Steam Sale Dom3 players might like.

[Sombre]

I was part of the mount and blade community, which had its fair share of problems, but also did a lot right. One thing M&B definitely has going for it is some badass mods. It also has some horrible but strangely popular ones which are largely history based and have insane amounts of historical detail, but are coincidentally also terrible to actually play.

[AstralWanderer]

I purchased this about a year ago, found out it required online activation (*without* making it clear on the packaging) and sent it back. It's bad enough having to deal with CD checks or cardboard codewheels, but online activation means the program dies when the servers shut down (see Shamus Young's Authorization Servers article for more on this).

Steam has its own problems though - as well as its own online activation system, you have all your purchases tied to one Steam account, meaning that it becomes very possible (and very profitable) for Valve to slap on an annual (or even a monthly) fee to keep accounts open. Who'd refuse to pay a $10 monthly fee if it mean losing access to several hundred dollars of previously purchased software?

[Ink]

Originally Posted by AstralWanderer

I purchased this about a year ago, found out it required online activation (*without* making it clear on the packaging) and sent it back. It's bad enough having to deal with CD checks or cardboard codewheels, but online activation means the program dies when the servers shut down (see Shamus Young's Authorization Servers article for more on this).

Steam has its own problems though - as well as its own online activation system, you have all your purchases tied to one Steam account, meaning that it becomes very possible (and very profitable) for Valve to slap on an annual (or even a monthly) fee to keep accounts open. Who'd refuse to pay a $10 monthly fee if it mean losing access to several hundred dollars of previously purchased software?

It will *never* be profitable to charge a repeating fee of any kind to digitally access one-time purchase software[1]. The reason for this is a thing called elasticity of demand. People want new games, and if Steam won't give it to them for free, someone else will.

Steam charging the users to use the service would be like credit card companies charging users to use their cards; everyone would stop using them, and the company wouldn't make any money.

[1] - for that matter, Steam has not even found it profitable to force users to use their servers, and charge a fee, for a game like Team Fortress 2, which is necessarily an online multiplayer game.

[AstralWanderer]

Originally Posted by Ink

It will *never* be profitable to charge a repeating fee of any kind to digitally access one-time purchase software[1].

Hmm...Steam claim to have 25 million active accounts. A $5 monthly fee (half of what World of Warcraft charges) could bring in an extra $1,200,000,000/year (assuming an 80% takeup rate) for virtually no extra expense - and you don't consider that profitable?

Originally Posted by Ink

The reason for this is a thing called elasticity of demand. People want new games, and if Steam won't give it to them for free, someone else will.

Steam isn't a free service now - they charge disproportionately high prices for games (often exceeding retail) given that digital distribution has no physical costs (packaging, storage, transport, inventory management, etc).

Originally Posted by Ink

Steam charging the users to use the service would be like credit card companies charging users to use their cards; everyone would stop using them, and the company wouldn't make any money.

You seem to have missed the main crux of my previous post - if your Steam account is closed, all the games you purchased from them stop working. That means Steam users aren't likely to be walking away, whatever changes Valve makes.

[sector24]

Originally Posted by Ink

Steam charging the users to use the service would be like credit card companies charging users to use their cards; everyone would stop using them, and the company wouldn't make any money.

Interestingly, I got a letter last week telling me that Citibank is charging an annual fee of $60 on all their cards to maintain their current level of service. I cancelled my card the next day.

[Arralen]

Originally Posted by AstralWanderer

I purchased this about a year ago, found out it required online activation (*without* making it clear on the packaging) and sent it back. It's bad enough having to deal with CD checks or cardboard codewheels, but online activation means the program dies when the servers shut down ...

This is not quite true, or at least not the full picture:


http://www.taleworlds.com/salesfaq.aspx

Q: Will my serial key work for updated versions of Mount and Blade?
A: Absolutely. We actively maintain Mount and Blade and we will release new versions with added content and updates frequently. Your serial key will work with these updated versions. Just install the updated version on your computer and run. The game should recognize your serial key.

Q: Will I experience any problems about my activation if I change/upgrade my computer?
A: We use a very loose scheme of harware binding. Upgrading/changing components of your system generally does not require a reactivation since Mount and Blade will recognize that some of the parts remain unchanged. Also you can install and activate Mount and Blade on a new machine once every 60 days.

Q: What if your company goes out of business?
A: We have no intention to go out of business. However if that becomes a possibility, we will do our best to provide an unprotected executable of Mount and Blade to our customers.

Q: Can I install Mount and Blade on more than one computer?
A: You can install Mount and Blade on a second computer provided you own them both. For example you can install it on your desktop computer and your laptop simultaneously.

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.p...c,12982.0.html

Manual Activation Process

Mount & Blade allows for manual activation for use on systems which cannot connect to the internet. The process is as follows:

1. Install Mount & Blade on the PC you wish to activate it on
2. Run the activation, and choose "Manual Activation"
3. You will see a screen with a Hardware Hash number and an empty box for the Activation Code
4. Write down the Hardware Hash (you might want to write down your serial key on the same bit of paper)
5. On a PC which has internet access, go to http://www.taleworlds.com/act/. (if that gives you problems, try http://www.taleworlds.net/act/
6. On the activation page, enter your serial and hardware hash. Click OK
7. You will be given a long (16 or so digit) activation code. Write this down.
8. Return to the PC you wish to activate M&B on. Run activation and again choose "manual activation"
9. Enter the activation code you obtained in step 7 into the box and hit ok
10. You should be returned to the M&B splash screen, with "Mount & Blade is running in full mode" displayed to the left

Activations
Each serial key allows you to activate M&B twice in each 60 day period. If you use up those activations, further attempts to activate the game will result in an "Activation Denied" message. If this happens, you will need to wait until the 60 day period is up and your activation counter resets.
The serial is tied to the hardware hash of your machine. If the hardware hash changes, then you will need to reactivate. The hardware hash can be changed by re-installing windows, or altering the system hardware.

So, if the activation service dies one day, you could still run M&B indefinitly on those 2 machines you installed it to as long as you don't change the hardware too much - even if Taleworlds goes under so fast that they can't provide the no-activation patch, or even the founder and programmer can't do this "privately" (Would basically require that a meteor hits the programmer and all his code backups, but you never know ...)


That said, the base M&B game is just that - a base game. But there are tons of great mods out there, which could provide you with quite some fun besides doing the "Knight Lance-The-Whole-Lot" thing


PS: Personally, I wouldn't touch Steam with a 20-foot pole ... so no 5 buck M&B for me ..

[AstralWanderer]

Originally Posted by Arralen

So, if the activation service dies one day, you could still run M&B indefinitly on those 2 machines you installed it to as long as you don't change the hardware too much - even if Taleworlds goes under so fast that they can't provide the no-activation patch, or even the founder and programmer can't do this "privately" (Would basically require that a meteor hits the programmer and all his code backups, but you never know ...)

Thanks for the clarification on M&B's activation system (which puts it on a parallel with Stardock's) - however it does still pose a real risk for purchasers, as there is realistically no chance of the programmer releasing a DRM-free version "privately" in the event of company closure, see Shamus Young's Authorization Servers article on why not.

[Joelz]

I wouldn't really call buying it with 5$ a risk...