22 replies to this topic

[Doubler]

Apparently a commercial site is underway to sell 'older' (taken broadly, looking at their lineup) games with support.

Here's the link.

Probably a discussion suited to AB better, but I thought I'd try here first. Anyone think such initiatives could influence (the) abandonware (community)? Any thoughts?

[_r.u.s.s.]

maybe it's another self named publishers who just get their old games, sell it for money and don't have any official rights

[Frodo]

Hmm, I like that they are adding XP \ Vista support, but I don't think it will affect the abadoned community at all.  

They are selling DOWNLOADS - they are not selling game cds.  So I think they keep the original, and sell the download again and again.  It's doubtful that copyright holders for the games would know about this.

[Doubler]

They're making deals with the copyright owners
Rather, directly with the companies to distribute the older games. They don't own the rights, they're granted the right to sell them in name of the holder.

And digital distribution certainly doesn't equate selling the exact same volume/serial again and again. Every sold game is a unique instance, based off a gold master, no less then a CD is.

[Frodo]

If you get the cds, boxes and stuff, then great  

[Doubler]

No you don't. You get/purchase the right to use the software (a liscence) and a way to download said software
This is no different at all then when you buy a game in a physical format (other then that you get less - why I don't like digital distribution); then too you buy a liscence to use the software and the peripheral materials (which you technically 'borrow', although that depends on the country you're in as in many such a thing isn't legal).

[Frodo]

Ah, okay, sorry I got the wrong idea

But as I said, it's good that they offer support

[Blood-Pigggy]

This is being done by CD Projekt which is known for The Witcher.

Apparently these games will all have working XP support.

[Flop]

It sounds ok, I guess, but I'm not a big fan of digital distribution. I prefer to have the box, the cd's/dvd's and the manual. I guess I might use it for games that are impossible to obtain otherwise, though.

I guess Abandonia and other places may have to remove a number of titles, if they're being sold legally by this place, but there are other abandonware sites that don't care about that. Anyway, abandonware is illegal whether the games are still being sold or not, so unless this new site starts threatening with lawsuits I don't think it will change the abandonware community much.

Does anyone know what the beta test they're mentioning is for?

[Doubler]

Probably of the distribution system, whatever it may be. How payment is handled, games are downloaded, managed, etc.

[a1s]

guys, there is no game older than 10 years in that lineup, Abandonia is safe.

As for XP support, all the ones I played among them didn't need any tweaking at all to work in XP (with sound video and everyting)

[Docktor_Worm]

looks like a pretty tight lineup, if not a tad overpriced IMO

[Doubler]

Just FYI, that's not supposed to be everything

[Docktor_Worm]

well no crap, but you cant go wrong with sacrifice, fallout, operation flashpoint, and giants

[_r.u.s.s.]

man they're gonna have so much fun with solving fallout 2 random crashes