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| 18 FEB 2010 at 1:08pm | |
karlaAdministrator  Posts : 2592 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Speaking of Big Fish... I'm currently in the middle of rather a problem with them. I bought a large file download on 14 Feb and it wouldn't download no matter how much pushing, pulling and tweaking I did. When I ran out of ideas I wrote to tech support. I got a reply yesterday, but they either didn't read my message very carefully or they missed the point. Their answer addressed a different problem than the one I'm having. So I wrote to them again and I'm waiting for another reply. Meanwhile, they have my money and I have no game. This is the first large file game I've bought from them, and it will likely be the last. *Big sigh* See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 18 FEB 2010 at 4:18pm | |
HalcyonSchattenjger  Posts : 1652 Joined: 17 NOV 2006 Status : Offline | I bought it from the publishers website for $14.99 and I think THAT is bargain. Never liked Big Fish. I went through a very similar download and customer support problem with them. Ultimately, I just asked for my money back, which they gave me. It was the only resolution I could think of! _________________ |
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| 18 FEB 2010 at 11:56pm | |
| Deleted User | Since I have no personal knowledge of any portals for the d/l purchase of games, my statements may be faulty. I have only hearsay to work on regarding BigFish, GoG, Steam, etc.. If I am incorrect, I would be pleased for factual corrections. I have never been in contact with any of these portals including Big Fish. I do not buy nor have I bought any games which have ANY restrictions on how where or why games I have paid my good money for, nor do I intend to if I can help it. I only want to play my games when *I* want to. I want to be able to play them on any one of my 3 computers and a laptop if I so desire. I want to play anywhere even if I haven’t got an internet connection or I don’t want to use it for any registration. I want to be able to make a backup copy for myself in case of accident and even let my family at home play it. I want to be able to replay the game in 5 years time when maybe the portal has closed down or gone bankrupt. If I buy a Music DVD or a video film I can do all these things, after I have paid the price, and I want to be able to do them with all of my games. Incidentally, I think that these restrictions, rather like copy protections, are a short sighted policy since they only punish honest paying players in several ways whilst encouraging pirates to play completely freely from restrictions and copy protection hassles - and in addition for free. Upside don or back to front or whatever IMO. True, if I want, and very many folk *do* want, I can do without several of the abovementioned freedoms and buy the came for $7 instead of say $20 including p & p. That’s fair enough – but I always prefer to pay the full price and play without the restrictions as I have always done. My choice alone. I am surprised and hope that the regrettable incidents mentioned above will be corrected and not occur in future. But as I said, It is not really my business since I have not bought any games from them – nor do I intend to. I have been told (e.g. Jenny100 on another thread here) that GoG do not impose ANY restrictions on their download games meaning that they are no different from boxed games – and maybe even better since they are free from anti-copy problems which are sometimes serious. Hence I certainly may purchase a down load game from them – I again maintain that eliminating the restrictions does not cause a loss of revenue due to pirating, but if anything the opposite. Having said all the above, I have not previously personally heard of bad customer support from BigFish who I think are the largest download portal – and upload 365 new games per year – most not actual adventures. I certainly hope that the complaints have been rapidly attended to, and there will be none in the future. |
| 19 FEB 2010 at 12:32am | |
| Deleted User | Is anybody who has had hands-on experience of GoG downloads prepared to answer the followinf 3 questions. (1) Is it *definitel*y true that GpG downloads hav no restrictions other than those imposed upon all normal boxed games? i.e. After paying the fee, i can dowload the game, copy it to my own CD or DVD after which I can use it *exactly* as I do any Boxed CD or DVD? (2) Is it true that there are no anti-copying routines included in the games? (3) Under a Killing Moon and Pandora Directuve and others needed DosBox to run them properly - and this was quite a hassle. Do these games have to be run through an external DosBox or similar routine. i.e. can your CD or DVD simply be placed in your drive and run on WimnXP with abso0lutely no external routine - such as DosBox? TIA. |
| 19 FEB 2010 at 9:48am | |
Agent BreaPrivate Detective  Posts : 705 Joined: 17 OCT 2006 Location: 0 Status : Online | 1 & 2 are true. GOG is among the ones who finally realized that the users who pay for their games do not want to suffer due to all kinds of (c) protection crap that end up being cracked anyway (almost 30 years of history I think is enough for everyone to understand that there is no such thing as (c) protection) Your last waking moments are marked by wretched pain as you provide dinner for a group of ill-mannered dinner guests that just wouldn't leave. |
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| 19 FEB 2010 at 10:04am | |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By jr7937 (19 FEB 2010 12:32am) Regarding 1 and 2 - what Aya said. There are zero restrictions. I purchased a game about 2 years ago from them and lost it with my PC upgrade, and I downloaded the game again a month ago, no problem. You get sort of your own little library of games that you had purchased - a list that you have access to and can simply click to download at any time. Regarding point 3, - I made use of the the free download of the even older? Tex Murphy games, (Martian Memorandum and Mean Streets) and I simply have to click on the launcher icon in my startup menu and the game initialises. They play fine from what I've tested - though I'd only just started both games to see if they work ok, and they seem fine. Don't know about the ones you mentioned, though. |
| 19 FEB 2010 at 2:15pm | |
karlaAdministratorPosts : 2592 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Here's an update on my situation... I received another response from Big Fish in which they suggested that I try things I told them I'd already tried. I also asked them if it would be possible for me to get a refund, but the question went unanswered. I finally discovered the source of the problem I was having on my own. It seems that their game manager (through which downloads must be accomplished and which, in my case, was automatically updated before I could advance to the download) has developed a sudden incompatibility with Zone Alarm, which I use. Zone Alarm has never interfered with any other game downloads. In the case of Big Fish, I've always made sure that the apps required in order to download games from them have firewall permissions to connect to the Internet. Well, it seems that this is no longer enough. Now, it's necessary to shut ZA down completely or you can kiss your download goodbye. So against my better judgment, I shut it down. And I cringed all the way through a 10-hour download. I haven't run scans yet to determine if any nasties made it onto my hard drive. I'll be doing that shortly. I have, however, written to Big Fish and told them that this is the last game I intend to purchase from them. For good measure, I also canceled my subscription to their newsletter. They probably don't care, but it made me feel better. Nyah, nyah. [smiley=cheesy.gif] (I'm such a mature adult.) The good news is that the game I was finally able to download actually works. It's too bad I had to put my computer at risk to get it. So to anyone out there who runs ZA and is considering buying a game from Big Fish: take heed and beware. It might not be worth the aggravation, and there are plenty of other sites from which you can download most (if not all) of the games Big Fish offers. See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 19 FEB 2010 at 11:40pm | |
| Deleted User | Sorry to hear your tale of woe Karla. I can only say that you've done others a favour (always a nice thing to do) in that you've warned others who use Zone Alarm (which I've never heard of but which I assume is one of the proliferation of antivirus routin34s). Although as I mentioned I've never had anything whatsoever personally to do with BigFish myself since I refuse to buy games with what I consider as restrictive practices. I understand that they are a large Company and I am both surprised and disappointed that their support seems to be very poor - in your case a very considerable understatement. Pity you are so annoyed and hence justifiably critical of them that you will not buy any further games from them. But it seems that it's their fault and deserve it. I hope they will learn from it and mend their ways. |
| 20 FEB 2010 at 12:32am | |
| Deleted User | Many thanks Traveller and Agent Brea. Thank Goodness one Company at least, GoG, behaves sensibly and logical - both for the sake and their customers equally. One Developer at least realized this ages ago. Mikael Nyqvist the Swedish creator of the 6 Carol Reed mysteries has deliberately not included any copy protection whatsoever on any of his games. He knows very well in advance that a certain percentage of his games will be pirated and distributed free to file sharers. He is not like so many others who hide their heads in the sand and think that they can beat the pirates - they can't! So by adding a so called copy protection which he could easily do it is more likely to INCREASE piracy than reduce it. Many file sharers regard cracking an anti piracy routine more enjoyable than actually playing the game - and even compete with others to produce the quickest cracked version. It only encourages *more* piracy and stops nobody. And at the same time, the *only* people it annoys and interferes with are the honest paying clients. Such It is totally absurd and so many game makers just refuse to see it. Paying customers who Devs want to encourage are hit with a double whammy - they both pay their good money and are landed with piracy routines that are often fiddly and even sometimes interfere even terribly with their computers. The downloaders both get their game for free and the crack bypasses the anti protection routine It is a double temptation to pirate rather than purchase – and *not* the opposite. For some stubborn reason(s) very many Developers do not appear to grasp this and continue to saddle their games with useless protection routines which additionally even costs them some extra money. Crazy IMHO. |
| 20 FEB 2010 at 1:43am | |
karlaAdministratorPosts : 2592 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Originally Posted By jr7937 (19 FEB 2010 11:40pm) Zone Alarm is a firewall. Not to defend Big Fish, but to the best of my knowledge no DRM is included in their downloads. Once a game is downloaded, one needn't be connected to the Internet to play it. It's also possible to redownload purchased games for reinstallation. I received a reply earlier today to the email I sent to Big Fish this morning in which I told them I'd be purchasing no further games from them. Their response was to send me a coupon for a free game, saying, "We want to make sure everyone is happy with their purchase. If you have any concerns or questions about your order, please contact our support department." (Allow me a brief pause to finish hooting, howling, cackling and rolling on the floor...okay...there...I beg your pardon...ahem.) [smiley=devil_smiley_grintail.gif] It's always so amusing to me when a company to whom I've complained about one of its products thinks I'll feel better if it sends me more of the product for free... [smiley=raise_eyebrow.gif] See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 20 FEB 2010 at 2:10pm | |
| Deleted User | [edit]Not to defend Big Fish, but to the best of my knowledge no DRM is included in their downloads. Once a game is downloaded, one needn't be connected to the Internet to play it. It's also possible to redownload purchased games for reinstallation.[/edit] Does that mean that you can download the game one time only, burn it onto a CD or DVD, make a backup copy for safety, play it on ANY computer at any time without ever having to connect to the Net agin, and be 100% certain that (like old boxed games) you can play it in 10, or even 20, years time when BigFish uite possibly no longer exists for one reason or another like so many computer games Companies during the past decade or two? As I said, I myself have no experience whatsoever of BigFish. But I have been told categorically by some well known and reliable Devs that the above is *not* the case. I am confused as to the *exact* situation. |
| 20 FEB 2010 at 7:15pm | |
Lady KestrelGuild Master  Posts : 4038 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, NJ Status : Offline | I've had no trouble with the 25 or so games I've downloaded from Big Fish. I always buy the custom CD from them, which includes any games I buy at the time, and it always works with the original unlock code. "Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?" -Rabindranath Tagore |
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| 20 FEB 2010 at 9:02pm | |
| Deleted User | Sorry - but now I'm even more confused. I'm not trying to demote BigFish in any way. If you know exactly what you are getting (including the very low price) and are satisfied and happy with that it's 200% OK by me -n even if I don't myself participate for reasons I have outlined. I am also very pleased to hear that generally they are very reliable as evidenced by your 25 games with no troubles. EVERY main Developer is liable to experience one anomaly in 25 cases - i.e. a 25% chance of supplyibng a game to somebody who has a particular rather unusual configuration. However, the BigFish system is still absolutely unclear to me. As far as I have been led to understand, their $6.99 games involve a one time Internet download and no CD supplied by them. After that, the purchaser is *not* COMPLETYELY free to do what s(he) likes with it as described in my previous post. Or is this not so? |
| 20 FEB 2010 at 11:43pm | |
karlaAdministratorPosts : 2592 Joined: 27 JUL 2003 Location: US, Close to the Edge Status : Offline | Yogibear, if you'd like to discover exactly what the situation is at Big Fish Games, I suggest asking Big Fish Games. Everything else (including what I've said) is second-hand information. My comments are based on my experience with Big Fish and are prefaced by "to the best of my knowledge." I don't claim to be making official statements on behalf of the company. Here is a link to the Help section of the Big Fish site. There is also a "Contact us" link at the very bottom of the left-hand column of the page: http://bigfishgames.custhelp.com/app/home See my portfolio of original artwork at http://home1.gte.net/res0b8zk/portfolio/resources/portfolio.htm I put my heart and soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process. - Vincent van Gogh |
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| 21 FEB 2010 at 12:23am | |
| Deleted User | Surely there is some reliable person or persons here who has quite a bit of personal experience experience of downloading BigFish games. Such a person or persons should be able to tell us all clearly and without prejudice if downloaded BigFish gams have absolutely no restrictions on them or not. It shouldn't be a difficult job. I dfon't see that the matter should be left unclear or ambiguous. People who have downloaded these games must know whether they are IDENTICAL to boxed games with regard to complete absence of restricions - or not. And if anybody knows, is there any harm in clarifying - and if so why? |
| 21 FEB 2010 at 12:39am | |
| Deleted User | Reinstall a Purchased Game The BigFishSite lists some of the things you CAN do above, but is not explicit about what you CAN'T do [smiley=hair_pull.gif] |
| 21 FEB 2010 at 2:30am | |
IviniaGuild Master Posts : 4459 Joined: 7 JUN 2003 Location: US Status : Offline | This is kind of silly. Why don't you just email them and ask instead of repeatedly asking the same question.
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| 21 FEB 2010 at 3:23am | |
Lady KestrelGuild MasterPosts : 4038 Joined: 27 SEP 2004 Location: US, NJ Status : Offline | Yogibear, You can download the games from the Big Fish site 5 times for the original price. You can also order a CD from them for an additional $7.99 (US) containing the game(s) you bought, which you then own. Some of the games I order are for my sister to play. Her computer has no internet connection but the games still work with the unlock code provided via email. "Where is the fountain that throws up these flowers in a ceaseless outbreak of ecstasy?" -Rabindranath Tagore |
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| 21 FEB 2010 at 11:11am | |
| Deleted User | This is kind of silly. Why don't you just email them and ask instead of repeatedly asking the same question.As my late father used to say “Silly today, silly tomorrow”. I never knew where he picked up that phrase nor what it really meant. But I think it aptly applies to your post Ivinia. Nevertheless, thanks for your thoughtful; and obviously well meaning suggestion, Ivinia. [smiley=rolleyes.gif] [smiley=raise_eyebrow.gif] [smiley=huh.gif] Lady Kestrel [smiley=angel.gif] Many thanks for your replies. That’s sufficient info to know that it seems reasonable to me and for all those who wish to play BigFish’s huge selection of casual games. However it seems to be not without some restrictions – as opposed to the GoG downloads, for example. Hence, since I generally only play full Adventure games, and not casual games Ipersonally prefer to pay the full price for them and get the boxed version which have no strings attached (other than the EULAs of course). Thankx again for your kind help and assistance. |
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