Arcania: FoS - October 25th Release Set

Sir_Brennus said:

This is outrageous. Who wants a friggin DD only release?

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Um, a lot of people.

Gimme a box, gimme a DVD, gimme a manual and I'd pay even more for it. But this amount of money for some digital nothing?

No friggin way.

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That's fine but there will likely come a day when physical boxed copies are reserved for 'collector's editions'.

And it isn't a "digital nothing". A game isn't a disc. A game is the data which contains the content. The disc is just a means to transfer the data as is a download.

You always have the option to burn the data to a disc and print out the manual if you are that 'get off my lawn you damned kids!' old school.

Motoki said:

Um, a lot of people.



That's fine but there will likely come a day when physical boxed copies are reserved for 'collector's editions'.

And it isn't a "digital nothing". A game isn't a disc. A game is the data which contains the content. The disc is just a means to transfer the data as is a download.

You always have the option to burn the data to a disc and print out the manual if you are that 'get off my lawn you damned kids!' old school.

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Still same old bull. No, I don't have an "option". DD forces me to do so if I'd like to have a complete game.

In this logic a foto of the Mona Lisa is as good as the real McCoy - which it is not.

A box, cover art, a printed manual, a physical medium - this is all part of the whole peace of art that a game is. The industry still doesn't get it, though and some customers also don't.

Let me give an example: BMG Music once got the brilliant idea to produce "basic" versions of their CDs - without a booklet, no CD print and no cover. They reduced the price about a fifth of the full edition. Noone bought it, because the customer gets no more value for his money than a freeloader who burns the MP3s to disc. Freeloading will be the death of PC gaming if DD (only) becomes the prime way to sell games. This is a certain and foreseeable death.

Sir_Brennus said:

Still same old bull. No, I don't have an "option". DD forces me to do so if I'd like to have a complete game.

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No one is forcing you to do anything. You always have a choice.

In this logic a foto of the Mona Lisa is as good as the real McCoy - which it is not.

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A silly analogy. Are you going to frame your disc and hang it up on your wall?

A box, cover art, a printed manual, a physical medium - this is all part of the whole peace of art that a game is. The industry still doesn't get it, though and some customers also don't.

Let me give an example: BMG Music once got the brilliant idea to produce "basic" versions of their CDs - without a booklet, no CD print and no cover. They reduced the price about a fifth of the full edition. Noone bought it, because the customer gets no more value for his money than a freeloader who burns the MP3s to disc.

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With few exceptions, the 'art' of boxes and manuals has been getting more and more minimal in recent years anyway.

Freeloading will be the death of PC gaming if DD (only) becomes the prime way to sell games. This is a certain and foreseeable death.

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Millions upon millions of customers on Steam and other sites would disagree about your pronouncement of Death of PC Gaming.

Some people just don't like change and that's fine. The publisher reserves the right to set their delivery medium and you reserve the right to not buy it.

i was really looking to be biased from arcania, but it proved to be a very decent RPG(if somewhat linear), all i had to do was to ignore the fact that its called "gothic".
looking forward to the expansion.

the game is pretty damn satisfying compared to any 4-5 years back RPG( witcher didn't hook me, and dragon age was too funky on combats)

Motoki said:

No one is forcing you to do anything. You always have a choice.



A silly analogy. Are you going to frame your disc and hang it up on your wall?



With few exceptions, the 'art' of boxes and manuals has been getting more and more minimal in recent years anyway.



Millions upon millions of customers on Steam and other sites would disagree about your pronouncement of Death of PC Gaming.

Some people just don't like change and that's fine. The publisher reserves the right to set their delivery medium and you reserve the right to not buy it.

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This is getting absurd. You just denounce my analogy. I don't want to frame my disc. You put forward the idea that an image of something ("digital nothing") is as good as something existing in the real word. Which it is not.

About the integrity of the whole peace of art. Do you REALLY suggest that "Sticky Fingers" by the Rolling Stones or even "Velvet Underground and Nico" would have stood the time without their record cover or the sleeve? You cannot be serious.

And: DD kills PC gaming without any doubt. And I like change - but only if I can improve my situation as a customer. And DD does nothing like that.

Sir_Brennus said:

This is getting absurd.

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Yes, it is.

You just denounce my analogy. I don't want to frame my disc.

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You compared it to a painting the purpose of which is to hang on a wall and be admired.

You put forward the idea that an image of something ("digital nothing") is as good as something existing in the real word. Which it is not.

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Jesus Christ the image is the god damned game! What do you think a game is? Are you going to plug a controller into a CD or put chess pieces on it? A game is code so yes it's an IMAGE. Maybe you need to re-learn how computers work.

About the integrity of the whole peace of art. Do you REALLY suggest that "Sticky Fingers" by the Rolling Stones or even "Velvet Underground and Nico" would have stood the time without their record cover or the sleeve? You cannot be serious.

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So what, artists won't stand the test of time because of Itunes? I suppose Itunes is a failure and ruins music too. Never mind that record shops have been going out of business because more people are obtaining music in digital format these days.

And: DD kills PC gaming without any doubt.

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No, that's an opinion, not a fact. And one that evidence suggests is not very accurate. Sales numbers for digital downloads have been increasing every year. I know that I have bought more games via digital download than I ever have with boxed copies. I know plenty of other people the same is true for. In case you haven't noticed, Steam is not exactly hurting for business and even EA is trying to copy them now.

It may kill PC gaming for you but it is hardly destroying the industry and I have not seen any data that would even come close to backing up your claim.

And I like change - but only if I can improve my situation as a customer. And DD does nothing like that.

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What does that even mean? I don't get it. Copying files from a CD improves your situation but copying the same files over the internet doesn't? Well that's one way to look at it I suppose.

blackcanopus said:

How curious, no one mentioned DA2 DLCs which need the original game to run, take 1-2 hour to complete and cost 10$.

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Maybe that's because this isn't a DLC.

In regards to the digital download vs disc debate.. I normally always like to have the option to choose, but in a case like this where we're talking about 4-8 hours of content, I don't really see a purpose for having a retail version.

Motoki said:

That's fine but there will likely come a day when physical boxed copies are reserved for 'collector's editions'.

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I fear it coming as well. And worst, imho, is this it is imho more than likely ...

What is somewhat annoying is that as it is stand alone, rather than DLC integrated into the base game, there will be a 6 Gb download for a 6 hour game.

Sir_Brennus said:

This is outrageous. Who wants a friggin DD only release? Gimme a box, gimme a DVD, gimme a manual and I'd pay even more for it. But this amount of money for some digital nothing?

No friggin way.

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You can order your retail version from Amazon.de. Now stop derailing this thread. And other threads in the future.

coaster said:

What is somewhat annoying is that as it is stand alone, rather than DLC integrated into the base game, there will be a 6 Gb download for a 6 hour game.

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Welcome to the past as dlc was called expansions packs. All that has changed is the amount of game you get. Nothings changed just paying more for it in small dlcs.

Well not quite, "expansion packs" in the past usually required the base game. Here you basically have to install most of Arcania's graphics, sound files all over again just for the sake of a small DLC adventure.

Its obvious why they do it in a way...DVD space is inexpensive and expansion packs/DLC which require the original game exclude people who did not buy that main game. But I have to ask who would buy FoS anyway who has not already bought Arcania, I doubt whether the plot of FoS makes much sense as a standalone story.

coaster said:

Well not quite, "expansion packs" in the past usually required the base game. Here you basically have to install most of Arcania's graphics, sound files all over again just for the sake of a small DLC adventure.

Its obvious why they do it in a way…DVD space is inexpensive and expansion packs/DLC which require the original game exclude people who did not buy that main game. But I have to ask who would buy FoS anyway who has not already bought Arcania, I doubt whether the plot of FoS makes much sense as a standalone story.

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Two Worlds II: PotFF is around 3.5 gigs to download also. Funny thing is they call it dlc also but you will need the original game. I agree about just buying FoS as your just buying the ending of Arcania.

coaster said:

Well not quite, "expansion packs" in the past usually required the base game.

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Usually - but not always.

Gorath said:

You can order your retail version from Amazon.de. Now stop derailing this thread. And other threads in the future.

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Why is the discussion about the form of publishing a derailing of a thread? The topic reads "Arcania: FoS - October 25th Release Set". The text refers to DD only.
Where else could I discuss this with hard heads like motoki?

@motoki
The CODE is the game? Then obviously the oil paint is the Mona Lisa? The trace in the vinyl is the "White Album"? Your "knowledge" about computers has clearly fogged your view on the complexity of things.

You buy more DD than physical. Your special problem. I have 359 boxed CRPGs in my basement (some of them in compilations, though) and about 50 other games. The only thing I ever bought DD were 4 Add-ons for NWN and NWN2 that were only available this way. And I exactly know 1 person who really buys sth on STEAM and one other who uses itunes (a Apple nut, no less).

And yes, itunes kills music. If you are able to read and and add up figures you will see that DD music doesn't match the loss of CD sales - the industry loses sales every day. Every piece of music that I really want to listen to sits on some CD in my shelf - noone can take this from me, no licence can be revoked, no server downtime or PC crash will prevent me from listing to these music. Ever.

ON TOPIC: Thanks, Gorath. Game preordered.

I liked Arcania, so I'll get this - I was afraid it was never gonna be released at this point. Hopefully it'll offer some sort of closure to the game's non-ending, since I doubt the Arcania IP will continue beyond that.

4-8 hours is obviously not long, but for 15€ that's not bad - hell there are 70€ games that don't last longer that this.

-Sergorn