Dragon Age 2 - Preload and Unlock Times

Dhruin

Dhruin

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Chris Priestly has posted the Dragon Age 2 preload (for digital versions) and unlock (for all versions) times. I have no idea why preloading needs to be region-controlled but I'm not a gaming exec. Anyway, here is the full post:
Hi Dragon Age 2 PC gamers.

Many of you have been asking when you can pre-load Dragon Age 2 onto your machines. Pre-loading happens with digital versions of DA2 and is installing the game so it is ready to play once the unlock time arrives. Pre-loading is not available from all retailers. Check with your retailer to see if they offer pre-loading. You have also been asking when the game will unlock so you can start playing, which applies to digital and retail PC copies. These pertain to PC versions and not to console versions of Dragon Age 2.

Pre-Loading is based on the region you live in. Pre-loading of digital versions begins at the following times:
Asia/Pacific region – 18:00 GMT on March 4th
Canada & United States – 18:00 GMT on March 4th
Russian Federation - 18:00 GMT on March 4th
Western Europe – 10:00 GMT March 7th
Australia & New Zealand – 09:00 GMT on March 8th
Central and South America - 10:00 GMT on March 8th
Eastern Europe – 10:00 GMT March 8th
Great Britain & Ireland – 10:00 GMT on March 8th

Unlocking is based on the official game release date for the region you live in. The PC versions, both digital and retail, will unlock beginning at the following times:
Asia/Pacific region – 0000h on March 8th
Canada & United States – 0000h on March 8th
Russian Federation - 0200h on March 8th
Western Europe – 0000h on March 10th
Australia & New Zealand – 0000h March 9th
Central and South America - 1700h March 10th
Eastern Europe – 0000h March 11th
Great Britain & Ireland – 0000h March 11th
Get ready, Dragon Age 2 is almost here.
Click to expand...
More information.
 
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In this age I don't understand it completely either.

Having region specific release dates has something to do with release tradition in particular countries. Apparently retailers have tradition of getting new releases on a particular weekday.

Sidebar: I wonder how that will work out for Skyrim with it's 11-11-11. I wonder if it will be 11-11-11 in all regions.

In fact, these 'release dates' have no place in the digital age, but they are still their to appease the retailers.

Some of those same retailers often do some 'unfair' competition by starting to sell games before official release date. "I was gonna buy the game by store A, but store B is already selling copies three days before release so I'm going to buy it there instead."

Locking the game was then introduced so buying from a store who sold prematurely doesn't get you the game prematurely.

So they keep old retail release dates to appease retailers, then some of those retailers breach the those same old dates and the publisher introduces measures to stop said breach.

Why some countries get several extra pre-loading days I don't understand at all.
 
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JuliusMagnus said:
Having region specific release dates has something to do with release tradition in particular countries. Apparently retailers have tradition of getting new releases on a particular weekday.
Click to expand...

Physical shops are very resistant to changing their entire shipping and release day structures. Publishers can't launch digital releases before physical ones without pissing off the shops. Hence the problem.

It's a shame too since staggered release dates contribute to piracy.
 
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nice suprise when i got home from work, as impulse had me worried as i'd never pre-ordered a game from them and other than the original email from the order there was no info on the game purchase. paying $40 for the signature edition, leaves me far removed from any complaining about game value (game quality is another question altogether) and even some extra dough to spend on dlc if it is good enough. if its not or they have another $40 expansion i'll wait 'til a complete edition comes and and still be alright.
 
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"Why some countries get several extra pre-loading days I don't understand at all."

I don't know but it looks much like a party involved doesn't work on the weekend and they can't do it all in one day for whatever reason(s).
4th=Friday & 7th=Monday.
 
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i know it won't happen but "conquering" Flemeth or becoming her equal without having to "vanquish" her would be a rewarding experience. she really is a much more "attractive" character than morrigan and would love to see her as a more in depth companion like kreia was in knights of the old republic 2.
 
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JuliusMagnus said:
Sidebar: I wonder how that will work out for Skyrim with it's 11-11-11. I wonder if it will be 11-11-11 in all regions.
Click to expand...

I see your point in this. I do know that The witcher 2, will be released worldwide on the 17 of may. So its not impossible to do it. I'm guessing there is something else behind these many release times
 
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With these sorts of differences in unlcok times (and the short main campaign) most people in the US will probably be doing their second run by the time the Europeans are still stand standing in line (waiting for the postman).

In a way, I'm glad BioWare went so decisively on an action/console/cinematics tangent with the design of this "sequel". Were it really to be in the same mould as Origins, I would probably have emigrated to the US for the extra 3 days head start!

Even so, I'm not sure I can picture the type of person who will really be concerned about the exact minute and second of this thing going live. Those that wanted an Origins sequel appear to be luke-warm wait-and-see at best (or utterly repulsed at worst), and the Modern Warfare crowd can't be that keen, as many of them were probably completely turned off by watching their 'nerdy' friends play the first Dragon Age...
 
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I think this is maybe because paychecks in the US will clear on a tuesday, while in Europe, at least in Denmark, payday has always been friday*. And maybe also because stock will be renewed on Fridays in Europe, while in the US stock will be renewed every tuesday?

*In the old days, that is. Today,workers are paid monthly or every two-weeks.
 
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I think it's quite absurd that in the age of internet it's becoming more and more important where exactly you buy your games. Take Steam for example. Boxed copies of Fallout:NV bought in the UK cannot be activated in Poland and are simply worthless here. Perhaps the difference in release dates for DA also points to some version differences (apart from the language of course).

I miss the days of boxed copies which did not require any sort of activation...
 
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Hmm, either that list is wrong or someone screwed up. I'm downloading my signature edition right now from GamersGate. I won't be able to activate it though, obviously.

Anyway, downloading it doesn't matter much - the DA2 torrent has been out for some time, though there is no crack yet and the activation servers are not online.
 
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Elwro said:
I think it's quite absurd that in the age of internet it's becoming more and more important where exactly you buy your games. Take Steam for example. Boxed copies of Fallout:NV bought in the UK cannot be activated in Poland and are simply worthless here. Perhaps the difference in release dates for DA also points to some version differences (apart from the language of course).

I miss the days of boxed copies which did not require any sort of activation…
Click to expand...

You've got to be kurwa joking? Did it say so clearly on the box, where it says 'internet connection required'? If not, can you link the EULA you signed up to? This sounds like a potential case to the Euro courts - this is supposed to be a single market, last time I looked.
 
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Gaxkang said:
You've got to be kurwa joking? (...) can you link the EULA you signed up to?
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I'm not kurwa joking, this seems to be a laugh on the room (foreigners - don't ask). Still, this wasn't my first-hand experience, I got this from the guys in the joyful "DLC problems in Poland" thread at the Bethsoft forums.

This most decidedly isn't a single market, I just crossed a border and BAM, Steam wants to sell me Dead Money after all. I wonder what would happen if I bought it. (I won't, since I left my gaming PC at home.)
 
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There has been an ECJ ruling recently that IP is not excempt from the principles of free movement of goods and services. For example that case where a pub in the UK was allowed to get a cheaper satellite TV subscription from Greece, irrespective of the 'territoriality' clauses that were put in there.

Next time you meet someone with that issue (and it was not clear on the box or in the EULA) PM me and I will take the pojeby to court, free of charge. The publishers whine when people torrent their games, but happily break the treaty of the European Communities when they think gamers will just bend over and take it.
 
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Elwro said:
I think it's quite absurd that in the age of internet it's becoming more and more important where exactly you buy your games. Take Steam for example. Boxed copies of Fallout:NV bought in the UK cannot be activated in Poland and are simply worthless here. Perhaps the difference in release dates for DA also points to some version differences (apart from the language of course).

I miss the days of boxed copies which did not require any sort of activation…
Click to expand...

If that is so, (with the boxed copies of Fallout: NV) this is clearly a technical hindrance of the free movement of goods and services within the EU. And the EU Court (the court associated with the free market in EU) will look very severely on such issues.

The only way to do away with this is to have world wide releases for games.

If the above-mentioned should indeed be true, then it is a -ahem- joke, I find. Especially, since in this day and age people move about and may live in one country for maybe 5-6 years and in another for maybe like 10-12 years.
 
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I was able to preload on steam today although I'm in Western Europe.
 
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Just finished downloading and installing dragon age 2. Ran the activation software and it seems that is working based on where you got the game and not where you are actually based. I got mine from www.gamersgate.com and the activation tool says my game will unlock on tuesday and not friday(the SA release date). Awesome if this holds true.
 
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