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Author Topic: Game News Dump  (Read 297839 times)

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Catloaf

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3700 on: October 15, 2012, 10:27:14 AM »

That'll only be noticeable if it's a very high-detailed series of frames.  The addition of a tiny amount of motion blur to sprites/model animations would render it unnoticeable.  Because delay noticeability  is non-uniform and correlated  with amount of difference between frames, the lack of light saturation, and detail of the images being processed by the eye.  So it could be an issue sometimes, but it really shouldn't be in most cases.

So, if you want a game to run 'smoother', turn down the detail, it makes it go faster on the computer and makes you eyes less able to notice stutters.  Also turning up the screen brightness helps, stupidly enough.
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Beat Bandit

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3701 on: October 18, 2012, 05:19:04 AM »

War of the Roses is a broken piece of shit. It has a 'bug' where it's not actually compatible with... well no one knows. It seems to just be nVidia cards, but ATI users have issues to. "Issues" in this case meaning "the game doesn't run".

Their support forums are the definition of unhelpful. There has been zero word on anything that's happening since beta, and mods/devs shrug off any requests for information on the topic.

The only support they've ever provided is just reposting anything a user says worked for them. To the point where for months the only 'known fix' to come up for the issue didn't even relate to it. Because why would devs / admins even bother to check and see if all the steps are real before telling everyone that's what they have to do, right?

It's really frustrating to the point where I feel like something should be done, but I don't know what. Steam laughs at anyone who asks for refunds on anything, and Paradox employees literally ignore (if not delete while pretending to ignore) anything that has to do with refunds, or specifically with how the admins have been ignoring their PMs about possible refunds.

So is this something worth emailing a gaming site about and seeing if they can stir up some shit? Or am I just overreacting and no one that didn't blow thirty bucks on a game that doesn't work will care?
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Mongrel

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3702 on: October 18, 2012, 06:30:01 AM »

Have you actually tried sending that exact text to Steam along with a refund request.

Like I would go through the motions before hitting up a gaming news site or whatever.
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Beat Bandit

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3703 on: October 18, 2012, 07:39:05 AM »

My ticket to steam
Quote
Payment Info

I understand that you do not commonly give refunds for downloaded games, but the issues with WotR should understandably make it an exception.

Many users (anyone with an nVidia card and various others) are completely unable to load this game. It is a known issue with no fix in the works.

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?634593-Do-you-have-random-crashes-client-startup-issues-Look-here-please!

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?636440-Some-Common-issues-and-possible-solutions!

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?635617-Tips-For-Those-Using-an-Nvidia-Video-Card

Those are just moderator / developer started threads mixed with the countless user started about the game crashing outright or preventing play in some regard. There are even posts from the mods that contact is being / needs to be made with Steam to change the listed system requirements because they don't properly reflect a system that the game will run properly on.

I understand that none of these technical issues are Steam's fault, but Paradox will outright ignore any request for technical support or any kind of compensation for the issue. Still, this is not an example of me not liking the game or being unable to use it because of my own failings. The system requirements shown on the order page promised something that was not delivered. Advertised the product was supposed to be access to the beta and full release, but it seems they have you selling only the beta builds under false pretense.
Notably that bit about the system requirements is a bit of an overstatement, since it was only in regards to vista SP2 compability.

response:
Quote
Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

As with most software products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges on games, DLC or in-game items purchased on our website or through the Steam Client.

Please review Section 3 of the Steam Subscriber Agreement for more information.
http://www.steampowered.com/index.php?area=subscriber_agreement

We will make an exception and refund preorders as long as the request is received prior to the release of the game. This only applies to preorders purchased from your account, preordered titles received or sent through the Steam Trading system cannot be refunded.
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Mongrel

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3704 on: October 18, 2012, 08:11:50 AM »

Yeah, the idea that Steam never refunds anything under any circumstances is kind of bullshit and I figure they're going to get called on it at some point.

Next step is to request an escalation for your ticket, with an explicit sentence along the lines of "I have the hardware and software system requirements as described, have followed all company-provided support, and still cannot play the game in any way shape or form, nor is any response forthcoming from the manufacturer/developer/studio."

Google searches for steam support seem spotty at best, but I did see one or two instances of people requesting escalation and/or getting a refund for buyer's remorse or other things, so it's not flat-out impossible.

If they refuse the escalation or the escalating rep gives you the same answer, then yeah, I would look at speaking to gaming media. I used to laugh at "I'LL SPEAK TO THE MEDIA!" but that actually works sometimes these days. Sometimes.

There's also a BBB complaint (which also works sometimes, surprisingly enough), but apparently Steam doesn't bother with accreditation through them and doesn't really bother with complaints registered against them. You you might actually be able to try a BBB complain against the publisher. Which also brings up the possibility of requesting a refund directly from the publisher.
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Thad

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3705 on: October 25, 2012, 09:24:38 AM »

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board's standard rating process involves issuing content guidance to consumers based on viewing a DVD of representative gameplay. But with thousands of games being submitted to participating digital storefronts—including the upcoming Windows 8 Store, Steam, console download services, and the new PlayStation Mobile marketplace—the ratings organization found its standard process couldn't handle the load. So now, the organization will assign a free rating to downloadable games based on a questionnaire filled out by the developer that describes the game's content.

"Due to the volume of digitally delivered games and the speed and frequency with which they’re produced, we recognize the need to utilize a process that is scalable and fast but still highly reliable," ESRB Director of Communications Eliot Mizrahi told Ars. "Our goal is for this service to facilitate broader adoption of our ratings so consumers are presented with consistent rating information regardless of where their family plays."

On the one hand, I've always thought ratings systems of all kinds are stupid (1: as Zappa put it, "that means that somebody in an office someplace is making a decision about how smart my child is"; 2: they've proven a mechanism of enshrining the notion that sex is worse than violence).  And I can't help questioning the wisdom of allowing people to rate their own games.

On the other, I acknowledge that the ESRB ratings system is a necessary evil in this market, and if these means a bigger audience for indie developers then I think that's a good thing.

At least, until the first one slaps an E rating on an AO title and the news media find out about it.
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Smiler

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3706 on: October 31, 2012, 06:19:48 AM »

Natural Selection 2 has finally come out. It is surprising for some reason to see it released and actually resemble a finished product. It plays a lot nicer from the last time I played the beta. I was wondering how the aliens were supposed to break into the marine start when they all had grenade launchers until someone gave us a protip that the alien commander can lay down higher evolution eggs down so that players don't have to wait for their resources to slowly creep up to evolve.
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Niku

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3707 on: October 31, 2012, 11:58:25 AM »

More importantly, Primal Carnage also came out.

I honestly to god thought Steam was just fucking with me when I saw both of those games on the Now Available ticker.
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Bal

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3708 on: October 31, 2012, 01:17:08 PM »

Pretty sure Primal Carnage is crap. NS2 is fucking awesome though. I've been in the beta since it was an alpha engine test, and to see what it has become is amazing.
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Niku

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3709 on: October 31, 2012, 03:01:07 PM »

yes probably but you can play as a t-rex
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Esperath

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3710 on: November 01, 2012, 03:17:12 PM »

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Beat Bandit

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3711 on: November 01, 2012, 04:31:06 PM »

Thank goodness that is just a joke image and not a link that leads to the saddest thing.
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Esperath

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3712 on: November 01, 2012, 04:39:19 PM »

It's fuled by Mountain Dew.
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Brentai

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3713 on: November 01, 2012, 04:43:33 PM »

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Classic

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3714 on: November 01, 2012, 06:33:56 PM »

PROFITS OF THE MODERN AGE!!!
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Büge

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3715 on: November 05, 2012, 09:40:06 AM »

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Dragonborn - Official Trailer

Solstheim + bonemold armour + Telvanni mushroom houses = Morrowind!!!

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Büge

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Thad

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3717 on: November 09, 2012, 08:31:50 PM »

Quote
It also requires Silicon Knights to cease producing or distributing those games, and to recall and destroy any unsold copies.

So how long until a judge orders a company to destroy all SOLD copies of a digitally-distributed product?
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Büge

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3718 on: November 09, 2012, 09:54:45 PM »

That's a good question. I'm not sure anyone's actually considered that. Would it be like those people whose books get taken off their kindles for whatever reason, only on a large and permanent scale?

Besides, wouldn't they just switch off the servers or something? There's probably a clause in the EULA for that already.
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Thad

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Re: Game News Dump
« Reply #3719 on: November 09, 2012, 10:24:29 PM »

That's a good question. I'm not sure anyone's actually considered that.

Well, I mean, Doctorow and lots and lots of other consumer advocates have considered the possibility.

Would it be like those people whose books get taken off their kindles for whatever reason, only on a large and permanent scale?

Yes.

And if a court does it, there's the rub -- Amazon got a huge black eye over that 1984 deletion and has pledged not to do it again.  But if a court ordered it, Amazon wouldn't have any choice but to comply.  The only way to actually GUARANTEE a company is never going to remotely remove things from your device is for that functionality not to be built into the software in the first damn place.

Besides, wouldn't they just switch off the servers or something? There's probably a clause in the EULA for that already.

Well sure, assuming the game needs to connect to a server to authenticate every time it's run.  But I'm talking more along the lines of exactly what Amazon did: actually removing the data completely from your device.
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