RE: Digital download?

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RE: Digital download? - 1/16/2009 12:18:02 AM

Phatguy

Posts: 1348
Joined: 3/1/2006
From: Buffalo,ny
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.

quote:

ORIGINAL: apathetic lurker

quote:

ORIGINAL: Scott_WAR

Actually you have a valid point Greybriar........ add to it that war gamers are the type of people that typically dont need high speed access since most muiltiplayer games they play are PBEM.

When a high speed access ISP goes with charging based on usage they almost always see the same results. A loss in customers, and an increase in competitiors.

One of the key areas that is being looked at to trim fat off of the price of video games is the digital download. It completely does away the costs of the production of CD's/DVD's, the box, the manual, the insert that goes in the box or the artwork on the box, warehouse space, inventory management, damages-which always happen when dealing with a physical product, products being lost in shipping....etc. There is a LOT of money to be saved there.� However, as you pointed high speed access is not everywhere quite yet, so there would be lost sales. The question is are the lost sales made up for by the lower cost of production? Im not an exert so I cant say,....but it sure seems more and more games are available as downloads everyday, and it also seems like the number of games ONLY available as downloads is growing every day.

But I will concede the points you made, the future isnt quite here for the doing away with cd's and boxes. Yet.

And yet 99% of games that are direct download cost the same as ones that have a box and the travesty that passes for a paper manual these days.....Yes, companies save oodles of cash doing direct download but we really dont see any savings attached. Same price, different distribution.....

Exactly why you should have both, for now anyway. Until they start jacking the price of physical copy over DL, I'll take both.

I get both....Couldnt live without my boxed version taking up valuable real estate by my computer

(in reply to Jeffrey H.)

Post #: 31

RE: Digital download? - 1/18/2009 11:10:10 PM

Mobeer

Posts: 662
Joined: 1/17/2007
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Why scrap the option to buy a boxed copy only?

(in reply to Phatguy)

Post #: 32

RE: Digital download? - 1/18/2009 11:29:43 PM

Arctic Blast

Posts: 1168
Joined: 4/4/2007
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mobeer

Why scrap the option to buy a boxed copy only?

I would guess it probably wasn't getting anything close to the number of selections as the other options were.

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Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.

(in reply to Mobeer)

Post #: 33

RE: Digital download? - 1/18/2009 11:37:07 PM

Hertston

Posts: 3564
Joined: 8/17/2002
From: Cornwall, UK
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mobeer

Why scrap the option to buy a boxed copy only?

What reason was there to keep it? It serves no useful purpose; as Marc said you don't have to download while waiting for the box if you don't want to. Matrix never charged any more if you wanted the download option as well unlike, for example, Battlefront. And with it you can always get another copy of the game should you manage to break the CD, or something.

(in reply to Mobeer)

Post #: 34

RE: Digital download? - 1/19/2009 4:55:49 AM

Grell

Posts: 1064
Joined: 4/1/2004
From: Canada
Status: offline

I prefer DD myself.

Regards,

Grell

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Post #: 35

RE: Digital download? - 1/19/2009 9:31:13 PM

tucson3217

Posts: 13
Joined: 2/15/2007
Status: offline

My laptop stopped working about three weeks ago and I got a new one. I downloaded the 7-8 games I have bought via DD from matrix over the last 3-4 years w/o any problem at all. Even the ones I did not pay the extra few dollars for extended download were available, and some of these were bought years ago. I used to get the physical copies, but have had such a good experience with DD (in fact this holds true for my experience with Direct 2 Drive, and Stardock as well I must add) that I find the physical copies are never used and just a waste of space, time and trouble now.

I am not sure what problems others are running into, but I have not had them. I do pay for the extended download service, but the truth is so far even the games I have not purchased this for have been available as well. I still will continue to pay the extra cost for the extended download since there is no guarantee policy won't change at any moment. I don't mind the prices not really being any lower either. First of all we pay very little in the US compared to europe and Australia for Video games anyway. I have spent more time living in Germany the past 5 years than in the US and have been all over the world recently and we pay 1/2 and sometimes as much as 1/3 the price for video games across the board...meaning this seems to be true for new and old games as well as big publishers and small.

Also it takes years of effort to make some of these nich games and sometimes the audience is very small. Look at the number of orders for games on the p500 lists at some major board wargame makers. Even allowing for 3 or 5X more orders on a PC game (which I have no idea is accurate and use just to make a point), at $30-40 a title it would appear to be very hard to make a living making wargames in any capacity. I am happy to support matrix any body else doing this, it is obviously a labor of love and to be honest I would spend much more per title myself if that was what it took to keep the hobby going.

(in reply to Terminus)

Post #: 36

RE: Digital download? - 1/19/2009 10:40:35 PM

Hertston

Posts: 3564
Joined: 8/17/2002
From: Cornwall, UK
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quote:

ORIGINAL: tucson3217

I still will continue to pay the extra cost for the extended download since there is no guarantee policy won't change at any moment.

I haven't and never will pay it as I consider the whole idea a complete rip-off, particularly as the 'option' gets checked by default. I'm not sure if the fact you can always download again whether you fork out or not makes it better or worse. As you say, a change of policy is always possible, but I have copies burned to disk and should the worse come to worse I'll just come here and bitch a lot.

(in reply to tucson3217)

Post #: 37

RE: Digital download? - 1/19/2009 11:44:05 PM

killroyishere

Posts: 639
Joined: 4/23/2008
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quote:

ORIGINAL: daz1333

hello all. These people are an absolute disgrace. I have had multiple problems trying to download a game I purchased. I've had nothing but the same response over and over again. None of these responses has assisted me in downloading the game despite my continued feedback. In addition to this, they outright refuse to offer a refund or even provide a hard copy. They also have this stupid policy of disallowing any further attempts to download after 30 days, which means that I am now unable to continue to try and solve the problem. So basically beware; these people will defraud you of your money.

Afraid I have to disagree with you here. I recently had an issue with 'Advanced Tactics' and though Victor and I tried to solve it we couldn't get it to work on my system. I sent an email off to Eric and I was given a 'refund' for Advanced Tactics. I did buy the direct download plus the boxed version and now all I need is the address to send the boxed version back to. Not sure if they want me to send it back to the distributer address or to the main office? Eric? David? Anyone?

(in reply to daz1333)

Post #: 38

RE: Digital download? - 1/20/2009 1:13:14 AM

murat1809

Posts: 9
Joined: 1/10/2009
Status: offline

for my own i am unable to download the purchased product despist help request (to reset my count...i have been actually never replied. i m a very worried and strongly disappointed by matrix policy and digital river service. i m still waiting but i begun to be very unsatisfied !

im a an old wargamer and have been very astonnished by the matrix and digital river custom care !

i m going to ask a refund !!!

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(in reply to 2ndACR)

Post #: 39

RE: Digital download? - 1/20/2009 3:21:28 AM

Erik Rutins

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
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Please see my response in the COTA forum, Murat.

Regards,

- Erik

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Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to murat1809)

Post #: 40

RE: Digital download? - 1/20/2009 3:22:51 AM

Erik Rutins

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: killroyishere
Afraid I have to disagree with you here. I recently had an issue with 'Advanced Tactics' and though Victor and I tried to solve it we couldn't get it to work on my system. I sent an email off to Eric and I was given a 'refund' for Advanced Tactics. I did buy the direct download plus the boxed version and now all I need is the address to send the boxed version back to. Not sure if they want me to send it back to the distributer address or to the main office? Eric? David? Anyone?

Please destroy/delete both. Thanks.

The customer who you quoted has also had his issue resolved, unfortunately he did got through a bit of "support hell" before he got to me, combination of DR and our support guy not reading his request carefully enough.

Regards,

- Erik

_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to killroyishere)

Post #: 41

RE: Digital download? - 1/20/2009 3:23:25 AM

Erik Rutins

Posts: 37503
Joined: 3/28/2000
From: Vermont, USA
Status: offline

Locking this thread as it's really serving to draw support requests here and they should be going through the Help Desk. Thanks.

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Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 42