Royston

It's good to hear a little from everyone, but let's get some things clear. First: intellectual property is something that be placed in a product again. And again. And again. This takes away the comparison of physical theft (e.g. stealing a TV). If I stole a TV, someone has one less TV. The problem with most copyright owners screaming that everyone who buys a pirated copy instead of buying one is cheating them of the price of the game is flawed logic. It cannot follow that 100% of people playing pirated copies would have bought an original copy otherwise. At the cost of $100, I'll either be playing a pirate copy, or NOT playing it. It can therefore be regarded a moral choice in cases where I would clearly not spend the money, and not a case in which I'm putting BTS out of business. People make doubtful moral choices all the time. Pre-marital sex. Drugs. Bar brawls. All. The. Time. Logical arguments don't make them disappear. Attacking the root of the issue will. e.g. why a bar brawl occurs, instead of why a bar brawl is bad. Second: I've stated that piracy is wrong. It's not justifiable. I thought you were reasonable Fionn, but it's apparent your emotions have gotten the better of you, and personal insults, such as saying I have no morals, have proven this. I have morals. If I didn't, I'd have just pirated the game, no questions asked. What I'm doing is to appeal to BTS to adopt a scheme to make it cheaper for overseas customers, such as licensing. Unlike a publisher, licensees will be happy to pay a fee and take over from there. Third: I am NOT a pirate. A pirate is a primary infringer and is the person actually breaching the copyright. I am a secondary infringer, and hence not liable to criminal action. BTS may bring a civil action against any number of secondary infringers, but I guarantee that the costs of retaining counsel will far exceed the recovery of any damages. No one wants to hear the reasons for buying pirated software. Sure, the reasons may be illogical, and poor, but they make sufficient sense to some people to warrant the action. The word, perhaps, is pragmatic. Despite living in Asia, I've tried my best to do my bit for software developers. I'm not a morally outstanding person, like Fionn seems to think everyone who buys original games exclusively are (I hope you enjoy walking on water and raising the dead to boot), but for BTS to direct sell like its doing really makes it hard for people like myself. I'm ALREADY paying a premium buying original games, so to speak. Doubling the local price is not helping. It's not a difference of $8. It's a difference of $50. I don't know how rich you guys are, but that's a lot of money. Well, at least at my current income level. Morality only goes so far before pragmatism takes over. This is a global principle. If you think US always does the 'right thing' because its the world's guardian angel, you have another think coming. Here's a little test: let's say Intel makes a $700 chip. Along comes company X which makes the same chip at $50 by stealing Intel's designs. I think most of us would be patting ourselves on the back if we managed to get a company X chip and saved $650. Why? Bigotry in action? Cheat the small guys or the big guys - it's still the same thing. Big sin or little sin? I've tried to be as rational, as honest, and as straightforward as possible. For those who have recognised that, I sincerely thank you. This will be the last post to a thread I very much regret having started. As Fionn has kindly pointed out to me, my shortcoming was feeling morally conflicted and attempting to solve it publicly. It appears that one is either a software thief or an ardent supporter of original software and there is absolutely no middle ground. I concede the moral highground and retreat to the shadows where I suppose I belong.

Scott, thanks for the suggestion. I think I will check out eBay for a good price instead, since you're probably right about people seeking to dump Combat Mission when they find out it's not an RTS. John, my internet connection is free. PeterNZ, if BTS is going to be competing with Asian prices, don't you think that's going to be a major stumbling block for sales, given the widespread, almost rampant piracy? aaronb, having been through the military, peer pressure isn't as easy to ignore as it sounds. I've done things, far worse things, than buy pirated software. Peer pressure isn't solved by reading a book. Conformity is a societal norm. The society here condones piracy. It's not just my friends. They know it's 'wrong', but the cost of following copyright laws doesn't make any sense to them. Part of the issue is availability: if every pirated game cost only US$3, could be replaced if defective, was available within 10 minutes walking time of your house and your entire neighbourhood condoned the purchase (or prefers it), I wonder if you'd be making the same condemnations. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm just better off keeping quiet and and just ripping game companies off, instead of telling them the extent of the problem. I feel like I'm being targeted for having a serious problem with choosing and voicing it. However, I'm happy that most of the people in this thread have been rather rational. Those who have not, well, you know who you are.

All of you have made your valid points. Yes, piracy shouldn't be justified by price. It is not (well, unless there's a monopoly). What I'm really saying is this: I'm being frank. If you don't like to hear the bitter truth about why people buy pirated games, fine. Flame me. Go ahead. Hey, I deserve it. But at the same time, listen. I'm one of the few people who are willing to express the precise reason for choosing a pirated copy over an original one. It may be a bad reason, but it is MY reason. If BTS desires to convert me, what I have to say is important. If it seeks to continue on its course, fine. The problem is this: I can buy two top-quality original games providing me maximal enjoyment for the price of one Combat Mission. I have thoroughly enjoyed Homeworld. I suspect I will thoroughly enjoy CC4 (whenever that comes). I think Combat Mission is great, but for me, it is TOO EXPENSIVE. So I give it a pass. The next problem is this: it is WIDELY AVAILABLE AS A STAMPED PIRATED COPY. My friends will be playing it. My friends will be asking why I am not playing it. I tell them I can't afford it. They laugh. They ask me why I want to fork out S$100 for a manual and a box (given that I already fork out S$40 right now). Whatever moral reasons I spout sound puritanical and stupid. My good friend buys me a pirated copy for US$3 out of pity. I play it. Guilty? Yes. Blameworthy? Yes. I make no excuses for my behaviour; I am wrong and I wish I had the strength (or money) to do otherwise. But I don't. BTS can either take that to their marketing department and figure something out for their overseas sales, or they (and you) can blame me and do nothing. Royston

Well, Singapore's economy is an irrelevant consideration, and I took that as an unnecessary slight stemming from typical caucasian arrogance. Yes, now perhaps you feel as offended as I did. For your information, the average sedan here costs about US$100,000, and we have a problem controlling purchasing. The economy is most certainly NOT a problem. The real problem lies with the fact that new and lauded games such as Homeworld and even Ultima Ascension are going to be shipped in at half the price of Combat Mission for shelf sales. Although one may be deservedly proud of the quality of Combat Mission, I don't think I'd go so far as to say that so much more effort and production values went into Combat Mission than say Close Combat(and certainly not twice as much). Imagine the effect on sales for a product to be put on the shelves costing twice as much as every other product. Unless it's a product that can let one walk on water or create a pillar of flame, I don't think sales will be that good, even if the game is critically acclaimed. And we all know too well how realistic wargames are received by the triggerhappy FPS crowd. Buying Combat Mission just makes no fiscal sense. There is also the added danger of the package not arriving intact; there will be no immediate remedy since the supplier is overseas. If BTS desires to sacrifice foreign sales, then so be it. I can be pretty sure that the pirates will have it out here for US$3 and it will not be a warez copy, mind you; it will be a stamped CD (plus case). At these prices, I can't afford to support BTS. The alternative is not pretty, and the irony is that the better the game, the stronger the temptation. Royston

I was looking forward to this title, when I came across a NG post stating that the product would be available only through the Net. I was a little hesitant, but I figured, "What the hell, it's a great game." Unfortunately, it appears that the price for the program is $45 with an additional $18 for overseas shipping. This is a total of US$63 which is roughly S$100+ (yes, I live in sunny Singapore). That amount of money is more than twice what any other game would cost (Homeworld is S$48). That pretty much ended my hopes of playing the game... except through pirate copies (da da dum!). Just thought BTS would like to know, because this is a REALLY prohibitive price, and would certainly be a huge shove for people overseas to obtain a warez copy. Royston