And it's not cool to go around and say I really like this game that I stole, so they’re not going to say that.

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 23:09:

Dev wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 22:30:

I'm not happy with having to use google checkout with my real email though. Maybe I can ask them to delete it or change my email afterwards.

They've also announced the game will be available to buy on Desura, which means you can use Paypal or your regular credit card. And they will have a system in place to convert Desura keys into Steam keys as well. So you won't have to use Google checkout if you don't want to, although I'm curious why you believe it's a problem?

http://theindiestone.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2643

Their servers got breached and their game was stolen. The pirated copy was somehow hacked and could connect to their cloud servers for updates, which meant a lot of bandwidth costs for them from people who hadn't paid for it. As a result, the paid version of the game was removed from the site and as of now, customers who have paid for the game (including myself) can't download the game they paid for.

I liked what I saw in their free demo

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 20:17:
These things led to a lot of unrest on their official forums, which in turn led to the developers offering refunds on the game out of sheer frustration from all the bitching and moaning going on. People are now taking refunds

Dev wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 22:30:

I'm not happy with having to use google checkout with my real email though. Maybe I can ask them to delete it or change my email afterwards.

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 22:14:
This is one of those projects where your contribution helps fund the development of the game, so right now you're buying it on good faith. I liked what I saw in their free demo so I thought I should support these guys.

Dev wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 20:43:
What they need to do is change the authentication (or add if its missing one) procedure for legit versions and change the servers to match, so only new legit copies can connect. Yeah it means forcing everyone who wants to play the game to get an update, but that's better than killing the servers for everyone and offering refunds. It may even mean changing their cloud server account to some other company.

BTW, it looks like an interesting game, this is the first I've heard of it, how much were they charging?
Ah I found it:
http://projectzomboid.com/blog/index.php/buy-our-games/
5 british pounds for lifetime license. Thats cheap.

Vulkan wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 21:49:
About this bit: Maybe it was me dreaming it or something but I could swear reading somewhere that Valve had allowed Indie Stone the use of Steam's servers for distribution, do you know anything about this?

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 20:17:
As a result, the paid version of the game was removed from the site and as of now, customers who have paid for the game (including myself) can't download the game they paid for.

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 20:17:
It's interesting that you mention Project Zomboid because they are currently reeling from the effects of piracy. Their servers got breached and their game was stolen. The pirated copy was somehow hacked and could connect to their cloud servers for updates, which meant a lot of bandwidth costs for them from people who hadn't paid for it. As a result, the paid version of the game was removed from the site and as of now, customers who have paid for the game (including myself) can't download the game they paid for. Another consequence of this was that an update they are working on got delayed while they try and work out this problem. These things led to a lot of unrest on their official forums, which in turn led to the developers offering refunds on the game out of sheer frustration from all the bitching and moaning going on. People are now taking refunds, and who knows whether that's significant enough to hurt their financing or not. Call it cause and effect or the butterfly effect or something in between, but I'm pretty sure Project Zomboid is not thrilled about piracy at this very moment.

Vulkan wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 15:47:

The Project Zomboid lads haven't made close to a million dollars and they have roughly the same outlook on the situation.

Beamer wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 16:15:

This isn't restricted to the video game industry. There's an odd consumer phenomena in general where if you price your stuff too low, a number of consumers will shy away from it since its considered cheap crap. In fact, sometimes companies get more sales INCREASING prices.

No, it's 100% true. It's how many liquors define themselves.

This isn't restricted to the video game industry. There's an odd consumer phenomena in general where if you price your stuff too low, a number of consumers will shy away from it since its considered cheap crap. In fact, sometimes companies get more sales INCREASING prices.

Jerykk wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 15:13:
As an indie developer, consumer awareness should be your greatest concern, not piracy. People generally don't buy stuff when they don't know it exists.

Beamer wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 10:58:
4) There are still enough people out there that think a game debuting at less than full retail is damaged in some way. Budget or value title, or a shorter, less featured AAA title. And it's not a bad assumption, as most games that launch at value prices are crap. Again, it's changing as indies get better, but you'll never see them boxed on a shelf, and their price points tend to be $5-$10.

spindoctor wrote on Jul 20, 2011, 10:59:
How come we never hear enlightened statements about the virtues of piracy from indie developers who haven't made a million dollars from their sales?