@Samiel, the whole piracy issue go far deeper than that. People normally try to evaluate things from their perspective and base their perspective in their own environment, but in our wide world a truth for one person can be a mistake to another.
I made a post a while ago (about 2 months) about the difference of Brazil (R$622,00 per month) and EUA ($ 7,25 per hour = ~$1.400 per month*) minimum monthly wage. Look that i'm working here with the federal minimum wage, most of the USA states have better wages than the federal one.
*Brazil maximum common work time per day is 8 hours and 44 hours per week.
The Real/Dollar quotation for today in example is $1 = R$ 2,02. So R$ 622,00 would become ~= $311,00 Dollars, what express that the economic capacity of an United Stated citizen is ~5x greater than one from a Brazilian ciziten.
$20 dollars, that's the game price, is something a bit more than 1% of the average unitet state ciziten, however it's also ~7% of an average Brazilian ciziten. And this is now, cos a games in box today for PC normally goes from $40 to $70 at a base price. Diablo III for example came at a $120 more or less if i'm not wrong, that's 1/3 of a montly income in Brazil.
I gave my country as an example, but in South America, Brazil is the country with the obvious stronger economy, for other countries this distance can become far greater.
There are places in the world where an PC is probally an life investment, or something like buy a car for an united state ciziten, in those places there's no consumer market for things like games, people can't support the economic pressure of this kind of investment, but should they be excluded from this kind of fun because their economic status can't afford it? What about the equality exposed on the 1° article of the universal statement of human rights?
The answer is ??? If even there's an right answer for this, and this is only the peak of the iceberg of a whole problem, one argument among many others as for example the one raised by @Samiel.
Piracy will always exist and it isn't the problem, it is an consequence of a defect in the actual economic global marketing system that break international borders but not social differences. When you try to stop piracy you're just working on a palliative measure, when this issue get an functional solution, piracy will not need to be fight against anymore.
Beamdog just choose to remain neutral, the company will not fight the palliative fight, the stupid and imbecile attempt of destroy the symptoms of the problem, as Ubisoft and EA games does and neither try to solve the problem, but that isn't the company job anyway, so it's a position i can respect.
This debate was about sharing a license between two computers. Piracy did not enter the discussion until I made the comparison of sharing 1 version on 20 computers, to make a point to our friend who I was discussing it with.
I'm not concerned with continuing a discussion about piracy, as it has not been a sticking point in this forum to even worry about.
@kamuizin Ok I only gave the subject a superficial going over, but in any case in a country where the software is priced effectively out of the market for the average citizen places those people effectively in the initial category of people who are not going to be buying any games period. These are not people DRM measures are really there for (except in maybe a blue sky thinking notion, that the smaller number of people hosting the file, the harder it is for people to come by it!).
@bigdogchris If you want to ignore anything I have to say about piracy then the salient point is that I believe in the case of Baldur's Gate being such a good game they will net more sales in the long run from people trying a copy belonging to a friend who then go on to purchase it for themselves than they will lose from people who get to try a friends copy and then don't buy when without such the probably would have.
I personally really like the GOG model for defeating piracy: no DRM. I've tried out many games in a less than proper fashion. I started of my life as a gamer with buying lots in discount but discarding many that disappointed. Later I used usenet a lot and bought a disc copy when I found I really liked the game and the makers deserved my support. Only when GOG showed up with DRM-less games I bought ALL my games and never touched a pirated copy no more..
I don't see how piracy doesn't touch the subject when we're speaking of the permission or not to use 2 copies of a software with only one purchase. The problem has been solved already, the post owner could ask for the close of the topic, otherwise i don't see why we can't extend the subject.
On my games, I buy one license per user. We own 4 copies of all of Guild Wars original with every expansion, three of Titan Quest, three of Civilization IV, etc. I only do this when a product will be used by multiple users in my home at the same time.
It's an integrity issue. I have integrity and demonstrate integrity in this area. What other people do is not my problem or responsibility, so long as I'm not party to it.
On my games, I buy one license per user. We own 4 copies of all of Guild Wars original with every expansion, three of Titan Quest, three of Civilization IV, etc. I only do this when a product will be used by multiple users in my home at the same time.
It's an integrity issue. I have integrity and demonstrate integrity in this area. What other people do is not my problem or responsibility, so long as I'm not party to it.
So, when you have a family movie night that means you buy 4 Blu-rays as well? Must be nice to have that kind of money.
Give me one reason that speaks for DRM. Release BG EE without DRM and I will buy it! I would buy it even at twice the price...
Look at the music industrie! DRM on music is dead! Nevertheless, people buy music. And who wants to pay nothing for music and games (I hate this people), the DRM does not prevent it!
I am a regular buyer at GOG, Desura and Humble. I have been there already spent hundreds of dollars. But Steam will not get a cent from me ...
I've thought Beamdog is based on a client and you have to activate the game... @LiamEsler: Ok, that is new for me! Thank you for the hint! I hope I have understood you correctly: After downloading I can install and play the game without internet connection?
I've thought Beamdog is based on a client and you have to activate the game... @LiamEsler: Ok, that is new for me! Thank you for the hint! I hope I have understood you correctly: After downloading I can install and play the game without internet connection?
After installing, yes, but you'll need to download patches (patch? What the hell? I still having v1.0.2012 XD) and to play multiplayer games (that's amazing, the best thing is to kill your newbie friends ). What means, more in common english instead of I mad-talking: You can play single player without internet, you can create multiplayer games but no one can join, nor you can join a game, you cannot download patches nor DCLs content.
@Lebostein In the standalone client, the latest update mentionned is from November 1st, 2013, and is the latest patch. Did you just buy the game, since you said you didn't do it yet? Maybe you need to stop and restart the client, as there is a known issue that sometimes makes it not check the latest state.
Comments
I made a post a while ago (about 2 months) about the difference of Brazil (R$622,00 per month) and EUA ($ 7,25 per hour = ~$1.400 per month*) minimum monthly wage. Look that i'm working here with the federal minimum wage, most of the USA states have better wages than the federal one.
*Brazil maximum common work time per day is 8 hours and 44 hours per week.
The Real/Dollar quotation for today in example is $1 = R$ 2,02. So R$ 622,00 would become ~= $311,00 Dollars, what express that the economic capacity of an United Stated citizen is ~5x greater than one from a Brazilian ciziten.
$20 dollars, that's the game price, is something a bit more than 1% of the average unitet state ciziten, however it's also ~7% of an average Brazilian ciziten. And this is now, cos a games in box today for PC normally goes from $40 to $70 at a base price. Diablo III for example came at a $120 more or less if i'm not wrong, that's 1/3 of a montly income in Brazil.
I gave my country as an example, but in South America, Brazil is the country with the obvious stronger economy, for other countries this distance can become far greater.
There are places in the world where an PC is probally an life investment, or something like buy a car for an united state ciziten, in those places there's no consumer market for things like games, people can't support the economic pressure of this kind of investment, but should they be excluded from this kind of fun because their economic status can't afford it? What about the equality exposed on the 1° article of the universal statement of human rights?
The answer is ??? If even there's an right answer for this, and this is only the peak of the iceberg of a whole problem, one argument among many others as for example the one raised by @Samiel.
Piracy will always exist and it isn't the problem, it is an consequence of a defect in the actual economic global marketing system that break international borders but not social differences. When you try to stop piracy you're just working on a palliative measure, when this issue get an functional solution, piracy will not need to be fight against anymore.
Beamdog just choose to remain neutral, the company will not fight the palliative fight, the stupid and imbecile attempt of destroy the symptoms of the problem, as Ubisoft and EA games does and neither try to solve the problem, but that isn't the company job anyway, so it's a position i can respect.
This debate was about sharing a license between two computers. Piracy did not enter the discussion until I made the comparison of sharing 1 version on 20 computers, to make a point to our friend who I was discussing it with.
I'm not concerned with continuing a discussion about piracy, as it has not been a sticking point in this forum to even worry about.
@bigdogchris If you want to ignore anything I have to say about piracy then the salient point is that I believe in the case of Baldur's Gate being such a good game they will net more sales in the long run from people trying a copy belonging to a friend who then go on to purchase it for themselves than they will lose from people who get to try a friends copy and then don't buy when without such the probably would have.
It's an integrity issue. I have integrity and demonstrate integrity in this area. What other people do is not my problem or responsibility, so long as I'm not party to it.
Release BG EE without DRM and I will buy it! I would buy it even at twice the price...
Look at the music industrie! DRM on music is dead! Nevertheless, people buy music.
And who wants to pay nothing for music and games (I hate this people), the DRM does not prevent it!
I am a regular buyer at GOG, Desura and Humble. I have been there already spent hundreds of dollars. But Steam will not get a cent from me ...
@LiamEsler: Ok, that is new for me! Thank you for the hint! I hope I have understood you correctly: After downloading I can install and play the game without internet connection?
What means, more in common english instead of I mad-talking:
You can play single player without internet, you can create multiplayer games but no one can join, nor you can join a game, you cannot download patches nor DCLs content.
Did you just buy the game, since you said you didn't do it yet? Maybe you need to stop and restart the client, as there is a known issue that sometimes makes it not check the latest state.