SEIV GOLD Rebate - Page 3

CombatSquirrel · #21 December 5th, 2001, 03:14 AM

You know if the manual is really very good, that alone would be worth the cost of the upgrade to Gold for me...

I'm starting to get more excited about this already...

CombatSquirrel

Puke · #22 December 5th, 2001, 06:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Tim Brooks:

How about if we offer an option for a $15.00 coupon to our store. Would that help? We thought about just giving a credit back on your charge card, but each transaction like this costs us about $3.00. We could offer to credit your card for $12.00 in place of the check?

okay, here is the honest answer people will probably hate me for. since i think that darn near everyone hates me anyway, im not going to mind to much.

i am a lazy bastard. a business asociate of mine just got done relating a story about how his uncle just got done with a valve replacement. the same guy who though that five minutes of calisthenics each morning would be enough to keep him in good health. all I could think about was "****, thats five minutes more than I do each morning."

point being, I have a long shopping list of games that I want to buy and try. many of which are higher on the list than some shrapnel games. If offered a store credit, I would probably use it as an excuse to buy a 'good' game from your store rather than some slick piece of kit that i think looks nice and swanky from the screenshots and previews. if you offer an option of a refund OR a credit, i will probably take the refund because it would require less effort on my part.

actually, Honestly, i would probably take either nothing, or take the credit. If I did not want to see the serise develop into SE5 and beyond, I might take the refund.. but i can see how other people would readily ignore the credit bit if they were offered the refund.

I say you should offer either a credit or nothing. if you are offering a credit, you might be able to do it without any proof of purchase, thus all the non-cd-breaking people can be happy. that will also increase exposure to other shrapnel games, and encourage many of us here in the 4x comunity to branch into real mans games. like battletech you WUSSY WARHAMMER PLAYING ENGLISHMEN! PLAY A REAL WARGAME GODDAMMIT!

i mean, ah, umm.. too much newcastle, g'night.

Atrocities · #23 December 5th, 2001, 07:07 AM

quote:
40,000 pirated copies of SEIV in existance

Good god! This figure makes me sick. Too bad you can't impliment what sierra did with Tribes 2. A single user register. You get the game, install it, and registar it. It then sends you an activation code. The disk that you have can never be used again to obtain an activation code. The only other way to get an activation code is to request it from Sierra, and they don't give them out very often.

Will · #24 December 5th, 2001, 08:30 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Puke:
you got a signed copy? when were they offering those?

MMs in SF, yeah? Think I could get my CD signed if i knocked on their door? Think it would help if i brought burgers and beer?

Like the Baron said, at the end of the Beta Test phase. If you load up the game and click the "Credits" button at the bottom of the intro screen, look at the very Last beta tester on the list. Then look at my name...

--edit: forgot about the burgers and beer... --
Not quite sure on that one, Aaron has been known to be a very private person (I was kinda suprised to see the "Special Thanks" that caught my attention). You might have to throw in some fries too. Possibly some tacos. Don't forget to bow and grovel and all that, until he gets annoyed at you getting on your knees and bowing in his direction, wailing "I am not worthy!" every five minutes.

--end edit--

And side note, I just clicked the "Credits" button, to see if anything changed since I Last looked (where my name was the Last thing on the list other than "Thanks for playing!"). There were some Shrapnel credits added, and a "Special Thanks" section. That part is quite interesting. w00t!

Congratulations, Aaron

(Richard and/or Tim, you might have to convey several Messages to Aaron from the fans... heh)

[ 05 December 2001: Message edited by: Will ]

Spoo · #25 December 5th, 2001, 09:17 AM

I'm somewhat torn. On one hand I'll be getting several new features and continued support for the best 4x game ever (I've already ordered SEIV GOLD). On the other hand, it seems that Shrapnel and MM are trying to componsate for the lost income from illegal copies - which I think they are entitled to. However, how far will this go? Releasing a new CD will not stop illegal copies. Is there going to be an SEIV PLATINUM next year? Sure no one HAS to buy anything else, but the fact of the matter is a game like this is at its best when played with other people. Older Versions are not compatable with newer ones. In order for people to stay with PBW (or the new TCP/IP), they have to buy the new Version. It's not really a question of "Do you want drones?" it's a question of "Do you want to keep playing SEIV?" I do. However, some people might just find it easier to get an illegal copy of SEIV GOLD. After all, they already paid for SEIV once... And all of the other patches were free... (And no, I'm not suggesting pirating is at all appropriate, but I know how people think.)

You can declare me a heretic if it makes you feel better, but you have to consider the fact that the new features don't need a new CD to work. This is simply a case of Shrapnel and MM asking for more money. But that's what businesses do. And they'll get my money, and I imagine the money of many others on this forum. It's just that I'd hate to think that those of us who paid for SEIV and will pay for SEIV GOLD are being used to cover the losses for the people who have, and will continue to, pirate the the game.

Yin · #26 December 5th, 2001, 09:55 AM

I would say that if MM hadn't been attentive to the fans in the first place, then they deserve to be criticized. However, they seem to have more than listened to and tried to please the gamers here, and they also have the insight into the community to understand that modding is crucial ... SE4 seems to be one of the easiest to mod games ever made!

It is unfortunate that they brought up the pirating, issue, however. Honestly, while that may be of a 'business' concern, the fact is that MM despite 40,000 pirated copies out there has earned your money for the Gold Edition.

And earned it many times over. Please try to think of it that way. Yes, the pirates still 'win' you can say and the good guys pay more money, but the good guys are getting the best entertainment value in gaming, I would think, and the pirates are hopefully lined up to get caught somehow, some way in my Utopian Future.

CW · #27 December 5th, 2001, 03:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Puke:
I say you should offer either a credit or nothing. if you are offering a credit, you might be able to do it without any proof of purchase, thus all the non-cd-breaking people can be happy. that will also increase exposure to other shrapnel games, and encourage many of us here in the 4x comunity to branch into real mans games. like battletech you WUSSY WARHAMMER PLAYING ENGLISHMEN! PLAY A REAL WARGAME GODDAMMIT!

On the same line of thinking (more of less), if I only get a credit and not hard cash it will probably not provide enough motivation for lazy people like me to upgrade to the gold Version. Given that the gold upgrade or any Shrapnel games for that matter will actually cost me MORE than a brand new off-the-shelf game here in Australia; and that the gold Version only adds a few features; AND the fact that there are other off-the-shelf games that I'd like to get my hands on, I'm pretty sure what decision I'm going to make.

My point is a credit won't provide me with much benefit, since it will hardly be enough to pay for the postage to ship a game to Australia.

Richard · #28 December 5th, 2001, 03:32 PM

I can guarantee you that there will not be another SE:IV Gold or Platinum or whatever.

Mephisto · #29 December 5th, 2001, 04:23 PM

But I very much hope for SE5.

quote:
Originally posted by Richard:
I can guarantee you that there will not be another SE:IV Gold or Platinum or whatever.

WarChild · #30 December 5th, 2001, 04:36 PM

Since the "Gold" edition is just an extension of the current game that we all originally purchased, why not dispense entirely with the rebate issue by using a form of electronic distribution?

Make the "Gold" edition into a patch of the original game which adds all of the features/improvements and includes a .PDF Version of the new manual. Distribute it as an electronic download that can be purhased for $20 (and could even include some form of activation/registration code delivered via e-mail to combat piracy).

This avoids customers destroying the original CD and shipping it back, Shrapnel from wrestling with credits/rebate checks especially for customers overseas, and saves money for Shrapnel by not having to manufacture CD's for people who have already bought the original game, nor does Shrapnel have to print the new manual.

Many have written about their hesitancy to destroy the original CD, or even just the bother and cost, however minor, of sending it back. Overseas customers have clearly written that the costs involved with cashing checks from the U.S. hardly makes the rebate worthwhile. Shrapnel has written that credit card credits encur them a fee. Some customers are not interested in Shrapnel store credit.

We all love this game, and have always been overwhelmed by the level of attention and support provided by both Shrapnel and MM. We appreciate the attempt by Shrapnel to provide a savings in the form of a rebate to existing owners of the game.

Hundreds of companies distribute upgrades or even entire programs electronically in downloadable format, many with a form of piracy protection or registration process involved. I would think that employing this type of distribution has considerable advantages across the board for Shrapnel and only minor disadvantages for the customer. The customer does has the burden of printing the manual, of having an e-mail account to receive any activation code, and of the download itself (which could be somewhat cumbersome to those with modem connections, but high-speed Subscribers would not be inconvenienced at all.)

I think most existing customers would readily pay for this electronic upgrade, (even if the download took some time; i.e. over a phone modem) in order to dispense with the rebate hassle. Others who do find this upgrade process inconvenient, or for newcomers to SE4, could purchase the CD by the standard method.