I really don't get the massive sense of grievance over not being able to preorder. I agree Steam users probably should have been able to, but it's not like there's any exclusive DLC or discounts attached to it or anything. You're not losing anything except a forum badge by just waiting to buy it on the day of release.
If you're going to make it a complaint about Steam users being treated as second class, even that doesn't work, since the BG1/BG2 2.0 beta is only readily available on Steam. You've been able to try out the new shaman class and UI enhancements almost a month sooner than most Beamdog users.
I think it is rather easy for us to speak in terms of 'could' when we have no idea of how things are actually in real life when negotiating these kind of deals between platforms and publishers. Maybe there is a big 'want to' by Beamdog but for some reason, which you usually do not make public in these kind of situations, they can not start with pre-orders on Steam yet.
Hard to say that if you cannot measure the difference. And in my eyes there will not be many people who will not buy the regular game because there was no pre-order available (or at least, it seems non-intuitive to me). I do understand your point but I'd say it's more a loss in early revenue instead of a strict loss.
I fail to see what the problem is. If you own BG:EE on Steam, you can't pre-order, but you can buy the game when it's released on the 31st of March, so you can start playing on the same day that those who pre-ordered the Beamdog version will be able to start playing.
If anyone should complain, is those who want SoD on GOG, as there's not even a known release date yet, so instead of being able to play on the 31st of March, we'll have to wait longer, while Steam and Beamdog-based game owners are experiencing the new expansion.
It is not a 'Steam vs GoG' problem. It is a no pre-order option for either platform problem. Offering the pre order has become a expectation of gamers for years now. And asking people to rely upon customer support and some hoped for steam key at launch day is moronic.
Is pre-ordering going to give you a two-day downloading window to get the game before everyone else?
Is it going to be cheaper to pre-order your game vs. the price on release day?
Unless there is some sort of positive benefit for the consumer in doing so - and a badge does not count - I don't see any reason to pre-order.
I got caught up in the hype myself, and pre-ordered a few titles - IWD:EE and BG2:EE. Unless one receives more than the regular buyer, I think I'm quite done with the whole pre-order side of things myself.
Is pre-ordering going to give you a two-day downloading window to get the game before everyone else?
Is it going to be cheaper to pre-order your game vs. the price on release day?
Unless there is some sort of positive benefit for the consumer in doing so - and a badge does not count - I don't see any reason to pre-order.
I got caught up in the hype myself, and pre-ordered a few titles - IWD:EE and BG2:EE. Unless one receives more than the regular buyer, I think I'm quite done with the whole pre-order side of things myself.
I don't know what the draw is for most people but for me a preorder is a all about handling my finances in an orderly fashion. I got a steam key after the fact for bgee and intend to do the same for sod if its allowed. I've never been a fan of steam but it is impossible for me to deny how convenient it is overall.
Preordering just lets me choose when the money is pulled from my account and to me that is invaluable. As I said though I've already taken care of it on my end.
My concern is the availability of the BGEE soundtracks for the Deluxe Edition. I have BGEE on Steam, so I'm running into the same issue where I can't "just" order the SoD DE. Normally I wouldn't care if it was just the game, but I dunno if the soundtracks will be released later.
Comments
If you're going to make it a complaint about Steam users being treated as second class, even that doesn't work, since the BG1/BG2 2.0 beta is only readily available on Steam. You've been able to try out the new shaman class and UI enhancements almost a month sooner than most Beamdog users.
If anyone should complain, is those who want SoD on GOG, as there's not even a known release date yet, so instead of being able to play on the 31st of March, we'll have to wait longer, while Steam and Beamdog-based game owners are experiencing the new expansion.
Is pre-ordering going to give you a two-day downloading window to get the game before everyone else?
Is it going to be cheaper to pre-order your game vs. the price on release day?
Unless there is some sort of positive benefit for the consumer in doing so - and a badge does not count - I don't see any reason to pre-order.
I got caught up in the hype myself, and pre-ordered a few titles - IWD:EE and BG2:EE. Unless one receives more than the regular buyer, I think I'm quite done with the whole pre-order side of things myself.
I don't know what the draw is for most people but for me a preorder is a all about handling my finances in an orderly fashion. I got a steam key after the fact for bgee and intend to do the same for sod if its allowed. I've never been a fan of steam but it is impossible for me to deny how convenient it is overall.
Preordering just lets me choose when the money is pulled from my account and to me that is invaluable. As I said though I've already taken care of it on my end.