Wtf ea?!?!

[Gizmo-5]

I was engaged in the activity of preording a nice juicy copy of Warhammer online for its nice juicy beta, when i saw a little icon for an extended download service...

What possibly could this new conveniance be i wondered, and with interest i clicked the innocent looking whats this icon.

WTF EA... WTF!!!

this basically means that anything youve bought off EA Store is only valid for being downloaded for 6 months after purchase... so for example, if your comp died and you wanted to redownload WAR, bf2 booster packs, Spore or anthing else youve bough on there, youd have to pay for it again.... i mean... Seriously EA, are we morons?

Ive tolerated shitty company policys before, for example the problems with Bioshock and its limited installation encryption, Rainbow six vegas 2, will adamantly refuse to run on my system if i have any ISO software installed, With these examples it was beginning to feel like companies cared more about the small number of people trying to pirate their games, than the ones that wanted to play them (in the case of rainbow six vegas 2, there was no mention of the ISO protection in the manual, i had to search online for an answer to the problem.

But this is just taking the piss. If i pay the same price the yanks do in GBP ($39.99 != £39.99 EA!!!) and dont get a disc to show for it i dont want to be told that infact i dont own anything in six months time, especially as tempermental as gaming rigs are!!!

GRRRRRR!!! JOIN ME IN SOME GOOD OLD PUBLISHER STUPIDITY HATE!!!

 

[thatbloke]

the EA store has been like that since it started I believe...

 

[Nanor]

EA are cocks. I'll be buying mine from Play.

 

[Traxata]

Erm, I've downloaded BF2142 NS quite a few times...

I'm hoping I can download it now...

 

[Gizmo-5]

It looks like a new policy, so would only apply to new releases, but imagine if Steam turned around and said that, someone would get fired for it.

 

[Taffy]

Ergh. I go with the old theory that 'hard' copies, i.e. disks, are always better than downloads. Unless you lose them. Or snap them. In which case you should be more careful

Why not go to a shop and buy it, or order the disk online?

 

[thatbloke]

So as a test I just re-downloaded the EA download manager to see if I could get stuff I bought over a year ago. The answer? yes. Not sure what this "extra option" is all about, but I'm re-downloading Northern Strike now...

 

[Nanor]

So as a test I just re-downloaded the EA download manager to see if I could get stuff I bought over a year ago. The answer? yes. Not sure what this "extra option" is all about, but I'm re-downloading Northern Strike now...

It looks like a new policy, so would only apply to new releases, but imagine if Steam turned around and said that, someone would get fired for it.

When will EA learn. :/

 

[HotStuff]

I can still download all the BF2 and BF2142 addon packs I bought immediately on their release. As pointed out it may well be a new policy.

Why do it though?

Only way round it is to make back up on DVD or something as soon as you buy/download - will that work?

 

[BiG D]

Does it say anywhere that the download will not be available after 6 months, or just that it may not be available?

Essentially, I'm reading it more as a guarantee. "Any product you buy from our download store is guaranteed to be available for at least six months." In reality, it will likely be available for years and years, though I'm sure there will eventually come a time when it's not worth the space to host it anymore. If that really bothers you, buy a boxed copy.

You say Steam's policy is better. But Steam doesn't have a policy. If tomorrow Valve decides they're getting out of the game business and making scented candles instead, you're fucked. The license agreement you agreed to by making an account gives them the right to shut down their servers any time the want. Not only can you not download games you've purchased, but you can't even PLAY the ones you've already downloaded.

Realistically, that's not going to happen. I would say the same in EA's case. But if it does happen, at least they're giving you a little breathing room with a guarantee.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Thats what i thought D, but where doesnt it say that valve has no beyond today guarantee of continued downloads?


One little question, why would you buy a game for £40 from that EA download anyway? I mean, its only £30 on play.com.

 

[BiG D]

Thats what i thought D, but where doesnt it say that valve has no beyond today guarantee of continued downloads?

They don't say anything about game/download availability, beyond the generic EULA which basically says "Valve makes no guarantees regarding service availability, and is free to deny service whenever." Most EULAs read like that, so it's nothing particularly new. You still need to consider the control they have, though.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Are the same games distributed by multiple "pay and download" companies like steam, or do they all have their own list of games?

Also does anyone know if the EA contingency plan to provide games for 2 years instead of 6 months mininum, is intended to mean 2 years after the service goes down(ie close/bust) or 2 years from the point of purchase.

You still need to consider the control they have, though.

I cant remeber if there are CD keys with games that you download from steam(ie not a retail orange box) but if steam were to go down, would you be able to illegally download the game and play it with or without(from elsewhere) your cd key, because at some point in the past you purchased a license.

I have oftern wondered about the ambiguity of making copies of a game you have and have a lisence for(for personal use of course), but what about making copies of a game you have a lisence for but the copies are not actually from the product your purchased, eg i lost my brood war disk, and as it has no cdkey i copied my mates, and the disc turned up 4 yr later.

 

[Nanor]

Also does anyone know if the EA contingency plan to provide games for 2 years instead of 6 months mininum, is intended to mean 2 years after the service goes down(ie close/bust) or 2 years from the point of purchase.

Point of Purchase I'd imagine.

 

[Ki!ler-Mk1]

Heh, thats what i thought, but that is woefully unfair if they gobust 2 years down the line, because those who made a purchase after you, get something for their money and you dont.

 

[BiG D]

Unfair the same way any other insurance is unfair, really.

 

[Silk]

Unfair the same way any other insurance is unfair, really.

Buying a product != buying insurance.


Insurance typically lasts a year and is "invisible" until you need it.

A product is a thing, virtual or physical, that once purchased you OWN. If this is the way downloadable content will go, I'll stick to buying my box thanks

 

[Nanor]

If this is the way downloadable content will go, I'll stick to buying my box thanks

It's only a matter of time before all content is downloaded. Look at the way the music business is headed.

 

[BiG D]

I was referring to that optional insurance they offer.

There's always been risks to buying online; this is hardly anything new. Games are becomming services more than products these days, so it's not even that surprising.

 

[Gizmo-5]

Download limitations
Users are given 6 months from the time of purchase to download a game. This period can be extended to two years, via the Extended Download Service, by paying a $6 US fee. This is unlike most other digital distribution platforms which allows users to re-download their purchases in future without limitations.

- Wiki

So its official, way to GAY EA