Splash Damage explains it'll help with post-release support for the multiplayer shooter Splash Damage, developer of the PC version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, has revealed plans to include in-game advertising in the title, explaining that it will help with post-release support.... read more
And we all know what "appropriate advertising" means, don't we?
The same thing "targeted advertising" meant for Battlefield 2142: they dig around in your hard disk, upload the results and show adverts relating to what they think you're interested in. And the very reason most people I know won't touch 2142 with a 10-foot pole.
Which if a non-game application tried to do, people would call it for what it is - spyware.
What's wrong with just ASKING your users for their opinions via polls or surveys? Why must it be done covertly?
This is the first thing ETQW has done to turn me away, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. _________________ Xfire | Xbox Live | PSN: Dajmin
Albany Down | This is My Opinion, Suck it Up.
I agree with the first poster - this is dreadful news.
I was involved in the beta testing of BF2142 and refused to install the game when I heard about the advertising it would contain.
It looks like Quake Wars will go the same way.
I have no problem with in-game advertising (as long as it is unobtrusive) as such, but I do object to "dynamic" programs that mine data from your system or internet connection to report back to the advertisers.
If this is the sort of thing Splash Damage are putting in place then they can wave goodbye to a large number of potential customers and see how that affects their "post release support".
Looks like I wont be buying this game either now. _________________ 360 Gamer Tag = Kinn, PS3 Tag = xKINNx, Wii = 3036 8283 1247 3110
XBox 360 + HD DVD, PS3, Wii, PS2, XBox1, GameCube, Dreamcast, Saturn, PSP, DS, PS2, PSone, Turbo Express, PC Engine...And a Mega CD somewhere...
I think before people start declaring they wont be buying the game, they should find out what type of advertising it is.
Like others I have no problem with advertising that is appropriate (like, as the article says, adverts where you would expect adverts in normal life - this is based on earth, after all). BUT, if they do dig around your computer to randomly guess what you're interested in, then that would be a no no, and I'd be disappointed at not getting the game.
I don't think they will dig into your hard disk... what are they going to find anyway - games and music... I'm sure they can guess that without digging around. It's not like I keep a years back log of my weekly shopping list on there!!
THEY WILL NOT MINE DATA FROM YOUR HARD DRIVE, they will mine your head ala your viewing statistics of ads, how would you like it if they put a tracking device on your TV that monitors you and what ads you watch on your TV so it can deliver more of the same junk?
I have no problem with 1 way advertisements, the kind you see on the tv or newspapers, however these are bi-direction advertisements, consider the implications of this( and they dont analyse your harddrive btw ), they track the ads in game you see and for how long you look at them for, so they can provide more of the same b**lcrap oriented ads for YOU, in turn the tracking will allow them to charge the companies X amount of money for total viewing.
Now think about it, they are using my hardware( that was damn expensive ), my capped bandwidth to make money, my electricity, wheres my cut? oh look the game is the same price as all other games->no benefit there, so lets analyse their proposed benefits:
1) Allows for patch support - erm, patches are required because games are incomplete and/or faulty, any other type of product that buy that is faulty is returned and i get a new one
2) It allows for the stats/rankings and community support - erm, if i buy a 5 euro toothbrush i can get support from the manufacturer, also the rankings and the stats are paid for in the ranked server rental
3) More content - free? where? when? whats the plan? whats the schedule? so there will not be any boosters/expansions or any content that we have to pay for? wheres the proof? Lets look at BF2142, they said the EXACT same thing, it never got free content then they released a booster pack with extra maps that you have to BUY. If they prove to me, provide a schedule of regular maps etc then im fine otherwise F*** OFF
I was in the BF2142 beta 1 & 2 also and didnt buy the game because of that, ill consider this game when its in the bargain bin and the ads can be blocked, though i said that about bf2142 also and still havnt bought it.
All i can say is W**KERS for ruining what was looking like a fun game _________________ I HATE fanboys, fanboy - "Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack."
Silence morons. In-game advertising is the way forward as it means WE don't have to foot the bill for on-going support amongst other stuff.
Yes, spyware style data mining is bad, but there's absolutely no indication that this is what they're talking about - in fact the indication is that this is definitely NOT what they're talking about.
emmmmmmm, if that was the case then they would use broadcast ads, they would NOT need to track how long you use ads for. The ads are ment to be tailored, thats what the technology is for, ill dig out a post by DICE's community manager Colin Clarke on the issue if you want proof as that was the intention with BF2142, it hasnt really been used yet because no game has come out thats popular enough to get enough companies interested to pay for ads in the game, but as soon as there are several types of deoderant interested rest assured that youll be getting these if you spend any time looking at those billboards
Its not not intrusive, its intrusive, i have absolutely no problem with broadcase unidirectional ads, but tracking is what they want
Mogs wrote:
Silence morons. In-game advertising is the way forward as it means WE don't have to foot the bill for on-going support amongst other stuff.
Youre the moron if you think thats the case, proof please, wheres this support, when have we had to foot the bill for any other game support other than MMORPG's whereby BLizzard and those companies entirely foot the bill for the servers. Games like QW:ET rent servers to clans, in the case of BF2142 the cost was around £200 a month for a standalone server. Wheres the benefit? again wheres the proof? you know nothing about it and youre talking out of your ass, i have provided evidence to the contrary of what you are saying, if you wanna be a sheep then fine, but not all of us do _________________ I HATE fanboys, fanboy - "Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack."
Last edited by lmimmfn on 20 Jun 07 3:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
I think they made it very clear, that they won't allow Ads that are very flashy and doesn't make sense in the game world.
I mean, if I play Civ 4, I don't want to have a unit named PepsiBlaster and portrait a giant bottle of delicious fluids...
On the other hand, if I play Halflife 2, I don't mind seeing relevant, blended in adverticement on posters or flyers laying on the ground.
It is all about how natural it fits. It sounds like they will be aware of that. Then I do not mind it
An easy way of sidestepping the problem of making something blend in with the game world is to put ads in the loading screens & menus. Why bother putting them in game at all?
An easy way of sidestepping the problem of making something blend in with the game world is to put ads in the loading screens & menus. Why bother putting them in game at all?
Because when theyre in game you will pay more attention, especially if youre waiting around for something to happen, also because its in game, they can actually track how long you view a billboard for so they can generate ads more specific for you in the future and create a profile for you from your ipaddress. Also the tracking and time viewed is used to charge the companies paying for the ads, cant do that with loading screens because people tend to look away/do something while loading depending on the load time, or switch back to windows and check a forum or whatever while loading
as for the comments on them blending in, their PR statement is the exact same as DICE's was neigh on word for word, yet Dice had Core 2 billboard adverts and Ghost Rider adverts also some discovery channel rubbish, i mean cmon how relevant is that in the year 2142? some duff 135 year old movie, meh _________________ I HATE fanboys, fanboy - "Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack."
Well I'm not buying it.
Their reasoning is pathetic, to support the game?
Epic seem to do alright at supporting their games for free.
And it's not like Quake Wars is small fry
Another key reason why in-game advertising is crucial to the future of PC gaming is to offset costs lost from piracy.
Piracy isn't going anywhere and if the PC is to remain an attractive platform for publishers, they're going to need to be earning significant amounts from it one way or another. Otherwise, most games will just be made for consoles.
Another key reason why in-game advertising is crucial to the future of PC gaming is to offset costs lost from piracy.
Piracy isn't going anywhere and if the PC is to remain an attractive platform for publishers, they're going to need to be earning significant amounts from it one way or another. Otherwise, most games will just be made for consoles.
Console piracy is catching up at a huge rate and the more consoles become like PC's the worse it will get, its a crap excuse overall and i dont buy it, PC games cost less than console games, if they want to increase the price slightly to prevent junk ads in games then im all for it _________________ I HATE fanboys, fanboy - "Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack."
Console game piracy is nowhere near as rife as PC game piracy. As a rule, console users either aren't savvy enough or can't be bothered with the hassle involved with chipping the machine and then either finding somewhere to get dodgy copies or fiddling around with PCs & the internet. So people who pirate console stuff are likely to be PC users anyway.
Maybe, but if theres no money in the PC market then they should just get out of it and not push ads _________________ I HATE fanboys, fanboy - "Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject, often taking negative remarks about it as a personal attack."
I have to say, I was looking forward to this title immensely, and as others have said this is the first slice of news I have seen that has put me off. I'm not saying that I wont buy it, but I feel that the prudent course of action now would be to wait for the reviews and some user feedback on forums etc before I do. I specifically did not buy BF2142 because of the advertising thing; as personally, I play games to relax/be entertained and escape the hum drum of reality – not to be reminded of it, and I get enough exposure to ads in all other forms of media thank you, and it’s my prerogative not to buy.
However I do find it sad that games such as these (multiplayer, online) attract advertisement simply because of the nature of the game involving large amounts of "Humons" (yes the spelling is deliberate). To be honest, in playing a game such as this I tend not to stand around gawping at stuff, lest I get Fragged, and I don’t expect to change that habit anytime soon; but I don’t see why I should put up with mindless advertising in a product that I have already paid good money for. We are already saturated with advertising almost everywhere we go in our daily lives, we have to draw the line somewhere, before it truly does get out of hand. One thing to remember is, we all have a choice right? Yes it’s a shame to miss out on a cool game, but if you make that choice… so be it, there are more fish in our gaming sea’s.
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