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[Sir_Crocodile]

Update:

Charles Cecil from twitter (cheers shiggy)

Just back from short trip to find lots of passionate communications re BS5 Backer’s Edition requiring Steam installation.

Clearly misjudged strength of feeling re DRM on BS5 Backer’s Edition so we will gladly offer DRM-free DVD for those who want it

So all ok now. It's backer only so I can't show it, but there were a lot of incensed $100/$250 backers posting on the earlier kickstarter update, which is what he's referencing.

-------------
Backstory first - revolution promised that BS5 would be drm free - this can be seen in the faq, at the bottom of the main KS page for the project we have:

Will the game be DRM free?

Yes, absolutely!

No caveat there. But some backers have gotten their physical copies and noticed that there is. Rev's response, in a "backer only" update?

Dear Backers,

Thank you for all the feedback you have kindly given on your Kickstarter Special Edition Boxed Game. The response has been really positive, but some concerns have been raised about DRM.

If you have received your game, you will know that the Broken Sword 5 game disk requires a Steam account. We apologise if this is not what you expected. We accepted the preference of the distributor that produced both the Kickstarter Exclusive Boxed Game and the Collector Edition that this approach offered the best user experience, particularly in regard to updates and optimisations.

From the start we offered a DRM-free alternative version of the game to backers on all platforms, and for all pledge levels. This was something we promised at the beginning and we’ve endeavoured to fulfil this. However, with over 3,000 Kickstarter boxes to be made and sent out, there were decisions that had to be made that would please some but not others.

Apologies to anyone who feels disappointed - we have done our best to try and ensure that those who loyally supported the project get great rewards.

Best wishes,

Charles Cecil and the Revolution Team

Basically they're trying to worm out of it, no mention of doing anything about it - apparently we shouldn't have taken their promise at face value. There's some fairly angry comments on their KS, I'm hoping the backlash will be enough to force them to repress replacement discs and send them out, but I'm shocked at their very casual dismissal of their pledge to be drm free.

 

[geomon]

Is it just me or are more of these Kickstarter people lying to their contributors? I mean we just had the whole Yogcast thing.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Is it just me or are more of these Kickstarter people lying to their contributors? I mean we just had the whole Yogcast thing.

This is from one of the oldest computer game companies still going though. I expect better things from Revolution.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I actually dig the backer only DRM free copy as a caveat but not the lack specifying such on the KS campaign.

 

[Famassu]

I got the GoG version in addition to the Steamed physical one. Don't have a problem with this.

 

[moltonasty]

Recently there's been a LOT of shady things going on with kickstarters. Yogscast, Areal, this one, the controversy over Mighty No 9 adding a second kickstarter, etc, etc.

Pretty inexcusable to straight up lie to the people who funded your game. smh.

 

[Ceebs]

Not defending them, but other than Steam being required for the download is there additional DRM? As in can you launch the game without Steam? Like Divinity: Original Sin can be launched without steam running even if it is the Steam version.

 

[YianGaruga]

So a DRM free version exists, but instead of putting that one on the disc they decided to put one on it that requires a Steam account and key? Why not just give both, a DRM free version on disc AND a Steam key for easy updates and support?

That really makes no sense.

 

[ArtHands]

They should have spill it all out before release at least.

 

[Alucrid]

I got the GoG version in addition to the Steamed physical one. Don't have a problem with this.

Hm, so looking at the tiers if you got a boxed copy that has the Steam DRM, then you also should have access to a digital copy from GoG free of DRM?

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

So a DRM free version exists, but instead of putting that one on the disc they decided to put one on it that requires a Steam account and key? Why not just give both, a DRM free version on disc AND a Steam key for easy updates and support?

That really makes no sense.

If you read between the lines of their update, it makes perfect sense - the company pressing the game are also making the retail version, and they would have charged Revolution extra to make two different cds.

Basically revolution are penny pinching.

 

[LiK]

I prefer Steam but this is BS. They promised DRM-free and it should be DRM-free.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Hm, so looking at the tiers if you got a boxed copy that has the Steam DRM, then you also should have access to a digital copy from GoG free of DRM?

Yes. However, if they had said this when they launched the kickstarter, they wouldn't have gotten as much as they did, as anyone who was only interested in drm-free would have pledged $15 instead of $100.

 

[Famassu]

Hm, so looking at the tiers if you got a boxed copy that has the Steam DRM, then you also should have access to a digital copy from GoG free of DRM?

yes

 

[Brakke]

Kickstarter isn't a preorder service.

The whole point is "we don't actually know what this will look like yet because we haven't seen the project through".

 

[moltonasty]

Will the game be DRM free?

Yes, absolutely (not) !

.

 

[Instro]

Yes. However, if they had said this when they launched the kickstarter, they wouldn't have gotten as much as they did, as anyone who was only interested in drm-free would have pledged $15 instead of $100.

Presably they paid 100 for all the excess collector shit.

Just download it from GoG and put it on a cd if a physical DRM free version is needed that badly.

 

[Bilix]

Kickstarter isn't a preorder service.

The whole point is "we don't actually know what this will look like yet because we haven't seen the project through".

That's not even the problem though.

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to make good on the rewards regardless of success or failure. They aren't.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Presably they paid 100 for all the excess collector shit.

the game's the centerpiece of that though. :/

Looking at other kickstarters in the past you see a lot less interest in those tiers which are physical gamebox stuff without actual game(which we see a fair bit now, digital game + physical trappings of the game).

Just download it from GoG and put it on a cd if a physical DRM free version is needed that badly.

That's...not the same

 

[Corpekata]

Recently there's been a LOT of shady things going on with kickstarters. Yogscast, Areal, this one, the controversy over Mighty No 9 adding a second kickstarter, etc, etc.

Pretty inexcusable to straight up lie to the people who funded your game. smh.

Comparing this to Yogcast and Areal is pretty over the top.

 

[Famassu]

Yes. However, if they had said this when they launched the kickstarter, they wouldn't have gotten as much as they did, as anyone who was only interested in drm-free would have pledged $15 instead of $100.

Anyone who can pledge presumably has an Internet connection to download the drm free copy from GOG. Everyone who pledged enough to get the physical copy also has access to the DRM free copy they can burn on as many discs or copy to as many memory sticks as they want.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Anyone who can pledge presumably has an Internet connection to download the drm free copy from GOG. Everyone who pledged enough to get the physical copy also has access to the DRM free copy they can burn on as many discs or copy to as many memory sticks as they want.

Strangely enough a lot of people wouldn't consider that a "collectors edition".

 

[Instro]

the game's the centerpiece of that though. :/

Looking at other kickstarters in the past you see a lot less interest in those tiers which are physical gamebox stuff without actual game(which we see a fair bit now, digital game + physical trappings of the game).



That's...not the same

I dunno man this seems very ticky tacky, you have access to everything you wanted and the collectors edition looks like it should, there's really very little difference from what you have to what you want.

I'm not in your shoes though, personally if I'm after a collectors edition I want it for the physical stuff, I don't really care how I end up playing the game.

 

[Santar]

This was a very shady thing to do.
Point & click adventure fans are exactly the ones who care about this sort of thing!
Luckily I only backed this at the 15$ level and choose the gog version, but if I had gone for a physical tier I would've been very upset at receiving a steam version.
What's the point of owning a physical steam game, you can't install it without steam!
It's basically useless.

People behind kickstarter projects should really get their act together, there's been quite a few shady cases as of late. I could see a rising level of distrust towards kickstarter in general as a result.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Yes. However, if they had said this when they launched the kickstarter, they wouldn't have gotten as much as they did, as anyone who was only interested in drm-free would have pledged $15 instead of $100.

Be that as it may, I do think that the fact that the backers always have access to a GoG version should have been mentioned in the OP for the sake of fairness.

 

[Famassu]

Strangely enough a lot of people wouldn't consider that a "collectors edition".

I wanted all the other stuff that comes with the physical copy, a drm free copy of the game is secondary since I already have it. They gave a reasonable explanation as to why they did what they did, this isn't some scam comparable to some actually shady shit. Sometimes shit just doesn't go as planned, they didn't start this KS with the intention of not giving a DRM free physical copy.

 

[jrcbandit]

If I understand correctly the $100 tier also gets a digital DRM free from GMG, I don't see what the big deal is. You are getting a DRM free copy as they stated. Yes it isn't ideal but they aren't a big developer so they need to minimize costs when possible.

 

[Instro]

This was a very shady thing to do.
Point & click adventure fans are exactly the ones who care about this sort of thing!
Luckily I only backed this at the 15$ level and choose the gog version, but if I had gone for a physical tier I would've been very upset at receiving a steam version.
What's the point of owning a physical steam game, you can't install it without steam!
It's basically useless.

People behind kickstarter projects should really get their act together, there's been quite a few shady cases as of late. I could see a rising level of distrust towards kickstarter in general as a result.

The disc is already useless, they have access to the drm free GOG version which would be a faster install. The disc is a prop for the collectors edition regardless of what they sent out, unless you really wanted the experience of installing something from a CD like we did 15 years ago.

 

[Sendou]

Wait a second: am I just reading this wrong or what exactly was the problem to include both Steam and DRM-free versions on disk?

 

[Hasney]

Was pretty pissed off for people reading the OP, but that tier comes with a DRM free GOG copy anyway? Seems all good to me.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I do think that this is a fact that should be mentioned in the OP for the sake of fairness.

It's in the OP, it's in the revolution statement and has been from the beginning.

I wanted all the other stuff that comes with the physical copy, a drm free copy of the game is secondary since I already have it. They gave a reasonable explanation as to why they did what they did, this isn't some scam comparable to some actually shady shit. Sometimes shit just doesn't go as planned, they didn't start this KS with the intention of not giving a DRM free physical copy.

But they ended it that way, and without informing people at any stage.

If I understand correctly the $100 tier also gets a digital DRM free from GMG, I don't see what the big deal is. You are getting a DRM free copy as they stated. Yes it isn't ideal but they aren't a big developer so they need to minimize costs when possible.

The "big deal" is that they lied. If they'd been upfront, some people wouldn't have pledged that much.

Wait a second: am I just reading this wrong or what exactly was the problem to include both Steam and DRM-free versions on disk?

From the statement it seems like the distributor wanted drm for the general sale version, rev couldn't be bothered to pay for a different version for backers. That's only my interpretation though

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Project Creators are required to fulfill all rewards of their successful fundraising campaigns or refund any Backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill.

Just offer a refund. It is the only thing they will eventually do.

 

[AScotAbroad]

If you pledged for the boxed copy, you got a DRM-free copy from GoG too. They never said the boxed copy would be DRM-free.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

If you pledged for the boxed copy, you got a DRM-free copy from GoG too. They never said the boxed copy would be DRM-free.

They never said it wouldn't be either, and since their faq said

Will the game be DRM free?
Yes, absolutely!

The onus is on them to say "but only the digital part". The idea that kickstarter backers should have to prod at every single part of a pitch to see where it rings false - especially with such an eminent company as revolution - is patently absurd.

Though with recent events that does indeed appear to be the way we'll need to approach kickstarters in future.

 

[Deleted member 20920]

If they give a GOG copy to every backer I don't see what the problem is. And those comparing this to the likes of areal are just....I have no words... If this is the straw that breaks your future support of this company's future kickstarter, I'll say that choosing to focus on the least important problem means you just lose out of playing good games. I see the GOG version as a very good compromise, if it is a compromise in the first place.

 

[ZeroX03]

Not that big a deal. Consumers still get their DRM free copies. This is an unfortunate turn of events, but not a controversy or shady.

 

[Mr. X]

They got a drm-free version of their game. It's digital instead of physical. I can see being annoyed but I don't think a promise was broken here.

 

[Haunted]

Looking at the backer tiers on the KS page, it does state which versions are DRM-free.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets...73d005977a825417136ba38a_large.png?1348158595

The digital download version in the first tier is specifically marked as DRM-FREE, the boxed edition in a later tier is not. Seems pretty clear-cut to me. People in that tier are getting both a Steam version via the boxed disc and a DRM-free version via digital, exactly as advertised.


I get that some people have started to be wary of KS with some scammy attempts being exposed (and I think being vigilant is generally a good thing), but I don't think there's any sort of foul play going on here.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Suck when people break promises :\

 

[Sayad]

Wait a second: am I just reading this wrong or what exactly was the problem to include both Steam and DRM-free versions on disk?

Can't people then sell the steam code and keep the DRM free version(or or vice versa)? Still, even if that's the case they should have gave the DRM free version as they promised, let those who want it on steam buy it on steam.

 

[Fularu]

Can't people then sell the steam code and keep the DRM free version(or or vice versa)? Still, even if that's the case they should have gave the DRM free version as they promised, let those who want it on steam buy it on steam.

They did? You get both the DRM free version (digital download) and the boxed steam release (steam DRM).

 

[Tagyhag]

Looking at the backer tiers on the KS page, it does state which versions are DRM-free.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets...73d005977a825417136ba38a_large.png?1348158595

The digital download version in the first tier is specifically marked as DRM-FREE, the boxed edition in a later tier is not. Seems pretty clear-cut to me. People in that tier are getting both a Steam version via the boxed disc and a DRM-free version via digital, exactly as advertised.


I get that some people have started to be wary of KS with some scammy attempts being exposed (and I think being vigilant is generally a good thing), but I don't think there's any sort of foul play going on here.

Hah, I guess people are jumping the gun just because of the Yogcast debacle.

That said, it is good to remain vigilant like you said.

 

[HyperZone<3]

they did deliver, and deliver well on all their promises, even after splitting the game in two. Yes, it came out a bit later then originally anticipated, but so has dang near every other successful KS game.

what I'm saying is, I gots no sour grapes.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

People who have received their copies are also saying that there is no mac/linux version on the disc.

This directly contradicts update #24

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ord-the-serpents-curse-adventure/posts/313168

CD/DVD box ($100+) will include, in addition to the digital and Android version:
- All supported systems (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- Your choice of English, German, or French box
- All supported languages and subtitles

 

[CecilRousso]

They messed up badly with this. I will be looking for compensation from them because of this. It doesn't have to be money, but something.

 

[Shiggy]

Revolution is handling the entire Kickstarter rather poorly. Backers still don't have access to the second episode of the Android version. The lack of communication with backers was another issue.

What Backers got for 100 USD is now also available for 50 Euros at retail. Putting a DRM version of BS5 on the backer disc is another pretty poor choice. Yes, backers got a DRM free version on the Humble Store, but I suppose most expected the disc version to lack any for of DRM too. For sure, if I were to back the game again, I'd go with one of the lower tiers without physical rewards.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

They messed up badly with this. I will be looking for compensation from them because of this. It doesn't have to be money, but something.

If what the backers who have already received their copies say about the missing mac/linux versions is true, I don't think think they have much of a choice but to repress discs. They can weasel their way out of drm-free(at the cost of the respect of a decent chunk of their backers), but if they really have not bothered to put the mac/linux versions on the disc, that's in direct violation of their promise.

 

[Elaugaufein]

Not really sure what the point of a Steam physical edition is though. Given you get an electronic copy for use, the only real point of a physical disk is either permanence (which a DRM wrapper like Steam has thwarts) or collection in which case the box will never be opened (in which case it may as well be blank as far as data goes).

Doesn't really seem malevolent though, since the DRM-free version was provided to backers and is for sale on GOG, so it doesn't seem like a commitment to DRM, just poorly thought out.

 

[inm8num2]

Some Kickstarter projects just keep making the same mistakes. Tex Murphy botched their launch with the whole DRM/DRM-free thing. I wouldn't be surprised if more of these games ship big boxes with installers for Steam rather than DRM-free copies of the games. It's embarrassing to watch these developers backtrack on their promises then try to sweep the issue under the rug.

I love Steam, but the whole point of having that big box is the longevity. People want to feel comfortable in the sense of being able to install the game in 5, 10, 20, or however many years and not require a third party client. Regardless of the semantics of what was or wasn't explicitly written or promised, it's clear there was a mutual understanding of what a big box entailed in terms of being DRM-free.

 

[hohoXD123]

Wouldn't say they lied about the DRM-free issue. If all backers got a digital DRM-free version then the FAQ is correct. The Mac/Linux issue seems like the much bigger problem though.