Putting the game on pirating sites

[Traslo]

So the developer has put this game up for free on pirating sites.
Why is this? Do you just want to spit in the faces of those of us who actually PAID for your game?!

You could have released a demo to let people try it out, but instead you've personally given scroungers free access to this game.

I can understand the intention, but it does not explain why you're not just releasing a demo. Now the game is open to abuse from being pirated and all of us who paid for it are basically being given the finger, since clearly paying for your games means nothing to you.

If you were going to just make it free, at least be honest in the first place and just release it for free on the steam store.

Edit: The devs themselves have said they are sick of scammers (In relation to email scammers for free keys). Are you so naive that you don't realize this has just opened the floodgates? For every 1 person who buys it down the line, you just let another 30 pirate your game.

[Malban]

Free - Not Free?

In the old days it was called Shareware.

Get it for free - if you like it pay money...

[Psykodelik]

Null Winter の投稿を引用：

Azure Fang の投稿を引用：

(Length snip.)

Reverse the situation and try to see it from a committed backer's or week one purchaser's eyes. How would you feel if you had already irrevocably paid for something, only for everyone else to get it for free very soon after it's officially available without any warning? You buy an ice cream cone, and then the person at the counter puts up a sign saying that everyone in line after you can get theirs for free; no, you can't get your money back, and all you got for being first in line is maybe some sprinkles (Currently nonexistent DLC or very minor perks like the Starter Kit) on top of your cone.

Don't tell me that you wouldn't be at least a tiny bit miffed, moreso when you understand the value of your limited money.

I personally wouldn't feel anything negative about that, such is life. If we go by that logic we shouldn't buy anything because one day or in a few minutes something will go free or on a discount like with steam sales (OH I paid full price yesterday, why is this game on discount today?), and many games that devs tend to giveaway for free while someone bought it the other day.
It's my money and I personally decide when and how to use it accepting consequences of usage, I really don't care. If I buy an ice cream and the person at the counter decided "ok its free now" I would at least know my money made it possible or worth it to that point they give stuff free later.
Please, don't go into that mindset "I know how people feel and what they will do" , because you obviously don't.

[anaphylactic god]

first time i played this game - i got it from some torrent
i liked it so much, i purchased it on steam
it was three years ago

[Null Winter]

Malban の投稿を引用：

@Null Winter

The game is not FREE.

The developers decided to make it available for people who can't spend money on it.

In your icecream allegory - think of a second queue of kids that also would like iceceam and can't afford it.

Sure you can proudheadedly keep going, eat your icecream and smile at them.

But the salesperson might also say - "here poor kid - you get one too". Would that still make you that angry because you paid for it?

(all the while - some thieves are stealing icecream from your kitchen and selling it under price for the poor kids around the corner - to rob them of their last penny)

:-)

You paid for that ice cream to even be made in the first place. Without you, it wouldn't even exist to be given away or stolen. It was not advertised as you buying in to give away charity ice cream; at least that would have been an honest and noble advertisement I would have bought into, which is better than "Surprise!".

[ShadowNate]

In the end it's the developers decision to make, and theirs to deal with the consequences good or bad.

I'd say that evem though other developers must have done this in the past, the closest paradigm I remember was when Amanita Design put their Botanicula game in a pay-what-you-want humble bundle a few days after its release and I remember people going bezerk in forums (much more intense backlash than this here). I have to say I didn't buy any other game from Amanita, but I think *think* that was basically because I didn't enjoy the gameplay in Botanicula (even though I was very fond of their earlier work in Machinarium).

I guess personally I think that maybe it\s very close to release for a move like that. And also that if you go this pay-what-you-want route, there are more established proper channels today to do so. Like the indiegamestand PWYW deals, or the humble bundles.

[Traslo]

I think there are a few key problems with this overall:

1: It was put on the world's most notorious piracy site, rather than somewhere with a better reputation.
2: It was done so close to launch that it is probably the least expected thing they could do (Since we know a lot of games change their payment model down the line or just outright get overhauled later)
3: It was a complete unannounced shock that was never hinted at in the past 2+ years, thus making it a mess to many of us.

[Thundercracker]

The Acid Wizard の投稿を引用：

Sorry if some of you feel bad about this. Getting to know our background might shed some more light on why we did this:

As you know, we're from Poland. Growing up in the 90s, our country was going through a capitalistic boom after 50 years of socialism. There was pretty much no way of getting games legally back then. In my town, the local pirate's shop was located exactly next door to the police station. There were no anti-piracy laws back then. My family wasn't poor in any way, but I could actually afford paying for legal games about when I started earning money after high school. And to be honest, I also bought from key resellers (until I realized where the vast majority of keys are coming from).

So guess what, if it wasn't for piracy, there would not be any Darkwood, as we wouldn't be playing games when we were kids, and would pick up other hobbies. I played games for free, and now I'm sharing my game, for free, to people in the same situation as I was.

I know many people will take advantage of it. But we're getting tons of emails from people all around the world, writing that they have no way of paying for games legally and thank us for this move. If this inspires someone in the future to repay this kindness back to the industry, then I think it was worth it.

that's a good attitude for a hobbiest, but bad business. you've done something that can be perceived as "betrayal" by your core audience, and you dont really have a back catalog of non-free works to sell off of the publicity of this free release.

this may be one for the little guy, but it's not a very good way to launch your business. it is not often easy to put food on your table by way of your creative works, doubly so when you offer those works up for free.

[Phade]

I agree with the OP. I'm not sure if I was going to get this game anyway, but the fact that any developer is willing to SUPPORT piracy in any shape or form means that its one developer I want no business with.

[Thundercracker]

ShadowNate の投稿を引用：

In the end it's the developers decision to make, and theirs to deal with the consequences good or bad.

the argument could be made that they had an obligation to their backers, and thus is not entirely their decision. they both crowdfunded and used steam early access. both require information about a planned price point. an entirely different set of backers and/or early access supporters may have been attracted to a price point of "free after release." surprising the existing customers with this does them an extreme disservice.

the wizards have shown their appreciation for the little guy who cant afford their asking price.... but what of the people who funded them and made this game possible in the first place - in a much more real sense than the people who did not spend money?

[rgalex2034]

Phade102 の投稿を引用：

I agree with the OP. I'm not sure if I was going to get this game anyway, but the fact that any developer is willing to SUPPORT piracy in any shape or form means that its one developer I want no business with.

I don't think it's supporting piracy. If they let the game to be downloaded on their site, it wouldn't be "piracy". Just using torrent for giving the free copy is not piracy. The PB is a tracker, of course is piracy around, but torrent itself is not piracy.

I find a good choice to release in this way because there is no cost for it. They don't need a better server or handle requests for the files, they just put it in a network where everyone can get and give. Piracy is the bad use of torrent, so I think they'r not supporting it, just using a cheap download channel that does not require maintenance.

EDIT: What I would have done, if I would have considered piracy a concern, is to put the torrent file in an external site, like dropbox, mediafire, etc, and share the link. But well, I don't consider using a tracker piracy itself.

[Thundercracker]

rgalex2034 の投稿を引用：

Phade102 の投稿を引用：

I agree with the OP. I'm not sure if I was going to get this game anyway, but the fact that any developer is willing to SUPPORT piracy in any shape or form means that its one developer I want no business with.

I don't think it's supporting piracy. If they let the game to be donwloaded on their site, it wouldn't be "piracy". Just using torrent for giving the free copy is not piracy. The PB is a tracker, of course is piracy around, but torrent itself is not piracy.

I find a good choice to release in this way because there is no cost for it. They don't need a better server or handle requests for te files, they just put it in a network where everyone can get and give. Piracy is the bad use of torrent, so I think they'r not supporting it, just using a cheap download channel that does not require maintenance.

the fact that they chose such a disreputable tracker shows that they support it. also, did you not read the dev's own post? they openly support piracy.

it's pretty cheap to buy webspace and host your own tracker, if you'd like to not promote a site notorius for illegal material. hell, you dont even need to host the tracker, just use the openbittorrent tracker, and host the torrent file anywhere.

there's a bout a million ways you can quickly and easily host a torrent with little to no cost, all without using a disreputable site.

[Null Winter]

Sec の投稿を引用：

ShadowNate の投稿を引用：

In the end it's the developers decision to make, and theirs to deal with the consequences good or bad.

the argument could be made that they had an obligation to their backers, and thus is not entirely their decision. they both crowdfunded and used steam early access. both require information about a planned price point. an entirely different set of backers and/or early access supporters may have been attracted to a price point of "free after release." surprising the existing customers with this does them an extreme disservice.

the wizards have shown their appreciation for the little guy who cant afford their asking price.... but what of the people who funded them and made this game possible in the first place - in a much more real sense than the people who did not spend money?

Aye. We agree for once.

[MooN]

I pirated it.. Feel bad for pirating it.. (Bought it) I want to support the dev.

[ShadowNate]

Sec の投稿を引用：

ShadowNate の投稿を引用：

In the end it's the developers decision to make, and theirs to deal with the consequences good or bad.

the argument could be made that they had an obligation to their backers, and thus is not entirely their decision. they both crowdfunded and used steam early access. both require information about a planned price point. an entirely different set of backers and/or early access supporters may have been attracted to a price point of "free after release." surprising the existing customers with this does them an extreme disservice.

the wizards have shown their appreciation for the little guy who cant afford their asking price.... but what of the people who funded them and made this game possible in the first place - in a much more real sense than the people who did not spend money?

My viewpoint is that of a backer, if that helps at all.

[MooN]

Because why not ? its a master piece. but they really need to fix the steam cloud synching because soon ill buy my own laptop.