Author Topic: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Buyers  (Read 4817 times)

Offline MysterD

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Triton, which deals w/ Prey's DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION online to purchase and play, closes. This version REQUIRED you to be connected to their server to play -- and now, it's gone, since Triton is closing. So, many who bought Prey online from them, for now, are screwed.

Link:
http://forums.3drealms.com/vb/showthread.php?p=425005#post425005

    
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Triton Closes - Prey for a Solution [October 08, 2006, 11:25 am ET] - Viewing Comments
The 3D Realms Forums (thanks Voodoo Extreme) offer the news that the Triton digital distribution service is shutting down (or has already done so, as their site is 404 "not found" as of this writing). The service was responsible for the digital distribution and management of Prey, and without it running, download copies of the game cannot authorize and launch. Until things are cleared up further, even 3D Realms is unclear as to what this all means. Here's the post by web-guru Joe Siegler:

    After checking into it, we have been informed that the Triton service is shutting down - we should have some information about this situation shortly.

    I don't have any further information about how things will all play with with keys, reg codes, Triton, logging in, or anything else at this time.

    I'm looking into it - I swear, as soon as I have some more info on all this, I will let you know.

Obwando, of Triton, had this to say on 3D Realms' boards:
http://forums.3drealms.com/vb/showthread.php?s=f154be1d119cb54a4b3a5e2c8612122f&t=18634&page=20

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I know many of you are curious why I have been silent, and that is because of legal reasons, so this is not a statement I am making from the company's perspective. I can't go into details, but I can say that all users that purchased the game from Triton will not be screwed, or left out in the cold. There will be a patch that will remove the dependency from the live system and allow you to backup / copy and play your games. Next step will allow you to run the games direct without any of the triton code.

I am making sure I have permission to get this pach out first so that I dont run into legal issues. When some of the dust settles, I should be able to give a better picture. From my perspective on digital distribution, this is essential that the patch be released so that no one is left out in the cold and it doesnt get a mark against it.

I'm working with the guys at 3DR and HH for Prey. If you just purchased it and you didnt get a CD key, or have comments / flames (or not), drop me a line at [ thebox a.t. obwando.com ] and I will do my best to get things resolved as I move forward on my next project. That is my personal email box, and not a company address.

I told the community that I would support and resolve any of these things if it happened, and I intend to keep my word personally.

--Royal

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #1 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 11:20:24 AM »
Well, that sucks, but at least they seem to be fairly on the ball with providing a solution.  But damn, they should have given people some warning and done this shit *before* the service closed.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline idolminds

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Buyers
« Reply #2 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 12:15:53 PM »
This is where Steam-like digital distribution and more importantly, authorization is dangerous. If they go under, your games might be toast.

Now, just being able to buy online and download is fine if it doesnt have to "phone home" to work.

Offline iPPi

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Buyers
« Reply #3 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 12:43:11 PM »
That sucks. 

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #4 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 01:05:01 PM »
What idol said.  I would never buy a game that required net authorization to work.  Not fucking ever.  Except for HL2, which was a huge mistake.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #5 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 03:03:29 PM »
Well, that sucks, but at least they seem to be fairly on the ball with providing a solution.  But damn, they should have given people some warning and done this shit *before* the service closed.

Yeah, I agree -- they should've let people know they were going under sometime before the server went down. I bet many gamers were like, "WTF?!?!?!?"

And Triton should have probably had, if possible, the patch out before their server was gonna go kaput.

Quote from: Que
What idol said.  I would never buy a game that required net authorization to work.  Not fucking ever.  Except for HL2, which was a huge mistake.
But I'm sure not many people plan to probably play HL2: Single Player again, regardless of how great it is; hehe. :P What I mean is the HL games don't really have much replay value, you know, hehe. :P

I don't replay many games I finish -- I still trying to keep up w/ old and new games, myself.

Joking aside, I don't like the whole "Net Authorization" Requirement. It's stupid. I can understand it for a MP based game w/ a certain server to play over (like say an MMO like Guild Wars), but not SP components.

Quote from: idol
This is where Steam-like digital distribution and more importantly, authorization is dangerous. If they go under, your games might be toast.
Yes! This is what I don't like about digital distribution. There really does need to be some other sort of copyright protection method instead of this "Steam" style of authorization for buying online games.

I always found it silly that I have to "authorize" my copy of a Steam game that I bought at the store on DVD for myself!

Quote from: idol
Now, just being able to buy online and download is fine if it doesnt have to "phone home" to work.
Exactly.

I myself believe that once a game is no longer being supported by the designers w/ patches, the company should just remove the CR protection; it's not like they'll make much more $$ off it, since a lot of the $$ will probably already be made. And what would be even better, after removing the CR protection, make the game open source. Let the modders keep it alive, for centuries to come....

I mean, look at the original classic Doom. Doom is a classic example. A great game, that got a great mod community, eventually Id made it open source when they ended support on it, and the community still does stuff to it, and the retail game is still sold in publication being sold at stores. Activision still has in jewel cases at stores Doom for the PC -- and dirt cheap, too. It still SELLS, some 10 years later, yet I have trouble finding a copy of the masterpiece System Shock 2 these days. Maybe if more companies that made great games followed this model, their game some 10 or so more year laters will still be treated like Doom is treated.

I really hope that sometime once Valve is done, they remove Steam from their games. It'd be a shame to see Valve go under -- and well, their great Half-Life games no longer being played by anyone b/c they didn't remove their silly Steam protection.
« Last Edit: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 03:28:42 PM by MysterD »

Offline Cobra951

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #6 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 05:44:54 PM »
There it is.  Learn, people.  OK, so they're short-term screwed, but benevolent forces are working behind the scenes to un-screw them ASAP.  Is it so hard to conceive of a scenario where no un-screwing ever comes?

This greatly reinforces my bias against Steam and its ilk.  I will probably use it as an example in any future arguments.

Offline MysterD

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #7 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 06:34:58 PM »
There it is.  Learn, people.  OK, so they're short-term screwed, but benevolent forces are working behind the scenes to un-screw them ASAP.  Is it so hard to conceive of a scenario where no un-screwing ever comes?
I remember when PC games had ZERO copyright protection on them.....b/c CD burner drives weren't really commonplace!

For example, RTCW had ZERO copyright protection on it. ZERO.

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This greatly reinforces my bias against Steam and its ilk.  I will probably use it as an example in any future arguments.
Amen, Cobra.


Offline Cobra951

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #8 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 07:10:48 PM »
I remember when PC games had ZERO copyright protection on them.....b/c CD burner drives weren't really commonplace!

Well, OK, but do you see the fundamental difference?  The protection code is on the disc.  The disc is in your hand.  You have everything you need to run the software every day until you die.  You can argue that the disc could go bad, and without being able to back it up, then you're screwed.  Fine.  Assuming perfect copy protection (no such thing), you'd be taking the same chance you take on every product you buy: it may stop working someday, and you'll need to replace it, if it's still available.  That's life.  The whole online distribution system, when it forces you to tether to a mothership outside of your control, adds an extra layer of uncertainty--and worse, takes control of what you bought away from you.  All I have to say to any such proposal is "no, thank you".

Offline MysterD

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #9 on: Sunday, October 08, 2006, 07:52:04 PM »
Well, OK, but do you see the fundamental difference?  The protection code is on the disc.  The disc is in your hand.  You have everything you need to run the software every day until you die.
Agreed.

W/ digital protection, a la Steam, that's it, pretty much. You're screwed if you ain't connected.

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You can argue that the disc could go bad, and without being able to back it up, then you're screwed.  Fine.
You could always go back to the store and buy a new disc, though you'd spend more $....unfortunately....

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Assuming perfect copy protection (no such thing), you'd be taking the same chance you take on every product you buy: it may stop working someday, and you'll need to replace it, if it's still available.  That's life.
Right.

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The whole online distribution system, when it forces you to tether to a mothership outside of your control, adds an extra layer of uncertainty--and worse, takes control of what you bought away from you.  All I have to say to any such proposal is "no, thank you".
Steam pretty much makes you feel like you are renting their product -- and when you buy a product from Steam, you pretty much have to ask your mommy for permission to play the game...Valve being the mommy, of course, hehe...

If Steam does eventually go down, you think Valve would remove the need of Steam from their games?!?!

Offline idolminds

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Buyers
« Reply #10 on: Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 06:31:31 PM »
Solution

2K is mailing out new boxed copies to everyone that bought the game over Triton. It is being auto-mailed to the address tied to the credit card they used to purchase the download.

Offline Quemaqua

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #11 on: Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 06:34:12 PM »
That's not bad at all.

天才的な閃きと平均以下のテクニックやな。 課長有野

Offline MysterD

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #12 on: Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 01:40:03 PM »
That's good news. :)

Offline Xessive

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #13 on: Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 02:08:50 PM »
I like 3D Realms :)

Offline MysterD

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #14 on: Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 02:13:31 PM »
I like 3D Realms :)

And I'd like for DNF to someday be published.... ;)

Offline Xessive

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Re: Prey's Digital Distribution Service CLOSES -- Game Not Working For Online Bu
« Reply #15 on: Wednesday, October 11, 2006, 02:15:32 PM »
And I'd like for DNF to someday be published.... ;)
Haha Someday :P Besides the whole DNF issue, 3D Realms have never really disappointed me.