Rush Rally Racing has copy protection!?!!?

[the7k]

@ SpaceBooger
My thoughts exactly. I got to play Die Hard Arcade in the arcades. I got to play SF4 at a console stand at GameStop. I never got to play Zack & Wiki - and as a result, I didn't buy it. However, I'd at least have the option to rent it before I bought it. I can't do that with independent releases.

Indy games need demos far more than big names, in my opinion. People will buy big names regardless, thanks to GroupThink, familiarity and advertising - everyone is a little shaky about buying indy games, because they don't know if the creator is talented or not.

[SpaceBooger]

Im not going to argue the point of pirating, but I have to disagrees with your point about demos.
You mentioned many different games that you never had a demo for, but some of those were arcade ports so they kinda had demos - people could play them for a small price before dropping 20+ on the home version. Plus the big developers get more mainstream media coverage. The more media coverage and videos the less need for a demo.
So I do think that the little guys need demos, they need to get their name and product out there to the masses not just the select few on retro/Dreamcast fan sites. I preordered Pier Solar after playing the demo rom the had up for download. And I am now tempted to downloading and playing RRRR because with the copy protection it is technically a demo - if I like the game Ill drop the 20+ on it.

Most people don't play at arcades anymore and most games don't make it to the arcades. My mentioning a couple arcade games was a sort of happy coincidence. Plus, I said that I'd don't expect it and don't think a developer's options should be "make a demo or I pirate it, YAR!" I didn't say that it wouldn't help with sales. However, I don't think the "masses" would buy a new Dreamcast game if they knew about it or that a demo would somehow change that.

/begin rant
Although I personally think most people have pretty much made their minds up on whether they're going to buy a game before they play a demo. Now that's most people and in my opinion, so everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the matter. In my experience, people usually play them to get a taste of a game they can't wait to play or to just pass the time. I know I've downloaded more demos for games I am never going to buy or am going to wait to buy more often than I have for games I'm going to buy or am thinking about buying. Enough of that though .
/end rant

While you might actually buy the game if you like it, I don't think most people will. It's true that most of the people who steal this game probably won't play it long before getting bored, but I imagine a healthy amount will beat the game and say "Meh. That wasn't worth the 20 bucks." Correct me if I'm wrong, but you just have to endure that little message for a few seconds every time you want to play your burned copy of the game, right? I think most people would be willing to overlook that to avoid shelling out the 20 bucks.

I don't like giving pirates a sense of righteousness or a sense that they're morally "in the clear" with what they do, so at the end of the day I still think it's wrong to download a game just to check if you like it. If I go to an ice cream shop I appreciate getting free samples. But if they don't allow them, I don't think I'd have any right to just bust out my own spoon and scoop some out because "I never buy before I try."

And before some troll pops his head out from some dark pit in Hell to say "thas not a good example becuz the developers don't actually lose anything if I jus download it" try this - GO SCREW YOURSELF AND STOP TRYING TO NITPICK DETAILS TO IGNORE AND DISCREDIT MAIN POINTS.

Relax man. I am not encouraging piracy, I was just saying that you can't lump everyone into one category.
First of all do you have stats on whether or not people still go to the arcades? Does it matter how many people go there... the ones that do and like the game may buy it. Thats all I was saying.
As for demos, again you lump the majority into your own personal sterotype that demos don't encourage people to buy games. Like you, there are many games that I downloaded demos for and never bought the full version because I didn't like it or it wasn't worth the money... but the games I like I bought. Recent examples: Batman Arkham Asylum on Steam and Bit-Trip on WiiWare (the demo just came out on Monday.)
In the end every game developer needs to get their product known to the buyers... I am not saying pirating games does this or that its ok, Im just saying demos do help sell product - thats why they make them.

[equalsign]

Relax man. I am not encouraging piracy, I was just saying that you can't lump everyone into one category.
First of all do you have stats on whether or not people still go to the arcades? Does it matter how many people go there... the ones that do and like the game may buy it. Thats all I was saying.
As for demos, again you lump the majority into your own personal sterotype that demos don't encourage people to buy games. Like you, there are many games that I downloaded demos for and never bought the full version because I didn't like it or it wasn't worth the money... but the games I like I bought. Recent examples: Batman Arkham Asylum on Steam and Bit-Trip on WiiWare (the demo just came out on Monday.)
In the end every game developer needs to get their product known to the buyers... I am not saying pirating games does this or that its ok, Im just saying demos do help sell product - thats why they make them.

That last bit wasn't directed at you. I must have sounded more aggressive than I meant to be in my last post, because I'm not pissed or anything. I had been up all night studying before I wrote that so I guess my irate tone must have come through. Anyways, I said repeatedly that many of the arguments I said were my opinion and observations. For example, I have many friends who are into gaming. I've known a lot of people who play games. But I have never met someone (IRL) who has bought a game they pirated because they liked it. Never. Not once. And yes, I am aware of the pirating habits of my friends and a surprising number of other people.

I really don't get why you keep going back to that arcade bit. I mentioned a few arcade style games because those those were my recent purchases. It really wasn't part of my argument to begin with and quite frankly I'm not going to argue about the state of arcades. I've seen 4 local arcades (if you count my residences in Utah and California) close down over the last few years and not a single new one go up. The state of the business is pretty well known within the arcade industry from what I understand (based on things I've read and heard from a friend in the business of old school games and cabs), so if you have stats that say otherwise I'd be interested to see them.

The bit about the demo was a rant. It was late/early and my head wasn't on very straight, so I didn't have the better judgment to just not say anything about it since it really wasn't very relevant to the topic of pirating a game to demo it. And like I said, that's my opinion and personal observations. What I was getting at was that for most of the games I or people I know demo, my mind is already made up on whether or not I'm going to buy it at full price. For example, when I downloaded the Lost Planet demo it wouldn't have mattered how good it was. I wasn't going to buy it. Spontaneous gaming purchases are few and far between with myself and most of the people I know. I can only think of two occasions where playing the demo specifically convinced someone I knew to get a game they weren't already (or at least most likely) going to get already. But once again, this isn't relevant.

I've already said that I agree that a demo would help with sales. If you don't buy a game because you can't demo it, that's fine. Not having the option to rent a game does not give someone the right to pirate it. I had a stressful and busy past few days so if that message got cluttered and made unclear by my ranting, I understand.

What I'm seeing is people pirating the game and using it not having a demo as an excuse. If it wasn't that, we'd just have more people saying that they're not paying 20 USD for a Micro Machines clone that they for some reason need enough to steal.

[CAv]

Nice! This game wasn't ever going to make a lot of money, but they're still supporting the Dreamcast! How about we support them and not steal from them.