Supreme Commander 2 Message Board  

Before you start reading.
This is basically one long rant, don't read it if you don't want to.
But if you don't read it, don't reply to it.

Ok, so.. I decided to buy the game, even after reading a bunch of the critic it was getting.. I kinda liked the Demo, so I bit the bullet..

Now, I wish I hadn't..

I live in Sweden, so the official release is the 5th of March.
I decided to buy a physical copy so I could Install and have it ready by the 5th..

Much to my unbelievable disappointment the disk is next to completely F*CKING USELESS! the disk starts steam which promptly tells me I'm not allowed to install till tomorrow. what exactly is the point of having a disk if I could of just used Steam? (Had I known the disk would just start steam I wouldn't of bought the game, at all.)

Ok, so they don't want us playing their game ahead of time.. Consider a game like Bad Company 2 (which in comparison, Extremely anticipated) could be installed pre-release and actually played this feels like Steam/GPG/Square Enix took my money, bought a grinder and stuck my genitalia into it.

when I buy a physical disk I expect to be able to install it when I have it, regardless of the release date.

Far as I'm concerned GPG could of just forgone the whole physical disk deal completely, and saved a couple bucks too!

I can honestly say I liked GPG before Demigod, with Supreme commander (1) it felt like they actually cared about gamers getting a fun game. while it needed polish and optimization, it's still a fun game.

Demigod.. well, it was a idea that could have been so much more.
they sacrificed game play for aesthetics, and I believe the sales spoke for themselves. You would think Chris would learn..
but no, at this point. I can honestly say Supreme commander 2 was the very last game I ever buy from GPG or Chris Taylor.

On a side note: whats the deal with UK/Europe/Australia getting shafted on release dates? WHY can we not have the same date as the US? it's not like you can localize a game in 3 days! there is absolutely no point in having 3 day difference in release date other than to make the American crowd feel superior.Spoiler:

All this isn't to say it can't be an enjoyable game.. It's just to say it's not worth the enjoyment.

Well as I ALWAYS SAY STEAM IS STEAM.The problem you have has been around since steam first was released.Millions of people love steam but I don't.If you buy a physical copy you should be able to play right out of the box even if it uses steam.If a game uses steam the buyer if he buys a boxed copy not a digital copy he should be able to bypass steam.As for release dates it all comes down to where the game is developed.I recall wanting to buy a few rpgs of rts from overseas instead of waiting 2-6 more months.So no its not fair.Take heart in knowing alpha protocol will be released overseas first.

If we touch back on the subject of Bad company 2.. The game isnt due to be released here till tomorrow, Yet me and my friends are already enjoying it online.. activation, registration, connection all work fine even though it's before the games release date..

Major miscalculation by GPG probably thinking that we would get anxious waiting for it to be release.. instead, we find other games we like a lot more.

you can try to install game using this way support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5357-FSQM-0382
but i doubt you can play it =)

[Edited by cybrex, 3/4/2010 10:42:01 AM]

i am sharing your pain.

fortunately, i had order BF2BC which came alongside it and that eased my pain somewhat but, damn, i was really looking forward to some hot SC2 lovin tonite...

while i fully sympathise with any and all attempts at DRM (even if i disagree with how they are implemented; you Ubisoft, i'm looking at you...) this release date activation that Steam has got going seems pretty pointless as i can see no actual upside...only the ill will generated by peoples whos pre-orders have arrived early.

what's the upside, Steam? What's the point?

i've paid my cash. I have my code.

let me play my game.

Exactly, By now developers should know that pretty much every online retailer will send games a few days early so the costumers have it by release date, usually it ends up coming 1 or 2 days early.. forcing us to wait even longer when we've already payed you seems to only create frustration.. you have our money, we have your game.. theres no gain whatsoever from waiting..

Having games released at different dates is extremely dumb from a multiplayer point as well.. By the time I can play Supcom2 online, the US players that play online will have played several matches already, and thus probably learned a few tricks on what works and what doesn't..

It's even worse in Bad company 2, where I regularly face rank 15+ people.. given, they have no life and probably spent every waking moment playing.. but still, it does give them a unfair advantage.. (Higher ranks means you unlock more powerful weapons and gadgets, for those not familiar with it)

If I'm gonna play online, at least give us equal grounds to start on.. If those players that spend 9-10 hours a day playing outrank me after a week or so, fine, since we started on equal grounds..
When you physically can't start on equal grounds because the game company feels that you should wait 3 more days for no good reason, it feels like a kick in the balls..

No, that doesn't work. it's not the problem that steam is downloading the game instead of using the disc, it's that the installer installs via steam, and steam promtly telling me I can't install till after release..
The only chance I have to play at the exact moment it unlocks is if i Pre-load via steam.. but whats the point of the disc then?

[Edited by Plasmatic, 3/4/2010 11:31:28 AM]

[Edited by Plasmatic, 3/4/2010 11:31:49 AM]

What is even more frustrating is that in Australia, we are the 5th of March 2010 at 8.51AM and I am not able to play that game yet, as it has not been released (I think we even have to wait the 5th of March in the US ... I hope at least that they will use east coast time instead of west coast ...)