The Poll: online vs store (rant)

If it's from a store, answer store. Online would mean you bought a digital copy direct from us (at least that's what I gather from it).

Not sure what you are looking for with this post but if it's opinions then here's my two cents worth
I want the availability to purchase a game where I actually get the said hard product, not just download capability. Yes, the feature of being able to download the game from the website is great. But I don't want the inconvenience of it. Not everyone has high speed internet access, so Frogboy should be thinking of said things when deciding on his marketing strategy for the expansion or future games. I do believe that you can buy online and receive a CD in the mail. I do hope that is the case, and I hope that it won't take three to six weeks (or even months) to receive said hard copy once purchasing online. I posted on this before and don't recall seeing a response regarding my preorder and how long it will take for CD's to be available (heck, I'll even send you guys one if it speeds things up). So I guess the gist of my response is, I would rather be able to purchase a hard copy versus download only, as downloads can be unreliable (as Stardock has said more than once) and after spending six hours downloading, I don't need to find an error with files, as has happened to me three times already when downloading both from SDC and this site (although I think this site gave a better download time than SDC, go figure).

I really don't think this rates a rant.

However, a third choice of "Buying online was my only option" should have been included. And not just for folks who live in some Godforsaken armpit of the world. I live a few miles from Washington, D.C. and have yet to see GCII in a single store - Best Buy, Wal*Mart, EB Games, etc.; and I always check the shelves when I'm in one of those.

And yes, I realize that DC is a Godforsaken pit (A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you will never find...), just not in the sense of lacking things like roads, plumbing, and retail outlets.

Thanks for the clarification and the comment!

My purpose, besides ranting, was to draw attention to the ambiguity of the poll question. The first time, I read the question I thought that I should answer "online", i.e. I thought that the aim of the question is to find out whether I prefer to buy the games "physically" or do I use internet to order games. Reading the question again I got doubts because I recalled various journal entries about digital distribution. BTW, the company from where I bought the game has only on-line stores. It escapes me why I should consider their site "a store" and Stardock's digital distribution site "online". It seems that they are both stores and both function online. In short, the question is misleading: if you want to know whether we bought a digital copy or "hard" copy you should ask this and not about store/online.

OK, maybe the "rant" was not a good word to use (I am not a native speaker of English) The point is that I made the post mainly to show my (mild) frustration with the poll question and I was not expecting discussion. The fact that discussion actually took place is a pleasant surprise.   

First the polls are exploitable. (No I'm not posting the exploits unless asked by Stardock.)

I have voted at Atari, CDG, CNN, Fox, and many other websites that have polls.
(one person one vote, even if you delete your cookie log on or off ect.)

Stardocks poll system is the worst I have ever seen in all my days on the internet.

I take all of these polls as "a grain of salt." There not even really usable for statistical purposes.

I bought GalCiv2 in a store and am hoping these polls get the expansion into a store.
I just want to go down the street go to EB buy with Cash. Why don't you just buy shelve space for Frys and EB? Do you have to buy shelve space from BestBuy ect.? (and all the rest.)

Online would mean you bought a digital copy direct from us.

Bah!

I already voted "online" because I bought GC2 from Amazon.

I got mine from Wally world(Wal*Mart). I prefer getting them from a store than online because its tangible proof, and I don't have to wait an eternity to dl it. Like the time I was a beta-tester for WoW. I have cable and it took 24 hours to download it!

Online would mean you bought a digital copy direct from us.

What if I bought a hard copy from you and just downloaded it while I waited for the game to arrive?

I saw the box in Walmart and went, "Oooh, shiney". So, I bought it

All kidding aside, it's nice to have the box, makes you feel like you got something. Also, there's a really nice tech poster in the boxed version that has come in handy a few times.

Otherwise, you're not really saving yourself any hassle. With the boxed version, you still need to D/L the latest version so it's not download free, but I suppose it's nice to have the original release on CD.

All kidding aside, it's nice to have the box, makes you feel like you got something.

As it is, with the store from Totalgaming.net, you can STILL receive the box and download the digital copy. I don't see what the problem is. I received Galciv2 that way; downloaded on a friday, and then sometime next week, received a box in the mail.

...journal entries about digital distribution.

Oh, you mean that the expansion will ONLY be available by download, and I will not receive a CD in the mail?

Kryo, I second the poll is misleading, upon re-reading. I answered online, but I actually received a retail box. That will definately negate this poll, as I'm sure not the only one that answered that way based upon ordering a retail box while still downloading a digital copy from totalgaming.net. That counts as both, does it not? And I rather prefer that. Download now, and receive my media sometime later (or an actual .ISO to burn to my own CD for backup).

-thefinkster

I agree the poll is ambiguous at best (I don't set them!). I'll ask the higher-ups in the morning if we can get it clarified so we actually have a useful result...

I agree the poll is ambiguous at best (I don't set them!). I'll ask the higher-ups in the morning if we can get it clarified so we actually have a useful result...

Thank you thank you...that was all I wanted...thank you.