Comments for Restore, Restart, Quit? http://www.restorerestartquit.com A lawyer and a programmer walk into a bar... Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:15:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Comment on Breaking Immersion with DLCs by Kinsley http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=453&cpage=1#comment-508 Kinsley Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:15:13 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=453#comment-508 I remember Morrowind had that same problem with it's two expansions. Tribunal had that annoying thing where a pair of assassins turned up and tried to kill you every time you slept -- assassins with very expensive armour, which just happens to be better than anything in the core game. And you'd end up with two fresh sets of it every time a new pair of assassins came along to throw themselves on your sword. Pretty soon, you're rich beyond your wildest dreams, and you and every trader from Seyda Neyn to Balmora kind of looks a bit like an assassin. Then there's Bloodmoon, which if you're silly enough to load it before finishing the core game changes every single conversation you'll ever have with any NPC. All of a sudden, nobody cares anymore about all the little local rumours and goings on, and starts banging on about all the crap going down in Solstheim like a bunch of zombie astroturfers on an internet forum. Arrrgh! More recently, I made the mistake of trying to start Burnout: Paradise while my PS3 was plugged into the internet. "Hey," it said to me, "There's a bijillion updates, let me download them for you." Yeah, big mistake, that. An hour later, when it finally let me into the game, the whole thing was pretty much destroyed. The menus were different, the map was different, everything. And any time I tried to use any of the new content, it said, "Sorry dude, you haven't purchased this DLC yet." Arrrrgh! Uninstall. I remember Morrowind had that same problem with it’s two expansions. Tribunal had that annoying thing where a pair of assassins turned up and tried to kill you every time you slept — assassins with very expensive armour, which just happens to be better than anything in the core game. And you’d end up with two fresh sets of it every time a new pair of assassins came along to throw themselves on your sword. Pretty soon, you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams, and you and every trader from Seyda Neyn to Balmora kind of looks a bit like an assassin.

Then there’s Bloodmoon, which if you’re silly enough to load it before finishing the core game changes every single conversation you’ll ever have with any NPC. All of a sudden, nobody cares anymore about all the little local rumours and goings on, and starts banging on about all the crap going down in Solstheim like a bunch of zombie astroturfers on an internet forum. Arrrgh!

More recently, I made the mistake of trying to start Burnout: Paradise while my PS3 was plugged into the internet. “Hey,” it said to me, “There’s a bijillion updates, let me download them for you.” Yeah, big mistake, that. An hour later, when it finally let me into the game, the whole thing was pretty much destroyed. The menus were different, the map was different, everything. And any time I tried to use any of the new content, it said, “Sorry dude, you haven’t purchased this DLC yet.” Arrrrgh! Uninstall.

]]> Comment on Breaking Immersion with DLCs by Liam http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=453&cpage=1#comment-507 Liam Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:01:22 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=453#comment-507 I am one of those strange people that don't have the internet hooked up to my consoles. This has become increasingly frustrating for me in the past year or so because I feel that DLC's are nothing but a big gimmick. Over a year ago I was really excited about Dragon Age Origins, I picked up the collectors edition to find out the only extras you get for paying the $30 extra was little cardboard DLC codes. Accepting this, I bit my tongue and got stuck into the game disguarding the codes. After a few hours into the game a character offered me a quest to go fight a gollum, intrigued I accepted his task. The game suddenly threw up a message stating that I have to go onto Xbox live to now pay for and download this mission. I was so angry that I ejected to game and traded it in straight away. I feel that DLC is now a something that developers feel they can cash in on content that was meant to be included in the first place. Recently I was playing Need for speed Shift, the game asked me if I wanted to pay for the new paint job on my car with either ingame money or Live points, it's getting a little out of hand... In another note, Kane and Lynch 2, I was cycling through the missions for arcade mode and came across a message on the screen which said "Do play this level you must use your unigue download code" A little frstrated but accepting of this I was about to escape back when another message popped up "check you box for the codes". What the fuck? are you telling me that everyone gets these codes Kane & Lynch 2 What the fuck are you doing making me download them? there is a picture of the goddamn level on the screen, I am sure you would have been able to squeeze them onto the disc, plus, the game was only 4 hours long! Argh... I am one of those strange people that don’t have the internet hooked up to my consoles. This has become increasingly frustrating for me in the past year or so because I feel that DLC’s are nothing but a big gimmick.
Over a year ago I was really excited about Dragon Age Origins, I picked up the collectors edition to find out the only extras you get for paying the $30 extra was little cardboard DLC codes. Accepting this, I bit my tongue and got stuck into the game disguarding the codes.
After a few hours into the game a character offered me a quest to go fight a gollum, intrigued I accepted his task. The game suddenly threw up a message stating that I have to go onto Xbox live to now pay for and download this mission. I was so angry that I ejected to game and traded it in straight away. I feel that DLC is now a something that developers feel they can cash in on content that was meant to be included in the first place.
Recently I was playing Need for speed Shift, the game asked me if I wanted to pay for the new paint job on my car with either ingame money or Live points, it’s getting a little out of hand…

In another note, Kane and Lynch 2, I was cycling through the missions for arcade mode and came across a message on the screen which said “Do play this level you must use your unigue download code” A little frstrated but accepting of this I was about to escape back when another message popped up “check you box for the codes”. What the fuck? are you telling me that everyone gets these codes Kane & Lynch 2
What the fuck are you doing making me download them? there is a picture of the goddamn level on the screen, I am sure you would have been able to squeeze them onto the disc, plus, the game was only 4 hours long!

Argh…

]]> Comment on Treating consumers with contempt costs you by Rohan http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434&cpage=1#comment-506 Rohan Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:55:00 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434#comment-506 Apologies for the delay in approving the last two posts. For some insane reason wordpress failed to inform me that there were comments requiring moderation. Apologies for the delay in approving the last two posts. For some insane reason wordpress failed to inform me that there were comments requiring moderation.

]]> Comment on Treating consumers with contempt costs you by DSebJ http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434&cpage=1#comment-496 DSebJ Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:57:16 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434#comment-496 Hi Jeremy, While I find your consumerist view on the world entertaining, I would like to make this observation and hopefully bring you up to speed on what is an out-of-date understanding: "... went to download it on 360 before realising that there’s no way it’ll fit on my crowded 20GB hard drive. Naturally, I have thus far resisted paying Microsoft’s frankly obscene prices for a drive upgrade..." Assuming that you have some version of Live connection, since one of the earlier updates this year, you have been able to use USB stick's in place of HD space & they support USB sticks up to 16 GIG (http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/storage) which is only 4 GIG shy of your original HDD; there is no price (obscene or otherwise) for this free functionality. ~DSebJ Hi Jeremy,

While I find your consumerist view on the world entertaining, I would like to make this observation and hopefully bring you up to speed on what is an out-of-date understanding:

“… went to download it on 360 before realising that there’s no way it’ll fit on my crowded 20GB hard drive. Naturally, I have thus far resisted paying Microsoft’s frankly obscene prices for a drive upgrade…”

Assuming that you have some version of Live connection, since one of the earlier updates this year, you have been able to use USB stick’s in place of HD space & they support USB sticks up to 16 GIG (http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/storage) which is only 4 GIG shy of your original HDD; there is no price (obscene or otherwise) for this free functionality.

~DSebJ

]]> Comment on Treating consumers with contempt costs you by Ant http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434&cpage=1#comment-495 Ant Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:25:16 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434#comment-495 Never bothered with the MW2 map packs. You can attack flash drives and save games on them now. I've still got 70GB left on my xbox not having that issue here. Never bothered with the MW2 map packs. You can attack flash drives and save games on them now. I’ve still got 70GB left on my xbox not having that issue here.

]]> Comment on Treating consumers with contempt costs you by Alexander http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434&cpage=1#comment-494 Alexander Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:14:47 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=434#comment-494 Feel no shame Jeremy, the map packs fools us all..... On another note, you guys seem to be going in overdrive with these articles after a dry spot. Not I have a problem with it, I was just pointing out the obvious. Feel no shame Jeremy, the map packs fools us all…..
On another note, you guys seem to be going in overdrive with these articles after a dry spot. Not I have a problem with it, I was just pointing out the obvious.

]]> Comment on You Have Been Disconnected by Jeremy http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=417&cpage=1#comment-493 Jeremy Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:21:17 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=417#comment-493 It was pretty darn good, although I thought the ending was a bit sudden. But the atmosphere and storytelling technique, brilliant. Extremely immersive interface, and the way it did your replies - sort of Gordon Freemanish, in that it's up to you to imagine what you've said - very clever. Well worth devoting a couple of hours to. (And it's free.) It was pretty darn good, although I thought the ending was a bit sudden. But the atmosphere and storytelling technique, brilliant. Extremely immersive interface, and the way it did your replies – sort of Gordon Freemanish, in that it’s up to you to imagine what you’ve said – very clever.

Well worth devoting a couple of hours to.

(And it’s free.)

]]> Comment on What games would you play again, and again? by Jarrah http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=395&cpage=1#comment-489 Jarrah Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:57:23 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=395#comment-489 "What games have sunk their hooks into you so much that you’ve actually replayed the main singleplayer campaign several times?" Not counting strategy games and achievement hunting... none for a long time, mostly because gaming has changed so much over the years. Thinking back, the most recent one I can think of is Quake. Man, I feel so old. I'm off to play some Quake now :-) “What games have sunk their hooks into you so much that you’ve actually replayed the main singleplayer campaign several times?”

Not counting strategy games and achievement hunting… none for a long time, mostly because gaming has changed so much over the years. Thinking back, the most recent one I can think of is Quake.

Man, I feel so old.

I’m off to play some Quake now :-)

]]> Comment on Gaming Platforms by Jarrah http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=357&cpage=1#comment-488 Jarrah Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:34:20 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=357#comment-488 I spend most of my gaming time on the 360, for three reasons. One, there were some lean years where I couldn't afford to upgrade my PC, so couldn't play new games, and I got out of the habit of buying PC versions. Two, everything is just so much easier on a console - no DirectX issues, no driver problems, no compatibility constraints. Three, Xbox Live. Yes, it costs, but cripes it makes online play a breeze. Unless it's a COD game :-) And haxxors/cheaters are much rarer! Looking to my right, the only PC games I've got handy are SimCity 4, Civ 4, Total War: Rome and Medieval 2, and Crysis - which I've only started playing recently because my computer wasn't really up to it before. So now I'm playing it with only months before its successor arrives! I forgot the fourth reason for mostly using the 360 - I'm turning into an achievement whore. Why buy Oblivion or Battlefield on the PC when I can have just as much fun on the Xbox and get gamerpoints into the bargain? I'm fairly sure it's exploiting the same mental pathways as pokies (intermittent rewards encourage greater use), but I don't care. I'm on my way to 14,000 and I like it. I don't understand how people can get 100,000 or 200,000 - where do they get the time? - and I know I'll never get there, but I don't care. Every pop-up with that jaunty sound gives me a little thrill. PS I just thought of a fifth reason - I get to pwn Jeremy in Modern Warfare regardless of ping. :-D I spend most of my gaming time on the 360, for three reasons. One, there were some lean years where I couldn’t afford to upgrade my PC, so couldn’t play new games, and I got out of the habit of buying PC versions. Two, everything is just so much easier on a console – no DirectX issues, no driver problems, no compatibility constraints. Three, Xbox Live. Yes, it costs, but cripes it makes online play a breeze. Unless it’s a COD game :-) And haxxors/cheaters are much rarer!

Looking to my right, the only PC games I’ve got handy are SimCity 4, Civ 4, Total War: Rome and Medieval 2, and Crysis – which I’ve only started playing recently because my computer wasn’t really up to it before. So now I’m playing it with only months before its successor arrives!

I forgot the fourth reason for mostly using the 360 – I’m turning into an achievement whore. Why buy Oblivion or Battlefield on the PC when I can have just as much fun on the Xbox and get gamerpoints into the bargain? I’m fairly sure it’s exploiting the same mental pathways as pokies (intermittent rewards encourage greater use), but I don’t care. I’m on my way to 14,000 and I like it. I don’t understand how people can get 100,000 or 200,000 – where do they get the time? – and I know I’ll never get there, but I don’t care. Every pop-up with that jaunty sound gives me a little thrill.

PS I just thought of a fifth reason – I get to pwn Jeremy in Modern Warfare regardless of ping. :-D

]]> Comment on What games would you play again, and again? by Magpie http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=395&cpage=1#comment-477 Magpie Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:17:47 +0000 http://www.restorerestartquit.com/?p=395#comment-477 The X-Coms, the Civs and the Total Wars get occasional re-boots. I think it's because they basically *make* stories, and different stories each time. The X-Coms, the Civs and the Total Wars get occasional re-boots. I think it’s because they basically *make* stories, and different stories each time.

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