These are excerpts from the interview Tasos gave MMORPG.com today.....

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There will be a limited number of pre-order copies of Darkfall offered and a limited number of copies available at launch.

Our pre-order consists of a minimal charge to activate the process which will be concluded on the launch date.

Do I even have to say W.T.F?

...You're really surprised? This is Aventurine you're talking about... lmao.

They don't have a choice. I'm not surprised. I'm not paying it either.

wait a minute, they are charging a fee before you even pay for the pre-order which is before the game is even released.  i have never made one comment on here about darkfall but anybody with any common sense would not do this even their biggest fans.  if this happens that is just ridiculous.

Wow I am the amazing kreskin my prediction was lots of rumble video fake beta no we would never presale or charge then slowly to maybe then charge. Vaporware scam complete.

Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I've pre-ordered games like this at GameStop - pay $5 (for example) to pre-order the game, then pay the balance when you pick it up.  I don't see any problems with that.  Heck, there are some pre-orders that you have to pay for entirely up front.

~Ripper

This actually sounds like what they do at Gamestop.. You have to put 5 dollars minimum down to reserve a copy of something.. Maybe they are going to take the amount paid off of the title price once it goes retail..

I dunno..

But I seriously cannot see or think anyone would be dumb enough to think that someone would pay extra money ON-TOP of the full retail price of he box to pre-order it. Its silly..

Originally posted by rhinok

Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I've pre-ordered games like this at GameStop - pay $5 (for example) to pre-order the game, then pay the balance when you pick it up.  I don't see any problems with that.  Heck, there are some pre-orders that you have to pay for entirely up front.

~Ripper

Hard to say.  That would make some sense I guess, but its hard to tell exactly what he means.   A lot of times these interviews consist of you sending the questions to them, and them emailing you back answers.  So a lot of the time you can't get elaboration on an answer.  Not sure if that was the case here, but i guess we will know sometime withihn the next 2 weeks if they really want to launch in the current time frame.

Seems to me he would have used a word like DEPOSIT if that’s what he meant….

this game cries Beta at launch day

Funny, I went to Game Stop today.. no one there had heard of Darkfall.  Nonetheless, it looks like they are asking for a pre-preorder... for their limited launch.  Seems like they are charging folks to play open beta.  By having a limited launch.. still seems like they are incapable of handling potential large number of gamer.

Seems sort of odd to me.  It looks like every opportunity Adventurine has to potentially build confidence and show clarity, they do the opposite.  Not trolling here, just sort of scratching my head.  Don't know what to make of this, the plot thickens...

Originally posted by flguy147

wait a minute, they are charging a fee before you even pay for the pre-order which is before the game is even released.  i have never made one comment on here about darkfall but anybody with any common sense would not do this even their biggest fans.  if this happens that is just ridiculous.

It's designed to give beta testers who like a game, a chance to secure their spot on their server, which will be limited due to their minimal resources, which makes perfect sense to me.

You folks seem to be forgetting that this is an INDIE company, not blizzard. I guess big corporations that spew polished crap out have made it impossible for a small company making a quality game but with a somewhat more crude approach. Just wait.

You don't have to pre-order if you don't want to. I don't even know why you'd bring this up.

Originally posted by rhinok

Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I've pre-ordered games like this at GameStop - pay $5 (for example) to pre-order the game, then pay the balance when you pick it up.  I don't see any problems with that.  Heck, there are some pre-orders that you have to pay for entirely up front.

~Ripper

His wording was pretty clear.

The nominal fee you pay gets you a SPOT in the line for pre-orders. It has nothing to do with purchasing the game itself, straight from the man's mouth. Nothing he said would suggest it is similar to what Gamestop pre-orders are like.

well i didnt bring this topic up, i just commented on a message board, that is what people do.  i have just never ever heard of a pre-fee before a preorder payment.  and i dont care if it is an indie company or Blizzard, that is just ridiculous to do period.  i am not talking about the game being good or bad cause i have stayed out of all those bs arguments.  i am just talking about from a business standpoint, that is basically how scams work period.  no i am not saying darkfall is at all, i am just saying that is how scams work in other businesses.  taking your money twice before the game is released isnt even ethical in my opinion.  pre-order ok that is fine but not a fee before a pre-order payment.

Originally posted by Valhama

Originally posted by flguy147

wait a minute, they are charging a fee before you even pay for the pre-order which is before the game is even released.  i have never made one comment on here about darkfall but anybody with any common sense would not do this even their biggest fans.  if this happens that is just ridiculous.

 

It's designed to give beta testers who like a game, a chance to secure their spot on their server, which will be limited due to their minimal resources, which makes perfect sense to me.

You folks seem to be forgetting that this is an INDIE company, not blizzard. I guess big corporations that spew polished crap out have made it impossible for a small company making a quality game but with a somewhat more crude approach. Just wait.

You don't have to pre-order if you don't want to. I don't even know why you'd bring this up.

They are NOT an indie company. An indie company doesn't mean a compay that is just starting out/has no money. Indie is something that's not mainstream, and an indie company doesn't make a mainstream game.

From what it looked like, they are going to charge a fee to be able to pre-order. Generally when you pre-order a $50 game at a real-world store, you pay $5 first, then pay the rest when you pick it up, while onine pre-orders usually costing $50 first, then you can download it when it releases. From what this case looks like, say there's an online download, you'll pay a fee to pre-order, then you can pay your $50 to pre-order, on top of there being a limited number of copies.

Originally posted by jy88902

Originally posted by rhinok

Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I've pre-ordered games like this at GameStop - pay $5 (for example) to pre-order the game, then pay the balance when you pick it up.  I don't see any problems with that.  Heck, there are some pre-orders that you have to pay for entirely up front.

~Ripper

His wording was pretty clear.

The nominal fee you pay gets you a SPOT in the line for pre-orders. It has nothing to do with purchasing the game itself, straight from the man's mouth. Nothing he said would suggest it is similar to what Gamestop pre-orders are like.

That's not what he said at all.  Here's what he said:

"Our pre-order consists of a minimal charge to activate the process which will be concluded on the launch date. You’re not pre-buying the game; you’re simply reserving your copy for the launch date."

Pay a nominal fee to reserve your copy, then pay the balance on the launch date so you can play.  I did the same thing with NWN2, I believe.  I paid my $5 to pre-order/reserve my copy then paid the balance when I picked it up.

~Ripper

Originally posted by flguy147

well i didnt bring this topic up, i just commented on a message board, that is what people do.  i have just never ever heard of a pre-fee before a preorder payment.  and i dont care if it is an indie company or Blizzard, that is just ridiculous to do period.  i am not talking about the game being good or bad cause i have stayed out of all those bs arguments.  i am just talking about from a business standpoint, that is basically how scams work period.  no i am not saying darkfall is at all, i am just saying that is how scams work in other businesses.  taking your money twice before the game is released isnt even ethical in my opinion.  pre-order ok that is fine but not a fee before a pre-order payment.

It's not a fee for a pre-order.  It's a portion of the overall game cost that will be subtracted from the remaining balance when you finalize the total purchase.  Paying the nominal fee guarantees you a reserved spot.  Lots of industries do this, not just gaming.  Restaurants charge deposits for big parties that make reservations, bakers charge deposits for cakes, hotels charge deposits for stays.  This is a way of ensuring that limited resources (game slots, hotel rooms, number of cakes a baker is able to produce, etc...). are going to those with a vested interest in them.  If you've pre-paid a room (even for a single night)during conference season then you're less likely to change or cancel at the last minute, thereby causing occupancy issues for the hotel, you probaly won't cancel a cancel a cake order that the baker has spent hours working on, etc...

~Ripper

LOL I knew they would do this. Maybe they are trying to get a little profit in before people drop money on the game and leave or demand a refund. Ouch!

Originally posted by Paragus1

Originally posted by rhinok

Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure I've pre-ordered games like this at GameStop - pay $5 (for example) to pre-order the game, then pay the balance when you pick it up.  I don't see any problems with that.  Heck, there are some pre-orders that you have to pay for entirely up front.

~Ripper

Hard to say.  That would make some sense I guess, but its hard to tell exactly what he means.   A lot of times these interviews consist of you sending the questions to them, and them emailing you back answers.  So a lot of the time you can't get elaboration on an answer.  Not sure if that was the case here, but i guess we will know sometime withihn the next 2 weeks if they really want to launch in the current time frame.

That's really my biggest issue with Tasos' interviews.  I come away with more questions than got answered, which is frustrating.  While the strategy of "always leave them wanting more" can be a good thing, it can also be a double-edged sword if you leave folks wanting too much.

~Ripper

Our pre-order consists of a minimal charge to activate the process which will be concluded on the launch date.

Notice the underlined sentence.  It is a " free " pre-order, but there is a charge, probably by their processing partner, to make the pre-order.  If you were actually paying for the pre-order Tasos probably would of said it is " x " amount for the pre-order.  I hope he would have stated it that way.

Originally posted by thinktank001

Our pre-order consists of a minimal charge to activate the process which will be concluded on the launch date.

 

Notice the underlined sentence.  It is a " free " pre-order, but there is a charge, probably by their processing partner, to make the pre-order.  If you were actually paying for the pre-order Tasos probably would of said it is " x " amount for the pre-order.  I hope he would have stated it that way.

Even I, a dedicated NON-fanboy think you are grasping here. Oh and no where do I see the word "FREE" I see "minimal charge"
 

Remember it is being translated from Greek to English possibly by one of the Norwegians that started the company so things can get screwed up in translation.

It would be nice if he had given an actual fixed amount but why break the chain of minimal to no information that has been going on for the last 8+ years.

Originally posted by yamren

Originally posted by thinktank001

Our pre-order consists of a minimal charge to activate the process which will be concluded on the launch date.

 

Notice the underlined sentence.  It is a " free " pre-order, but there is a charge, probably by their processing partner, to make the pre-order.  If you were actually paying for the pre-order Tasos probably would of said it is " x " amount for the pre-order.  I hope he would have stated it that way.

Even I, a dedicated NON-fanboy think you are grasping here. Oh and no where do I see the word "FREE" I see "minimal charge"
 

Remember it is being translated from Greek to English possibly by one of the Norwegians that started the company so things can get screwed up in translation.

It would be nice if he had given an actual fixed amount but why break the chain of minimal to no information that has been going on for the last 8+ years.

Why do you assume it was translated?  I'm pretty sure Tasos speaks English. I'm fairly certain I read somewhere that he attended school in the US.  For the most part, all of his posts and interview comments are well written. His answers and tone sometimes leave something to be desired, but that's another issue entirely.

~Ripper

Originally posted by yamren

Remember it is being translated from Greek to English possibly by one of the Norwegians that started the company so things can get screwed up in translation.

10000% guarantee there is no translations going on with that interview that was posted, and if it was a translation a vet did it because it is very fluent.   

Originally posted by thinktank001

Originally posted by yamren

Remember it is being translated from Greek to English possibly by one of the Norwegians that started the company so things can get screwed up in translation.

10000% guarantee there is no translations going on with that interview that was posted, and if it was a translation a vet did it because it is very fluent.   

/agree

~Ripper

This converstaion will keep going in circles due to the way that interview went, so lets make it simple. If you have to pay a fee to pre-order and pay the full cost at launch this is a BAD thing.. If you have to pay a DEPOSITE for your preorder and pay the remaining balance at launch well hell who cares.

But, my personal take from reading it sadly makes me think its a fee to start the pre-order process and pay full amount at launch, which honestly would be rather sad to see the company having to charge the users to essencially play a beta. Also i know that fact will be argued, but it is about the same in my eyes as a game being released at $59.99 instead of $49.99 like most are its not horrible, but it does make you do a quick wtf kinda moment.