Post by Steve Farrelly @ 11:59am 16/01/12 | 60 Comments
"We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers," said BioWare's Chris Priestly on the BioWare Social Network.
Mass Effect 3 is due to arrive on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 8 in Australia and New Zealand. Click here for more on the game.
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Posted 12:06pm 16/1/12
=
"Sorry c**** we're not going to cut steam in on our new AAA game sales so you can download origin or suck our d****"
Posted 12:10pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:11pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:12pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:14pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:20pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:24pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:26pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:31pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:34pm 16/1/12
It's even linked in the OP.
Posted 12:39pm 16/1/12
I use origin because I have to, but I purchase the games through ozgameshop so I at least have a physical disc, plus origin is expensive.
Posted 12:43pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:45pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:45pm 16/1/12
Posted 12:54pm 16/1/12
It's not, people just hate competition or change, I think it's awesome, especially with Origin's amazing download servers. But hey, I don't really care about people saying "omg your going to have 2 icons down in your task bar, think of the children!" or "it will use up unnecessary RAM while idling when you could just have the one service".
Posted 01:06pm 16/1/12
Over all It really makes no difference to me, except the faster speeds
Had to re-download Bad Company 2 on steam, had to do it over night so slow, Activated the CD key it had in Steam on origin pushed it down in under 20mins! Activated several other 'ea' titles from steam keys in origin, un-install form steam, win!
Posted 01:45pm 16/1/12
Posted 02:07pm 16/1/12
I don't really mind Origin, but I doubt I actually will use it much (since I only use it for BF3, and registered some other EA games that I have no intention of re-installing).
I also don't really see Origin being able to compete head-to-head with Steam, at least in Australia- since most of the content on there is EA's, charged at a premium (Australia tax) price (Valve does not, but some publishers who put their games on Steam, such as 2K, Activision, Bethesda and so on, also charge a higher price for us). As the savvy people already pointed out, it's much cheaper to simply import a game from a site such as ozgameshop.
I'm still calling BS on this whole "restrictive terms of service".
Posted 02:12pm 16/1/12
I still don't see how its a 'd*** move', they've decided to enter the digital distro market more seriously, and pulling their products from the main competitor's service seems valid. EA have a huge lineup and they will get Origin on a large number of new systems with ME3.
I'd much rather Origin exclusive than have to connect to multiple DRM systems (cough, windows live).
Its stupid that they are cloaking it in TOS s***, they probably have a beef there but not enough to pull their products. I guess some suit somewhere said that was they way to manage it from a PR perspective.
They should just come out and say that they don't think its a good business move to list on Steam imo.
Posted 02:12pm 16/1/12
Posted 02:14pm 16/1/12
Its just as easy to get around Origin's Australia tax as it is Steam's.
The price thing is waning as a lure for steam as almost all A-titles now have AU tax.
Posted 02:39pm 16/1/12
I agree about the multiple DRM stuff but I think that is a different gripe in a way. As consumers we should be able to choose our platform instead of being forced to have multiple accounts across multiple DRM formats. I mean sure we are all sick of having to log in 2-3 times to play a single game but only being offered one form is a bit different to being able to choose what's best for us as individual consumers.
Not saying it's all EA's fault either, as Steam does it's best to lock you into it's service as well with Valve titles etc. but it's not a practice that consumers should support regardless of who is doing it.
Posted 02:42pm 16/1/12
Monopolies are much worse.
Posted 03:33pm 16/1/12
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1845076
Posted 03:43pm 16/1/12
Posted 03:48pm 16/1/12
Posted 03:48pm 16/1/12
Posted 03:48pm 16/1/12
but doesn't want steam competing with it
this is a d*** move, it would be akin to pepsi opening a direct shipping channel, bringing out a new widely wanted flavour, but tell coles and wollies to f*** off and they can't have the new flavour because coles/wollies want to charge different prices and wont give them 3/4 of the soft drink isle
at the end of the day EA is able to provide a digital copy, but because they want to get origin off the ground they will only deal with origin, or brick and morter stores
Posted 03:49pm 16/1/12
Posted 03:51pm 16/1/12
Posted 04:45pm 16/1/12
This will be a valid complaint when Valve releases its titles on other download services.
Posted 06:02pm 16/1/12
Doesn't really worry me which application I have to launch.
Posted 06:19pm 16/1/12
Posted 06:20pm 16/1/12
Its really not hard to have a library with Blizzard, EA and Steam.
Really isn't the end of the world.
Posted 06:29pm 16/1/12
Posted 06:30pm 16/1/12
In 10 years time you'll be b****ing about having to use some new delivery system and how you don't want a third or fourth service when you already have Origin and Steam.
Posted 06:38pm 16/1/12
Posted 06:45pm 16/1/12
Posted 07:15pm 16/1/12
Posted 08:10pm 16/1/12
Posted 08:16pm 16/1/12
Posted 09:30pm 16/1/12
Posted 09:37pm 16/1/12
lolwhut, what kind of s***** setup are you working with? It's a program, surely you can manage installing it.
Posted 01:41am 17/1/12
They thrust it into an available hole (niche maybe) and then pulled it out when they wanted to dump the owner of the hole.
There's fewer accurate metaphors than "d*** move".
Posted 01:47am 17/1/12
There's been a lot of horror stories about it making double purchases and them not refunding it, getting locked out of your account for things you didn't do, and it apparently installs some kind of spyware?
Posted 02:26am 17/1/12
Posted 03:06am 17/1/12
Posted 08:57am 17/1/12
This was only a secondary reason for avoiding Origin.
(The primary being 'it's an EA product, and likely to be dropped in a steaming (no pun intended) pile when the 'wind changes' over at EA HQ next...)
I see that you're simply playing 'devils advocate' Hoggy, and frankly adding some decent arguments while you're at it, however:
Whilst this is true, I believe this isn't what people are upset about. It's more EA playing some pretty significant power plays atm with its AAA products, and providing some pretty s***** application support while they're at it.
The Crysis 2 debacle was the most 'wtf' moment I saw in the gaming community last year. It still exists as a game on Steam, but only to people who purchased it before EA re-neg'd on the distro deal with Steam.
Won't this be a valid complaint when 'EA' actually make their own product instead of simply producing it?
(correct me if I'm wrong, but 'Valve games' aren't simply 'produced' by Valve, but made in-house yes?)
TBH I've only got the two products using Origin (BF3 via GMG, and I picked up Crysis 2 just this last week for <$30) and sure, they downloaded/patched at close to if not my net connections speed limit... but it's pretty easy to mirror your content when you're only hosting a handful of titles. I'd be curious to see how much total content Steam provide via there service in direct comparison to Origin (before we get into the user numbers utilizing said data libraries)
A recent example of EA's 'amazing-ness' with my store bought copy of Crysis 2:
- Pickup copy of Crysis 2 for PC (Great game if you haven't played it btw)
- Go to register code on steam (I know the story about it being pulled, I figured I'd give it a go for a handful of reasons)
Steam says no (no wukkas)
- I load Origin, and register the game code there.
Code accepted, the game appears beside BF3 and the BF3 Beta (does that still appear for everyone?) in Origin.
- Instead of downloading all of the game files, I decide to install from physical media.
Hrm... stand-alone installer... (no biggie, a little tedious but hey Origin didn't exist when this game 'went gold')
- Point installer at my 'Origin Games installed' folder
Installer completes and then asks if I want to install EA Downloader (err, as above Origin didn't exist when this disc was being pressed... ok what ever.
- Look back at origin once install complete... after restarting Origin, it still says 'Ready to download'...
Click this item, and (I think it was just the patches...) it starts downloading >4GB of content (I don't think it's the whole game, so it surely must have seen the install...)
- Run Crysis via Origin
Am prompted for the game code for activation by an additional layer of DRM... isn't it enough that I have an account with EA, which encompasses the licence for Crysis 2, but I now have to go through an 'online activation' via a separate program that runs outside of Origin.
Sorry for the wall of text, and this isn't an example of 'woe-is-me EA is a horrible monopoly poo poo etc etc etc' but for such a massive player in the Digital entertainment world, you'd think they could figure out how to go about releasing their products a little more uniformally
TL;DR Steam isn't perfect (and certainly wasn't flash or polished when it was the same age as Origin) but it is simply a matter of time before EA screw over it's customers, and its customers identify how lame their 'online gaming service' is.
I can't wait for EA to have a 'discontinued' games section... (where all but 'the last years games' will be...)
Posted 09:11am 17/1/12
EA have a bunch of "in-house" studios. All the EA Sports titles and they wholly own a stack of big-name studios like BioWare, Maxis, DICE and Criteron.
Posted 09:43am 17/1/12
Cant find the thread but basically for whatever reason, origin thinks im disconnected from the internet even though steam, firefox, chrome, utorrent etc can connect and have no issues. After hours of f*****g around, i figured out that i need to set a static IP that i need to refresh daily if i want origin to work. It seems to be a massively widespread issue, plus, when i was reading the EA support forum origin doesnt support VPN or proxys which i dont know much about but remember i had to use a proxy @ college so i assume there are plenty of people out there that cant use origin because of the flawed program that it is.
Posted 09:54am 17/1/12
Forgive the ignorance, but did Ubi publish anything of note last year?
(for those of us not in a trance with the Assasins Creed franchise?)
Ubi are still screwed as far as 'online activation' goes, and I've been bitten by some of their online game support too, but they don't seem to loom as large as EA do in my head for some reason.
Do you have any interesting IP settings for your PC on your home network Deadly?
(or strange modem/router issues with anything else?)
FWIW the 'Battle-log' (Dice/BF3 instead of EA/Origin) is pretty rubbish at identifying when players are actually online, and it is also rubbish at delivering instant-messaging too. (I've sent messages to my brother via BL who I'll be in the same round of BF3 as I am, and he gets the message via BL the following day)
As for Origin's IM and 'friends list' etc I've added a few mates, but literally do not use it.
Posted 11:29am 17/1/12
Thats the thing, im a techno-nub. I dont f*** with settings or have anything advanced going on. I never touched the IP settings until somebody mentioned it in the support thread and i read up on how to set your Ip and stuff and gave it a crack after getting some details from telstra. Now it works.
Posted 12:15pm 17/1/12
but if it's literally:
Dav0 -> Computer -> Router -> interwebs...
then w00t!
Posted 12:19pm 17/1/12
As opposed to figuratively not using it? :)
Posted 12:53pm 17/1/12
Posted 01:00pm 17/1/12
Posted 01:15pm 17/1/12
?
Posted 01:27pm 17/1/12
I think if they separated DRM and offered it as a service that customers could choose then it'd make our experience a hell of a lot better. I'm not saying get rid of it as they never will but just allow single third party services to be able to verify authenticity instead of forcing us to log in to multiple accounts to launch a single game.
Posted 01:32pm 17/1/12
Posted 02:40pm 17/1/12
This is becoming more and more the norm now tho :\
What I find infuriating these days is how badly older services have accomodated account management...
I have the one set of credentials for Gamespy, but because I've been gaming for + of 10 years, there are 10 variances of MY account name, because one gamespy game sees 'IVY_MiKe' as taken because 'it exists on Gamespy' (there aren't any other users on gamespy that use it mind you... and whats worse is that they're all tied to the one e-mail address...)
Don't bother trying to talk to them about rectifying it tho... more deaf ears haven't been found :/
Posted 05:48pm 17/1/12
yup thats it. yet origin requires f*****g static IP for it to work. Anyways...