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totally off-topic multiplayer license question (any gamedevs and/or gamers here ?)

category: offtopic [glöplog]
good evening everyone.

I have a gamedev/entertainment related question:

Do I have to buy several copies (warez are not an option nowadays) of
a multiplayer FPS (like Left 4 Dead f.e.) to play it in a private, LAN-only
environment ? (i.e. some friends visiting who usually don't play the game)

..or is it common nowadays that the game-content can be shared in this context?
(I think some NDS games included that (very useful) option)

p.s.: just returned to PC gaming after a 4 year break so I honestly don't know

p.p.s.: yea, it's rather off-topic but something tells me you guys might be able to help
added on the 2011-12-03 00:49:58 by xyz xyz
Quote:
Do I have to buy several copies (warez are not an option nowadays) of
a multiplayer FPS (like Left 4 Dead f.e.) to play it in a private, LAN-only
environment ?

Yes. Steam often offers "party packs" where 2-4 copies of the same game are sold with a discount. Example.
added on the 2011-12-03 01:05:53 by Gargaj Gargaj
thanks for the fast reply! (..and I thought so, *grmml*)

Steam offered me a free round of Brink tonight (until Sunday 1PM)
will give it a try (I liked Splash Damage's Enemy Territory a lot back in the days)

however, all other gamedevs reading this should think about that kind of feature. seems fair to me..!
added on the 2011-12-03 01:20:12 by xyz xyz
its a concept i think will be the future:

release music for free, earn money via live-concerts given.
(release a game, pay once, free for 4 in LAN, earn money via ppl buying due to liking it.)

this would make sense, but maybe humanity aint ready yet to come over theirs "more money!, more money!!, more money!!!" - attitude/behaviour!

FUCK CAPITALISM? -> you decide, i didnt say so!
(i just wrote as if i would want to say so! ;) )
everyone wants to earn a lot and spend little. they never think of the math behind it.
added on the 2011-12-03 03:49:26 by Gargaj Gargaj
Gargaj - the Anti-EU Banker!
added on the 2011-12-03 04:36:54 by ringofyre ringofyre
Quote:
(..and I thought so, *grmml*)
Yes, it's a damn outrage that every player needs to pay for the game they're playing ;)
added on the 2011-12-03 11:35:16 by gloom gloom
Well, there are free multiplayer games that are valuable, like battle for wesnoth.
added on the 2011-12-03 12:02:15 by Sylvao Sylvao
Quote:
free for 4 in LAN, earn money via ppl buying due to liking it


exactly my thoughts, hardy! there could be some marketing value in that.

@gloom: when was the last time you went to a friends place to play a board game (Monopoly f.e.) and were told that you have to bring your own set ? ;) can't see why it has to be that way in the digital realm.

I would consider a "guest" license scheme like this more like a glorified split-screen option.
When people like the game and want to play it at their own home, they still have to buy it.
added on the 2011-12-03 12:04:06 by xyz xyz
Quote:
@gloom: when was the last time you went to a friends place to play a board game (Monopoly f.e.) and were told that you have to bring your own set ? ;)

ever played tennis?
added on the 2011-12-03 12:09:20 by Gargaj Gargaj
@Sylvao: Speaking of free games, Warsow was quite good, too (although I stopped playing it years ago when some aimbot lamas killed the fun. no idea if that's under control nowadays)
added on the 2011-12-03 12:12:01 by xyz xyz
@Gargaj: Yes I did. Unbelievably stunning graphics, very immersive gameplay. The controls felt great (especially the force feedback). Too bad it's a bit expensive.
added on the 2011-12-03 12:18:49 by xyz xyz
Urban Terror is worth a look for great free LAN-Fun!
added on the 2011-12-03 14:13:25 by v3nom v3nom
Quote:

Quote:

free for 4 in LAN, earn money via ppl buying due to liking it


exactly my thoughts, hardy! there could be some marketing value in that.

i second that, i'm sure this would definitely work!
added on the 2011-12-03 15:13:03 by RufUsul RufUsul
Quote:
@gloom: when was the last time you went to a friends place to play a board game (Monopoly f.e.) and were told that you have to bring your own set ? ;) can't see why it has to be that way in the digital realm.
What a fantasticly dumb argument :) As Gargaj says -- do you need two rackets or one to play tennis with a friend?
added on the 2011-12-03 16:07:48 by gloom gloom
@gloom: actually I think that "Tennis" was not a very good comparison since, unlike Monopoly or the video game I initially mentioned, it is not really a casual game. so what's next ? powerboating, hang-gliding, bungee jumping ? ;-) (and yes, there is such a thing as "esports" but that's not the audience I had in mind) and what about the "glorified split-screen" argument ?
added on the 2011-12-03 17:01:33 by xyz xyz
xyz: my friends have collected over 400 hours of gameplay in Skyrim, a game that was released about a week ago. i'd hardly call that "casual" either.
added on the 2011-12-03 18:21:55 by Gargaj Gargaj
When you play a game on console, you don't have to pay an additional license for every controller you plug in. On PC too being able to casually play a game you do own with friends would sure be great.
added on the 2011-12-03 18:44:40 by Zavie Zavie
@Gargaj: had to look up the game title on wikipedia but yeah, that really does not sound like a casual game to me, either. your friends sure have showed some dedication to ramp up that many hours :)

I have checked out the Brink freebie today (said I would). It's not bad (Enemy Territory meets Counter Strike) but it's also not a casual game (need a good online clan for that, I guess)

Another game that could have used the "GSSM" (glorified split screen mode (tm)) would have been Dirt 2. I'm gonna buy it anyway since it's rather cheap nowadays and runs well on my not-to-cutting-edge GPU.

Cheers!
added on the 2011-12-03 18:45:59 by xyz xyz
Quote:
On PC too being able to casually play a game you do own with friends would sure be great.
You can, just not on different PCs. Exactly like buying a copy of a PS3 or Xbox360-game allows you to move that game from console to console, but not play it at multiple consoles at the same time. I fail to see what's so illogical about that.
added on the 2011-12-03 19:31:58 by gloom gloom
@gloom: what you fail to see is the local community aspect:

some friends come over, install the "guest" software on their laptops, we play the game a couple of hours, they go home. next day they think, "hey, that was pretty fun, I wanna play it again". but they can't unless they visit again OR buy a copy of their own. but hey, they already have everything installed and ready to go, just the license key is missing.

even hardware vendors could profit from this since some ppl might even start to buy more capable graphics cards once they've seen how much fun games are..

srsly, I cannot think of a reason why this would not work. it's like with drug addicts, the "guest" hits are free, then you gotta pay up.

Am I illogical ?
added on the 2011-12-03 20:00:54 by xyz xyz
StarCraft did it, it worked well.

but anyway, paying for games doesn't make sense anymore. It's all about freemium nowadays!
added on the 2011-12-03 20:05:48 by BarZoule BarZoule
freemium is a load of crap.

howabout i tell u that u now can get a 30$ one year subscibtion on TETRIS on IOS?

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/ea-relaunches-tetris-on-ios-with-a-30-year-subscription-really/

Thats the state of gaming today. And fucking morons paying for it like there is no tomorrow.
added on the 2011-12-03 20:44:04 by alien^PDX alien^PDX
aww i havent posted here so long, that i totally forgot about the url tags ;)
added on the 2011-12-03 20:46:01 by alien^PDX alien^PDX
I see now, you guys here don't play video games.

Ahhh...the good _old_ days of GBA/NDS games where you could play over a cable/wireless and only one had to have a cartridge with the actual game.

So your Tennis argument is pretty much invalid. Maybe there is some tennis game on a Nintendo handheld that works the single-cart multiplayer way. :D
added on the 2011-12-04 05:10:16 by Exin Exin

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