In the future how about paradox have a order + download option

[unmerged(6160)]

This would be great if I could order the game and download it the minuit it went gold. Basically I'd give you a debit/credit number and you'd let me download the game and the manual. It would cut out publishers and allow imediate income to come directly to Paradox.

Of course there would still be a boxed version.

 

[Jayavarman]

I don't think that would please the publishers, being that now many people would buy directly from Paradox instead of through them. Not many people buy Paradox games compared to other games, so this would only discourage publishers from signing up with Paradox to distribute their games.

 

[hellfish6]

Hmm... not having Strategy First as a publisher wouldn't be a bad thing. I really don't like them. They have a bad tendency to underpublicisze games that deserve publicity and they also have a history of forcing developers to release games prematurely (Strike Fighters, WWIIOL, GI Combat, etc.)

Either way, I'd still pay full price to download the game when it was ready, kind of like Galactic Civilizations. And a way to check for the latest patches would be cool too. Edit: I'd also pay extra to have a CD shipped to me in a cheapo CD sleeve or something.

 

[unmerged(18269)]

Not everyone has fast download speeds.
Not everyone would know about this.
People who randomly pick the game up in the store couldnt do so.
What prevents some hacker from breaking in.

Seems like this would be a "For those few hundred fans that have cabel + live in Europe + got credit cards"
Paradox makes nieche games. But this would be a nieche of a nieche of a nieche.

 

[Niptium]

Originally posted by AlexanderG
Not everyone has fast download speeds.
Not everyone would know about this.
People who randomly pick the game up in the store couldnt do so.
What prevents some hacker from breaking in.

Seems like this would be a "For those few hundred fans that have cabel + live in Europe + got credit cards"
Paradox makes nieche games. But this would be a nieche of a nieche of a nieche.

It's «niche».

 

[hellfish6]

This system, or at least removing the publisher from the equation, has worked in the past - in some cases very successfully. Look at Combat Mission - the first game sold so well online that publisher's couldn't ignore it and so Battlefront/BTS could get a pretty sweet deal out of them to put the game on store shelves later on.

And I've never heard of somebody hacking a program offered to download for customers - GalCiv certainly hasn't been hacked and I'd argue that it's just as much of a niche game as Vicky, yet they seem to be doing quite well.

Edit: Really, I don't care which way they go. I just don't like the idea of Strategy First getting some of my money.

 

[unmerged(2377)]

It would take forever for a person with a 56k to download a game like Victoria.

 

[Jayavarman]

Originally posted by Dan Cook
It would take forever for a person with a 56k to download a game like Victoria.

I concur. Also, there are kids like me who lack credit cards or some form of online payment.

 

[hellfish6]

Nobody said that people with 56ks HAD to download the game. Most games available for purchased download I've seen have also offered the option to have a CD sent to you for an extra $5 (usually to just cover shipping and handling). Thus, 56kers can still support Paradox directly, and now have to worry about downloading a game over the course of several weeks.

But downloading a game would be really nice for those of us with broadband access.

 

[unmerged(2377)]

Originally posted by Phillip V
I concur. Also, there are kids like me who lack credit cards or some form of online payment.

Get a checking account.

 

[Grosshaus]

I would like to get all my games via internet, I see no use to have the box around. Naturally this shouldn't yet be the only way to buy software since not all have broadband and can pay via internet. But in case Paradox can make an agreement with publishers, then it should be enabled. I guess part of this warez-released-prior-release mess could have been avoided this way as well, since several people here would have downloaded it the day it went gold, I guess.

 

[unmerged(9078)]

I really love the good old big paper boxes, games used to be published in before all this DVD-box crap was invented. You know people who collect musid CDs and have full shelves of CDs. On the other hand, downloading games from the developer has also it's benefits. From what I know, the developers get 10€ or less, when you pay 40€ in the stores. We could meet in the middle and pay like 20€ for downloading the game. Both the developers and the customers would benefit. That's a dream I have from time to time

 

[OriginalRafiki]

Sounds like a good idea (if feasable). It would of course only be an extra service to provide to those who could use it, those without cable and/or ways of paying online would still have to get it in more "traditional" ways.

Me, I'd gladly pay Paradox directly and be sure to get the game on release date

Rafiki

 

[Alexandru H.]

I loved the big box. When I ordered EU2 and saw the little DVD box, I was kind of sad (I was expecting the NA big map)..got over it pretty quickly (it's easier to carry around a DVD case anyways)...

A direct developer-consummer would be a dream (even an anarchist's dream), but I would think that the publishers would mind and refuse it all together. And all the people that don't skim the forums and just look for new games will lose big time. But of course, if Paradox could take some extra responsabilities and give us this little option....

 

[unmerged(2567)]

Originally posted by Alexandru H.
I loved the big box. When I ordered EU2 and saw the little DVD box, I was kind of sad (I was expecting the NA big map)..got over it pretty quickly (it's easier to carry around a DVD case anyways)...

A direct developer-consummer would be a dream (even an anarchist's dream), but I would think that the publishers would mind and refuse it all together. And all the people that don't skim the forums and just look for new games will lose big time. But of course, if Paradox could take some extra responsabilities and give us this little option....

They could just have the publishers host it, couldn't they?

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

Originally posted by hellfish6
Hmm... not having Strategy First as a publisher wouldn't be a bad thing. I really don't like them. They have a bad tendency to underpublicisze games that deserve publicity and they also have a history of forcing developers to release games prematurely (Strike Fighters, WWIIOL, GI Combat, etc.)

Despite all the bad things one can say about Strategy First, they are usually outweighed by the one big positive:

They publish niche strategy games. Not many publishers do.

 

[unmerged(17523)]

Is it possible and would it be useful to limit the countries where downloading or ordering a box online, to those where no publisher could be found? (perhaps a bit difficult to track ones where abouts, perhaps by use the country where the bankaccount is registered?)

This way one hopefully avoids, to compromise relations with publishers. (I mean who can blaim paradox for making the game available in countries the publishers aren't willing to publish)

Furthermore, like Hellfish6 said, it is possible to order a box version, just the ordering is online, so no restriction to only broadband users.

The only real problem seems to me that payment online is still not very easy.

 

[unmerged(11603)]

galactic civilization is published world wide by strategy first.

So it seems they don't have a problem with a developper enabling a download from their website.

The prize is the same like in a store, so strategy first probably also gets their share when someone downloads the game directly from the developper.

 

[irishpony]

I really like the stardock the Galaltic Civilations came with because you can get the patches with out even noticing and it conviant you can also post through it

 

[unmerged(12680)]

Originally posted by Mieszko
I really love the good old big paper boxes, games used to be published in before all this DVD-box crap was invented. You know people who collect musid CDs and have full shelves of CDs.

Originally posted by Alexandru H
I loved the big box. When I ordered EU2 and saw the little DVD box, I was kind of sad (I was expecting the NA big map)..got over it pretty quickly (it's easier to carry around a DVD case anyways)...

And here I thought I was the only one lamenting the disapperance of the old huge cardboard boxes! Downloading? When I can get it in a huge blocky box? No, thank you. Download, when I can only get it in a tiny DVD box? Perhaps...

So, size DOES matter.