its $30 that bill gates wont be seing ( like it really matters )

Im not going to slag it off cos that'd be hypocritical, i have ventured into the realm of pirate video games (who honestly hasnt) Im not saying that piracy is right, cos its not, but im also against paying the price we have to pay for the game in the first place.

If you DL the game via Kazaa or any other proggy then do u get the multiplayer aspect?? each CD info number being different, and hacked ones prolly wont work? how do u know youre also getting the full proper version, we all know that some ppl managed to get their hands on the game b4 it was released but did they get the full game, with the fixes and extras added just prior to release?? i doubt they bought the game to find out anyway.

i suppose the decision on whether its right or not comes down to the individual, after DL the demo i couldnt wait to get the REAL game. (i was lucky it was bought for me as a present, thank god for easter) much better than having some hacked copy that may contain all sorts of bugs and viruses.

maybe if the price fell we wouldnt get so many hacked copies, does bill really need another $50 / £30 i doubt it...

You call that a ship, THIS is a ship[![![!

burned copies of Freelancer do have all the features. i am using a no cd crack for it and im playing on the net hahahahahaha. pretty funny aint it. i didnt hafta pay like 50 bucks for it. i paid like 1buck from a friend.

In the real world, prices of goods should go down.

Piracy lives up to this ideals...

I can't judge you but you should've bought the game if you liked it so much.

I came. I saw. I conquered. And sometimes get conquered.
"I'm Natrunner, I don't really run TLR but I do have an understanding with those that do."

Interesting.

"bill gets $50/$30"

I'm just thinking about the people over at DA, programmers and support people who's jobs depend on their product turning a profit.

Let's say 100,000 copies of FL gets sold. At $49.99. That's $5 million. Minus store mark-up and shipping. Let's say it's now $4 Million. Minus marketing, packaging, etc. Minus utility bills, rent, etc.

I'd guess DA gets credited about $2.5 Mil. I don't know the labor involved in this game - perhaps 10 programmers, 10 voice actors, 10 graphics designers, plus support staff (overhead). 50 people. Perhaps 2 years of wages, average $50k/year (salary plus benefits like health insurance, dental plans, retirement plans, etc)? That's $5 Million in labor cost alone. So, unless another 100,000 people purchase the game at full price, DA is down $2.5 Million.

So, if those additional 100,000 decide to pirate the software instead of purchasing it, then DA will have to report a loss, and either try to come up with something that people will not pirate, or give up making games.

Then, no games, nothing to pirate, controversy solved.

How about you spend 5 years of your life developing a game. Then we will all download it for nothing rather than buying it.

How would you feel?

If you want to try the game before you buy it, play the demo. If you want to play the full game - buy it

For me, I make my own models for different games, and mabie make my own games but.. I do everything here for a hobby. So if I made an awsome 3d game it would probably be free because it appears for me that I infact I'm getting sick of beta testing commercial games. I got other source of income besides making games and then making profit off of it.

Anyways, I think topics related to wares shouldnt belong on this forums BTW.

Edited by - Sunchild on 28-05-2003 05:55:33

hear complaints that piracy exists because prices are too high ALL THE TIME.

anybody stop to think as to why other retail outlets raise their prices often? Yep, labor costs, utility costs, other "running a business" costs go up...but pilferage is a big factor in those price increases. Stealing goods costs the shopkeeper in:

* loss of goods they paid for but could not retail due to shoplifting
* increased costs to enhance security (tags, ccm, personnel, etc.)

in software, we see the same thing:
* loss of goods they paid for (it costs money to develop software, folks...a LOT of money) but could not retail due to piracy.
* increased costs to enhance security (pay for next better version of SafeDisc, etc.)

For those of you who think you're hurting Bill Gates...haha. If you really want to hurt Mr. Gates, install Lindows on your home and work machines and advocate Linux in your datacenters. That's where Billy-boy makes his cold hard cash, not on software like this. Here, you're just screwing the developers...and reducing the likelyhood we'll see any future work like an expansion to FL or other engrossing games like FL from the DA team.

I have to agree with these last couple of posts. Piracy belongs in Freelancer, not in real life. I really don't mind if you get a game as a gift as long as it was obtained LEGALLY. Downloading full games like Freelancer is just as bad as if you used a five finger discount at a store to get the game. People who pirate ANYTHING, whether it's a game or a movie, have absolutely NO respect whatsoever for the people who made it. If you want to download a full game that was designed to be downloaded for free, by all means, go for it. Otherwise don't do it.

"Alright, you primitive screwheads, LISTEN UP[! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK[![!"

I downloaded Freelancer, Infact I download most games I play, However the ones I like a lot, I buy. And FYI kazaa sucks for downloading games, emule is far superior. And as for the comment about downloaded games not having all the features, I could play freelancer on my downloaded copy and its exactly the same as my retail copy.

Edited by - TheJkWhoSaysNi on 28-05-2003 20:12:55

Pirating is a part of our culture. I accept that fact. If I can get something for free, I will. BUT!!! I DO believe that downloading a game from kazaa is the same as shoplifting it. EXACTLY the same. I just don't happen to have a problem with that.

I honestly say I dislike pirateing but have used it in the past, though to be truthful I only search for Abandonware, games no longer sold or supported by their makers. I can't even find a way to order them from the company so I have turned to abandonware sites.

Ill tell you the truth, i downloaded fl off of kazaa and sp works perfectly. i cant detect any multiplayer servers however. so i guess it does have some drawbacks...