So I've noticed more and more this gaming/developer trend, but more-so in the last couple of months. But the new trend is to only give the consumer (me and you) a portion of the game that they paid for. Examples..

Halo: Anniversary Edition

So I pay $60-70 for the game, and right away they don't include alot of the multiplayer maps, You have to have a special code to DL the maps and then you can play them, now the code came with the game.. But you can only enter it once per xbox, so if my friend came over to my house and we wanted to play...we couldn't on those maps...

Now its not like these maps were a expansion or something, they released the same day the game did, the devs just decided to tack on that extra code so they could sell more copies...or something

Second example:

Battlefield 3, They did the exact same thing only worse, they made it so you receive this code with the box game, and to play ANY multiplayer you need this code, already used the code on one xbox? no problem for just $10.00 you can buy ANOTHER code. WTF?! didn't I already pay close to $100.00 for the friggin game? I can't even do multiplayer on it?

So I guess it kinda comes down to this: When you pay 70 bucks for the game, do you own the game? yes or no? And I don't mean you can make copies and start selling them, but if you want to take that exact copy of the game and sell it on ebay or at a pawn shop...shouldn't you have the right to?

whaddya ya'll think?

Downloadable content on release day is nothing more than a scam, and a pretty obvious one at that.  All we can do is not pay for it and maybe the trend will go away.  Or maybe we should stop buying games from these publishers.

Originally posted by sullivanj69

Downloadable content on release day is nothing more than a scam, and a pretty obvious one at that.  All we can do is not pay for it and maybe the trend will go away.  Or maybe we should stop buying games from these publishers.

Yeah I friend brought over the new Halo game, we played through the campaign, but because of this code ordeal I will not be buying this halo game. Which is sad because I have bought everyone to come out. and I have even played the original campaign close to 10 times

and now I won't be buying BF3 either... its just dumb

DL content that comes out 2+ months from the original game...I will pay for (if I want whatever it is) but on the same day as release? WTF?!

Until gamers vote with their wallets for these shenanigans it won't stop, unfortunately.  A little self control among gamers would change things fast.

Captain Sully is right, the only real way to curb that habit is to boycott the publishers.  Unfortunately it won't happen though, since for every one person who realizes how the system works, there are a dozen more who are either in disbelief that they can do anything about it, or are just too stupid to see the man behind the curtain.

Unfortunately this is where the corporate giant developers like Activision-Blizzard and EA (and their underlings like Bioware) are all going.

Thankfully we still have decent developers like Bethesda that release amazingly expansive games like Oblivion, Fallout 3, and recently the much acclaimed Skyrim.

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Originally posted by Loktofeit

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Originally posted by Dewm
 
So I guess it kinda comes down to this: When you pay 70 bucks for the game, do you own the game? yes or no?

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You purchased a license to use the software; you did not buy it. What you (legally) can or cannot do is stated in that particular license. Some software specifcally states that it is non-transferrable in the the usage agreement you click to accept. Are you trolling or did you really not know this?  
 
According to your profile, you're a 22 year old American that has been here for two years so it's safe to assume you have been using a computer and gaming for at least 3 or 4 years. Based on that, a post like the one you made seems to be a really odd one as it normally comes either from a child looking for an excuse to copy software or from trolls.

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The day people started paying for map packs for Halo...that's the day that started it all I believe.

Now it has extended to other games and genres. Suck.

First problem: You bought a game that is simply a remake with better graphics.

Second Problem: It was halo.

You're way late to the party. This began as DLC grew, and was happily accepted. Those codes you mention are now to fight off second-hand sales, because the publishers of the games industry feel they should be special and immune to all that, despite second-hand existing in every market.

And for every one person like you who questions it, there are dozens like loktofeit who merrily excuse and rationalize it all. Now you'll find with new game releases that there are people who actively seek the pay for DLC - whether launch day, map packs, or skins - and are just as happy about this online pass.

So yes, as others have mention, the only thing you can do is vote for your wallet and provide feedback to the devs on why you did not purchase.

Originally posted by lizardbones

 

The publishers are not doing this to curb piracy, they are doing it to curb the second hand sale of games. In other words, they don't want you selling the physical DvD copy of the game to anyone. They are making a grab for money from a market that they never had. This is beneficial from the business' perspective...not so much from a consumer's perspective. Consumers are going to pay more for the same amount (or less) game play content.

 

Agreed. It is to prevent second hand sale of the software. People throw around the term 'money grab' a lot here because it is conveniently nebulous, however this is nothing new and standard practice for almost all client software, which Halo pretty much is at this point. Do you know of an MMO that does have a EULA allowing transfer of purchased client software to another party?

This isn't anything new, and there have been some great agencies like the EFF that are working to change the way things currently are.

Originally posted by Dewm

So I guess it kinda comes down to this: When you pay 70 bucks for the game, do you own the game? yes or no? And I don't mean you can make copies and start selling them, but if you want to take that exact copy of the game and sell it on ebay or at a pawn shop...shouldn't you have the right to?

whaddya ya'll think?

If you haven't used the software and never agreed to the EULA, you are permitted to resell it under first-sale doctrine.  That's been upheld twice in federal court for physical media.  Technically you are just a retailer.  If you have used the software or other wise agreed to the EULA (see below), and the EULA stipulates non-transferable license then you are not.

I think eventually what we'll see is that DLC will require EULA agreement even before downloading.  That will close the first-sale rights completely.

edit: not intended as legal advice  (keep my own butt out of court *grin*)

This kind of ties into FTP cash shops too, it's all about luring the player in and then making them want more.  It's a real pain in the ass to be honest, but it works and it works well.  There are very few games that you can play these days that have you feel like you don't need to buy the cash shop items to be successful.  That's why I like the MMO Bounty Hounds Online, I've been playing for a bit now and they don't even have their shop open yet and I'm enjoying the game immensely.

#xboxproblems

Originally posted by Kaijin2k3

You're way late to the party. This began as DLC grew, and was happily accepted. Those codes you mention are now to fight off second-hand sales, because the publishers of the games industry feel they should be special and immune to all that, despite second-hand existing in every market.

And for every one person like you who questions it, there are dozens like loktofeit who merrily excuse and rationalize it all. Now you'll find with new game releases that there are people who actively seek the pay for DLC - whether launch day, map packs, or skins - and are just as happy about this online pass.

So yes, as others have mention, the only thing you can do is vote for your wallet and provide feedback to the devs on why you did not purchase.

1. I don't have a problem with DLC, I game comes out and its really popular and the devs make more maps 6months/year later and watch to charge for it... I have no problem.

And yes I am voting with my wallet. But it doesn't hurt to get on here and vent. :)

Originally posted by ActionMMORPG

Originally posted by Dewm

So I guess it kinda comes down to this: When you pay 70 bucks for the game, do you own the game? yes or no? And I don't mean you can make copies and start selling them, but if you want to take that exact copy of the game and sell it on ebay or at a pawn shop...shouldn't you have the right to?

whaddya ya'll think?

 

If you haven't used the software and never agreed to the EULA, you are permitted to resell it under first-sale doctrine.  That's been upheld twice in federal court for physical media.  Technically you are just a retailer.  If you have used the software or other wise agreed to the EULA (see below), and the EULA stipulates non-transferable license then you are not.

 

I think eventually what we'll see is that DLC will require EULA agreement even before downloading.  That will close the first-sale rights completely.

 

edit: not intended as legal advice  (keep my own butt out of court *grin*)

Hmmm you do bring up a good point (or led me to think about this)

But you are all talking about EULA's....when playing halo I never saw one/agree'd to one, I just handed 60.00 to the girl at FredMeyers.

This kind of like me in SWTOR going.. "Wow tatooine is massive I wanna explore it all!!...BAM! an invisble wall of exhaustion?? they said you could fully explore WTF?"

And thats when i made bank on the physicals CEs i sold and purchased a new super computer with the money and still had enough for a pizza.

The software industry is at a big disadvantage where the second-hand market is concerned.

I buy a book for $10, I get x hours of reading enjoyment from it (hopefully). But it was only $10, and there's a good chance I may want to read it again in the future, so I probably won't bother trying to unload it afterwards. And it was only $10, so it wasn't worth trying to find a used copy in the first place.

I buy a game for $60, I get x hours of playing enjoyment from (hopefully), and I know the game will lose half it's value within months, and the reskinned game will be in stores in a year as a sequel, except with better graphics, so I want to unload it asap, before the value drops any further. In fact we're talking about $60 here, so maybe I'll just see if I can't find a used copy somewhere...

But yeah, rationed gaming is definitely becoming more prevalent. Even indie developers are getting into it, although thankfully not as blatantly - their fans tend to be a little less forgiving.

Originally posted by Mehve

The software industry is at a big disadvantage where the second-hand market is concerned.

I buy a book for $10, I get x hours of reading enjoyment from it (hopefully). But it was only $10, and there's a good chance I may want to read it again in the future, so I probably won't bother trying to unload it afterwards. And it was only $10, so it wasn't worth trying to find a used copy in the first place.

I buy a game for $60, I get x hours of playing enjoyment from (hopefully), and I know the game will lose half it's value within months, and the reskinned game will be in stores in a year as a sequel, except with better graphics, so I want to unload it asap, before the value drops any further. In fact we're talking about $60 here, so maybe I'll just see if I can't find a used copy somewhere...

But yeah, rationed gaming is definitely becoming more prevalent. Even indie developers are getting into it, although thankfully not as blatantly - their fans tend to be a little less forgiving.

Yeah I guess I don't know about selling used games, I have every xbox360 game and PC game I've every owned, and when the 360 came out I sold my original xbox games, but it was for pennies practicly. 

But besides the boycot factor, I hope it hurts them more then anything, because I wasn't able to play/test BF3 I'm not going to buy it, but thats why my friend brought it over in the first place, I wanted to play it and see if I liked it enough to buy it.

My answer to companys who have their own (very limited)definition of "free". I don't play the game.Today...thats what I play...nothing.