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Wipeout HD getting in-game ads!

LiK

Member
Mr Jared said:
I don't. It's an ad on a loading screen. I don't know about you, but I'm not even paying attention to the TV during the loading screen ... it's your chance to check twitter between games :lol

Edit: lawl, caught with the stealth edit. I thought I was playing into the GAF hyperbole meme :lol

Seriously though. I really don't care and I had to pay for both Wipeout HD and Fury, so I probably have the right to be upset.

one thing's for sure, any future add-ons won't be day 1 purchases for me. gonna wait and see if they decide to put mcdonald logos into the menus :lol
 
One more thing to note that's been getting overlooked:

There was no official update to add these commercials. I have the game and the expansion, but I have no ads because I haven't been online since I bought it. But my friend across town told me about the ads, and I said "great, I just won't get the update", and he tells me there wasn't one. He never agreed to a download of any type. This isn't part of the Fury update, nor is it part of a version update download. It's a complete stealth update that occurs without your permission.

I'm curious whether you even have to run the game to get "infected", or if just having your PS3 online will prompt the stealth install. I'll find out on Thursday when I buy some new Rock Band songs.
 

Zeliard

Member
NullPointer said:
Ads are bad enough, but at least you can make the choice about whether you'd mind them or not before purchase.

Ninja patching this in is all kinds of wrong and fucking shameless. That's the real problem here.

And at the very least - patching in new functionality like this, after the fact, should be grounds enough for a refund.

This reminds me a lot of that whole Amazon Kindle debacle with Orwell's books. For whoever hasn't heard, long story short, Amazon suddenly decided that they'd no longer be providing those books (namely 1984 and Animal House, hardly unpopular novels) through Kindle - whether or not you had already paid for them. They offered a refund, but this understandably left a number of people pissed off. You buy a book, or most anything, and you usually expect to be able to keep it.

Don't mess with a consumer's product after they've already paid for it unless it's to fix an issue or add functionality (i.e. a game patch) - never to remove something that isn't causing technical issues with the product itself, and never to add something that is entirely unnecessary and even distracting.

Mr Jared said:
I sure don't. It's an ad on a loading screen. I don't know about you, but I'm not even paying attention to the TV during the loading screen ... it's your chance to check twitter between games

It would be different it were Fight Night style, with replays screaming "That INCREDIBLE ELIMINATION was brought to you by [loading] BURGER KING and the delicious FLAME BROILED WHOPPER. Burger King, reminding you to have it ... YOUUUUR WAAAAAY."

But it's not. It's random, but it's not intrusive.

I would certainly hope it doesn't require ads to get to that stage for them to be considered intrusive. They can be intrusive through their existence in the game alone. When you have a very clean, crisp and detailed aesthetic that's dominated by various abstract curves, lines, and a wild explosion of colors, and you plop down some goofy pseudo-hip State Farm ad on top of it, it's intrusive.

Edit: Oh, you and your stealth edits. ;)
 

corn_fest

Member
Regarding how the ads get into the game, I downloaded the 2.0 update but I haven't had my PS3 online since, and I haven't got the ad yet. So it may be stealth downloaded or streamed. Don't have Fury, by the way.
 

Shurs

Member
Leondexter said:
One more thing to note that's been getting overlooked:

There was no official update to add these commercials. I have the game and the expansion, but I have no ads because I haven't been online since I bought it. But my friend across town told me about the ads, and I said "great, I just won't get the update", and he tells me there wasn't one. He never agreed to a download of any type. This isn't part of the Fury update, nor is it part of a version update download. It's a complete stealth update that occurs without your permission.

I'm curious whether you even have to run the game to get "infected", or if just having your PS3 online will prompt the stealth install. I'll find out on Thursday when I buy some new Rock Band songs.

I had to install a patch (2.0?) a little while before Fury was released. I assume the groundwork for the ads was in that patch.
 
The thing that worries me that inevitably at some point someone, somewhere is going to realize that they can artificially extend load times for more ad revenue. I'm not saying Wipeout or Sony does this or will ever do this, I'm just saying.

And to the people complaining about people complaining about ads, the push and pull is the only thing holding back the more intrusive ads. The moment people stop giving a shit about ads is the exact moment they will give a shit.
 
Leondexter said:
One more thing to note that's been getting overlooked:

There was no official update to add these commercials. I have the game and the expansion, but I have no ads because I haven't been online since I bought it. But my friend across town told me about the ads, and I said "great, I just won't get the update", and he tells me there wasn't one. He never agreed to a download of any type. This isn't part of the Fury update, nor is it part of a version update download. It's a complete stealth update that occurs without your permission.

I'm curious whether you even have to run the game to get "infected", or if just having your PS3 online will prompt the stealth install. I'll find out on Thursday when I buy some new Rock Band songs.

the stuff for the ads was in the update just before fury hit. when u played wipeout hd, in the loading screen you would get some wipeout fury ads, so that's when it hit. ofc they didn't tell anyone, those sneaky bastards.
edit: damn it, beaten
 

edgefusion

Member
A big fuck you to everyone defending this, this is a bad trend and nobody should be supporting practices like this. I paid full price for WipEout HD and I do not expect to see any adverts in a product I've paid for. What makes it particularly bad is that they have patched them in at a later date which is downright shameful. Fair enough for some discreet trackside product placement which is easily ignored but loading screen eye-blasters? Hell no. I purchased the game, I gave you my money. I do not expect such blatant advertising stealthed in last minute.
 
chubigans said:
Might want to read the EULA/purchase agreement before you do.

I've read it. I also know that in the real world all sorts of things are possible, regardless of the text in some EULA. And would you argue that a customer really has no recourse, regardless of what functionality was added or disabled to digital content after purchase?

The only way to keep these kinds of activities from spreading is to A. withhold your dollars, and B. register your discontent with the parties responsible.

Its not like I'm not starting an internet petition here ;P
 
LiK said:
2.01 was the patch that probably added the ads. it was 109mb.

No. I have that patch and no ads. My friend, also here in Las Vegas, has it and does have ads. The only difference is that he's played online since the patch and I haven't.
 

Tyree

Neo Member
FrostuTheNinja said:
In Wipeout and Wipeout XL for the PSone, they both had GIANT Red Bull billboards you would drive by. That's actually when I found out about the product.


Red Bull has been around that long?
 
in game ad's dont bother me so much as long as they are not out of place and i think these are!

Whats next Mario with the next gomba brought to you by the good folks at Reading Rainbow
 

dralla

Member
that video is BS, the bottom screen is a loading screen when you select "restart race". when you actually load a race it takes longer, with or without the ad. I just played Fury and it takes minimum 6 seconds to load a race
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
Leondexter said:
No. I have that patch and no ads. My friend, also here in Las Vegas, has it and does have ads. The only difference is that he's played online since the patch and I haven't.

The basic structure to load ads probably was in patch 2.01. But they have to take the ads from somewhere so they can change them without a patch. I guess that happens when you go online.
 

vocab

Member
dralla said:
that video is BS, the bottom screen is a loading screen when you select "restart race". when you actually load a race it takes longer, with or without the ad. I just played Fury and it takes minimum 6 seconds to load a race

Thanks for the clarification. I guess if ads don't slow down the experience it's not a big deal, I just wish they would match the aesthetics of Wipeout, instead of mixing modern day with the future. It just looks sloppy.
 

ultron87

Member
So will I be getting a refund for buying this last week now that advertisers are subsidizing the costs?

No?

I must admit I'm mildly perturbed by this.
 

jett

D-Member
ultron87 said:
So will I be getting a refund for buying this last week now that advertisers are subsidizing the costs?

No?

I must admit I'm mildly perturbed by this.

It's just a short 10 second video that plays while the game loads a race. It only shows up in online games, and not everytime.
 
Leondexter said:
One more thing to note that's been getting overlooked:

There was no official update to add these commercials. I have the game and the expansion, but I have no ads because I haven't been online since I bought it. But my friend across town told me about the ads, and I said "great, I just won't get the update", and he tells me there wasn't one. He never agreed to a download of any type. This isn't part of the Fury update, nor is it part of a version update download. It's a complete stealth update that occurs without your permission.

I'm curious whether you even have to run the game to get "infected", or if just having your PS3 online will prompt the stealth install. I'll find out on Thursday when I buy some new Rock Band songs.

By agreeing to the online agreement, you basically agree to anything they want to do. Its done with your permission because you're already agreed to it. They dont look that intrusive, and dont affect gameplay, so it shouldnt really matter.

PS. Jesus christ at the people expecting it free now. Look at how many games have advertising in them, and you still pay full price. This isnt something new that just happened. Stop having hissy fits.
 

Hcoregamer00

The 'H' stands for hentai.
You know, I don't mind ads as long as they are tastefully added in the universe.

That commercial for insurance would be funny as hell if they made a unique one based off the world of Wipeout HD's high speed ships and getting insurance coverage.
 
Zeliard said:
It shows up in single-player too.

Yep.

I was showing off some racerbox races/detonator, etc and the like, and the ad showed up every time.

I haven't played online, but I did load up the online menu once. Wanted to see if there was a spectate option so I'd get a feeling for what I was about to get into. Maybe just loading the online menu was enough to load the ads.
 

ultron87

Member
jett said:
It's just a short 10 second video that plays while the game loads a race. It only shows up in online games, and not everytime.

Yeah. That's why I'm only annoyed and not blinded with furious rage.

Though it would have been kind of funny if they had taken the in game ads to the logical extreme and replaced the manufacturer on the racers with actual companies. Ie I'm driving the "KFC $5 Fill Up Box Racer" instead of the Asegai car. At that point my anger probably would've been beaten out by my laughter.
 
Hcoregamer00 said:
You know, I don't mind ads as long as they are tastefully added in the universe.

That commercial for insurance would be funny as hell if they made a unique one based off the world of Wipeout HD's high speed ships and getting insurance coverage.

Drone
 

Gouty

Bloodborne is shit
gamerecks said:
Stop having hissy fits.

Stop being an apologist for this abhorrent practice.

They patched this garbage in AFTER people paid for it. If you say “eh, what’s the big deal” you’re just opening the door wider for worse, more intrusive advertising in every videogame.
 

jett

D-Member
Zeliard said:
It shows up in single-player too.

Oh well personally I haven't seen a single ad in SP. TBH I haven't seen the "commercial" ad at all, only the Fury one, previous to my Fury purchase. :) Maybe because I don't live in America or whatever? :p
 
dralla said:
that video is BS, the bottom screen is a loading screen when you select "restart race". when you actually load a race it takes longer, with or without the ad. I just played Fury and it takes minimum 6 seconds to load a race

It's not BS, that's exactly the point. Anything that used to load quickly will no longer do so if the ad comes up. That includes Zone events and choosing the same track/event again.


gamerecks said:
By agreeing to the online agreement, you basically agree to anything they want to do. Its done with your permission because you're already agreed to it. They dont look that intrusive, and dont affect gameplay, so it shouldnt really matter.

They're intrusive enough. And EULA's are full of stuff that isn't legal and will never hold up in court (or in some cases, has already been defeated, hence the state-by-state exclusions). There's lots of stuff in there that they hope will give the appearance of a legitimate binding agreement, but in many cases it's in direct opposition to established laws. And even if it isn't, it's not binding.

Once again, this is something that will be watched to see how successful it is. If we greet it with apathy or willing acceptance, it'll spread quickly. I for one am willing to say that I'm opposed. And I'll spend my dollars accordingly.

Also of note: if intrusive ads become more widespread, their removal will be one more way that pirated games are superior to purchased games. I've always been opposed to piracy. In fact, I'm a publisher's dream customer: I buy most games at launch, for full price, and almost never sell them or give them away. And I buy a lot of games. They should treat me better than this, don't you think?
 

Malvolio

Member
NullPointer said:
Well, I am demanding either an opt-out or a refund.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Please do let us know. I too feel that a refund is the right thing for Sony to offer. If this is a trend for Sony PSN games, I will no longer purchase them. As others have said, if this was there on day one and I was made aware of it in advance, I would have no complaint. However, to ninja these things in after the money has been paid is unacceptable.
 

corn_fest

Member
dralla said:
that video is BS, the bottom screen is a loading screen when you select "restart race". when you actually load a race it takes longer, with or without the ad. I just played Fury and it takes minimum 6 seconds to load a race

Video is not BS. He's not trying to show how long it takes to load a new track, both the top and bottom video are reloading the same track. It's showing that if you get the ad when reloading a track, it delays the loading to show the whole ad instead of being super quick.

Edit:
dralla said:
the ad does not come up on restart, ever.
Oh. That ruins my point then. Any proof of this?
 
Rapping Granny said:
Just like Xbox Live.

I don't know about the US, but all the 'ads' on Xbox Live in Australia are simply showing games that are coming out, or have just been released, or promotions to do WITH Xbox 360 or Xbox Live.

I'd hardly call that 'advertising' in the way most of you are whining about.

I personally don't give two shits about advertising in games, as long as I get to play the game. But what's happening in Wipeout here, sounds 'worse' than what happens on Live.

If anything, what Microsoft does is one small part in a bigger strategy to spread the word on games and sell more software, I hardly see that as an issue.

But again, I don't know what gets advertised in the US.
 

jett

D-Member
Some of you are so full of shit. I just timed the loading screen with a Zone race and it took 16 seconds. The 10-15 second ads are harmless. Shit before the pre-Fury patch loading a race would take around 30 seconds.
 
2 Minutes Turkish said:
I don't know about the US, but all the 'ads' on Xbox Live in Australia are simply showing games that are coming out, or have just been released, or promotions to do WITH Xbox 360 or Xbox Live.

I'd hardly call that 'advertising' in the way most of you are whining about.

I personally don't give too shits about advertising in games, as long as I get to play the game. But what's happening in Wipeout here, sounds 'worse' than what happens on Live.

If anything, what Microsoft does is one small part in a bigger strategy to spread the word on games and sell more software, I hardly see that as an issue.

But again, I don't know what gets advertised in the US.
Most ads are exactly that in the US, with usually one or two 'other' ads. Usually advertising a TV show or movie.
 
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