Finnish apolytoner, have you fetched Civ III yet?

[Rasbelin]

The Civ III was released here in Finland on Friday,
just one week before rest of Europe will get it
(that means the release date for Europe is 16.11).

Now I am asking all the Finnish apolytoners,
have you already bought your Civ III copy?

This is a poll only for Finnish members!

BTW, do you have any special stories related to
buying the game today (Saturday) or on Friday?
Like "The hunt for Civ III".

[Rasbelin]

I bought my copy immediately on Friday,
after the release. In the morning I didn't know
what to do - buy or not to buy. In the afternoon
I decided to figure out if it had already arrived
here in Tampere. Checked out PCSS' and
Bulldog Netstore's webshops, if they already
mentioned the game. Trisoft had listed the game
as a TOP 10 game earlier that week in their
add in MikroBitti, so I knew they had it on their
product lists. Of course that didn't mean they
would have the game on Friday.

BN's item page stated that the game would arrive
on 9.-12.11, so I decided to call them for
checking out if they had recieved the game.
I also decided to contact them, because they're
the closest shop to my home and they have
the cheapest price of all retailers in Tampere.

The time was about 16.35.

So I picked up the phone and called. Suprisingly
the call was answered by one the staff members,
who was just recieving the last delievery.
He said that they hadn't yet received the game,
but there had been many inquiries about it.
He said that he would check a delievery reciept,
if it would have just arrived in the last delievery.

And it had! I asked him when I could get it,
and he replied that I could get itafter they had unloaded
the just arrived delievery. I didn't make a reservation,
because I thought there wouldn't be so much
competition of getting the game.

16.50 I dashed out and headed for the store,
located about 700 m away, because I didn't
want to mis my opportunity to be perhaps the
first one to get it.

I walked rapidly the short leg to BN in 5 minutes,
but it took 5 minutes there too in a queue.

I got it and paid the 255 FIM for it.
The man who sold the game to me didn't answer
if I was the first one to buy the game, but I still
suppose I was, if we exclude pre-orders by Internet and phone.

Then just back home and reveal the contents of the box.
The whole operation to BN took just 20 minutes.

[kyon]

I haven't been able to find the game anywhere.

[Rasbelin]

kyon, isn't there a a quite new PCSS in Jyväskylä?
They should have it. Or then order one from Bulldog
Netstore for 255 marks. Verkkokauppa.com is cheaper,
but they have a longer queue.

[Xuenay]

Yup, I have it, thanks to you, Rasby.

Okay, here's my story.

FRIDAY
Around 10-11 PM

* Visiting Apolyton, I discover to my joy that CivIII has been released here in Finland! Unfortunately, it's too late for me to go get it.
* I go to the website of Viihdepysäkki (the biggest game store around here that I know of) to check if they're open on weekends. They are, opening at 9 AM.
* I go to sleep.

SATURDAY
Around 9 AM

* My alarm clock rings, telling me it's time for me to go fetch CivIII. I shut it off and sleep for another 45 minutes.
* After a while, I head to the city, coming there around 10-11 AM. I check four shops, but CivIII is not for sale in any of them. I take the bus back home.

Arond 12-13 AM

* I come back home and log on to Apolyton. I make a post saying that I couldn't find the game anywhere, and less than 25 minutes later, Rasbelin posts a list of places where the game can be bought.
* I see Rasby's reply and dash off to get the game, since PC SuperStore is on the other side of the city and it closes in about 1½ hours. The idea of calling them to make sure if they have the game first never occurs to me.
* After a bunch of confusion regarding the busses that are supposed to take me to the location, including changing busses when I wouldn't have needed to and missing one bus with just a few seconds, I finally arrive at PC SuperStore. The clock is 2:25 PM. I thank my luck for getting there in time.
* I enter the store. Scanning the shelves, I look for the object of my quest... and... there it is! Freezing, I see the game. With shaking hands and feeling weak, I grab it... the feeling of the box under the skin of my hands feels reassuring... it really is the game. I still have a little difficulty believing it... appearing calm to the outside, I take the money from my wallet (295 FIM) and buy the game.
* The excitement is not over! I realize that I'm nearly out of money, and the one-hour bus ticket I bought earlier has already expired... Can I get home? Now that I've finally found the Holy Grail, will I be stranded in unfamiliar territory and left to die? Fortunately, I avoid this horrible fate. Together with the money I got back when buying the game and the little money I still have in my wallet, I manage to get together the 10 FIM that are needed for another bus ticket.
* In the bus, I have nothing to do, so I decide to read the manual of the game... but... alas, the box has a plastic wrapping! I try to use my nails to tear a hole into it... no effect. There's some sort of transparent tape on the plastic, which I tear away... but it's of no use! Then I get an idea... I usually have my school things in my bag... so I dig up one of the pens and use it to tear a hole into the wrapping... and it works! I tear the plastic open, open the box, and start reading the manual...
* Finally, I get home and start playing the game.

[Rasbelin]

Thanks for your compliment, Xuenay!

I just thought it would be helpful, if I would provide
a short list with Civ III retailers and prices.

[Ecthy]

unfair! we don't get it before the 15th

[kyon]

Originally posted by Rasbelin
kyon, isn't there a a quite new PCSS in Jyväskylä?
They should have it. Or then order one from Bulldog
Netstore for 255 marks. Verkkokauppa.com is cheaper,
but they have a longer queue.

The store manager told me they won't have the game until Wednesday. I guess I'll have to order my copy from Bulldog, then; thanks for the tip!

[Rasbelin]

kyon, even if you would order the game today,
it's not for sure you will get it to Jyväskylä in time
for the arrival of the game to your local PCSS.
If BN sends it tomorrow as a Postal Package 16
(AKA Postipaketti 16), it will arrive to your local
postal office on Tuesday, but you can't redeem it,
unless you have the package code that will
arrive to you on Wednesday. AFAIK Verkkokauppa.com
is the only webshop that will provide you with
the package code, so that you can pick it up already
on Tuesday, if you also can provide ID verification
(driving license, passport,...).

So the conclusion is that it might be easier and cheaper
to buy the game at PCSS. At least you will get the game
for sure. But that's up to you.

[Rasbelin]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
unfair! we don't get it before the 15th

Your importer hasn't tried to agree with Infogrames
so that they could release the game earlier in Germany.

[Ecthy]

[T-Bone]

Got mine already on thrursday! PCSS Helsinki "stole" one day at the start and had the box on their shelves already on nov 8th. And voilá, CivIII was up and running on my computer by 17:30 thursday afternoon.

Didn't get much sleep that night.

But they just might still have it if you have business to the Helsinki area.

[Jusbaummer]

I guess it comes to stores later outside "big cities" ( big cities in Finland ). Not yet here...

[aaglo]

Yeah, I was in Helsinki Downtown on last saturday. And there I went to Graniitti-Anttila (a kind of mid-price supermarket), and in the shelf there it was... I can't remember the price, because I didn't bought it.
My darn PC is too slow for Civ3 .

Maybe someday I'll have sufficient machinery...

[Rasbelin]

Poll status report

For the moment it looks like as many Finns
haven't bought the game as there's those who
have. 8 versus 10 - almost a tie.