gaming Ross Scott's "StopKillingGames" Campaign

[Shadicus 18,936]

You seem to forget that the goal of this campaign isn't to politely voice your discontent with the eternal destruction of artwork but rather try to be such a huge pain in the ass for them that they will listen to you.  After all, didn't he himself say something along the line of "Honestly, this is all a longshot, but being a royal pain in the ass that makes EA executives dread coming into work... that, I think we might be able to do." 

 

Did you read the form letter Ross wrote for people to use?

Seems quite fair to me: http://www.accursedfarms.com/downloads/other/letter_to_EA.doc

[Mand'alor Dash 2,223]

 

 

I don't give a flying flip about Darkspore itself (though that art IS really nice and I'm sad that those that do really care won't get to experience it anymore). Ross says in the video that if it was JUST Battleforge and JUST Darkspore, he could live with it. But the practice of destroying these games eternally are what is disliked. To quote Chicks...

 

The art was already saved. This has already been explained. It sucks that we lose the experience of playing the game, but it really can't be helped in most cases.

 

 

 

Who says they have to maintain it? If you're never going to touch it again ever, why not just release it to the public?

 

That's called abandonware, and it's basically just where you stop enforcing your copyright. If the fans care enough, they make something of it instead.

 

Case in point

 

 

 

I think you need to chill a bit hon. You're coming to this thread with a lot more negative emotion than anyone else here. I'm not going to sit here and let you call me a harasser for mailing a letter to someone politely voicing my discontent with the eternal destruction of artwork.

 

"Negative emotion?" Talk about the pot and the kettle.

 

And yeah, bombarding people with letters trying to make them do what you want (as Ross is trying to organize) is harassment. Ask anyone. 

[Black Sabbath 2,483]

Did you read the form letter Ross wrote for people to use?

Yes. Did you listen to what he said? 

[Shadicus 18,936]

Yes. Did you listen to what he said? 

 

Yeah I heard him. Seems like he's just aware of the fact that EA doesn't really care about what we have to say. So they only way to get them to listen is to do it en masse in a physical way. There is nothing wrong about voicing discontent in a letter. But sadly, I'm pretty certain they won't even open mine, even though I'd like to write my own rather than use Ross' pretyped one..

[Black Sabbath 2,483]

 There is nothing wrong about voicing discontent in a letter. 

You're right, but that doesn't mean that sending letters just so you can as huge of an pain in the ass as possible is ok.

[Shadicus 18,936]

"Negative emotion?" Talk about the pot and the kettle.   And yeah, bombarding people with letters trying to make them do what you want (as Ross is trying to organize) is harassment. Ask anyone.

 

I'm anyone. And I disagree.

Letters have been a way to civilly voice discontent for CENTURIES.

Particularly, to authority figures and leaders that refuse to listen to the masses. That's why writing your congressmen is a thing.

 

This is not just one individual being bombarded by a bunch of hatemail at their home. This is not vandalism or doxing or any of that braindead nonsense. This is a company getting a bunch of letters from their consumer base (the people that they should care about the MOST above anything else) because that consumer base is unhappy with their practices.

 

You're right, but that doesn't mean that sending letters just so you can as huge of an pain in the ass as possible is ok.

 

The only reason we'd even be a "pain in the ass" is because they don't actually want to make the consumer base happy.

That would take work. But they CLAIM they do. They say they want us to let them know what they can do to earn back trust. So we will tell them. If us doing what they asked us to do is being a "huge pain in the ass" well, I have no sympathy.

Edited February 22, 2016 by ShadOBabe

[Gestum 2,491]

Here's what you do if you want to keep the servers running.

Step 1. Make a private server.

Step 2. Use your own money and time to keep it up.

Step 3. ?????????

Step 4. Profit.

[Shadicus 18,936]

Here's what you do if you want to keep the servers running.

Step 1. Make a private server.

Step 2. Use your own money and time to keep it up.

Step 3. ?????????

Step 4. Profit.

 

This isn't about keeping servers up as much as it is about letting games be accessible after the servers go down.

This is Ross' example letter. Pretty much sums up his points succinctly: http://www.accursedfarms.com/downloads/other/letter_to_EA.doc

[Gestum 2,491]

This isn't about keeping servers up as much as it is about letting games be accessible after the servers go down.

 

Well, I don't think that that will happen. If you want to play after the servers go down then don't play a online only game.

[Shadicus 18,936]

Well, I don't think that that will happen. If you want to play after the servers go down then don't play a online only game.

 

That's the thing though. Ross (and others, including me) care about this games as more than just toys.

They're artwork. And we'd like to have someway for them to be preserved for future players instead of just lay down in apathy at their "inevitable" destruction. Is a patch for offline play really that difficult? Couldn't it be made a standard during development?

 

"Okay, so we're making this game, but can only keep it running for a certain period of time. Let's get working on that patch that lets people play it offline and then release it when the servers eventually have to be cut."

[Gestum 2,491]

That's the thing though. Ross (and others, including me) care about this games as more than just toys.

They're artwork. And we'd like to have someway for them to be preserved for future players

Let's play videos and screen shots are always an option. If that don't work for you then you will have to have a own private server.

[Shadicus 18,936]

Let's play videos and screen shots are always an option. If that don't work for you then you will have to have a own private server.

 

But we're talking about game companies and their lack of giving a damn.

THAT'S what needs to be fixed. We know gamers care. Companies should care too.

As Ross states in his letter, they show a "lack of faith in (their) product".

 

I know to some people this seems naive to think you can get corporations to CARE, but is rolling over and accepting that they don't really the best course of action? Why do we have to keep fixing their mistakes for them?

Edited February 22, 2016 by ShadOBabe

[Gestum 2,491]

But we're talking about game companies and their lack of giving a damn.

THAT'S what needs to be fixed. We know gamers care. Companies should care too.

As Ross states in his letter, they show a "lack of faith in (their) product".

 

If you want something then you have to do it yourself. Simply expecting a company to do it won't work.

[Shadicus 18,936]

If you want something then you have to do it yourself. Simply expecting a company to do it won't work.

 

Oh we don't just plan to sit here and expect it.

That's like sitting and EXPECTING politicians to do what you want.

You have to let them know what you want.

 

That's why we're sending letters.

Even if nothing gets changed immediately, letting your voice be heard is a good first step.

 

And on a side note, it's a REALLY bad idea to just accept that you're going to have to do their job for them. Like a game gets released that is HORRIBLy glitchy or something and people go, "Oh, the modders will fix it." No, no, no... the COMPANY needs to make sure it doesn't happen like that at ALL. Expecting a functioning product on it's release day is not only reasonable, but intelligent on a basic level.

Edited February 22, 2016 by ShadOBabe

[Black Sabbath 2,483]

Companies should care too.

If you want to preserve something, it's you who is going to have to do that and not the company. I mean, wouldn't it be kind of dumb if I went to whoever publish Donald Duck in Sweden and told them to give me issue number 476?

[Shadicus 18,936]

If you want to preserve something, it's you who is going to have to do that and not the company. I mean, wouldn't it be kind of dumb if I went to whoever publish Donald Duck in Sweden and told them to give me issue number 476?

 

That's not quite what I'm saying. If you wanted that issue, you could go and hunt down that issue.

If it's rare, it might be difficult, but you could probably do it. But in situations like these games, it's like if every copy of that issue of the comic was rounded up and BURNED so that no one could ever read it again.

[Black Sabbath 2,483]

That's not quite what I'm saying. 

You're saying that a company should preserve it games because it's "art history", so why is it different when it comes to publishers preserving their comics? 

 

If it's rare, it might be difficult, but you could probably do it. 

You mean in the same way that one might find a game on a private server so that they could still play it? 

[Gestum 2,491]

 

 

That's why we're sending letters.

So basically you'll send a couple of letters and then sit around expecting them to do what you want?

 

 

 

And on a side note, it's a REALLY bad idea to just accept that you're going to have to do their job for them.

Yeah, it's bad to be expected to do someone else's work, however this isn't their work. They have fulfilled their part of the deal. What you're asking after is that they keep working on something that has ended. 

[Shadicus 18,936]

You're saying that a company should preserve it games because it's "art history", so why is it different when it comes to publishers preserving their comics? 

 

You mean in the same way that one might find a game on a private server so that they could still play it? 

 

I'm asking them to make preservation POSSIBLE.

Why is releasing an offline patch so hard? Or releasing code?

The comic book was released. Some people have physical copies and scans have been made. It can still be read. But these games cannot be played, because the companies don't release any way of doing this. Some do, but not all.

 

And again, this is not about PAST mistakes. It's about future ones.

If this is just a natural step in the game creation process, this wouldn't even be an issue.

 

But I won't argue with you anymore. If you don't agree that's okay. I posted this here because I wanted to share the idea with people that might be interested. I'll just send my letter to support the idea and keep spreading it around. And you can ignore it and move on to the next thing. That's the inevitable result. How much we argue in circles before these things happen is up to us, and I don't have THAT much interest in changing your mind. I made my case. And with the brohoofs, I know some people agree. So I'm happy I shared it.

 

I mean if you don't care about this precedent of killing games being a thing, then you have even less stake in this argument than I do. And that is really saying something, since gaming is a casual hobby for me.

Edited February 22, 2016 by ShadOBabe

[Gestum 2,491]

I'm asking them to make preservation POSSIBLE.

Well, you're still asking them to do more work for the same amount of money.

[Shadicus 18,936]

Well, you're still asking them to do more work for the same amount of money.

 

They asked how to they could earn consumer trust. If they are sincere, that means they are going to have do some things differently, like say, funneling some superfluous funding to some basic end-of-life plans for their consumer base.

 

But like I said to Yamet, the end result will remain unchanged no matter how much we argue in circles. I shared Ross' idea with others and I will voice my discontent in a letter and you will not and then we will move on to the next thing. I don't have that much interest in stuffing the time before this result with as much debate as possible.

 

I think we all have better things to be doing with our time. I, for example, just got my very first art commission and I'm super stoked to get working on that. Much more stoked than to sit and listen to persistent cries or how naive, wrong, backwards, or whatever I am in my decision to send a letter to a corporation asking them to maybe make it easier for people to enjoy their works in the future.

[Black Sabbath 2,483]

Why is releasing an offline patch so hard? 

The reasons releasing an offline patch is so hard is because most games that are online only are focused on multiplayer. Thus meaning that if you would release an offline version you would have to remove a big part of the game. 

[AccountNoLongerUsed 741]

For MMOs with a very involved story (like Star Wars Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls Online, for example), simply before they reach "end of life" have the game rebalanced so its possible to play that game with one person. 

[EpicEnergy 21,357]

I hate it when "online-only" games die and go offline permanently. It sucks, and it happened to two of the games that I like which were "Air Mech Arena" and "Defiance 2050".