Registration the way others do it...?

[Golden Monkey]

I'm surprised people still view piracy as an issue. If a multi-million dollar company like EA can't stop people from cracking their games before they are even released I don't think Basilisk games stands much of a chance. No offense. Its better to go as non-invasive as you can then to make it harder for legitimate purchasers to aquire the game than it is for pirates.
Also registration passwords tend to be harder to come by then the typical cracked exe or mini-image which are hosted on a multitude of websites and easily accesible. Though they could always be bundled with the torrent.
I think the full download with reg key to unlock is the way to go. Less annoying then constantly having to contact Basilisk for a download or having to register (which turns people off too, either that or I just know way too many people paranoid about giving out personal info).

[dak]

If a multi-million dollar company like EA can't stop people from cracking their games before they are even released I don't think Basilisk games stands much of a chance.

Hihi , sure they do, they can already make a lot better games than EA, and unfortunately ( LOL ) book 2 has not leaked to my hard-drive yet!

[dmaz]

(which turns people off too, either that or I just know way too many people paranoid about giving out personal info).

registration doesn't have to mean giving out personal info... it could just mean tying the key to a login and only when wanting updates.

[Jude]

As long the the code still works without having to "call home" when re-installing (especially if I get a new computer) it's fine with me. I think Spiderweb's system works fine. It is nice to be able to just download the new version from the website, put in the old code to unlock the full version, and all is updated, rather than having to send an email to get a link for the new full version.

I actually hate the system used by Ambrosia (the newer one) and Freeverse, where the code expires shortly after getting it, and if you need to re-install, it won't work anymore. They say to contact them for a new one, but what if they go out of business or simply quit supporting their old games (or older versions of their games that still run on my older Mac)?

Jude

[Zerikin]

Would make sense for you to have a single distribution like that. The cut down demo stuff is more for games where they want to cut down the size of the file and/or limit the resources sent out. For a smaller company like this the good old time based demo with unlock would be good.

[Unclever title]

I actually hate the system used by Ambrosia (the newer one) and Freeverse, where the code expires shortly after getting it, and if you need to re-install, it won't work anymore. They say to contact them for a new one, but what if they go out of business or simply quit supporting their old games (or older versions of their games that still run on my older Mac)?

Jude

Huh, I wouldn't know anything about the newer system (didn't know it changed), I've only ever played the Escape Velocity series with EV Nova being my latest purchase from them. If that was with a different system I didn't notice.

[RezoApio]

BW, I think the new system you propose is nice. I have not asked for the last 1.05 version because it means some hassle of sending mails and so on... so having the possibility to download the full game and just put again my Licence Key would be great.

I also wonder if the Licence would be OS specific or if I could use it both on Windows and Linux version (btw, that would make you sell one less version ?

Regarding piracy, I hope that the philosophy of putting no energy on anti-piracy stuff and trusting the fan base to buy the game because it is good and because you want to see Book III (and this new Sci Fi game and all these other projects....) will hold true agin for Book II.
As someone remarked previously, I suppose most of the people here will buy the game on the spot and not even bother to play the demo version. (I would pre-order already if that could help you )

I think that the world is still a good place and that good work and paying attention to customer is still rewarded...

[dare49devil]

Which brings me to a question...is there a donation button anywhere around site?

[tiresius]

...is there a donation button anywhere around site?

People have asked about this before. The common thing to do is buy another copy and give it to a friend. That's as good a donation as anything.

[TNoyce]

Personally, I think this registration model works just fine. I have purchased some titles from Spiderweb Software in the past, and have had no problems getting them registered.

I purchased Book 1, and have not been disappointed. I expect good things of Book II. I prefer the single player, single member party type of RPG. These are few and far between
these days.

Demo-only builds tend to be extremely rushed, and buggy - at least from the major distributors. I would much rather that the developers spend their time getting a solid game, then worrying
about putting together a demo build. A lot of effort, for little gain in my opinion.

I have to admit that I'm 'old school'. I do prefer physical media, and place copies of the downloaded programs I have on CD/DVD, along with any required registration info (when I remember ).
I appreciate the lack of DRM. I do own some Steam games, and I have had my share of issues with Steam, along with the games it supports. It is annoying that in order to play single-player, I still
have to fire up Steam and have it 'phone home', to authenticate me.

[Jude]

....have it 'phone home', to authenticate me.

Man, I hate that! I quit using some sound and art programs, not just games, because the companies adopted that system of copy protection.

Jude

[azraelck]

....have it 'phone home', to authenticate me.

Man, I hate that! I quit using some sound and art programs, not just games, because the companies adopted that system of copy protection.

Jude

I'm at the point that I won't buy anything from companies who forcibly install viruses (which I classify the invasive and often dangerous DRM that's entirely too common) with their software. If I can't use it without internet (which happens when I carry my laptop somewhere just for the fun of it), then it is not worth paying for. If I can't back it up, in case the original copy is lost, or damaged, then it isn't worth paying for. This goes for music too. It would for movies, but I don't have the patience to deal with files that large. Especially considering I don't hardly watch them.

It means that pretty much my PC gaming is restricted to indies like Basilisk and Spiderweb. Which is fine, I actually enjoy these games. Playing Unreal 645 1/2, or Halo 19: More of the exact same as Marathon 1! is boring. Out of all the games I bought this year, Mega Man 9, LEGO Batman, and Eschalon are the only three to have kept my attention. GTA4, RE5, etc... haven't been touched in months. Going back 2 more years, you can add Gran Turismo 4 and GTA: Vice City to that very short list. 5 games in about 3 years that I loved and kept playing. Out of at least 100.

Redownloading isn't an issue for me, because I make backups of everything. I still have most of my old DOS games simply because I kept copying the disks, until I could copy the entire install folder to CD's, and now, with the entire 'DOS' folder moved to a USB thumb drive. Before even installing Eschalon, I copied the install to my thumb drive.

It turned out to be a good thing, with Devil Whiskey. The original developers decided to recharge older customers if they wanted the game and lost/didn't back up their original copy. They originally wouldn't even release the full game patches freely. You had to pay $40 for a fresh copy, in order to get into RenHall.

Thankfully, Decklin bought the rights, and released the patches freely. I kept the original install, as well as a few patches, but the last two where what I needed.