How about a new model for games, that’s old?

There’s an article over on Ars Technica that I don’t wholly agree with (Surprise!) which nevertheless has some valid points.

However, having read it I think there’s a fairly simple suggestions which could be made to remedy most of these issues…

The Big Install

Firstly the complaint is that you buy a game, and you have to install it. This apparently is the worst thing ever, and a crime against humanity. I understand that in the old days one could put a disc into a console and merely wait for it to spin up, heave a little data into RAM and then you could play through that for a few minutes and then wait for the next chunk.

And then time passed and people figured out that loading from the hard drive was generally a lot faster and more convenient, especially on PC.

This complain then is equivalent to a person bitching that their car only moves if you remember to fill it’s petrol tank, and complaining that they never had to put petrol in their horse.

Patch City

The second complaint is that you buy a game and it instantly patches. This is and isn’t fair into far as sometimes it’s a genuine fix for things that didn’t become apparent in testing, and many times is so the company can make deadline and then finish the game after it’s been sold.

Gimme some Codes Baby!

Third up is the whine that you need to put a code in for multiplayer, once, as an attempt to stem the tide of people pirating the software to play online.

Sometimes you get a code for a pre-order bonus, or have to put in a code when you install the game.

And so I conclude…

Apparently the author of this article dislikes having to provide any input into the process and would be happier with a movie. It’s like a game but you don’t have to suffer through the tedium of having to pick up a controller and then press even more buttons and make choices.

So what? I’m glad you asked

From the top – Giant multi-gigabyte installs are a pain, having to go out and grab patches for your game are a pain and juggling two or three 15 character codes are a pain.

All are minor pains.

The big pain is paying full price for a game that’s potentially brilliant but actually is a bit of a train-wreck for the first six months, until it’s been patched into the state that it should have been at release – if it ever is.

The solution is this: Go back to the old Shareware model of putting out the first section of you game and then offer people the chance to buy the last two thirds.

1. Put the first few levels/chapters of a game on a disc, with no codes.  Make sure it’s finished ad fully polished.
2. Make sure the same game is available via Steam or XBox Arcade or whatever content delivery system is used.
3. Tie the game to a user account, preferably one people use. I mean great, Rockstar, it’s nice you have your Rockstar Social thingy, but it’d be nicer if it actually worked or did something useful. Use Steam.
4. Only make people put codes in if they can’t run the game with a constant internet connection. These people do exist and it’s not just one guy in Montana who thinks the government will tap his computer if he goes online.
5. Make the price low. £5 or £10.
6. Patch it because no code enters the real world without showing up a few weird bugs.
7. You now have your game in short form in the hands of everyone. Now offer the second and third parts of the game for £10 each. Don’t be greedy. This gives you time to apply any patches to those sections.
8. Use DLCs to extend the life of your game. Make them decent but don’t make the game unplayable without the DLC.
9. Don’t be Ubisoft. ‘Cos they suck.