Wolfire Games Forums

Most sucessfull way of blocking priating IMO is just supporting the game after release - adding updates and all that, that gives frustration to pirates who keep having to wait and download it all over again and it would just be easier to buy it.

Also Wolfire have already said that there is just no way that they have the resources to create a tough to craack DRM system which would in the end just be cracked anyway, I think they are doing fine and the game is slowly but surely picking up more attention.

Plus I mean if you pirate from Ubisoft, there's a large base of people, some of them on this forum, who would agree with you. Wolfire is made up of four guys that you know and sometimes even interact with. You see their faces, you hear them in videos, and really, you get the image that they're four pretty cool guys just trying to put together a kick-ass indie game, even if they don't become millionaires in the process. Anyone who pirates from them just looks like an asshole.

I'm with Endoperez on this.

Stealing a $40 product from an independent and (I would imagine) struggling company (what company isn't these days) is absolutely unjustifiable in my book. Some piraters claim to only steal from major production companies, but that just seems to be a stepping stone to worse crimes. Even their argument that it's a big corporation and they're fighting the system by stealing is bullshit. If a developer is rolling in money from sales, it means they made a good product for crying out loud. By stealing it, you're basically giving the bird to all the years of training, education, design, creation, implementation, and distribution it took for them to get their invention out to the world.

Don't steal games.

this is my serious face

I haven't ever stolen a game, but I buy a lot of music from iTunes. Here's my policy: You don't bullshit me, I don't bullshit you. Some songs come with the album only. I don't want to buy the whole album, just to get one song. So they lose my dollar. Obviously this is on a smaller scale than $50 dollar games, though.

If a game is pirated, it means its desired, ppl who follow this game development and spend time reading forums, etc etc, are not likely the ones who pirate it, they are the ones who buys the game or plan to (like me).

I've yet to play overgrowth, but plan to preorder as soon as im convinced (actually really are ).

But my point being, if the game shows up on torrent sites, or whatever P2P site, or FTP, or DC++ or whatever, and someone downloads it, plays it, and likes it, its more likely that they will find out more about it (because of its alpha state), and actually buy the game ones it matures.

I belive every publicity is good publicity, and to spread something free, is a proven concept, even thou its not been done intentionally.

Just gotta remember a download of a pirate game doesnt not equal a lost sale.

Culture works with spreading/copying and adding and improving something, thats why i hope that Overgrowth will have a great modding community and tools to do it.

I as a person, encourage file sharing, but have yet to form a clear enough view on copyrighted file sharing.

In the end, a small company like this, needs to spread the word, unless they plan to do a big marketing campaign.

I think it's a good thing. Pirating doesn't in any way mean a lost sale, as the pirate wasn't necessarily going to pay for the game anyway, but through enjoying the pirated copy he may buy it. I personally wouldn't pay for an Alpha, and think it should be free anyway, as I usually don't buy games before I try them.

I don't think someone pirating the Alpha is something to get incredibly worked up about. The only reason I payed for the game is because I wanted to support a developer who is doing a lot of things I like and agree with (interesting gameplay, openly displaying development progress, etc.).

Preorder money is just extra cash for Wolfire, so someone pirating the Alpha shouldn't be a huge loss for them. Pirating the completed product is what should upset people, but since the game isn't completed, you can't be mad about that.

Also, OP said he was kind of okay with his friend pirating it to see if he liked it, but then was angry because he didn't? So, it would only be okay for him to pirate the Alpha if he was going to like the game? That doesn't make sense to me.

With all that said, I think it's a little unfair to judge your compatibility with a game while it's in its alpha stage, and that kid should/could have waited for a demo or something to try it, instead of pirating the alpha.

ah but it's not really extra money for them, this is their sole job, and at the rate that the game is getting completed without preorder money they would likely have to take other jobs and maybe even give up entirely, that would be very sad, so everyone who pirates the alpha is twice as douchey as somebody who pirates the completed product! lol.

schmete wrote:you can't be mad about that.

On the contrary, I think anyone can be mad at people stealing their hard work.

in any case it is free advertising for indie project

(cuted)

it's just a matter of conscience \ flavors \ Culture \ material wealth and
feeling that the game deserves a purchase

ps. as said meissner61

Most sucessfull way of blocking priating IMO is just supporting the game after release -
adding updates and all that, that gives frustration to pirates who keep having to wait and
download it all over again and it would just be easier to buy it.

and the fact that pirates can not give
is an online social part of the game
(friends list \ chat \ clans \ bonuses \ online modes of play with other players)
is a fresh add content and fixes
this is an SDK for new maps and mods (I really want it that)
and etc

Thanks for reading - Be Good Be happy

i think people need to understand that pirated games arnt a demo, and treating them as legitimate ways to game is one of the most bullshit thing i have heard all week.

Korban3 wrote:

I used to accept abandonware, the pirating of old (10+ years old) games not sold any more, but there have since appeared online shops selling those games, so I've changed my opinion.

There are shops selling old games now? AWESOME! E-Bay tends to cost a lot for old games, especially the popular ones. Do you know any good places to buy 'em? Are the games being sold directing the revenue to the original developers, or in cases like Rareware or Atari, do the sales just get pocketed by the folk selling the games, since the companies don't produce games much anymore? I'd imagine that they're just selling old CDs and cartridges and such that they've got, since old games no longer get manufactured, kinda like e-bay, but not.
Anyways, pirating seems kinda like... well, I can't come up with a really wise sounding metaphor, but I'm sure one exists. It's advertising, but it's money not received. It seems like it has more benefit in old games than new ones. The old ones are not lost to oblivion, while the new ones just have sales lost, especially big AAA titles that get massive TV advertising anyways.

Amazon sells one certain old game for $360. And another one, not so old, that they say is an "antique" and sell it for $100.99. It's called "Spy Fox."

Ouch, I'm not shootin' for anything that costly. I think Starfox 64 averages pretty high on Ebay for N64 cartridges, while a game like Madden is lucky to hit 1 USD. Kinda silly, but at least I didn't go and lose my Ultimate Doom disc. It's not like I'll ever have to find it again or buy one of Ebay for 40+ dollars. I hate myself.

EDIT: Oh, and that is NOT a cool post for this forum. Disapproving pirate post, and gettin' it the hell offa here.

Spyfox was awesome.

Korban3 wrote:EDIT: Oh, and that is NOT a cool post for this forum. Disapproving pirate post, and gettin' it the hell offa here.