so whats with all the people who are unhappy with the games they buy?

[lord of the mark]

ok, let me review my own experiences.

First PC game i bought was SimCity2000. Saw it on PC for sale when i was PC shopping. Matched a craving id had for something like that from before i had a PC. Got the game, played endlessly.

Im at an acquantances house, and hes just bought AOK, and is all eager to show it off, so i go take a look and play a bit. Its cool - i buy AOE cause its cheaper, and i like to do things in order when possible - i got my money worth out of that. Even bought the xpack.

A friend suggests Civ2. Im not sure (civ or AOK?)so i ask online (not here, of course) So i know what im getting into. Sounds good, so i buy it. Well y'all know what a great deal that was.

At some point i find this place. Each games im thinking of getting, i check out here, elsewhere on the net, etc. Play a demo if i can, and its not big a dl.

And ive never been surprised. the games that were poor (like Myst) i knew would be, and i didnt get gypped cause i only paid like $4 for it. I mean i knew the "vaule proposition" even without a demo.

Yet people complain constantly about all the bad games theyve bought, how theyve gotten ripped, etc. Dont make sense. I mean Id only buy a first release game if I was SURE it was what i wanted. After that youll have info. I mean theres really no excuse.

[Standup]

Well a couple of games i've bought i've done the research into will i like the style of game etc and once i've bought it hit technical problems. Couple of examples are Wizards & Warriors (unable to progress beyond certain point), Europa: The Guild (loads of problems), Railroad Tycoon3 (graphical glitches) and Silent Storm (CTD every 5 mins). All games i'd like to play (probably) but the developers/publishers seem unwilling to fix the bugs, crashes etc that some players get. I know i'm not alone as i follow postings on forums but some games are supported better than others.

I suppose the answer is wait and follow the forums but then i'd probably have a very, very long wait before buying and you never know whether your setup will be one of the (normally) few that the game doesn't like.

But there's still the problem of a reviewers/posters weighting as to what they personally like. MOst magazines here in the UK are completely against turn based games so often you have to read between the lines. In Medieval:Total War i stopped playing because i found the startegic map so unrewarding (and pointless) but you have to do a lot of research to spot that.

[General Ludd]

Impatience and a lack of broadband or knowledge of 'alternative methods of purchase'

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Standup
Well a couple of games i've bought i've done the research into will i like the style of game etc and once i've bought it hit technical problems. Couple of examples are Wizards & Warriors (unable to progress beyond certain point), Europa: The Guild (loads of problems), Railroad Tycoon3 (graphical glitches) and Silent Storm (CTD every 5 mins). All games i'd like to play (probably) but the developers/publishers seem unwilling to fix the bugs, crashes etc that some players get. I know i'm not alone as i follow postings on forums but some games are supported better than others.

I suppose the answer is wait and follow the forums but then i'd probably have a very, very long wait before buying and you never know whether your setup will be one of the (normally) few that the game doesn't like.

But there's still the problem of a reviewers/posters weighting as to what they personally like. MOst magazines here in the UK are completely against turn based games so often you have to read between the lines. In Medieval:Total War i stopped playing because i found the startegic map so unrewarding (and pointless) but you have to do a lot of research to spot that.

well yeah, theres the incompatible system issue. Ive hit that - AOK didnt like my CDrom software, and the Talonsoft Campaing series doesnt like something.

I was thinking more of gameplay - and I dont follow the mags much, other than for a general intro - its the forums - and you dont have to wait more than a couple weeks at most for most games.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by General Ludd
Impatience and a lack of broadband or knowledge of 'alternative methods of purchase'

My whole point is you dont need to dl a game to avoid being disappointed.

[Dis]

I hate myself. Esp. when I buy games in a genre that I don't like because I get caught up in all the hype. I should know better.

And games like Black and White I bought out of ignorance. I really didint' understand the gameplay would be like a RTS game.

in summary. I'm an idiot.

[quantum_mechani]

I was disapointed in Rome: Total War, even though my system meets the minimum specs., the game runs very slowly even on the lowest graphics setting. Since I lack broadband, ther was no way a demo could have prevented it. It's true I could have waited a year or two, but the reviews sounded so great...

[Bkeela]

I was pretty upset paying top dollar for Call to Power, only to find it didn't run on my computer.

The expansion to SMAC I also found a let down.

Recent disappointments have included Splinter Cell - I believed the hype and found it totally unsuited to my taste. I actually hate the game, chiefly because of the American propaganda the game oozes.

Knights of the Old Republic was also a dramatic let down. I believed the almost universal praise for the game, but found it deadly boring and cliched. I also thought the graphics substandard.

Otherwise I'm fairly happy with the games I have bought, and have been surprised by how good a game was more than I've ever been disappointed.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Dissident
I hate myself. Esp. when I buy games in a genre that I don't like because I get caught up in all the hype. I should know better.

And games like Black and White I bought out of ignorance. I really didint' understand the gameplay would be like a RTS game.

in summary. I'm an idiot.

maybe i was too harsh? there are worse things than being games unintelligently

And of course the incompatibility issues are still a major problem, I admit.

It helps to have some idea of what the person praising something likes. thats one reason a forum like this works better than a mag review, unless you really follow that particular reviewer. And that wont work for a really unique game - someone whose tastes have always been close to yours may react differently to something new than you do.


I didnt mean to say one couldnt OCCASIONALLY make a mistake - just I dont see it as reason to A. Whine on regular basis about how often one has been disappointed in ones purchase or B. Pirate.

[Dis]

my success rate is about 80% maybe 85%. So I really can't complain.

[Jamski]

I just complain when I'm stupid enough to fall for the hype, and I was following the build for months. Eg. MoO3, ToEE - I expected greatness.

Not complaining about today's purchase though

-Jam

[GeoModder]

Which is?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
I'm rarely unhappy with a purchase. Why? I recieve gifts
Reviews are worth little (Civ3, Black and White, etc demonstrate this).
If I had never ever bought a game simply because I wasnt completly sure....(Or gift a game, for that matter) My knowledge of gaming would be near zero.
Unlike you, my impatience prevents me from waiting 2-4 years just to verify that a game is good and OK to purchase

I hate to think what you do when youre impatient to try some hardware, or some food, or a car or whatever.

Might i be so bold as to ask what you do for a living? My boss is sometimes impatient for my work, but i expect to be paid for it regardless.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Jamski
I just complain when I'm stupid enough to fall for the hype, and I was following the build for months. Eg. MoO3, ToEE - I expected greatness.

Not complaining about today's purchase though

-Jam

well let me ask you this, jam, since youre one of the more knowledgeable people here. How long after MOO3 came out did you buy it? (yeah, i understand SOMEBODYS got to buy games first, or who would we learn from, but presumably most of us will only do that once in a while)

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


My whole point is you dont need to dl a game to avoid being disappointed.

And my whole point was that alot of people are impatient and want to get the game as soon as possible, without bothering to do in-depth research.