Would you return your next GTA?

[Dcrysis02]

"The future of games development has been called into question after the EU Commission suggested developers provide a two year guarantee......."

 

You can read the full article here :-

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8044125.stm

 

First off, please excuse me if this poll doesn't quite fit with the Administrators or Mods,but i think this is an interesting subject to discuss, and i am quite curious what the users/consumers here, on this forum think of it.

 

As we all know, Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC didn't start off quite well.Errors,crashes,bugs,incompatibility issues,and the list goes on...But things are starting to shape up, as the developers,(in this case RockStar Toronto)take more time to make proper fixes,and hopefully this support will continue on for a long, long time.And i think i can speak for all of my fellow PC gamers, that we would be really happy, if the next installment in the series, Grand Theft Auto V(let's call it that for now)would come to the PC platform as well.But what if the same thing occurs in the future?What if the next GTA ends up being like Grand Theft Auto IV?I am not saying that it will end up like the current game, but in these times such a thing can easily happen.If the above mentioned proposal get's through, would you make use of it?Would you return the game for not being able to play with it?Be it because of the game has trouble with a type of card(a card that meets the minimum requriments, of course)or because of a game breaking bug, or simply because of a graphical error that makes the game unplayable.What would you, as consumer do?

 

My question:

 

Would you return your next Grand Theft Auto game if it would be in such a state as Grand Theft Auto IV,on the day of it's release?

 

Please, feel free to share your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[abcadgfawghaeheheahaeh]

sounds like a good idea. two years Guarantees

[liesofsilence]

no. GTA is an 18+ game. I reckon everyone who hit that age is selfsufficient enough to follow installation instructions. This is just another example of real life getting dumbed down. Furthermore, I don't like the European Union one bit. Hands off my GTA, you USSR EU!

[IronFixXxeR]

I voted give them another chance, but there is no reason they could not have released a better product right off the bat. If it takes more time/testing then so be it. They should wait until it is ready rather than releasing it with so many problems. I for one am willing to wait.

[OutOfTimer]

Developers should learn that releasing an uncomplete product like GTA IV and treating customers like beta-testers is out of line. If the European Commission is the only instituation powerful enough to teach them that... then so be it.

 

UPDATE: I've just read the article. Thank you so much for the news flash, dude.

 

It seems that once again the corporations will be taught discipline and respect to their customers. That's what I like about the European Union. We don't f*uck around like the guys in America.

Edited May 16, 2009 by OutOfTimer

[partslinger]

I agree with OutOfTimer, if I shell out 50 bucks I expect the game to work perfectly out of the box. Releasing a game right before christmas that isn't ready and requires the end-user to pay 50 bucks to beta-test, is f*cking rediculous! I can't think of any other thing on the planet that you buy, that doesn't have to work correctly out of the box, let alone six months down the road. Why should software devs be afforded that right? Release it when it's done!

Charming Charlie reported the PC sales of GTA IV as abysmal, in my opinion they shot themselves in the foot by releasing a game that wasn't ready to be released, at christmas no less. Had they released it three months later after serious testing and tweaking, it would have sold gangbusters. All the smart people (which I am not since I bought the game 2 days after release) read these forums and saw the multitude of problems people were suffering through and said "f*ck that"!

I say make them work for your 50 bucks, or suffer the consequences, us returning the game.

[Jc84144]

Seems fair. It could give people more confidence if they can get a refund if it doesn't work correctly. But I'm also worried about people returning games after completing them, or even returning games after installing and getting a no-cd crack.

 

BTW your poll is very poorly designed.

 

From what I think you're trying to find out, it should simply be this:

 

"If the next GTA doesn't work correctly on your machine, would you return it?:

 

Yes.

 

No."

 

At the moment it's a mess and doesn't really make much sense.

[Creed Bratton]

no. GTA is an 18+ game. I reckon everyone who hit that age is selfsufficient enough to follow installation instructions. This is just another example of real life getting dumbed down. Furthermore, I don't like the European Union one bit. Hands off my GTA, you USSR EU!

It's not about installing the game. It's about developers who are making faulty games. Buying faulty games is like buying any other faulty product. Just because the disc is in good condition doesn't mean the game is. Most of today's games are released with more bugs then levels. Every single one needs more then 1 patch. And I think it's a good idea to return the game if they don't fix those bugs and glitches.

[Graven]

 

As we all know, EU didn't start off quite well. Errors,crashes,bugs,incompatibility issues,and the list goes on...

Fixed. And may I add, still few billion bugs.

EU. Stay the fu*k out of our game. In fact, stay the fu*k out of everything with your "cucumber-2mm-too-twisted" laws.

Anyone of those impotent EU bureaucrat that even breaths towards the GTA, will be popped between the eyes.

 

That poll btw, is demented. It has nothing to do with EU, like the topic.

I certainly want my GTA to run. And I want it to run without this sick Union. They would probably inspect it 55 times longer than MS.

Edited May 15, 2009 by Graven

[kvic]

To tell the truth I never had a problem with the game ,from the time I first installed it I had problems with getting the controller working right,which is now solved I never had a problem with the first or second patch's, the only problems I have had was with the stuttering after the third patch which is now fixed using the command line text, actually the only real problem was with the GFWL update,so yes I would buy the next one (BUT PLEASE MAKE IT FOR PC'S TODAY NOT FUTURE PC'S).

[manofpeace]

What the f*ck does a government power care about the quality of games to the average consumer? Shouldn't they be trying to solve actual issues instead of wasting time and money on the quality of games? It isn't even that much of a tragedy that GTA IV was a flunk on the PC; It was developed within a very small time span, and was ported from a CONSOLE. I say give Rockstar their time to make a more... user-friendly game.

 

It's hard for me to say much else, as I don't live in Europe... but I REALLY don't like anything where the government tries to f*ck around with things they know nothing about.

[OabAli]

Interesting article.

 

I voted for "No. I would give the devs another chance to correct their mistake(s)."

 

I believe Rockstar have learnt from this experience. They stuffed up, so they are going to put more thought into how they'll port/develop the game.

 

If GTA V was in a worse state that GTA IV was, then I'll obviously be outraged, but I am able to wait patiently for patches until the game runs as it supposed to run. Despite that, I probably wouldn't trust R* if they released GTAVI (supposedly) on PC, due to previous experiences - a "that's the last straw" kinda attitude, and I would (God forbid) succumb to getting a console for it.

 

In response to the EU and proposed policies, they shouldn't screw with the video game market. Leave it be. There are worse things to worry about, like peace among nations or something.

[Dcrysis02]

 

BTW your poll is very poorly designed.

 

From what I think you're trying to find out, it should simply be this:

 

"If the next GTA doesn't work correctly on your machine, would you return it?:

 

Yes.

 

No."

 

At the moment it's a mess and doesn't really make much sense.

.That's the matter of the whole thing you know.If you cannot complete the game thanks to a game breaking bug, or a graphical glitch, or your game doesn't start at all(like GTAIV did with ATI cards)you can return the software.That all fits in the category of "If the next GTA doesn't work correctly on your machine, would you return it?" and if it doesn't work with your machine, even though your specs are over the minimum requriments wouldn't you return it?I'm sorry but you may have misread something, but this exactly is the reason behind the poll.

 

Oh, and i tried to make different aswers:

No.I would give the devs another chance to correct their mistake(s).-People who wait for a patch and might eventually return the game if a game breaking bug appears after the fix(es).

 

No.I think GTA games are perfect the way they are.- People who are really fans of the series, and i think there are a lot of them, let them have their own answer.A lot of people really think GTA games are perfect.In fact, some people don't even experience troubles with the game.

 

Yes.I want a game that i can play with. -People who think the game needs to be a quality product right out of the box.A game that is polished at the day of it's release.Recently, Batman:Arkham Asylum was pushed back, the publisher stated it wanted to polish the game to make it perfect.Why can't most developers concentrate on this?

 

Yes.The patches take too long to make.- People who might wait for a patch but give up eventually.As we all know a GFWL game needs certification, and so does the patch file.The certification tends to be very long, many can give up during that time period.

Edited May 16, 2009 by Dcrysis02

[Black-hawk]

Sure would. I wonder if the same thing applies to operating systems, because a certain software giant would be forced conduct more tests on their product. Same applies to games. Plus it would, theoretically, reduce piracy.

 

I'm all for it.

 

 

Black-hawk waves the EU flag with pride

 

 

[NTxC]

I voted give them another chance, but there is no reason they could not have released a better product right off the bat. If it takes more time/testing then so be it. They should wait until it is ready rather than releasing it with so many problems. I for one am willing to wait.

Ditto. Exactly what I thought. I am somehow pretty sure that they won't disappoint us this time.

[liesofsilence]

no. GTA is an 18+ game. I reckon everyone who hit that age is selfsufficient enough to follow installation instructions. This is just another example of real life getting dumbed down. Furthermore, I don't like the European Union one bit. Hands off my GTA, you USSR EU!

It's not about installing the game. It's about developers who are making faulty games. Buying faulty games is like buying any other faulty product. Just because the disc is in good condition doesn't mean the game is. Most of today's games are released with more bugs then levels. Every single one needs more then 1 patch. And I think it's a good idea to return the game if they don't fix those bugs and glitches.

You don't have to buy games the day they come out. You can also firstly inform yourself on the internet and for example read a FAQ. You don't have to be on a bandwagon.

[TruXter]

So far my experience is the game is quite bloated with alot of stuff no onhe wants removed.

Hardware ios incapable of running the game, simply because the quality of the game exceeds

current component standards.

There are some people who have issues (as I had on one of my machines) that can be fixed

with hardware upgrades and mild tweaking.

[Tim Riches]

I'm pleased with GTAIV, despite the messing around I had to do to get it to run smoothly. On an AMD quad 2.4 with 3gb ram and a 1gb radeon no less, one that I bought just to play this game! I was a bit worried when I heard the "future systems" excuse, thinking I might not give a sh*t about it by the time better processing was available. Now I think I was wrong about that.

 

The thing is, this game kicks ass! It's hands-down the best of the franchise, the best of the genre (that R* itself defined) and arguably the best PC game ever made.

 

This game is worth every cent.

 

I still play it daily. Satisfied customer.

[floydbloke]

Why restrict this law change to games. There is plenty of other shoddy software being sold out there that is nowhere near ready formarket release.

 

I appreciate it's a complex industry and no application or game can be expected to be bug-free, I guess the question is what is the definition of good-enough. In the case of GTA IV, the initial release and all subsequent patches have been good enough for me. I've been pretty conservative with settings with realistic expectation and have thoroughyl enjoyed the game from day 1 and continue to do so. Had the odd lock-up but no more so than numeorous other games or MS Word or Excel.

 

In saying that, going by this forum many folk have experienced lots of frustrating problems and they should have the right to get a refund. Here in NZ we have pretty strong consumer laws around 'fit for purpose' (very ambigious for any type of software of course) with the onus on the retailer (i.e. not the manufacturer/publisher/distributor) to either 'repair' or refund for the end customer. Given some of the inherent bugs in the early releases of this game, if I had had the negative experiences that some have suffered I could have (and would have) waltzed back into the shop and demanded my money back.

[GamerShotgun]

One chance... no more. If they f*ck up the first patch, the games going right back to their headquarters or the retailers. Simply because they think we are money sources and do not care about us as consumers.

 

IMO, this is the best decision and it would make a difference in GAMING after all. Another reason why the number of pirated copies would drop.

[Jigglyass]

I don't have any problems with IV aside from the insane system regs, furthermore bug wise no one is perfect and for such game, such big magnitude ive seen this sh*tstorm coming, it was not hard to predict....

I think that rockstar could of said "well f*ck their sh*t" and not bothering releasing the next GTA to PC, id rather have it on PC with bugs then not have it at all.