Great game, HORRIBLE ordering system

StGabe · #1 February 8th, 2006, 03:44 AM

I just wanted to say that I love the game ...

... and despite that the onerous ordering process was almost enough to prevent me from buying it. Where to start?

* Don't send me directly to the "DVD case" version. I wanted the download version and had to figure out where to get that.
* Tell me that you are sending me to a different page before I hit your link on your main page -- if you absolutely have to link to another page. It would be MUCH better if there was a direct "one click buy" on the main page. That skipped right to giving a credit card for a download of the game.
* The "gamersfront" web store had a horrible UI. It took me almost a minute to find the add to cart button.
* An ISO file? I'd much prefer a zip -- I want instant gratification and I haven't any blank CD's around. At least give me an option for a .zip.

I'm saying this not to whine -- the game is great and I was willing to wade through all of the above to get it. I'm just saying this because if I, who loved the game and like supporting indie games (I'm a professional game programmer myself), almost didn't make it through the order process, then I have to imagine a lot of other people don't.

Do yourselves a favor, find a way to get a more streamlined ordering system. It wasn't clear to me what your relationship to Shrapnel/Gamersfront is but hopefully you can either sell elsewhere or pressure them to improve their interface?

Gabe.

PvK · #2 February 8th, 2006, 04:19 PM

I thought the order process was a bit bumpy too, though for slightly different reasons. I thought I read during the order process somewhere that there _was_ a ZIP option to download, which I too would have preferred. But then I didn't see where I could have specified that choice. Also, I found out to my surprise that the ISO version gave me a download link with a 24-hour time limit to get the file, which I almost didn't make in time.

I muddled through ok, but I can see how some people might be needlessly put off by some aspects of this.

PvK

3 · #3 February 9th, 2006, 04:40 PM

I too recall seeing a reference to a .zip option. However, I think that only applies to certain games. That said, I agree that it would have been preferable to the ISO since the game was so small it almost wasn't worth using a CD.

Phoenix-D · #4 February 9th, 2006, 05:00 PM

You don't have to burn the .iso to use it. Get D-Tools (free); it'll let you mount the iso as a virtual drive.

StGabe · #5 February 9th, 2006, 08:57 PM

That works however it seems unrealistic to expect your average user to figure that out.

It's not a matter of being completely unusable. It's just a matter of being very non-intuitive and likely to piss of / confuse / send away a lot of potential customers. In other words, not good for getting a profit from what is otherwise a very nifty game and funding the next such game.

Gabe.

Annette · #6 February 9th, 2006, 09:26 PM

Please help me understand...you find a workaround to burning the .iso file to a CD...your computer crashes or you upgrade your system and need to reinstall the game. Then what do you expect to happen?

PvK · #7 February 10th, 2006, 05:03 PM

Personally, in theory, I'd expect to use one of my regular backup CD's, where it would be just one of several files on the CD, rather than one program using an entire disk.

Except that I just burnt the iso. I'll probably still back up the iso itself on some backup CD's along with other files, since it's not that big.

PvK

StGabe · #8 February 11th, 2006, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Annette said:
Please help me understand...you find a workaround to burning the .iso file to a CD...your computer crashes or you upgrade your system and need to reinstall the game. Then what do you expect to happen?

I have good number of games that I've purchased from online game distributors, it's my main source of gaming these days. Almost all of them come with unlock codes. I simply keep the code and if I ever need to reinstall I can either install from a backup I made of the game or I can download the game again and reinstall with the new unlock code.

If an unlock code is not possible I would expect it to be my responsibility to backup the program. I'd prefer it to come as an installable .exe or if that is not possible a zip. I can burn a .zip/.exe backup onto a disk just as easily as I can burn a .iso (more easily in fact, as I can burn multiple files onto one CD).

I'd never even heard of an .ISO before I came to your site and I get online games all the time. I had no warning that this was what I was going to get and happened to be lucky that my computer was already setup to use such a file.

Give me something in the easiest format possible. Let me worry about how I want to backup my files. If you are worried about liability you can either go to an "unlock" system or you can give me a text blurb telling me my options and advising me to create a backup.

Annette · #9 February 11th, 2006, 08:27 AM

Quote:

StGabe said:

If you are worried about liability you can either go to an "unlock" system or you can give me a text blurb telling me my options and advising me to create a backup.

As said in the other thread you started on this topic, StGabe, we appreciate your feedback. Please note that when viewing a product page at our online store, next to the "buy now" button is a "more info" button (and we do hope our customers will take the time to read all the information we supply prior to making a purchase from us). On the "more info" page for the downloadable version of Weird Worlds is this:

[quote]
Notes
Important: This game is delivered as an .ISO disk image file. You must have access to CD burning software that will allow you to create a CD from the image file.

This product is also available in a safe box version. Click here for physical version. [/i]

StGabe · #10 February 13th, 2006, 07:28 PM

My last word on this, I promise.

It all makes sense to YOU. I'm telling you it doesn't to ME, your customer. Obviously you think an .ISO file is intuitive. I don't -- it was a pain. And it is jarring with every other customer experience I've had with other online game sellers. You think that a disclaimer about the .ISO is there in an obviously readable format. I'm telling you that, even though I was rather concerned about what I was getting, I missed it (and if you'll read my account of how I bought the game you'll note that going from the Weird Worlds page to your catalog skips right by the "more info" button that you mention, I never had that option).

I make games for a living if it matters. And I work with professional designers to create our UI's. And I know that I often make things that make good sense to ME. But then I go and talk to other people and find out that all sorts of stuff that made sense to me doesn't to them. I can either think that they are stupid -- or I can realize that designing good interfaces requires understanding more than my own ways of doing things.