By Jim Rossignol on January 14th, 2012 at 11:07 am.
The original community manager who posted about Dark Souls needing public support to make it to PC has posted again, saying:
I honestly wasn’t expecting such a massive support. My boss(es) even came to talk to me about this, after it explodes all around the world. If you wanted to have the attention of Namco Bandai Games, now you have it. The future is in your hands, and I hope you will keep supporting this. I make a personal objective to make sure every relevant people in Namco Bandai Games is in touch with this formidable effort. Great Thanks!
Our PR contact at Namco reports that they are hoping to get an official comment soon. The petition is at almost 72k signatures at the time of writing.
Whoop whoop! Fingers crossed for a port by Christmas?
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I want to be optimistic, because they published Witcher 2… but at the same time, I’m nervous – Namco is such a console oriented company and From Software is a Japanese studio, they don’t have a history of familiarity with PC gaming.
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@Khemm: well, to be fair From Software already ported the mediocre ninja Blade on PC in the past and Dark Souls runs on the PhireEngine, which is a multiplatform middleware with Windows compatiblity.
I’m not saying this port is a given, far from it… But if they really wanted to make one, it wouldn’t be that hard.
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…And for all we know they could contract an altogether different studio for the work.
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Namco are the ones who forced CD Projekt Red to put DRM on the boxed/physical (and some digital, I think) copies The Witcher 2… then sued them when they removed it after the first few days. This was also what caused some of the issues with their authentication servers, and DLC on release, because some of the DRM had been added last minute, and it wasn’t consistent across copies. So, they kind of f*cked up the biggest PC exclusive release of 2011. Probably because they hate PC Gaming and wish to see it destroyed.
Namco are also the ones who sued CD Projeckt Red when they announced The Witcher 2 for XBox 360, claiming they had distribution rights, because they had those rights for PC.
Namco can ‘go die in a fire’, and take this with them if they’re attached to it.
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Yeah. Graphics on Demon’s Souls were dated even for consoles. I understand they were better with Dark Souls, but consoles had some troubles handling them. A PC version should be ideal.
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besides it’s not as if companies with extensive PC backgrounds ever seem to manage decent PC ports either! Perhaps fresh eyes would be beneficial
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Namco sued CDPR because they decided to publish TW2 for the Xbox and PS3 with THQ, essentially screwing over an unwritten agreement that Namco would publish all versions of the game. CDPR only did this because they knew Namco couldn’t accost them with legal repercussions for this. The reason they named DRM removal is because they wanted to nail them for SOMEthing.
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Reports are a little mixed… whether Namco sued for the DRM removal, or whether they held money owed to CDPR back, due to contract violations for removing DRM, to use as leverage against CDPR. This along with suing them for breaking an ‘unwritten agreement’… or, Namco reluctantly picked up the PC distribution rights (but not any future console rights), didn’t push the game at all, and were surprised when it made some decent sales. When it was announced for Xbox, they figured they’d be quids in, then realised the rights had gone to THQ. CDPR only gave Namco distribution rights for the PC… which they buggered up.
Here’s a source anyway, for suing for DRM removal, or that being part of the lawsuit.
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/namco-bandai-files-suit-against-the-witcher-2-developer-cd-projekt-red/3460/
“Namco Bandai is also arguing CD Projekt Red broke its contract with Namco Bandai by removing DRM from the PC version of the game without its permission.”
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Yea I think the PC version is inevitable right now. And nobody can say its not deserved…this petition made more signatures than the Diablo 3 one (regarding art direction). Its one of the biggest ever made concerning a video game. If they give a negative answer they will really look like bastards.
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I wouldn’t say ‘bastards’, but dismissing the PC gaming market as unprofitable even when tens of thousands of gamers sign a virtual piece of paper saying they’ll buy the game, requires a level of ignorance so extreme that… you know what, never mind, bastards is apt.
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HAHAHAHA and thousands of people said they wouldn’t buy modern warfare(?) that worked out well.
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@psyk:
What makes you think those thousands of people broke their promise? For a franchise that sells 10s of millions, a few thousand highly passionate naysayers doesn’t sound like a such an insane idea.
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http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/1/0/8/boycott_fail.jpg
Forget the past :~/
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MW2 got over 250,000 petition signatures for PC dedicated servers but nothing changed.
I will never purchase that horrible game.
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A similar situation is what brought Demon’s Souls to the US in the first place, and almost this exact situation is what brought Dark Souls to Xbox. A PC version of Dark Souls or the sequel is pretty much a given now.
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I’m… genuinely surprised to be honest.
Even if it doesn’t come to pass (which I’m still expecting is the realistic outcome), the fact that the petition’s even been acknowledged is fairly surprising, and means it wasn’t a waste after all. Even if Dark Souls never makes it PC-side, this increases the chances that a sequel could.
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“Even if Dark Souls never makes it PC-side, this increases the chances that a sequel could.”
That’s pretty much what I’m hoping for. Unless my memory is shot I’m pretty sure they cited the clamor for a 360 version of Demon’s Souls (Which would never happen anyway since it was partially funded and published by Sony Japan) as one of the reasons why Dark Souls went multiplat.
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yay
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ahah i never noticed the namco guy’s nickname is “shoupinou”. that’s the cutest word.
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Its not to late to prevent this from hapening! True Dark Souls fans have to sign this petition:
http://petitionbureau.org/darksoulsconsole
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This is… so sad.
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Get out of here scrub. Cant you see even the few people who signed, did so just to insult you with their chosen name ? pathetic
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“PETITION STATEMENT
The Souls series was made as a console exclusive, originally only for the Playstation 3. With the release of Dark Souls the series then became a multi-platform series, but it is still a console exclusive. If a PC version of the game were to be released it would destroy the delicate atmosphere of the game and the community that drives the game. Piracy is rampant on the PC, much more so than on any console. Game mods would potentially ruin the mechanics of the online aspects of the game as well as the deep gameplay of the game. From Software desperately needs to keep this game as a console exclusive to show the fans of the series that they are willing to give their fans what they truly want.
PETITION TARGET: FROM SOFTWARE
PETITION SIGNATURES
100″
OMG! MODS RUIN VANILLA MP FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT IT! WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME THIS IN MY 10-YEAR-LONG PC GAMING EXPERIENCE!!!!1111
Ahhhh, the delicate XBL community…
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Hilarious how dedicated some of those trolls are.
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The thing that this guy doesnt get, is that this aint a PC vs Console. Many…and i really mean MANY console players want a PC version…there are even 3 freakin pictures on namco forum with people making a pic to their ps3 Demons/Dark Souls games and with a page on which they wrote ,,PC version please” … This guy doesnt get it that even console players want it…
example : http://s14.directupload.net/file/d/2761/gv4u3pwl_jpg.htm
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Where do such trolls/fanboys get born? Seriously, this is pathetic.
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Better just correct the misspullengs there:
“True Arseholes fans have to sign this petition:
http://petitionbureau.org/darksoulsconsole”
And here’s a +1 hoping both these great games reach PC sooner than later.
(Though puh-leease no moaning about controllers being required for best gaming experience – the “PC-Luvs-Mouse-Only-Forever!” brigade are almost as bad as the deluded fanboys setting up that anti-petition!)
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Not sure if serious…..36 signatures, you got this!!!
Do console players (the trollish sort) even understand what “a mod” is?
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rofl
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fuck off retard
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This doesn’t even make much sense. I mean, even if the PC version wound up being really so terrible, the pristine console versions will still be available.
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It isn’t serious, read it again. It’s a hilarious parody.
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My favorite petitioner on there is “this is bad and you should feel bad,” but Kenny Tilford ascii cock, Ben Dover, and Sopa Supports This are pretty good too.
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The 360 version lets you run hacked saved-game files which completely break the online side of things. Not for you, but for any player you’d be unfortunate enough to encounter.
The PC version, in all honesty, needs to provide an option at the start. You can make an offline-only character which is saved on your end, or an online character which is saved server-side. And then they need STRICT anti-cheat software.
There’s a ton of potential for the problems with PC gaming to ruin the game.
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Aha! And now the contest is upon us, to see who truly efforts the most formidably!!!
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I lol’d
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It has 97 signings. Impressive.
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I am……quite suprised. Usually nobody really pays attention to online petitions and stuff like that.
Well now it would be embarrassing if it was released and didn’t sell well.
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Yeah, I can easily agree with that.
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I will support it by buying two copies
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I own both Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls for PS3.
WILL BUY Dark Souls for PC if it’s released.
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I’m kinda hoping it doesn’t happen, because if they do release Dark Souls for PC I would feel obligated to buy it – even though I bought a PS3 specifically for that game :(
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More petitions for the Petition God!
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Will buy. Loved Demon’s Souls with all my heart, but I didn’t have access to consoles anymore when Dark Souls was released.
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Here’s hoping that Namco listens… and that this effort will result in the company increasing their PC portfolio.
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I don’t play through single-player games twice so I wouldn’t buy it again but I do support it coming out. Maybe the PC can handle Blight Town worth a shit!
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In peculiar arithmetic of petitionbureau.org that’s like 5*15,643=95 signatures!
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By the way, the barrier of 72.000 signatures has been broken.
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Ah, Chopper avatar for the win.
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Well hey, maybe after all the ports of mediocre games and lackluster junk that arrived on PC at the same time as consoles but the publishers really shouldn’t have bothered, we’ll finally get a decent big budget hardcore game again. In other words, finally something worth porting. Ah, it almost feels like it’s the late 90s again!
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What’s this fancy Dark Souls stuff you’re talking about? As a strict adherent to the Cult of PC Gaming I’ve closed my ears to the proselytizing cries of those console freaks.
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It is a minimalist story open world rpg with a focus on deadly skill based melee combat. Was clearly one of the best games of 2011.
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Not so clear to those of us who haven’t played it…the fuss is a touch bewildering from that perspective.
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It’s a very similar game to an excellent PC game known as Severance Blade of Darkness.
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Was clearly
one ofthe best gamesof 2011.report
I wonder how many copies they’d have to sell for a PC port to be worth while.
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Let’s pull random numbers in feasible quantities. 30€ x 70000 copies = 2.100.000€
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Let’s make up numbers and say that a port would take 10 programmers for 10 months at 10,000 dollars each every month: that’s a million dollars.
Now let’s suppose the game is going to have a digital distribution on Steam (so no additional costs for retail) and it sells barely 100,000 copies with a net revenue of 20 dollars each: 2 million dollars.
Now, that’s very rough math, I know, but I can’t really see this game failing in any way, to be honest.
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Well given the game is already made the cost of porting it over would be pretty minimal. I couldn’t see it costing more than $100,000 (that includes polishing the graphics and adding in a few platform exclusive dlc) which Namco/From could recoup in 10,000 sales.
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@Tuco You forgot that Steam takes a 30% cut. Sadly, that’s significantly better than retail, especially console retail, and was better than its competitors originally. Since the average US video game programmer salary is ~75k, and they’d be using shitty/ junior ones for a port (it’s a company with no experience doing ports) so kick it down to 60k a year, give ten of them a year to do it and you get 600K plus facilities costs which probably aren’t much. Let’s say the average price of the game is $20 (comes out at $40, goes on sale etc.).
You need to sell 43,000 copies of the port on Steam for it to break even.
For comparison, Recettear sold 26,000 copies in its first four weeks.
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@InternetBatman : “You forgot that Steam takes a 30% cut.”
No, I didn’t, that’s why I estimated just 20 dollars of revenues on average for every copy.
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I’m very worried that many of these signatures are multiple ones. And also that not every person who signed it will bother to buy a copy of it.
But it would still be amazing if it came out on PC.
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Demon’s Souls was a game that sold well on word of mouth alone.
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Although you’re forgetting the (likely) thousands who will buy the game on PC despite not signing the petition. Years down the line, when the game gets discounted on Steam (assuming it follows the normal PC game trajectory now), it’ll see plenty of sales from people who wanted to check the game out but weren’t passionate enough to sign petitions, etc.
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Demon’s Souls is a game that got PUBLISHED on Word of Mouth alone.
Here’s the deal – Sony of Japan commissioned From Software to make – in their words – a successor to the King’s Field series, a franchise of hardcore first-person dungeon crawls that had always gotten terrible reviews in the west, but were popular in the east. For the record, I’ve always been a fan of the series, so was interested in what would come of this.
Demon’s Souls was the result. It sold out almost instantly in Japan. They restocked stores. It sold out again. It even released in Hong Kong IN ENGLISH (the version I and many others imported, after hearing how great it was) and sold out again there.
Sony of America refused to publish this multi-bestseller. Even with Sony of Japan telling them to. Months later, and still no sign of the game. In the end, gamers cried so hard that Atlus agreed to publish the game with a small initial print-run. It ended up one of their biggest sellers. Unfortunately, Atlus, despite being in the console publishing business for a decade or more, don’t have an EU wing or even a publishing partner, so a few months later, Namco moved in.
And that’s why Dark Souls is published in all territories by Namco, because nobody else (except for possibly Sony Japan) had a clue.
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Where has the dark, foreboding, dangerous, HARD dungeon crawler gone since its birth on PC? And when is it coming back? Obviously there is a market for such games on the ‘one true platform.’ Hell, this platform gave birth to that sort of game.
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So why did it leave?
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I understand that devs go where the money is. I get that. Unfortunately, it seems that something gets seriously neglected because of this. By and large, console players and PC gamers are not the same market. Not the same demographic. There is overlap, and some console gamers wish for a truly challenging experience. I do understand that.
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On the other hand, I think many PC gamers truly want their games more difficult. One of the major griipes about Skyrim – and Fallout, and Oblivion – is the lack of real difficult. The games lack challenge – and not in a way that the difficulty settings will fix. Loot is too common, gold flows like water and the only challenge enhancing factors Bethesda introduces are additional combat damage and more health for enemies.
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Impressive. Truly. /Sarcasm.
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PC gamers want challenge. We want thought provoking. Just last night friends introduced me to this ridiculous card game, based in the Warhammer universe. Its a coop game for 1 – 6 players and has something like a 44% success rate. In other words, the game kicks your ass more often than not, and you have to use every tool, every strategy, and coordinate actions perfectly just to survive as long as you can. Kudos to the devs of the card game for having the guts to make this.
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More of this. Please.
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Erm… What’s the name of that Warhammer game? Sounds like fun.
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I suspect he’s referring to Death Angel . It is fun.
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Nowhere, it’s been there all the time. Roguelikes.
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“has something like a 44% success rate.”
44% ? Ha! Easy.
Try Ghost Stories.
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Don’t know anything about the game, so can anyone tell me what’s so great about it and why a PC player should be interested?
From the youtube videos it looks like an open world hack ‘n slash with some rpg mechanics and an above average difficulty.
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The main points of interest are:
story telling – it is minimalist “plotting” but the world actually has a lot of depth and background. It is just not info-dumped onto player in big chunks or in-game books, as it would be in say an Elder Scrolls games. Instead it is there to be found and pieced together in names of artifacts and places, fragments of conversations etc.
nice risk reward mechanic
difficulty – it is geniunely challenging which is a change these days. Can;t remember the last time I played a game where I felt worried I might actually lose something
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for me the enjoyment wasnt in the story but in the brilliantly complex weapons/armour upgrading system (which makes levelling less important then making your gear better), the tight and fine tuned melee combat (which makes games like skyrim a complete bore to play), the magic system, the unique levelling system, the gorgeous and beatifully designed persistent world, the challenge,obviously, but this wasnt the major selling point like some ppl will say, the completely unique online multiplayer and the meta game that emerged from it…..this is just from the top off my head but i’m sure ive missed a few other points.
edit.
just want to add that the amount of unique weapons and armour in the game is incredible, and its enormous fun to keep adding and upgrading these and coming up with more and more different combinations for you to wear.(carry weight is important in Dark Souls).(Also, if you love stats you’ll love Dark Souls)
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It’s what you do to your 360 so you can play your “backup” games.
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Next stop: Atlus. Lets get the Persona games over.
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:D Good luck with that one!
A good quality port of Persona 4 would make my year.
I dont see that happening ever though :)
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Day 1 pre-order.
Make this happen, Bamco!
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Yes, because that worked so well for Magika, Sword of the Stars 2, Rage…
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I would really, really like to play this game… heard so much about it, and seems like my sort of game. But I’m not going to fork out on a console for this, and maybe 2 other games. So it coming to PC would be good.
If, that is, I would pay for it and play it, which currently I wouldn’t. The attachment of Namco to this turns me off entirely. I could not, in good conscience, support them with my shekels. No sale! After the Witcher 2 fiasco, and their treatment of PC gamers, it wouldn’t be right.
And, that is all assuming that all of the other hurdles between console game and PC game are overcome… if it’s ported faithfully, so we get the full game, not some dumbed down half a game… if it’s ported well, so we get a PC game, something that does not require a controller, something that makes use of the PC hardware (DX11, mouse control, a keyboard etc)… if it’s ported responsibly, so we get something stable, that runs at a decent frame rate without use of IBM Blue Gene machines, or blood sacrifices to ancient Zoroastrian daemons.
All in all then, I hope this goes through and PC gamers get a decent game out of this, but that you all pirate it, or get it for free, and Namco collapse… No, wait, that’s not right.All in all then, I hope the people supporting this realise (as they get hit by a bus, or a frozen block of urine dropped from a plane) that they’re responsible for the death of PC gaming… Dammit, that’s not right either.All in all then, if this does come to pass, I hope they do get the port right, and that you guys enjoy yourself. I’d love to join in, but I can’t… got to stick by my principles, you know.
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Actually your principles make no sense.
You are ” fighting the battle” for a company (CDPR) that lose a legal battle in a courthouse.
It’s not up to you defend their honor.
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What? I’m not defending anyone’s honour. What the hell are you talking about? And so what if Namco won and CDPR lost in court? Just because a court decided it, it doesn’t change the fact that I think it was wrong for Namco to do what they did, and that the court was wrong to rule in their favour.
I don’t like Namco. I don’t like the way they’ve done business, and the way they’ve treated some developers. I won’t support them. I won’t give them my money. Does that make sense to you now?
Your post makes no sense. You’ve failed to comprehend my point.
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I think I’ll buy the game on day one just to show my support to such efforts.
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From Software?
I want Armored Core on PC too.
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Well, that would be neat, but let’s go with baby steps.
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As much as I really do want to see Dark Souls on pc, I can’t help but feel pessimistic about it.
I’m expecting a “we appreciate all your comments and support for Dark Souls on PC, but currently have no plans to pursue it at this time” kinda response :(
I really hope I am wrong though…
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This sounds like the most likely outcome.
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Hope for the best, expect the worst.
Still, I hope..
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“We appreciate you trying to convince us to make a good business decision to bring a PC port to the much broader, lower unit cost, higher volume profit, longer retail cycle PC retail market. Unfortunately, we have already chosen to be idiots and no amount of pandering for us to come to our senses will change that. Sincerely, Bandai.”
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75 comments and no one else mentioned
http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/1/0/8/boycott_fail.jpg
poor form poor form
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Haven’t people realized by now that picture is horribly misleading?
833 people are in that group. This picture shows a “whopping” 19 spineless people of those 833. About 2.3%. Why that picture is synonymous with “NOBODY EVER FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH INTERNET BOYCOTTS/PETITIONS” is beyond me.
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PMSL going to be assuming alot for this post
“833 people are in that group”
now is “362 Members” from group page
“people that are in this group and bought MW2 will be kicked.” from group page
“This picture shows a “whopping” 19 spineless people of those 833.”
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So even the people who don’t want to play it will buy it!
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So, now people are actually begging the Devs/Pubs to crank out console ports for the PC? Well, I guess this would be a clear reason as to how all those crappy games came into existence over the past three years.
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Oh oh, looks like someone doesn’t understand the difference between “console port” and “shitty console port.”
The fact that something exists on consoles doesn’t automatically make it a sludgy pile of shit. Kind of sad that it should even have to be mentioned.
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I know I keep beating this drum but I just feel so great that the Internet provides a way for us average customers to really make our voice heard… This kind of people power/influence over the internet really makes me happy and the fact some companies are listening is even better :)
I really hope something comes of this even if its just the next in the series being developed for PC as well. Can’t wait to see what happens, these games are phenomenal and deserve to be enjoyed by anyone so wishing regardless of platform.
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I already own a PS3 copy, but it would love to play DaS on PC in higher res and @60 fps, so im buying.
Just please lock the framerate at Blight Town @15fps for authentic game experiencing (lol jk )
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If it get s good port and doesn’t have some idiotic DRM (I’m not anti-DRM, I’m anti dumbass DRM) I’ll buy. Otherwise I’ll buy it used on my ps3 eventually.
Can anyone help me figure out where my profile settings are? Sorry I’m new to the site and can’t find a profile button anywhere :(. I’m still trying to figure out how my avatar is one of my old cod4 screen shots lol.
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You can change your avatar from a site called Gravatar. For other profile-options,press “Log in” from upper right corner.
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Well that explains my avatar. When I try the log in button after logging in it just takes me back to the log in screen and I see no button to edit your profile. What I’m really wanting to do is change my password from the random one I got from when I signed up.
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I love it! goes to show ya than gamer’s CAN make changes when they do more than bitch on forums!! Now lets work on making EA and Activision less sucky
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I just signed it. I never thought this petition would make a difference. Good to see that I’m wrong. Let’s hope for more signatures and an eventual PC release!
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why haven’t notch retweeted this yet? the amount of petitioners would double in a day :/
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