If someone DARES say "I play a pirated paradox game for long but don't intend to buy it" it would be almost as bad as saying that he liked dragon age origins.
errrr. Did he just admit to pirating?
That does not explain why you would just not play the demo instead of pirating a game? If you don't like the demo than chances are you won't like the game. Paradox games have good demos showing ALL features and usually just limiting the time you can play. Which is perfect to see if you will like the game or not.
Demos dont get patched, and a full game is always a much better demo. Someone who tried the Eu3 demo (lol) today would be playing 1.00 without any expansions, dated graphics and tons of showstopping bugs, but if they pirated the latest version it would be an entirely different game.
I don't endorse piracy, but if someone genuinely tries a new product or franchise and either rapidly discontinues use or actually purchases it when they decide they like it, I'll say that doesn't pose a moral or ethical issue for me. If all people behaved like that, I'm sure this wouldn't even be an issue and no one would use DRM of any sort. The problem is that people get greedy, and when they dont feel they HAVE to pay, they just dont. Thats where piracy hurts small studios like this.
People aren't as greedy bastards as you might think.
I know this will definitively get me a warning and about 50 responses but I believe Piracy has actually HELPED paradox.
Let me explain my position. Paradox is not a major company (at least, compared to EA, Bethesda, Blizzard etc) and its games don't involve trolls (well, at least usually) or flashy explosions marketed at 15 year olds. They are games aimed at a niche markets, a niche market most paradox players originally didn't even know they belong to (well, I definitively didn't).
So would YOU go on the random to toss out 20 dollars/euros for games that, for all you know, you might stop playing the first 5 minutes? I certainly didn't and still don't. My first contact with a paradox game was with a (pirated) copy of vicky 2 that my friend showed me and then we played a bit multiplayer. Fast forward a few hundred hours in front, I bought victoria 2, tried eu3, liked it, bought eu3, tried mount and blade, loved it, bought it, tried HoI3....didn't really like it, so I stopped playing it after ~5 hours and finally, I am buying crusader kings 2!
Would I have bought/played a paradox game without piracy? I highly doubt it. The ones that should be afraid of piracy are the big companies who do NOT sell quality and sell flashes instead. Paradox is not one of these companies and I always loved how you, essentially, do not have pirate copy protection which has worked as your best advertisement.
Go to one of the pirate heavens (/v/, for example, and you know what I am talking about). If someone DARES say "I play a pirated paradox game for long but don't intend to buy it" it would be almost as bad as saying that he liked dragon age origins.
And that is because YOU sell quality.
So don't think of us as pirates, think of us as corsairs that bring back loot and new recruits for the crow....erm, chameleon.
Peace
People aren't as greedy bastards as you might think.
Piracy is just a fancy word for stealing.
Stealing implies you take something form someone and leave that person without that particular thing.
The first paradox game I played was a pirated copy of eu3:httt. Now they are the only publisher I even play, and I always pre-order their games. They (and their affiliates) are the only company actively making games for adult gamers.
I'm going to support you on this Arathian.
I had the exact same experience but for me it's started with EU3. I came to paradoxe games by pirating EU3, yes, and now look at my icons. I bought tones of paradoxe games after that and never pirated one anymore. This company respected me and I respected it in return.
I think piracy is only free advertising for PI, at least it was for me (and a good friend of mine who also bought a lot of paradoxe games after initially pirating EU3)
I think you're right on this, they just don't want to get robbed by disrespectful companies. Piracy doesn't come from the customers greed but the companies greed. PI is not like that and I'm sure it greatly limits piracy of their products.