another 100 million USD in advertising and promotion equaling a actual lose of 68 million.

 

Same situation, they made a ton of money, but spent even more making the games...hence...the struggle.  Their struggle in truth is because they made a cruddy game that no one liked...hence the tough console market.  A market that still gave them over a Billion dollars in sales...for not that many games...

[greylord]

Diablo 3 on PS4 as well as PS3?! Damn!

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-diablo-3-coming-to-playstation-4-as-well-as-ps3

 

On the otherhand, this could be the most exciting news...depending.

 

Is it going to require you to always be online with your PS3.

 

IF so it's a no go for many console goers...though knowing Blizzard they won't admit this, and won't actually tell anyone publically until they sold a million units the first day and get an outcry of rage on their forums where the official Blizzard response will be...

 

Too bad...guess you just gotta play the way we want you to...

 

On the otherhand, if it is OFFLINE, and allows coop offline with buddies on the couch...

 

Expect major raging from the PC gamers (actually, I expect there is already raging on this matter)...but it will be completely AWESOME for console gamers.  If it turns out it is offline...I'll buy 3 copies at least....

Edited February 22, 2013 by greylord

[Cultist]

Riiight. 

 

1. RTS is dying because it's a PC thing, and unless you are using STEAM which used to be only 6% of PC sales until they KILLED retail PC sales by requiring STEAM and DRM and chasing us all onto consoles...there isn't any real options of playing most RTS games.  Almost all RTS games released these days require some form of DRM (steam counts as DRM).  That killed the PC market comparatively to what it was...which in turn has killed the RTS market.

No. RTS is in decline because almost noone could compete with Starcraft II in terms of  quality and support. RTS were never popular on consoles, like grand strategies and wargames. After Electronic Arts killed Red Alert franchize there's no competition for SC2 in RTS sector.

[greylord]

 

Riiight. 

 

1. RTS is dying because it's a PC thing, and unless you are using STEAM which used to be only 6% of PC sales until they KILLED retail PC sales by requiring STEAM and DRM and chasing us all onto consoles...there isn't any real options of playing most RTS games.  Almost all RTS games released these days require some form of DRM (steam counts as DRM).  That killed the PC market comparatively to what it was...which in turn has killed the RTS market.

No. RTS is in decline because almost noone could compete with Starcraft II in terms of  quality and support. RTS were never popular on consoles, like grand strategies and wargames. After Electronic Arts killed Red Alert franchize there's no competition for SC2 in RTS sector.

 

That's because no one is really MAKING RTS games overall right now.  I think C&C was competitive up until EA required you to register it online and be online.  That sort of was a big chunk of a killer.  DoW, at least the original was highly popular.  SotS empire, by the guy I think who gave the interview was somewhat popular.  Heck several were popular right up until they started requiring the DRM, online thing.  Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, and others were popular enough. 

 

IN MY OPINION...DRM killed PC gaming.  OH, you still have a number that play PC games...but a majority have shifted like I did to consoles as we sort of like hardcopies of games without having to register online.  Ironically (and VERY ironically, even if I still do PC gaming, just not like I used to and not like I do on consoles), for some odd reason I have no problem d/ling games in the same manner as one would with steam, just on a tablet instead.  Same idea...but for some reason I have less problems doing it via tablet or app for a smart phone then I do for a PC.  ODD...eh?

 

But you are correct, RTS games were never popular on consoles.  Consoles, despite what they consider slowing sales, currently rule the roost with the only contenders even somewhat making a showing being the tablets/Ipad/smartphone generation (PC really doesn't even come close from what I see at this point...sales wise).

[alanschu]

PC gaming isn't dead.

[Cultist]

Noone is making them because they know that they cannot outdo Blizzard. Both C&C and RA  failed to be competitive because EA took a huge dump on game support. Both Red Alert and C&C had massive playerbases right after release. After a while, as people observed how games remained in their state, without fixing bugs and imbas, they startedto leave. And after SC2 release a full scale migration finished the games. EA never intended to support their games past first 6 months period. Dawn of War was finished for the same reason - no support and abandonment of patching.

DRM never was a huge isue with competitive gaming and competitive audience is impossible without net connection. You enter CD-key ONCE. And with steam you are not even doing this - just clicking three times.