Redownloading

[agusto]

Saying "the download link expires" does not imply that "you will no longer be allowed to download the installer without paying an additional fee".

You are are right on that one! Saying the downloadlink expires implys that you will not be able to download the product at all after it expired.

[Rocky Balboa]

Saying "the download link expires" does not imply that "you will no longer be allowed to download the installer without paying an additional fee". They are very different things first of all, as I have illustrated many times in this thread. Second of all, there is no reason you would jump to that conclusion since that type of policy is unprecedented amongst digital distribution services.

I wish you guys would stop complaining about this and just pay the $5. I'm afraid BF might start taking seriously what they posted in the TOS and just say tough luck. Sorry your backup failed, pay full price for another copy.

As others have mentioned, that's what would happen with any other Dev/publisher ....

[cool web head]

I can see trying to use analogues to this situation was a mistake, since everyone is unable to reason about them properly and is in fact ignoring my own points to make up whatever scenario will support their position. I realize you're probably thinking the same thing about me, so let's just move on from using analogues.

Actually, the instruction IMPLIES that you would pay a FULL re-purchase price outside the 1 year/10 download timeframe. Pretty cool that it's only $5. That's the part where it tells you what BFC will do for you in exchange for the $55 purchase price. It's called a contract. No commercial transaction outside that contract is implied.

No it doesn't, and I've explained why that is an irrational conclusion to jump to based on the "how it works" steps already.

Well, see above. If you don't TEST your backup, your strategy is really just HOPING that it works. The odds of a PROPER backup failing simultaneously with the original are zero.

It's plainly obvious that a "backup" on the same media is not a backup, and that a backup that is untested is a little naive. No one has suggested otherwise, and OP never indicated thats what he did. Unless you're suggesting that you test your back ups daily or hourly, there is still a non-negligible chance that the backup media will fail in the interim between tests. I would also like to re-state here, that no other digital distribution service (even companies smaller than battlefront) asks its customers to test and re-test their back up drives to avoid additional charges.

The policy is not unprecedented. When I buy games, I NEVER assume I get to buy it twice.

You making a different assumption would not set a different precendent for digital distribution services. I don't even know what you could possibly mean here.

Seriously: How is this exploitive?

I've explained multiple times why its misleading. It's exploitive because customers are never told they will have to purchase an additional link, and then later they are forced to purchase an additional link to access the game they were already told they bought.

(Reminds me of the video of Tom Morello (sp?), of "Rage Against the Machine" leading an Occupy Wallstreet chant against corporations, all while strumming his corporation produced guitar, given the free time gained by his recording corporation proceeds, financed by the music distribution corporation, aided by the concert corporation, to listeners who adore him based on cd's and itunes distributed and produced by yet more corporations. And this multi-millionaire is telling these people that corporations exploit them. That is a classic.)

This is totally ridiculous. I have no interest in what you think about Tom Morello or OWS.

If you are going to post again, please read my other posts first. Much of what you said here are points I already addressed earlier in the thread.

[Ron]

Moon wrote: But we are selling you a game, not an online service, and once the item you purchased is delivered, be it by mail or online, the transaction is completed as far as we are concerned. If the dog eats your disc you will be in the same situation as if it eats your backup, and while we do support fans who bought from us and are in the unfortunate situation to have lost their game, we do need to offset our cost in some way (and btw, the aforementioned storefronts and online clubs do, too, just in a less obvious way).

I am reposting the above for the comprehension challenged types, emphasis mine. After rereading the terms of sale, I agree that if any assumption is to be made, then it is that after the 365 days expired and you lost your game, you would be required to repurchase, period. The assumption that you would be able to redownload in perpetuity is wishful thinking to put it mildly, really more like clueless.

igbee - I call troll because the OP and now "brian-fair-service" with zero history of activity in the community suddenly show up with their trick pony show. Go figure.

[cool web head]

EDIT: BTW i also doubt that BFC gets lots of money from the 5$ ppl have to pay for additional downloads. I dont think that many customers use that service.

I agree, which is why I find the decision to alienate customers with this policy in an effort to make 5 bucks pretty confusing. Personally I have dissuaded 6 people from ever buying any battlefront products again, and apologized for recommending this game to them in the first place. That is probably 100s of dollars lost in exchange for a chance to make a quick 5 bucks.

[cool web head]

I am reposting the above for the comprehension challenged types, emphasis mine. After rereading the terms of sale, I agree that if any assumption is to be made, then it is that after the 365 days expired and you lost your game, you would be required to repurchase, period. The assumption that you would be able to redownload in perpetuity is wishful thinking to put it mildly, really more like clueless.

I have already explained why it is unreasonable to conclude that you would have to repurchase the game, but reasonable to conclude that there would be no additional charge to get a new link. There is no need for everyone to keep restating that they think they should have to buy the game again if they happen to lose their backup.

igbee - I call troll because the OP and now "brian-fair-service" with zero history of activity in the community suddenly show up with their trick pony show. Go figure.

Check again, I posted a thread and made a couple posts several months ago.

[igbee]

I am reposting the above for the comprehension challenged types, emphasis mine. After rereading the terms of sale, I agree that if any assumption is to be made, then it is that after the 365 days expired and you lost your game, you would be required to repurchase, period. The assumption that you would be able to redownload in perpetuity is wishful thinking to put it mildly, really more like clueless.

igbee - I call troll because the OP and now "brian-fair-service" with zero history of activity in the community suddenly show up with their trick pony show. Go figure.

No problem. Many players are either lurkers or simply don't post. It's very possible this user was just frustrated or angry so the user would not have a post count. Just something to think about.

I have been a member for a while now yet have posted only a handful of times. Does this make me a troll?

[cool web head]

As others have mentioned, that's what would happen with any other Dev/publisher ....

For like the tenth time, the opposite of this is true. This policy is unprecedented. No other digital distributor charges a fee to access the game after a certain period has passed.

[Ales Dvorak]

Two gamers, both with broken games, one gets a replacement and the other does not. The game is identical for both players. The only difference was how they chose to take delivery of it when they initially purchased it.

And another difference is price. It is the same for digital (only) d/l and by mail (DVD).Digital d/l has no additional S&H costs, but in my case DVD costs me additional 27$ for S&H = 5,4 redownloads. .....hmmmm

[Rocky Balboa]

I agree, which is why I find the decision to alienate customers with this policy in an effort to make 5 bucks pretty confusing. Personally I have dissuaded 6 people from ever buying any battlefront products again, and apologized for recommending this game to them in the first place. That is probably 100s of dollars lost in exchange for a chance to make a quick 5 bucks.

let me see if I understand this ... and I'm really trying here ....

A. If BF charges $5 to download the game after 365 days you are unhappy.

B. If BF makes you pay full price for the game after 365 days you are unhappy.

C. The only way you are happy is if BF lets you download as many times as you want from date of purchase until when exactly? Infinity? Forever? .... How long should BF reasonably allow you to download the game for free after purchase?

[scmerc224]

The only reasonable policy would be for me to have to pay 55 dollars every time I want to look at the icon on my desktop!

Hell I think its a travesty that they even let me play it without paying at least 4 times.

[agusto]

I have already explained why it is unreasonable to conclude that you would have to repurchase the game, but reasonable to conclude that there would be no additional charge to get a new link.

Your conclsion is incorrect. It has been stated multiple times why this is so.

[scmerc224]

First of all, calling me a "damned fool" is both insulting, ironic, and humorous. YOU are an idiot. Really. We'll go over the facts, as you seem mentally incapable of doing so.

From the Battlefront.com storefront, in a very attention-getting style:

1. Purchase your game (no need to login)
   
2. A Customer Account is created for you during the Checkout and you are automatically logged in
   
3. Download immediately after purchase (do not wait for emails)
   
4. Look up your License key inside your Customer account immediately (do not wait for emails). The same key is used for download and license activation.
   
5. Change your Username and Password for your account so you can log in later even if your anti-spam filter block the email with your generated password
   
6. Backup the installation files you downloaded! Downloads expire automatically after 365 days or 10 downloads. We do not offer digital storage for your purchased games.
   
7. Install, launch, activate and start playing!

Let's have you focus your feeble-minded attention at what is labeled number 6. Oh, that is BFC's bold.

If you had it backed up, you'd need 2 simultaneous failures. First, your main installation had to fail, then, simultaneously, your backup needed to fail. A failed backup is not a backup.

- You were instructed to backup your installation

- Even if you didn't, you still had a year to have 10 downloads. You must've had over a year, not something immediate.

- You said you backed it up. You lie.

- You hint that you may've had a hard-drive fail. Too bad for you.

- You state, my bold, that your installation was backed up and it crashed. You're an idiot.

- When told you've got to pull a 5 dollar bill out to replace a $55 game you purchased over a year ago, you bitch. You're cheap.

- When directly told why this isn't that big of an issue you become insulting.

Let's see where we're at, based on your exhibited and stated behavior: You're a lying, idiotic, cheap, insulting fool.

I usually give whiners a bit of leeway. I imagine they're spoiled, immature, pre-teens who are used to getting their way from their over-indulgent parents by the simple act of throwing a tantrum every time they want something. The fullness of time will usually correct such spoiled behavior.

Not in your case.

I do not think you are a pre-teen.

Now, I shall continue to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while I imagine how wretched your life must be for you to be so upset by your own incompetence. That's the humorous part.

Thank you for the smile and making the sun seem to shine a little bit brighter.

I'm glad that I was able make you smile you ****ing wretch and I do hope you continue to bow down to your battlefront masters in the future. Let me know what their smegma tastes like.

[cool web head]

let me see if I understand this ... and I'm really trying here ....

A. If BF charges $5 to download the game after 365 days you are unhappy.

B. If BF makes you pay full price for the game after 365 days you are unhappy.

C. The only way you are happy is if BF lets you download as many times as you want from date of purchase until when exactly? Infinity? Forever? .... How long should BF reasonably allow you to download the game for free after purchase?

C.

It's not as unreasonable as you're trying to make it seem, considering that much smaller developers do exactly that.

[Rocky Balboa]

For like the tenth time, the opposite of this is true. This policy is unprecedented. No other digital distributor charges a fee to access the game after a certain period has passed.

It's not as unreasonable as you're trying to make it seem, considering that much smaller developers do exactly that.

Please name a publisher that puts this kind of guarantee in writing and don't say steam or any other digital distribution service because they are a totally different animal.

[cool web head]

Your conclsion is incorrect. It has been stated multiple times why this is so.

No it hasn't, people just keep stating and restating they think they should have to pay full price again, and not explaining how they deduce that conclusion given the text during the payment process.

[scmerc224]

First of all, calling me a "damned fool" is both insulting, ironic, and humorous. YOU are an idiot. Really. We'll go over the facts, as you seem mentally incapable of doing so.

From the Battlefront.com storefront, in a very attention-getting style:

1. Purchase your game (no need to login)
   
2. A Customer Account is created for you during the Checkout and you are automatically logged in
   
3. Download immediately after purchase (do not wait for emails)
   
4. Look up your License key inside your Customer account immediately (do not wait for emails). The same key is used for download and license activation.
   
5. Change your Username and Password for your account so you can log in later even if your anti-spam filter block the email with your generated password
   
6. Backup the installation files you downloaded! Downloads expire automatically after 365 days or 10 downloads. We do not offer digital storage for your purchased games.
   
7. Install, launch, activate and start playing!

Let's have you focus your feeble-minded attention at what is labeled number 6. Oh, that is BFC's bold.

If you had it backed up, you'd need 2 simultaneous failures. First, your main installation had to fail, then, simultaneously, your backup needed to fail. A failed backup is not a backup.

- You were instructed to backup your installation

- Even if you didn't, you still had a year to have 10 downloads. You must've had over a year, not something immediate.

- You said you backed it up. You lie.

- You hint that you may've had a hard-drive fail. Too bad for you.

- You state, my bold, that your installation was backed up and it crashed. You're an idiot.

- When told you've got to pull a 5 dollar bill out to replace a $55 game you purchased over a year ago, you bitch. You're cheap.

- When directly told why this isn't that big of an issue you become insulting.

Let's see where we're at, based on your exhibited and stated behavior: You're a lying, idiotic, cheap, insulting fool.

I usually give whiners a bit of leeway. I imagine they're spoiled, immature, pre-teens who are used to getting their way from their over-indulgent parents by the simple act of throwing a tantrum every time they want something. The fullness of time will usually correct such spoiled behavior.

Not in your case.

I do not think you are a pre-teen.

Now, I shall continue to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while I imagine how wretched your life must be for you to be so upset by your own incompetence. That's the humorous part.

Thank you for the smile and making the sun seem to shine a little bit brighter.

Gotta say I'm loving the stockholm syndrome you have going on here. Would you be okay with these people raping you since theyre such a small company and obviously dont have enough money for high class prostitutes?

[cool web head]

Please name a publisher that puts this kind of guarantee in writing and don't say steam or any other digital distribution service because they are a totally different animal.

So you want me to list digital distributors who dont charge additional fees, but I can't list any digital distributors? Uh, whatever. Here's a list of a bunch of small companies who distribute their games digitally, and who let you download for free, forever just off the top of my head:

Indie Royale

GreenHouse (lets you download executables without even buying the game)

Cryptic Comet

Bay12Games (operated solely through donations, still provides unlimited free downloads)

Spiderweb software

Enormous Elk

I remember when taleworlds was still tiny and making mount and blade, that had unliimted free downloads. You guys will probably say their too big to be comparable now, but back then they werent.

Runic Games

Fractal Softworks

Goldhawk Interactive

[Wodin]

Well we get a few aren't happy..but it's a minority. I had to pay out once..didn't bother me. Infact I was happy it only cost me $5 as I was under the impression I'd have to buy them back at full price (again a HD crash lost my files). Now I have learnt and make sure they are backed up in several places including on a cloud service. Backing it up in just one place isn't enough. If you have something very important you should have at least three copies on three different devices or formats i.e separate hard drives\CD or cloud.

Everyone is going round in circles and I think really it's something over nothing and is all abit pedantic with regards to it not saying it will cost $5. Infact it states they will keep it up for 365 days and after that it's tough so back it up. However being good chaps they have let us get it back for $5.

If your not happy then don't buy anymore products from here and find another game to play and another forum\community to join. I also suggest to you that there are far worse things that can happen in your life and write it off as a minor annoyance and move on.

[scmerc224]

The only argument ive seen here is that I didn't back up my game. The external I backed my game up on failed and now it cant be accessed. Backing up a game doesn't make it infallible you witless cowards.

[Ranger33]

Please name a publisher that puts this kind of guarantee in writing and don't say steam or any other digital distribution service because they are a totally different animal.

Matrix Games? They are in pretty much the same type of business as BFC, albeit a bit bigger. I much prefer how they do things overall to be honest. (Heresy!) Plus their DRM is so much nicer to the paying customer.

[scmerc224]

Well we get a few aren't happy..but it's a minority. I had to pay out once..didn't bother me. Infact I was happy it only cost me $5 as I was under the impression I'd have to buy them back at full price (again a HD crash lost my files). Now I have learnt and make sure they are backed up in several places including on a cloud service. Backing it up in just one place isn't enough. If you have something very important you should have at least three copies on three different devices or formats i.e separate hard drives\CD or cloud.

Everyone is going round in circles and I think really it's something over nothing and is all abit pedantic with regards to it not saying it will cost $5. Infact it states they will keep it up for 365 days and after that it's tough so back it up. However being good chaps they have let us get it back for $5.

If your not happy then don't buy anymore products from here and find another game to play and another forum\community to join. I also suggest to you that there are far worse things that can happen in your life and write it off as a minor annoyance and move on.

Well I'm glad to see that you are okay with such a disgusting practice. Its a good thing you have no integrity or this would have offended you. Also dont look out the window the world is a scary place.

[Rocky Balboa]

So you want me to list digital distributors who dont charge additional fees, but I can't list any digital distributors? Uh, whatever. Here's a list of a bunch of small companies who distribute their games digitally, and who let you download for free, forever just off the top of my head:

Indie Royale

GreenHouse (lets you download executables without even buying the game)

Cryptic Comet

Bay12Games (operated solely through donations, still provides unlimited free downloads)

Spiderweb software

Enormous Elk

I remember when taleworlds was still tiny and making mount and blade, that had unliimted free downloads. You guys will probably say their too big to be comparable now, but back then they werent.

Runic Games

Fractal Softworks

Goldhawk Interactive

No I asked you to list a publisher that guarantees in writing that you can download free forever .... BF is not a digital distribution service they contract with 3rd party's to digitally distribute their products for a certain period of time ...

[Brindlewolf]

Well I'm glad to see that you are okay with such a disgusting practice. Its a good thing you have no integrity or this would have offended you. Also dont look out the window the world is a scary place.

No,don't you look out of your window,you might find me staring back at you.Now don't you think this trolling from you pair has gone far enough.

[scmerc224]

No,don't you look out of your window,you might find me staring back at you.Now don't you think this trolling from you pair has gone far enough.

Get off my lawn you ****ing freak.