I didn’t know if ppl sold there games or not so I just used it as an example. I’ll re-edit my stuff and remove that. That is steep 1.5 euros is like $2+ over here. Ouch…and they have a bandwidth limit over there for unlimited service?
Okay, I just got a call from work (It’s my day off.) to check the G-C and PP BBS, and wow-wee-wow.
Okay, refraining from my personal opinions, here’s some answers on the fly. (I’ve pulled over to stop at a Borders to “borrow” their wireless. Don’t expect much, I’ve got more road tripping ahead of me.)
1: Virtual Mate account and password will be used when you install and register a game. When you start the game the game will automatically connect to Virtual Mate, and you do NOT need to enter a password. DSL, Cable Modem, and other always on connections will not need to do anything. Dial-Up users will need to connect to LAUNCH the game, then (I THINK) they can turn it off.
2: There is SOME, CERTAIN allowances for hardware change, and there is a limited number of accounts per game, not sure the number. (I’m not full briefed with the workings of Virtual Mate myself.)
3: This is a NEW system, at least here in the States, so yes, this is going to be the testbed system run. Heaven forbid that we try something new. Let’s wait till it’s actually OUT before running around, wearing sackcloth, and waving our signs, proclaiming doom, shall we?
4: Don’t ask me for my personal opinion of this, I’ve already made it known to the company.
Everything here is the (semi-)offical stance of things, baring any errors from me trying this on the road, and relaying from a cell phone with futzy reception.
Here’s a copy of my post over on the G-C board about this crap system, along with my follow-up post. Humbly submitted for your consumption/derision/whatever.
BEGIN POST #1:
I see most of what I wanted to say has already been said, but as another loyal G-C customer who has every G-C game to date
(well, except DOR but that really doesn’t count in my book) I want to add my .02 to this v-mate business.
Granted, piracy is a big problem for the b-game industry, but I want to tell G-C that I think this is a COLOSSAL MISTAKE.
The only thing you will do is piss off your loyal customers (like me) and I’m sorry, but you will not stop the pirates,
faze them maybe, but that’s it.
Needless to say, a small company like G-C can ill afford to piss off their most loyal customers.
As others have said, I too don’t have XP because of the phone-home BS that M$ instituted, and I would almost certainly
stop buying G-C games if they only came with this v-mate stuff. I’m not interested in anything that phones home like
this, and I’m not interested in having to type some
username/password every time I want to play a game that I
shelled out hard-earned bucks for.
The other huge problem I have is, perish the thought, G-C goes out of business. We now all have very expensive coasters
instead of games.
Things that would keep me personally buying G-C games:
- Release a non-v-mate version alongside the v-mate version
- One-time activation, obtained by e-mail from G-C after sending a product code or something off the CD. This should
come in the form of a key file or similar that we copy to the game install dir. This avoids the problem of our games
becoming expensive coasters later.
So, in case you didn’t hear me the first time: BIG HONKING MISTAKE GUYS! Do it as stated on your home page, and you’ll
lose a very good customer FOR SURE!
Peace, I’m out…
BEGIN POST #2:
Well Vaga42Bond, as much as I regret saying it, it looks like I won’t be buying Let’s Meow Meow. Your point #1 & #2 sounds
wayyyyy too much like XP product activation for my taste. That should be regretful to G-C as well, because I have bought
every G-C game up to and including Heart de Roomate, and am planning to buy the last 3 releases (CSMT2, SP, IG) soon. I’ve
even bought games that weren’t really my taste, just to support the industry and support G-C. Now I feel that I’ve
been stabbed in the back by the company that I’ve supported with my $$$$.
However, if and when G-C decides to trashcan this (IMO) highly invasive big-brother, phone-home system, I will gladly return
to the fold, but not until then. I just hope that by then there will be a version of Let’s Meow Meow without this BS
system.
Don’t get me wrong Vagabond, I’m not attacking you personally. But I REALLY want you to communicate to your bosses how
upset we, your core support base of loyal customers, are about this whole mess.
And here I was SOOOOO looking forward to playing part or all of the Fukuramikake series. Hopefully v-mate will be gone
before G-C releases it (if they release it at all).
Ta ta for now… 
Nameless Mofo,
No offense taken.
And the only reason you’re seeing me here today is BECAUSE the head people are reading this and PP’s BBS, and they basically phoned me to tell me to do a posting to make things clearer. So I don’t need to tell them what the people think, because they aready can read the posts. Much easier for me. Doubly so me being on my day off.
In any case, we’ll probably see how the system’s doing, with sales and stuff. Which ain’t my department, so I’ll probably never know. I just check for soaring cocks and other engrish.
Hmm…well it looks like the release date for let’s meow meow got overshadowed by this v-mate thing. Well all I can say is I’m gonna be mighty pissed if heven forbid g-coll every goes down and I can’t play my game. There has to be a better way to fight piracy.
so there are spies here after all…LOTS of them…
Just wanted to bring my two cents to the discussion:
I not only think this system to be a mistake, i believe it to be contraproductive.
I don’t like programs to phone home - enough to stop buying the games from g-c and i have a legal copy of pretty much every english bishoujo game ever released by anyone.
But even if i wouldn’t - a game which requires the site of the company to be up and running to start up?! Megatech anyone? I wouldn’t be able to play Knights of Xentar if it had such a feature or any of my games which are older than 4 or 5 years.
I have to be online to play an offline game?
No G-C games on laptop in the future.
then what about
quote Vaga42Bond:"2: There is SOME, CERTAIN allowances for hardware change"
I don’t quite understand what this means yet,
i hope not: it scans my computer hardware, send the file to G-C and i can’t play if i upgrade
also quote Vaga42Bond: “there is a limited number of accounts per game” - computer crashes, i format harddrive, install the game again, new account?
well i’m not sure about the last two points, but:
i really don’t think this is the right way to fight against piracy. I think it is the right way to lose loyal customers, and the sales will drop not rise.
For every one who has voiced his opinion here how many will just stop to buy the games?
I really care about the industry, so i will buy the games again as soon as this spyware is out of it - although this means i won’t play Let’s Meow Meow - a game i was looking forward to. A lot. But someone to whom the bishoujo games are not so important, and who will stop buying the games because of this spyware - will he be back also? I doubt it very much. And pirates? Let’s face it, there will be a crack.
This whole thing is, in my opinion, a HUGE MISTAKE.
i just hope the voices here and on g-c forum will be heard.
[This message has been edited by Tenchi (edited 10-15-2004).]
quote:
Originally posted by smog:
Onlineregistration of a store boughten product iis not ethical.
I'd like to know where the hell this came from. What on earth makes it unethical to register a product on-line?
I REALLY don't see the big deal here. I see people reacting, but find myself unable to understand what's bothering them so. It's not like they are monitoring your PC or anything, they are just trying to take a few small steps to ensure their own survival by limiting piracy. And most people seem to act like G-Collections have slapped them in the face and called them "Thief".
Please. When I walk into any store, the wares aren't lying around for the taking with no one around, next to a small box that says "please leave money here". And in some shops there are even *gasp* SECURITY GUARDS! OH NO, THEY THINK I'M GOING TO STEAL FROM THEM, THEY JUST CALLED ME A THIEF!!!111!!
Just what the hell do you think G-Collections is going to do with this registration thing anyway? Monitor your every movement 24/7?
If anyone can explain to me what the big problem is (apart from needing internet to play), please do.
[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 10-15-2004).]
quote:
Originally posted by Baldo:
And you, Harm0niXer, don't insult other fellow gamers/peoples with undue haste. Intolerant/disquieting guys are EVERYWHERE, unfortunately.
Baldo I was joking. I'm not rascist towards Italians I just think Italicus is going WAY to far.
quote:
Originally posted by grimg:
Manditory product activation bothers me, but I want G collections and others to survive and translate more so I'll endure the nuisence to cut piracy.Besides I'm really looking forward to Let's Meow Meow!
Both of these things are true for me as well, but G-collections is on the verge of pissing me off so much, that I may decide telling them where to stick it is more important than both of those things combined.
quote:
Originally posted by AG3:
Well, that makes you pretty much as bad as the pirates G-Collections wants to get to, if not worse, as you're actively trying to cause damage to the company.
Put that straw man away. Pirates are bad because they're violating GC's rights in the works they have licensed. Convincing people they shouldn't support something is wholly legitimate. Am I bad for refusing to buy games I don't like?
Register product online - well i don’t like it but fine by me. Barely. But only if i have to do it once and get a code to activate the product. Why you ask? Let’s see, i have already stated it, but here it comes again: what if a company is out of business? If i have the activation code and not lost it (that’s why i put “barely” in there) i can still use the product. But that is not the case here.
I have to be online to play a game, because the game phones home.
Now may i use your own example. Let’s see: the security guard in the shop… ah yes you bought a vacuum cleaner there, paid for it and the guard follows you home, stays in your room, and each time you want to use the cleaner you have to ask him to switch it on - because this cleaner has a new “feature” - it doesn’t have an “ON” switch, but an electronic lock and the guard calls his boss and asks for the code each time you ask him. Unless he is ill (internet connection down) or boss is temporary (g-c site down) or permanently (g-c not there anymore) away.
Oh and the stuff he is talking about with the boss besides it (something about your underwear) shouldn’t bother you. It is not as if he is monitoring you, is he now?
I hope i was able to explain what the big problem is in my opinion.
quote:
Originally posted by AG3:I REALLY don’t see the big deal here. I see people reacting, but find myself unable to understand what’s bothering them so. It’s not like they are monitoring your PC or anything, they are just trying to take a few small steps to ensure their own survival by limiting piracy. And most people seem to act like G-Collections have slapped them in the face and called them “Thief”.
Please. When I walk into any store, the wares aren’t lying around for the taking with no one around, next to a small box that says “please leave money here”. And in some shops there are even gasp SECURITY GUARDS! OH NO, THEY THINK I’M GOING TO STEAL FROM THEM, THEY JUST CALLED ME A THIEF!!!111!!
Just what the hell do you think G-Collections is going to do with this registration thing anyway? Monitor your every movement 24/7?
If anyone can explain to me what the big problem is (apart from needing internet to play), please do.
[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 10-15-2004).][/B]
quote:
Originally posted by AG3:
I'd like to know where the hell this came from. What on earth makes it unethical to register a product on-line?I REALLY don't see the big deal here. I see people reacting, but find myself unable to understand what's bothering them so. It's not like they are monitoring your PC or anything, they are just trying to take a few small steps to ensure their own survival by limiting piracy. And most people seem to act like G-Collections have slapped them in the face and called them "Thief".
Please. When I walk into any store, the wares aren't lying around for the taking with no one around, next to a small box that says "please leave money here". And in some shops there are even *gasp* SECURITY GUARDS! OH NO, THEY THINK I'M GOING TO STEAL FROM THEM, THEY JUST CALLED ME A THIEF!!!111!!
Just what the hell do you think G-Collections is going to do with this registration thing anyway? Monitor your every movement 24/7?
If anyone can explain to me what the big problem is (apart from needing internet to play), please do.
[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 10-15-2004).]
Obviously you didn't read the Vaga42Bond post. Got and do it again, then read the full thread again, and then edit your post, 'cause it proved out how much easyminded you are.
Nandemonai, you're right. This time G-Collection dudes went too far. And not only that. Unlike Lamuness-sama does here, they left us ranting and wordkilling each other for more then three hours. This is not taking good care of their customers.
I really hope their sales to drop heavily down this time. Yeah, they deserve a lesson.
I dislike pirates, but this is really a coward act and i despise cowards even more then pirates. Low low low the lowest rank in the men's scale. Thumbs down.
[This message has been edited by Italicus (edited 10-15-2004).]
quote:
Originally posted by Vaga42Bond:
Nameless Mofo,No offense taken.
And the only reason you're seeing me here today is BECAUSE the head people are reading this and PP's BBS, and they basically phoned me to tell me to do a posting to make things clearer. So I don't need to tell them what the people think, because they aready can read the posts. Much easier for me. Doubly so me being on my day off.
In any case, we'll probably see how the system's doing, with sales and stuff. Which ain't my department, so I'll probably never know. I just check for soaring cocks and other engrish.
Well you can tell your bosses i just convinced 25 italians - me excluded - to not buy that game. And this is only the beginning. Bucks, sayonara!!!!
quote:
Originally posted by Nandemonai:
Put that straw man away. Pirates are bad because they're violating GC's rights in the works they have licensed. Convincing people they shouldn't support something is wholly legitimate. Am I bad for refusing to buy games I don't like?
When I quoted that I interpreted Italicus' comment too literally, "causing damage to the company", adding the "by any means" on my own. My mistake; his comment was more "innocent" than I interpreted it at the time.
quote:
Originally posted by AG3:
I REALLY don't see the big deal here. I see people reacting, but find myself unable to understand what's bothering them so. It's not like they are monitoring your PC or anything, they are just trying to take a few small steps to ensure their own survival by limiting piracy. And most people seem to act like G-Collections have slapped them in the face and called them "Thief".Please. When I walk into any store, the wares aren't lying around for the taking with no one around, next to a small box that says "please leave money here". And in some shops there are even *gasp* SECURITY GUARDS! OH NO, THEY THINK I'M GOING TO STEAL FROM THEM, THEY JUST CALLED ME A THIEF!!!111!!
Just what the hell do you think G-Collections is going to do with this registration thing anyway? Monitor your every movement 24/7?
If anyone can explain to me what the big problem is (apart from needing internet to play), please do.
[This message has been edited by AG3 (edited 10-15-2004).]
Preface: you have got a valid point that we don't know all the details. All of the below is presumed on my interpretation of their unclear remarks, and may change when more details emerge.
G-collections is not going to monitor your every movement 24/7, but they ARE going to monitor each and every time you start up the game. This tells them more than you think: for instance, that you bought game X, but didn't play it for a few months because you were playing game Y every day. I am not going to allow marketers to do research on me whenever they feel like it.
It is not like they slapped me in the face and called me "thief". It is more like they are conducting full body cavity searches every time I buy something.
I paid for the game; to have them presume to tell me that they are going to make ALLOWANCES for me to change my hardware TO A POINT (implying they reserve the right to disapprove of my hardware changes) is Not Their Place. I bought the game, it's mine, I have a licensed copy for me personally todo with as I see fit. To have them PRESUME to block me from buying a used copy, or selling mine, is unacceptable.
Most importantly, games are not tools. They're not disposable utensils. They are works of art. I am going to pull some games out 10 years from now and play them again. This is one of the reasons I'm not going to get involved with MMORPGs. Who here really thinks Everquest will last another 10 years? What happens when they turn off their servers? See Phantasy Star Online - the game is single-player only now, if you own a Dreamcast.
I insist on being able to pull out my game whenever and whereever I see fit. Their demanding to see my ID anytime I want to pull it out is unreasonable. I'm not going to take that BS from an unavoidable monopoly like Microsoft; there is surely no way I am going to let GC pull it.
quote:
Originally posted by AG3:
When I quoted that I interpreted Italicus' comment too literally, "causing damage to the company", adding the "by any means" on my own. My mistake; his comment was more "innocent" than I interpreted it at the time.
Guy publicity is the commerce's soul. I just gave them what they deserve, a bad one. 25+1 customers out form Italy. It looks promising. Everyone, boycott that game!
And yup Nandemonai thanks you pointed to me another weak point of this system. It violates Italian privacy's law. I'll check and if so i'll give you hell with legal ways without supporting pirates, yaiHHHHH ! two birds killed with the same stone.
[This message has been edited by Italicus (edited 10-15-2004).]
quote:
Originally posted by Italicus:
Obviously you didn't read the Vaga42Bond post. Got and do it again, then read the full thread again, and then edit your post, 'cause it proved out how much easyminded you are.
Nope, still don't see the bigh problem. But then again, I might be used to this from playing Final Fantasy XI on-line. That game requires constant internet access, unique codes for the install, you must have a valid credit/cash card registered, you even pay $12 per month for it, it requires really big updates every so often, the servers sometimes go down because of maintenance or errors, if you don't pay for three months your character is delete and you have to buy a new copy of the game because the codes will be invalid (or so I've heard), and it suffers all the potential problems you've already listed + more.
I don't see everyone who plays on-line games bitch and moan like you do, and there are a few million of them. You are blowing all this WAY out of proportion, IMHO. People are trying to ensure their livelyhood because of rampant piracy, and instead of a shred of understanding, you act like they've killed close relatives of you.
No they did even worse thay’re killing our freedom to play a game. This is bad. And ps read my previous post and you’ll see. If it turn out i’m right no more sales of G-Coll here in Italy.
By the way, if they were to go down or anything else that would make it impossible for you to play, a crack would most certainly be released by someone, though I’d be thoroughly surprised if that doesn’t happen anyway.
I see the issues you raise, but not the big problem with them. It all boils down to opinions, and we can’t always agree on everything