Why Gears of War 2 isn't out on PC

[flibitijibibo]

Courtesy of The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/87370-Epic-President-Dumps-On-Used-Games-Piracy)

Seriously, what? He's really going to flat out blame piracy for the withholding of a game? Fuck that. If he's going to whine about pirates, why don't they just use Steam? They already use it for Unreal Tournament, and they make more money than oil companies through it.

And if it would use GFWL, they could just use the activation method used for Quantum of Solace/Gears of War 1: using the guide/Live account. Is this so hard for them to figure out?

[Sel]

Used games and Piracy are sappin mah GoW.

[Amit]

This part of this (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86692-EndWar-For-PC-Delayed-By-Piracy) article pisses me off:


To be honest, if PC wasn't pirated to hell and back, there'd probably be a PC version [of EndWar] coming out the same day as the other two," he said. "But at the moment, if you release the PC version, essentially what you're doing is letting people have a free version that they rip off instead of a purchased version. Piracy's basically killing PC.

The level of piracy that you get with the PC just cannibalizes the others, because people just steal that version.I feel rather insulted as a PC gamer. These fuckers automatically assume 4/5 PC gamers steal their game. The lot of them are idiots to the point where they should be in charge of such large developments. Endwar looks pretty crappy anyways. And the article says it's delayed. Delayed until when? When we're all dead? There is absolutely no way to stop pirating so get over it and use Steam if necessary!

[DaneO'Roo]

Make a better game, with mod support, great online and a great story and graphics, and you need not worry about piracy. Piracy exists because people have for too long gone out on the market to buy a brand new game, to find out it was a piece of shit, so now what do they do?

The download it, to check it out. If it doesn't float their boat, it doesn't earn their money to buy the online. I could have easily downloaded UT3, but I love the online and the mod support, so I bought it. I'm however not going to buy Deadspace because it'll be good for a once run through.

Farcry 2 and Mirrors edge are on my shopping list (and the orange box, cool your jets zillah) because those games offer more than just your 1 time run through.

Quit blowing your dam budget on hiring the best fucking artists and make your game PLAY better, and stop being tightarses about your dam game. People only ever stick with a game for more than a month, because of mods, or the ability to extend the gameplay further beyond what was initial.

Just make a better fucking game, and we'll buy it.

[Phopojijo]

Wow... that's odd coming from Capps.

Used games = Piracy, bullshit dude.

Bitch again when you buy every movie you ever rented.

[Cortexian]

I only buy games that have decent online play now.

It's safe to say that I haven't bought one in awhile.

[343guiltymc]

Don't seem surprising to me. I'm pretty sad that practically no game came in recent memory has any mod support, it's probably the only thing besides mouse and keyboard support that's keeping me on PC gaming.

[Sel]

Still though, never been a huge GoW fan, probably never will be, but hey if they want to make it so I can not go get a copy of the game, that is fine by me!

I will play Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess instead, because it is betterer.

[Phopojijo]

Don't seem surprising to me. I'm pretty sad that practically no game came in recent memory has any mod support, it's probably the only thing besides mouse and keyboard support that's keeping me on PC gaming.
Gears, UT3, all the Orange Box games, Hell's Highway...

[Sel]

Crysis, Crysis Warhead.

[Cortexian]

Crysis, Crysis Warhead.
Tech demos don't count.

I went there.

[Sel]

Shit guys he went there. :saddowns:

[Phopojijo]

Oh, Little Big Planet as well...

It's just a shame because Epic's always on the good-end of the DRM stick. It's odd to hear it from them.

[legionaire45]

Game companies need to realize what the actual problem here is instead of blindly passing blame to the easiest target.

Not everyone wants to spend $50 - $60 on a game that will either last them 6 hours (COD4, maybe more with the multiplayer) or will flat out suck. Not everyone has that much money. Now, let's remove the option of pirating the game. How can I get a copy of the game without stealing it and without paying a shit load of money for it? Ahah! I can buy a used copy for $5-$10 and it will play the exact same as that $50-$60 copy.

Developers are shooting themselves in the foot by charging what they are for video games. Look at what the movie industry is doing - they are spending millions more than game developers for the production of a single movie and yet anybody can go to a movie theater and watch it for $5 to $10 when it is released. That, or they can buy the movie for $10 to $20 when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever. Or they can rent it from Netflix for what probably ends up being less than a dollar or rent it from a brick and mortar store for relatively cheap.

Games like the Orange Box have sold incredibly well because people see that they are getting a lot of value for their $50 investment. Games like Crysis, the original Gears of War, COD4 (assuming you are just counting the 6 hour single player - multiplayer NEVER worked for me on my xbox 360) and other recent games have all had little value and I think it's funny that the studios that have developed these games have been bitching about "piracy ruining everything". It's hard to justify paying that much for a game given the current economic situation, especially when it will only offer you a few hours of entertainment. People are voicing their opinions with their wallets - if they don't think the game is worth the costs they will either buy it used or pirate it.

So, in closing, game developers need to:
realize that people will purchase more games if they see that they are getting a good value from their purchase
realize that used games are more attractive to users because they are so much cheaper than retail shrink wrapped copies
realize that they are charging far too much for current games and that people simply cant afford to keep up with the costs
stop passing the blame around - your game didn't sell well because it sucked or because you didn't market it well enough, not because used game stores and software pirates somehow magically stole all of your sales

[Cortexian]

I've noticed that most games seem to be focusing more and more on polishing off the single player aspect. Unfortunately most of the gaming community now has access to internet connections that allow them to take advantage of the online aspect of the games. If I were developing a game right now I'd be focusing on the online and multiplayer features over the singleplayer story, obviously the story still needs to be good though to encourage play.

[Bodzilla]

I've noticed that most games seem to be focusing more and more on polishing off the single player aspect. Unfortunately most of the gaming community now has access to internet connections that allow them to take advantage of the online aspect of the games. If I were developing a game right now I'd be focusing on the online and multiplayer features over the singleplayer story, obviously the story still needs to be good though to encourage play.
Sup StarCraft 2

[TPE]

Fixing piracy is as simple as this:

Require people to make an online account. This account is where you register your CD key and is required to login to the game. Much better fix then companies like EA loading their shit games with secureroms that take over mah megabits. With all this DRM shit people are more tempted to pirate a game because they don't want EA stealin their megabits.

Blizzard figured this out what? 5 years ago with WoW? L2 get with the program.

[Phopojijo]

Fixing piracy is as simple as this:

Require people to make an online account. This account is where you register your CD key and is required to login to the game. Much better fix then companies like EA loading their shit games with secureroms that take over mah megabits. With all this DRM shit people are more tempted to pirate a game because they don't want EA stealin their megabits.

Blizzard figured this out what? 5 years ago with WoW? L2 get with the program.Until they shut down the servers... assuming you even have internet access.

[flibitijibibo]

Fixing piracy is as simple as this:

Require people to make an online account. This account is where you register your CD key and is required to login to the game.
Like Steam? :downs:

[Jelly]

Piracy is a massive problem on the PC; enough to piss developers off. Pissed off developers means no games for us.

Take into account the fact that most pirates are jerks and you have a downward spiral.

Seriously devs, use Steam. It actually makes piracy hard.

[JunkfoodMan]

PC Games need to be purchasable only by online means, like Steam. The majority of PC gamers should have access to the internet. By supplying disc copies, you just give them something to upload or torrent. And it costs more.

[Amit]

I only buy games that have decent online play now.

It's safe to say that I haven't bought one in awhile.

Last one I bought was COD 4 in May and that was a damn good investment.

[LinkandKvel]

PC Games need to be purchasable only by online means, like Steam. The majority of PC gamers should have access to the internet. By supplying disc copies, you just give them something to upload or torrent. And it costs more.

But not every one do/can purchase over the internet...

[Jelly]

PC Games need to be purchasable only by online means, like Steam. The majority of PC gamers should have access to the internet. By supplying disc copies, you just give them something to upload or torrent. And it costs more.
Games are massive, broadband download limits are common; copies on disc aren't going away any time soon.

[MetKiller Joe]

Make a better game, with mod support, great online and a great story and graphics, and you need not worry about piracy. Piracy exists because people have for too long gone out on the market to buy a brand new game, to find out it was a piece of shit, so now what do they do?

The download it, to check it out. If it doesn't float their boat, it doesn't earn their money to buy the online. I could have easily downloaded UT3, but I love the online and the mod support, so I bought it. I'm however not going to buy Deadspace because it'll be good for a once run through.

Farcry 2 and Mirrors edge are on my shopping list (and the orange box, cool your jets zillah) because those games offer more than just your 1 time run through.

Quit blowing your dam budget on hiring the best fucking artists and make your game PLAY better, and stop being tightarses about your dam game. People only ever stick with a game for more than a month, because of mods, or the ability to extend the gameplay further beyond what was initial.

Just make a better fucking game, and we'll buy it.

I completely agree. I bought Gears 2 only because I saw there were many people that loved the game and its multiplayer. I bought UT3 for the development assets. I bought every game I have in my collection because it has a replay value, and if it does not have a replay value, being it not having a good story or what ever, I will either rent or simply won't play it.

What I don't understand is why the firms have not seen that piracy will not go away. People will not give up free stuff, but firms can offer free stuff with advertising, special downloads that need an account with the company, etc...

The problem with the technology industry these days is that they've given up on actually doing anything innovative. They started to sit on their ass, tell their people to make a game, and ship it. They do not try new things (things like touchscreens, motion sensors, and other advanced technologies have been around longer the video-games have; while they may have cool applications in games, there is certainly nothing "innovative" about the technologies themselves).

[Zeph]

Look at what the movie industry is doing - they are spending millions more than game developers for the production of a single movie and yet anybody can go to a movie theater and watch it for $5 to $10 when it is released. That, or they can buy the movie for $10 to $20 when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever. Or they can rent it from Netflix for what probably ends up being less than a dollar or rent it from a brick and mortar store for relatively cheap.

Negative. Movies != games. When you go watch a movie at a theatre, you're paying for a one time liscense. Only when you buy a disk of the movie have you bought a site license can you begin comparing it to games. Then you run into the biggest difference between movies and games of all. Movies are much more accessible than games. A DVD player has become an almost-standard object in a house. They can be obtained for less than you'd pay for a newly released DVD. The higher traffic volume in the movie industry is how production teams can use such a large budget and sell their product for the average 20 bucks.

Video games have a much higher barrier of entry. You need a platform to play them on; be it a computer or multi-hundred dollar console. That equates to fewer people having a platform to play a game and thus a higher price per unit on newly released games.








As for why Gears 2 isn't out on PC yet, that should be obvious. The studio didn't want to multi-task their QA team, Microsoft would rather the game be console exclusive for now to drive 360 games, and MICROSOFT IS ONLY THE FUCKING PUBLISHER. Microsoft only has the voice of opinion in the matter.

[TPE]

Like Steam? :downs:Yeah I guess I forgot about steam but I try not to think of steam as much as I can because of how crappy it is.

[armoman92]

you guys are all right but they must be losing major $$$ for them to cut off an entire platform. Plus, is this Capps guy all the way at the top to be making a huge descission like this. Epic, or whoever owns epic, must have put a lot of thought into their decision before making it. We are talking about a lot of $$$ here.

EDIT: so wouldn'tt Microsoft make the final decision whether its released on PC or no. is Microsoft > Epic in terms of this.

[Apoc4lypse]

game is suk anyway...

still sluggish control system like the first one...

Needs better switch weapon buttons... and faster characters. Why do all the characters look like there on roids and can't fuken move unless your holding A or jumping over shit.

Then again I don't own it or a 360, so I have no idea if theres a better control setup for it, havent messed with it.

*will get a 360, and will buy the first one* if I can play through the first one with out smashing my controller with a sledge hammer, then i'll buy the second one, and maybe i'll enjoy it.

[Amit]

Yeah I guess I forgot about steam but I try not to think of steam as much as I can because of how crappy it is.

Regardless of your experience with it in the past, it is now one of the best ways to get games and play them with little hassle. It's very stable and easy to use. What was it like back when you used it? Also, steam works best when you buy games for it.

[Cortexian]

Regardless of your experience with it in the past, it is now one of the best ways to get games and play them with little hassle. It's very stable and easy to use. What was it like back when you used it? Also, steam works best when you buy games for it.
Steam games have given me nothing but trouble to this day. They focus on supporting the majority and leave the rest of us with unique systems out in the cold.

[Amit]

Steam games have given me nothing but trouble to this day. They focus on supporting the majority and leave the rest of us with unique systems out in the cold.

Uh...experiences...?

[Cortexian]

Uh...experiences...?
"hl2.exe has stopped running" every time I tried using Steam games on VIsta for the longest time. I tried 10 or so different fixes and none worked, ended up fixing itself in a Steam update after months of no steam games. Also get a ton of random crashes and game glitches/graphical fuck ups, this has been happening since I got CSS back when it was released a LONG time ago (on XP and Vista).

I've troubleshooted these issues to death and there are no solutions that I find acceptable. Plus the Steam platform is unstable.

[Zeph]

you guys are all right but they must be losing major $$$ for them to cut off an entire platform. Plus, is this Capps guy all the way at the top to be making a huge descission like this. Epic, or whoever owns epic, must have put a lot of thought into their decision before making it. We are talking about a lot of $$$ here.

EDIT: so wouldn'tt Microsoft make the final decision whether its released on PC or no. is Microsoft > Epic in terms of this.

Negative. Games on the 360 typically outsell their PC counterpart on a 6:1 ratio.

As for the MS thing, they would want to publish it for PC. The choice for what platform a developer wants to make things for is up to them. Publishers front the development costs and take the product to market. From there, they take a share of the profits for their service as well as whatever to remake what they payed for development.

If microsoft didn't do it, other publishers would jump at the chance.

[BobtheGreatII]

Negative. Games on the 360 typically outsell their PC counterpart on a 6:1 ratio.

Which in all honesty doesn't come as that great of a surprise to most of us. The use of a computer outside of using the internet to surf the web and check e-mail blows a lot of peoples minds. Most don't even consider the PC a gaming platform.

[Zeph]

Plus the Steam platform is unstable.

For you, perhaps. For the other 99.999% of the people using it, no.

It's clearly a system issue for you. You've got a hardware/driver problem somewhere.

[Zeph]

Which in all honesty doesn't come as that great of a surprise to most of us. The use of a computer outside of using the internet to surf the web and check e-mail blows a lot of peoples minds. Most don't even consider the PC a gaming platform.

Correct, most everyone has a PC, but not everyone games on it.

[Amit]

For you, perhaps. For the other 99.999% of the people using it, no.

It's clearly a system issue for you. You've got a hardware/driver problem somewhere.

Pricisely

[Ifafudafi]

*Precisely. e_e

Every time someone doesn't want to make something for the PC, they say "lolpirates." While that may be part of it, it usually comes down to sales numbers. If the money spent in churning out PC versions doesn't come back as a profit, there's no point in doing it.

GoW1PC was a failure, so I think Microsoft realized that doing it again (especially with the staggered release system) would just be a waste of time and effort they could be using to make Gears 3.

[Amit]

*Precisely. e_e

GoW1PC was a failure, so I think Microsoft realized that doing it again (especially with the staggered release system) would just be a waste of time and effort they could be using to make Gears 3.

Was it really? I bought it and loved it. The graphics were crazy on even low settings (ah, the wonders of the Unreal 3 Engine) and multiplayer was a lot of fun.

[Bodzilla]

See right there Mr. If is microsucks biggest failing.


there inability to accept that Just mayby, you know... it's an outside chance but... Maybe cause people didn't want to buy a game that had been out for over a year on a online system that charged you to have things you allready fucking head that underperformed the leading FREE competitors.

Just a hunch
BUT AHHAUHRRRRRHUHHGGGRRHHH ARRRGGHHH THAR BE PIRATES ABOUND

[Jean-Luc]

This whole issue is a big "Fuck You" to the consumers. Granted, yes, there is a substantial amount of piracy out there, and there's no way to deny it, but this is taking it so far beyond a piracy level that it's disgusting.

The worst example of this is EA's SecuRom that they're so bloody fond of. Most of you know what this program is, but for those who don't: SecuRom is a validation program that comes with some of the better games (Crysis, Spore, Mass Effect, etc). It is used as a secure validation tool to make sure you have a legitimate copy of the game. A good idea on paper, but what they have done with it is nothing short of criminal (and is, in fact, illegal). EA has made it so the program is installed without the consumer consenting to the installation, and it's installed in one of the basest sections of Windows, known as Kernel 0. What that means is that to remove SecuRom once it's installed on your PC, it requires a full reformat of your C: drive, as the program has locked itself in. Again, this is all done without the user's consent. EA tries to give that EULA stuff, but they're just cheating because very few, if any, read those things. EULA is full of too much legal language and whatnot that people don't want the hassle.

The problem EA is now facing is that they are being sued for SecuRom, and all the problems it causes. Not only that, but consumers are pirating those games more because they are otherwise insulted by the company for assuming they, an ordinarily legitimate buyer, is a criminal and should be punished for that. They wouldn't say that, but it is the implication.

Something I have realized is this. If the lawsuit against EA is won, and EA has to remove SecuRom, there are a couple problems that haven't been thought out by everyone.

1) I highly doubt even EA can construct a program to remove SecuRom from Kernal 0, which means it is likely that to get rid of it once and for all, everyone who has bought a SecuRom game will have to reformat their harddrives, which will result in a massive amount of frustration and anger at EA.

2) The second problem, and a big one for EA, is that once SecuRom is made illegal, that makes every single disc with SecuRom on it illegal, and therefore, invalidated. EA will have to replace every single game bought by consumers, resulting in a huge profit loss. And lets be honest, not everyone has a reciept of the original game or even has the box anymore. Some people may not do well on this.

EA is in trouble.

[343guiltymc]

Don't EA pay shitloads of money to get DRM on their games?

[Zeph]

Was it really? I bought it and loved it. The graphics were crazy on even low settings (ah, the wonders of the Unreal 3 Engine) and multiplayer was a lot of fun.

Lol, no. Ah, the wonders of a studio making games of the graphical style you most prefer.

Honestly I think that stuff looks like shit.

[Ifafudafi]

I meant "failure" as in it sold a total of about 12 copies, yours including. It's an excellent game no matter what you play it on.

[Bodzilla]

Look i'll be honest, i actually was pretty keen to buy Bioshock and a couple other big name games because they looked so great, and i've been known to do that in the past, but SEcurom made me point the middle finger at them and utter a few words.

i and coutless other users would of happily purchased this legitmately if we hadnt been treated like fuckign pirates in doing so, but alas the company's have been controlled by a handful of bean counters for far too long.

[Amit]

Lol, no. Ah, the wonders of a studio making games of the graphical style you most prefer.

Honestly I think that stuff looks like shit.

It's not the style I prefer the most but it it's good for gritty action killing with a lot of gore to it. I don't really like the colours of the blood in Gears of War or UT3, but the way it reacts is awesome.

[DarkHalo003]

Blame the pirates and fags who crack the games like that. I don't care if you're bored or you want a game badly, that gives you no right to hack it illegally. Learn to take some responsibility and earn money to buy the game. If your parents won't let you then cry me a river, they know WAY better than you. Suck it up. Go outside and play or find some friends to hang out with.

This may be a bit irrational to completely exclude the game from PC users. I'm sure there are some ways to keep hackers from hacking into it.

[Amit]

:words:

Go back and read the entire thread. This isn't about piracy, it's about insolence.

[Bodzilla]

Blame the pirates and fags who crack the games like that. I don't care if you're bored or you want a game badly, that gives you no right to hack it illegally. Learn to take some responsibility and earn money to buy the game. If your parents won't let you then cry me a river, they know WAY better than you. Suck it up. Go outside and play or find some friends to hang out with.

This may be a bit irrational to completely exclude the game from PC users. I'm sure there are some ways to keep hackers from hacking into it.
It's because the pirates get treated better then legitimate customers.

i know i love programs being secretly on my computer that have the potential AND the history to break everything on my computer :awesome:
or not.

[Pooky]

Make a better game, with mod support, great online and a great story and graphics, and you need not worry about piracy.

Just make a better fucking game, and we'll buy it.

This, this, this, this and this. I spent $30 on Jedi Academy and played that game for fucking years because of how amazing the online play and mod support were. I maintain that Jedi Academy had the best map making talent I've ever seen for any game.


Wow... that's odd coming from Capps.

Used games = Piracy, bullshit dude.

Bitch again when you buy every movie you ever rented.

Also this. When I bought Gears I didn't have $50 bucks to just piss away on a game so I got it used for $20. If it had retailed new for that, odds are a lot better I would have bought it. Sorry us gamers aren't all fucking millionaires Epic :(


Seriously devs, use Steam. It actually makes piracy hard.

Eh.... not so much as you might think. I uh, 'tried' Portal before I bought the Orange Box because I wanted to see if it was worth my money.


"hl2.exe has stopped running" every time I tried using Steam games on VIsta for the longest time. I tried 10 or so different fixes and none worked, ended up fixing itself in a Steam update after months of no steam games. Also get a ton of random crashes and game glitches/graphical fuck ups, this has been happening since I got CSS back when it was released a LONG time ago (on XP and Vista).

I've troubleshooted these issues to death and there are no solutions that I find acceptable. Plus the Steam platform is unstable.

You've got something running that conflicts with Steam. AVG is the most notorious culprit there.


It's because the pirates get treated better then legitimate customers.

i know i love programs being secretly on my computer that have the potential AND the history to break everything on my computer :awesome:
or not.

This too. There have been games that I would have bought but couldn't stand to because of ridiculous anti-piracy measures like Spore and Mass Effect (though I ended up buying that later when I heard about the DRM getting curbed). Most of those games end up getting pirated by more people than they would otherwise be, so DRM is worthless anyway.

All in all, this is just another reason why I'm not getting Gears 2.

[Amit]

I have 0% problems playing Source Engine and Steam games using AVG 8.

[Cortexian]

I'm using AVG 8, and I was using AVG 7 on Windows Vista as well. The error still occurs, but I finally found a solution.

Actually I didn't but the steam games I have installed launched the other day out of the blue.