2k Games Continues to Bungle Bioshock Launch
The Bioshock launch on the PC continues to go all screwy, thanks to mentally soft thinking that leaves users feeling like they've just been paid a visit from an icy speculum.
Check out this post and response from a user on the official Bioshock tech support forum. Remember, while this guy is a toolbag, he is a legitimate paying customer:
Nemesisdesignz wrote:
I installed Bioshock on my laptop under one admin user, Everything works fine, but I then tried to switch users on my computer and whenever I launch Bioshock it is asking me to enter my serial again for the game.... IS THIS GONNA CHARGE ME TWO OF MY 5 Activations???? IF SO THAT IS GAY.... I need to know this ASAP before I attempt to play this on my pc under the other user... THis is a bug if the case be....so get yo stuff fixed!
The "activations" he's talking about are the limitations that 2k Games put on Bioshock that prevent you from only installing the game five times, which was later amended to allow unlimited installation instances, provided you uninstalled the game before you reinstalled it. (Hard drive crash? Suck it up!)
Here's the punchline, provided by an official tech support jockey from 2K Games, which was later deleted.
2k Tech JT writes:
The other way to view this, is one USER has purchased the game. Not the whole family. So why should your brother play for free?
Woe is PC gaming!
Talk about SecuROM and activation issues here only please! [forums.2kgames.com]
the latest
latest episodes
That guy is totally going to find a torrent for the game to make sure he'll be able to play it along with the rest of his legitimately purchased (and SecuROM-free) collection for years to come.
On the one hand, piracy is a big problem for PC games. On the other hand, companies are being reactionary and driving more people to download cracked versions that let them use the game the way they're used to, without the headaches.
Unfortunately, the only long term solution that developers and publishers have found that works currently is the MMO model. "Woe is PC gaming" is right, if you're talking about the variety previously known. I saw a quote (possibly from Mark Rein of Epic, can't remember) about a developer focusing more effort on the home console market because piracy is such a huge problem on computers.
I think the computer gaming segment of the industry might go through it's own version of the '84 crash as more MMOs come out and fail to reach critical mass and paying customers get tired of having to register their games online and being forced to install rootkits. Will there be a company to play the part of Nintendo and resurrect the industry? Or will there even be room in the market, as consoles grow further and fill the gap?
By the way, I'm posting this from my Wii.
That guy is totally going to find a torrent for the game to make sure he'll be able to play it along with the rest of his legitimately purchased (and SecuROM-free) collection for years to come.
On the one hand, piracy is a big problem for PC games. On the other hand, companies are being reactionary and driving more people to download cracked versions that let them use the game the way they're used to, without the headaches.
Unfortunately, the only long term solution that developers and publishers have found that works currently is the MMO model. "Woe is PC gaming" is right, if you're talking about the variety previously known. I saw a quote (possibly from Mark Rein of Epic, can't remember) about a developer focusing more effort on the home console market because piracy is such a huge problem on computers.
I think the computer gaming segment of the industry might go through it's own version of the '84 crash as more MMOs come out and fail to reach critical mass and paying customers get tired of having to register their games online and being forced to install rootkits. Will there be a company to play the part of Nintendo and resurrect the industry? Or will there even be room in the market, as consoles grow further and fill the gap?
By the way, I'm posting this from my Wii.
Sorry for the double post, mods.
To gripe some more, that response from tech support is incredibly irritating. It's hard to imagine someone saying that about a book (or a CD, though slightly less so given current RIAA attitudes.) It's so counterintuitive to ideas of property that have been held ever since feudal kingdoms were replaced with other forms of government. I'd rant more but I think Cory and the others already cover that point pretty thoroughly on the other side of this blog.
Thinking at least in the shorter term, Steam's online distribution model has made me a happy customer.. I just wish I could run things natively in ubuntu instead of keeping a windows machine around.
The "tech support" comment has been debunked. It wasn't one of 2K's guys but a techie from elsewhere. Kotaku's made the correction.
they should bring back the 'look up word 15 on page 12 of the user manual' copy prevention
@Anonymous
I'm not sure I'd say 'debunked'.
Contractor, employee what's the difference? Still a representative of 2K. And they have time to run around correcting trivialities and don't have time to actually deal with the problem (or expand beyond one forum thread)?
If he's receiving money from 2K to work the forum, he's an employee.
And I noticed that "one thread" only thing, too. Just to get all hysterical and shreiky, it's a little bit freedom zone for my taste.
The difference is that 2K can disclaim anything their contracted support people do, whenever it's convenient to do so. Deniability, you know?
2K may claim they're not responsible, but you notice that they don't repudiate the position, eh?