Imagine a game that has people so commited that they will wait 30 minutes in line to start playing. That game is the wildly successful World of Warcraft. Around Christmas time, when there is a spike in the number of new users who receive the game as a gift, everyone also seems to be home from work all the time. This results in a huge spike in users and a queue to get onto most servers. Servers that normally have no wait whatsoever spike to a half an hour or more. People will wait in the queue and still play. It’s fascinating. Worst of all, I can’t say haven’t waited for it…
Wow Queue Frustration
January 4th, 2009eBay Doesn’t Get It
December 14th, 2008This morning I received annoyingly non-committal emails from Paypal and eBay about a “problem” with one of my purchases. I was informed that the listing violated eBay’s terms of service in some way. As a customer of eBay I was frustrated.
Issue #1 – Why do eBay and Paypal continue to pretend that they aren’t the same company?
I should have received one email from the combined company with directions. One potential explanation is that eBay has failed to fully integrate Paypal over the past few years. I recognize eBay’s desire to grow Paypal as an internal and external brand. Since a huge proportion of their sales overlap, there should be much more coordination by this point. Another, more nefarious explanation is that it allows them the flexibility to point fingers at each other and not take full responsibility. In the past when purchasing magazine subscriptions that never materialized I had to deal with the finger pointing responses. eBay needs to pull it together and start acting like a better coordinated company.
Issue #2 - Why is eBay so non-committal when it comes to terms of service violations and fraud?
The likely answer is that they are afraid of incurring any legal liability from actually accusing anyone of violating their terms of service. The email I received from eBay was that the auction had been pulled “for violating one or more of our policies.” Could that note be any less helpful? I could feel free not to follow through with the transaction. That’s great since it was an immediate payment buy it now transaction. Paypal sent an email telling me how to get to their dispute resolution center with no indication on whether I should use it or not.
I emailed customer service for Paypal to see if I could get more information. I could almost guarantee that Paypal will tell me to talk to eBay and eBay will tell me that they don’t release specific information. Someone had to actually tag and shutdown the auction with a reason code of some sort. Why can’t I see it? Tell me if you think it is a fraudster, the items are counterfeit, or if it was just some sort of action structure that wasn’t allowed.
What’s next?
Situations like this are a major reason why eBay’s growth is flat lining. eBay is great for two things, hard to find items and deals Too many people have had some poor experiences over the years and eBay seems reluctant to be transparent. eBay needs to face into the fact that users come to their site looking for deals. Often, deals that look too good to be true are just that. Users end up having a bad experience and then become reluctant to buy anything else. The user becomes concerned about their own ability to sniff out fraud and they aren’t confident that eBay is going to help. eBay loses that customer.
As someone with a reputation score close to 400 on eBay, I have completed a great many transactions. But my purchases in the past couple of years have fallen off drastically. In order to win me back as a regular buyer and seller, eBay needs to re-earn my trust. That’s a tough thing to do.
Update:
Paypal customer support did, just as I predicted, tell me absolutely nothing and direct me to contact eBay for more information. I asked them specifically not to point me to eBay in the email and they still did. In the meantime, the item arrived from the seller and appears to be fine. I believe the terms of service violation was for high shipping charges and a low auction value. eBay hates those since it gets only a small cut of the revenue. I’m still not entirely sure if that was their issue, though.
Fallout 3 PC has Xbox Achievements
October 31st, 2008One of the reasons I considered getting the Xbox version over the PC version was because I’m not above the Pavlovian attachment to Xbox Live achievement. Good news! The PC version has them. Since Fallout 3 was lead developed on the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live for Windows is now free, the PC version allows you to get exactly the same achievements.
A couple of quick notes:
You need to activate the live features. Select “Live” from the menu screen before you start playing. If you do it during a game, it will end your game without saving it. That is a total pain. Also, if you activate live after you start playing you won’t be able to see your save games any more when logged in, only when logged out, which won’t give you any achievements.
There is a fix for finding your save games. Go to the My Games folder in My documents. Find the Fallout 3 folder and copy your save games from the default directory into the one that has your Xbox Live user id. Now you should be able to log in and see them. Your achievements will not be retroactive. Luckily I really only need to replay the vault section to get what I missed.
Steam Pre-order of Fallout 3 Doesn’t Seem So Bright
October 29th, 2008After doing some research on Fallout 3, I decided to go for the PC version for two reasons
- An active modding community exists that will likely extend the game after the SDK is released
- My computer is more powerful than my 360 or PS3 so it can display the graphics better
An extra bonus was that the game is $10 cheaper for the PC, but that is offset by the fact that it can’t be resold. Originally, I pre-ordered the game from Amazon, but last week the game showed up on Steam and I cancelled my preorder. I placed an order on Steam instead because I prefer to never have to keep track of the discs or put them in the drive. I can always just re-download from Steam if I ever want to install it. I like that.
The problems
Steam is taking forever to tranfer the files to me. The game didn’t pre-load! I didn’t think the download would be a huge issue over cable modem. I can’t remember the last time downloading something other than a high definition movie was an issue. It has been hours of downloading now and it still isn’t done. Release day delivery from Amazon would have gotten here faster. Valve really needs to consider adding bit-torrent like P2P capability to their network for major releases like this.
It isn’t steam’s fault, but I’m starting to get a bit worried about the PC version. A quick scan of the forum thread about Fallout 3 on Gamerswithjobs.com shows that lots of people are having problems and the PC release may be buggy.
I’m wondering a bit now whether the 360 version was the better way to go. There is something to be said for ease of use. We’ll see once I finally get to play the game.
Big Changes
August 31st, 2008I’ve failed to post now for nearly two months. In the interim, much has happened. I finished a major project for my previous employer and moved to take a new job in the video game industry. It is a move that I contemplated for a long time. Last weekend I moved to California and subsequently started at the new job.
One obvious limitation on future posts is that there are things I can’t or won’t be able to discuss on video games related to my position and inside industry knowledge. I’m just glad to be able to be say that I will potentially have inside industry information.
The Right Length For $60 Video Games
June 17th, 2008Warren Spector doesn’t think that 100 hour games make a lot of sense, and I agree with him. Over the last year or so, I’ve thought a lot about the right length for games. My viewpoint is obviously influenced by my demographics. For the nearly 30 year old set with family, free time is at a more substantial premium than for high school or college age individuals. That said, the reality of the gaming market is that the average player age is in their late 20s. The largest proportion of the market holds full time jobs and has other commitments. For that reason, as Warren said, very few people will ever finish a long game. That is a waste of development money. If you spend 15-20 hours on a game and feel that you’ve gotten your money’s worth, the developer wasted money on the additional content after that.
The real question is where consumer’s feel that they’ve gotten their money’s worth from the developer. I have an easy answer – 10 hours. Why? That was the length of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. I absolutely felt the game was worth every penny and it was just about the right length. I should be able to finish a game in under a couple of weeks playing in the evenings. A game like Bioshock that stretches closer to 20 hours is even more value for the money. If the game had been a bit shorter, it wouldn’t have substantially impacted my evaluation of it. Although I will take as much Bioshock as I can get. Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed both clocked in at the 15-20 hour range. Both games had substantially more content, but I wasn’t inclined to invest 15-20 more hours with the secondary material.
Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that I am unlikely to ever play through as Warren said. The 60-70 hours minimum of game time is something I’m unlikely to find time to devote. There are games like Call of Duty 4 that clock in at a sub-standard but exceptional 6 hours. When the deep multi-player experience is considered, the game certainly meets the 10 hour threshold.
For my money, a $60 game should have 10-20 hours of great game play, no more and no less. A developer who wants to make a substantially longer game should consider whether shortening the development cycle and making a better, shorter game is more sensible.
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme Doesn’t Fit
May 15th, 2008Well, I finally got around to pulling my motherboard out of the case to attach the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme cooler. One of the screws was under a hard drive, which required me to unscrew both of my hard drives to get at it. The thermal paste application process was a little more trying than I had hoped. The tube provided by Thermalright for the paste seems to stick so much that when you finally get some of the paste out, you get too much. There was much cleanup with alcohol swabs based on my couple of attempts to get it right. I’m still not sure it is perfect but it seems to work.
I did the heatsink installation with the motherboard out of the case, because I found that I couldn’t hold the backing on with the motherboard in the case. After replacing the motherboard it became apparent that the cooler will not fit in my current case. If you are considering buying this cooler, measure your case! A good rule of thumb is that if the case is only as wide as your power supply, it is too small. I read a post from someone who said “all cases that are ATX compliant are a certain width and the cooler will work”. That advice is simply wrong. Most tower cases are ~8″ wide will accommodate the cooler, but I’m struggling to find any desktop/HTPC case that will. My case is probably 6″ tall and the cooler itself is taller than that.
My search for a good replacement case has focused on looking for cases that are “4U” and may just fit cooler. I would prefer to spend $100 or so, but some of the cases look to be upwards of $250. The key brands I am looking at right now are Silverstone, Thermaltake and Lian Li. In the meantime, my computer is sitting with the cover on top of the case at an angle due to the cooler that protrudes at least an inch outside the case. Now that is good cooling, but it is neither safe or aesthetically pleasing. I’d really like to get an HTPC rack-case and put all of my AV equipment on a rack. Every time I’ve looked into it, the cost has been prohibitively expensive. The rack market is still almost exclusively B2B.
World of Warcraft – After The Trial Period
May 13th, 2008Buying the Game
As if there was any doubt, I ended up purchasing World of Warcraft when my trial subscription ended. For $19.99 with a free month, it is a better deal than paying $19.99 for the retail box that only comes with a 14 day trial. The Battlechest that includes The Burning Crusade Expansion is often on sale for $29.99 at Amazon, but that also only comes with a trial. For $5 more than the monthly subscription fee I was able to get the game. I will probably buy the expansion later, since I won’t need it until level 60 unless I want to make a different character. I’m only out $5 if I opt for the Battlechest that includes the strategy guides. In a game this big, the strategy guides might be nice to have. Half the time I can’t remember where the cities they tell me to go to are. Is that Darkshire or Darkshore? It makes a difference, because they are probably 5-10 mins apart. The expansion pack alone has occasionally gone on sale for $9.99. If I can find a deal like that, I’d pick it up on its own.
Getting Additional Time
While I’m sure Blizzard would prefer you to put the automatic subscription renewal on your credit card, I’m going to recommend buying prepaid cards. In general, the price isn’t any different between the two. ($15/month) Using the online renewal might save you tax in most states. However, there are two benefits to using the prepaid card. First, you won’t forget to disable your subscription. Auto billing is a sort of set it and forget it. You probably won’t realize you are still paying for it until a while after you’ve stopped playing. Second, the retail cards sometimes go on sale. For instance, the 60-day prepaid cards are on sale right now at Circuit City for $19.99. (Until 5/17/08) I purchase two using the convenient store pick-up process. My store by work was actually out of stock today, so I’m glad I ordered in advance. Most locations still have the cards in stock as of Monday.
Total (Current) Cost
No one has ever said that World of Warcraft is cheap. The game is anything but over the long term. However, I have managed to keep it under control so far. My cost for 5 1/2 months of game play is just about $60. (2 week trial + $19.99 for the game and 30 days + $40 for 4 months of additional play time) That is the price of a comparable retail purchased console game. If I’m still playing the game at the 6 month point, I’m sure that I won’t mind paying a little bit more for some more time. Right now, I’d assume that I’ll be more than done with the game by that point and something else may come along to replace it. Then again, everyone seems very excited about the Lich King expansion. $60 or so every 6 months for a “sequel” in the form of an expansion may not be a bad model for the consumer. I’ll be interested to see if it is that much fun and if I can keep the costs that low.
The Game Itself
I’m obviously still having fun. Quest completion is addictive. I’m not someone who can schedule events at a particular time. My schedule just isn’t that reliable. However, I really enjoy the fact that I can pick up the game and put it down again in even 10 or 15 minute increments and still have fun pushing quests along. That is a real secret to success for the Blizzard formula. The multiple-enemy kills are still annoying me, though I think my character may be learning some skills now that will allow me to run away and avoid death better. It still annoys me that if I’m trying to fight against enemies around my level, I will virtually always die when I get too close to a second enemy that attacks at the same time. Really what I will need to do soon is start working together with people in a team approach. This week I’ll probably try some teaming up.
My character just reached level 20 which opens up a whole new world of arms, armor, and abilities. I’m pretty excited to check them out and continue to develop. Looks like Blizzard has me hooked for a while longer. WOW is really cutting into my GTAIV time.
World of Warcraft Impressions
May 11th, 2008With my newly assembled gaming PC, I finally decided to try World of Warcraft. I’ve avoided it thus far for three reasons.
- It is expensive. $15 a month plus $30+ to buy the game with which you get nothing but a 14 day trial of play time. If you play for even 3 months, it will cost you at least $75.
- MMOs are time-consuming. I didn’t have the time to play it, so why pay for something I wouldn’t use.
- I didn’t have a PC that would play it well
- I really want it to be World of Diablo. I’m a die-hard Diablo fan, and that is the Blizzard action/rpg. Warcraft is an RTS.
I ended up trying it due to the construction of my new PC and a 14-day trial disc that I had from purchasing South Park Season 10 with the hilarious “Make Love not Warcraft” episode. Nice product tie-in on Blizzard’s part.
First Impressions
The game is fun. Which shouldn’t be a surprise with 10MM active subscribers. The early levels are a marvel of pacing. Being the Diablo II aficionado that I am, I made the oh so predictable Human Paladin character. Developing through the early levels was addictive. There is constant feedback and progression. The series of achievement is there constantly.
I’ve never really gotten into any MMOs due mostly to the reasons listed at the start of this post. I didn’t get into Everquest. My one experience with an MMO was when I received a free hard drive and Final Fantasy XI game from Squaresoft and Sony. My impression of that game was that it was so massive and slow that I would never get into into it without a massive investment of time. The slowness ultimately killed it in my eyes. Even if I invested the time, it would still be slow and that would bore me. Pacing is critically important in these games and Warcraft has it much better than Final Fantasy XI ever did.
Additionally, the trades are actually enjoyable and somewhat useful. Other games that I have seen don’t seem to have useful trade systems. The are slow, boring, and you can almost never make items powerful enough to actually use. That isn’t the case in Warcraft. I have actually made items that I use. Although, I seem to have used the trades so much that I’ve maxed them out to the point allowed by my level and where I am in the game. My core character progression is the bottleneck. That’s a little disappointing, because the goal is to avoid any progression bottlenecks to keep things moving.
I also commend Blizzard for making it quick to get into and out of the game. Within 20 seconds, you can get in or out of the game. Even if you have only 10 minutes to play, you can move your character along on a quest. When you log back in your character will be right where you left it.
The game starts to slow a bit when you arrive in Westfall, which is around the low double digit levels. You move from a warm-feeling forest that is colorful and alive to a somewhat dead barren dust bowl. The transition is stark, which I think the developers were going for, but it just isn’t as interesting, either. I’ve continued to make progress and I’m moving along, but things feel slower. The pacing just isn’t quite as good as in the earlier levels.
My major gripe with the game is the death by swarm. Going solo in Warcraft is very difficult. I have died in Westfall a lot. In general, you fight enemies that are around your same level. When fighting one enemy you will pretty much always win, but if a second enemy of equivalent level joins, you will almost always lose. Countless times, I’ve been trying to fight single enemies and another one or more join the fight and kill me. Sometimes you can run away, but not usually.
Joining a party for quests really seems to be the way to go with the game, and the game pushes you to do so. With a trial account however, you can’t initiate a party request.
I haven’t decided whether or not to actually pay for the game. It is $19.99 to buy into the game digitally through the Blizzard online store, which includes your first month. The Burning Crusade expansion pack is $29.99 through Blizzard online. The battle chest, which includes both discs and two books, doesn’t include the first month of play, but is cheaper if you want the expansion pack from the start. The expansion pack seems to go on sale for as low as $9.99 occasionally, so paying the $19.99 and looking for the expansion cheap appears to be the way to go. If I don’t actually buy the game it will be due to dying so much via swarms and the slowing progression of my character largely because of it.
