40K Developers Criticised Over Twitch Drops (kotaku.com) 49
Complex Games, the developers of the new Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate -- Daemonhunters, have issued a statement to frustrated players after running a campaign where certain in-game items were only available to those who sat through some Twitch streams. From a report: While Complex probably thought they were running a fairly standard (by 2022 standards anyway) release window promotional thing, the nature of the items and the fanbase and platform in question weren't having it. Here's an example of a negative review left on the game's Steam page as a result, one of many that presumably prompted the statement: "The game would have gotten a thumbs up but for one thing. The developers for some ridiculous reason decided to put 11 ingame items(not skins or cosmetics but actual weapons and armor) behind twitch drops on the day of release. In order to get these items you not only have to create and link a Frontier account and a Twitch account but you have to watch hours and hours of inane twitch streamers prattling on instead of actually playing the game you paid for. They also are timed so if you miss them you miss them forever. If there was another way to earn these ingame it would not be a big deal..."
The Angry Joe stream was actually only 45 minutes, but their point remains. The items weren't anything fancy or game-breaking. Most of them were just very slight variations on early-game weapons and armour that you'll move past in a few hours anyway. But it's the spirit of the move -- and its mandates on player's time if they want to try out everything the game has to offer -- that has upset people as much as its practical consequences. As a result, Complex have said that every item offered during the streams will now be given away to free to all players later this month.
The Angry Joe stream was actually only 45 minutes, but their point remains. The items weren't anything fancy or game-breaking. Most of them were just very slight variations on early-game weapons and armour that you'll move past in a few hours anyway. But it's the spirit of the move -- and its mandates on player's time if they want to try out everything the game has to offer -- that has upset people as much as its practical consequences. As a result, Complex have said that every item offered during the streams will now be given away to free to all players later this month.
You'd think they could get this right (Score:5, Funny)
Thank you, I'll be here all night. Tip your veal and try your waitress!
Should be little k anyway (Score:2)
K is for 1024.
k is for kilo (1000).
Newbies don't know the difference.
Go away with your Ki!! I was here first.
Re:You'd think they could get this right (Score:5, Insightful)
This game uses Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM. That shows the distain that this company holds for its customers. Nothing else is surprising after that.
It's not so much distain for customers (Score:2)
The CEO has to do something or the investors bail because they see it as "protecting our investment". There's no point in trying to reason with the investors since they don't know or care what video games are, they just know that if I give money I want somebody to tell me how they're "protecting the investment".
S
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Not everybody. Plenty of successful game-making companies have the decency to refuse to do this. And...they are the ones that get MY money.
Since so many businesses can and have succeeded without falling for the DRM trap, this one should too. Or rather, "should have." Since they did not, their game is off my list.
Pretty much all the big ones but Gog (Score:2)
It's the golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rules.
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Well, it depends on the game.
If it's an online game, then it's not piracy, it's cheats. And given how many twitch streamers actually use cheats (especially the ones who make the mistake of showing their desktop), this is a huge issue.
Cheating is ramping in PC gaming, and there are many generic cheat applications out there.
For other games, it's used for two things - to hold off piracy for a short time, or for DLC.
In this case, it really only has to last a week or so. After that it matters a lot less.
Of cours
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There were actually multiple discussion threads (Score:3)
about this on Steam. There were also people pissed about the gating of a whole class behind the deluxe edition.
Bad title (Score:2)
That's a bad title for this article. 40k is shorthand for Warhammer 40k which is a table top game that Games Workshop has been making since the 80's. This article is about a PC game based on GW's properties.
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It's a horribly-written title no matter what the article is about - unless 40,000 different developers got criticized for inserting Twitch tie-ins to their various projects.
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Ha, you're 100% correct. It cracks me up that I missed that much more base level issue.
Just goes to show how much of a nerd for Warhammer I am.
What a brain-dead move! (Score:3)
I think most gamers are okay with paying for a game, and then for any DLC that's added later, assuming that the DLC actually adds value to the game in line with how much we pay for it. But asking a paying customer to (possibly) create two accounts and then sit though 45 minutes of watching someone else play the game is just beyond the pale...
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But asking a paying customer to (possibly) create two accounts and then sit though 45 minutes of watching someone else play the game is just beyond the pale...
I didn't read where they needed two accounts. They just had to watch 45 minutes on Twitch to get the items. It was a limited time/opportunity give away for items that were not the most powerful nor game-breaking. I personally do not see the issue. Many collector's editions have exclusive in-game items that actually cost more money. This one cost time.
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For what 45 minutes of my time cost, I can get quite the deluxe-super-special-awesome edition...
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I personally do not see the issue.
I do. It creates a bad precedent.
Consider this as some sort of trial run. Does it work? Great! Push it further!
Fortunately, the player base had none of it.
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Collector's edition is fine, pre-purchase offers is fine, but Twitch Drops mandating you to be online and watch a shit livestream for a long time at a given hour is stupid beyond belief.
Apples and oranges.
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You don't seem to get it, do you?
Requiring to spend money before release is fine because it gives you ample amounts of time to consider it and you can do it at any moment over a larger period of time (usually months).
Holiday events take place over a period of time which is usually measured in weeks.
Both the above allow me, the player, to establish my own time frame and participate whenever I have free time.
Also, both the above don't require me performing an activity that I would dislike. The first don't req
Exterminatus (Score:3)
The only suitable response from Complex Games would have been:
"We regret exposing you to this heresy. Those responsible have been purged."
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How about an Exterminatus of the company?
Only way to be sure the heresy does not spread. I'll inform the Inquisition.
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> "We regret exposing you to this heresy. Those responsible have been purged."
And later:
"We regret exposing you to more heresy. Those responsible for purging the people who have just been purged have been purged."
Who writes this crap? (Score:4, Insightful)
> 40K Developers Criticised Over Twitch Drops
Someone needs help with writing and math at the same time.
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I would further suggest "The company developing Warhammer 40K is criticized over Twitch-Only drops".
I initially read it as the actual developers being blamed. Not likely their call.
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It's "A company publishing a game in the WH40K Universe" if you want to be completely pedantic.
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So I wasn't the only one wondering "Why the hell would 40,000 developers be criticized over jiggly confection? Is it something sex related or some political correctness issue concerning people with tics?"
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"Game studio fucks up, gets what they deserve"
Short, to the point and makes you want to read on.
Hard to avoid spoilers as well (Score:2)
Re:Okay (Score:5, Insightful)
Because if this flies, next time it is something with consequences to the actual game. This was a test balloon to see what customers are gonna swallow.
Turns out, they'd rather spit.
Boo Hoo? (Score:2)
Complaining about having to watch players stream on a service where you watch players stream. What am I missing?
Sounds like those rewards were to get people watching, since assume-ably that's how they make their money.
If the point of playing a game is to get drops so that you can play the game more, then it sounds like a pretty boring game to me. This seems like a solid business decision though.
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This form of DRM is consumer-hostile. Legitimate buyers have good reason to hate it, and to boycott products that use it. Accusing such customers of being law-breakers is just petty.
They dealt with this particular problem well (Score:2)
https://store.steampowered.com... [steampowered.com]
>One of the areas we have noted is the frustrations around the various Twitch drop campaigns we ran around the launch of the game. Whilst the sole objective of these campaigns was to drive awareness, we understand many feel this locked in-game items away from them.
>This was certainly not our intention and we appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this. As such, we will make all items from every Twitch drop campaign available to players via one of our planned updates i
Twitch Drops. (Score:2)
You don't need to watch at all, you can just open the stream, mute that browser tab, and go about your way. Don't even need to keep it in the foreground. Just don't mute the actual Twitch volume.
No need to watch any of the streamers (although some are amusing, but I still wouldn't watch because of the spoilers).
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"You don't need to watch at all, you can just open the stream, mute that browser tab, and go about your way"
Next you'll be telling me you don't have to watch unskippable ads on [service X] because you can close your eyes or leave the room while they play.
In my view, they'd already crossed the line just by requiring that users sign up for and link their game account to a fucking twitch account to get an in game item.
The idea that you seem to think making gamers sign up for a twitch account, link it to the ga
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People are complaining about 'having to watch the stream'. I point out that you don't have to.
Then you win the Olympics of jumping to conclusions. Congratulations!
Literally none of what I said has anything to do with whether or not I agree with this or not.
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So you, to be clear:
You do have to set it up, you have to register with twitch, and you have to link the accounts, and then you do have to play the stream from start to finish...
And you just wanted to let us all know that you don't actually have to look at it while it plays, so all these people saying "you have to watch the stream" are technically incorrect? (The best kind of incorrect, am i right?)
Got it, thanks mate!
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Full of ssomething (Score:2)
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate -- Daemonhunters
Full title: Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate -- Daemonhunters: Vampires: Bloodlines: The Masquerade: Battletech: Mechwarrior II: Mercenaries
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Huh? (Score:2)