Impulse Weekend Buys - July 23rd!

sweet.

i like seeing the stardock apps float through on the sales.

Get ripped off.....or get ripped off on sale? Hmm, lemme think...neither.

*slaps Impulse with a wet kipper* Wake up...aslong as you sell Paradox's crap at fixed regional prices -you- get the flak, just like steam have been. No ammount of "The publisher made us do it" will fly. If you're willing to alienate European markets by all means feel free.

I’m getting real sick of teenage of cry babies determined to make everything negative.  Especially the Euros that think they are the only ones getting hosed.

I will probably buy Mount & Blade this week and maybe a couple others just to spite the whiners.

Well unfortunately i don't fall into the teenage demographic, sorry to disappoint you.

If you think getting mistreated simply because of your geographical location (which constitutes racism under most legislation) is ok, you go ahead. Some of us would rather raise our voices over the issue.

LOL im not going to continue this here.  +1 to Impulse for being competitive.

God I dont want any of that crap...

Well, that is the fact about it.

Actually it isn't.

From a consumer point of view the buck stops with you, the retailer. You wern't forced into anything. You negotiated a contract to allow the sale of these products so it would be more precise to say that you support this otherwise you wouldn't have signed the dotted line. They could have held a gun to your head and you could have still refused...but you didn't.

I don't blame you, you're a business after all and charging more means bigger pie slices for you but that doesn't mean I, or other people won't voice our objections to it.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Should Impulse desire to attract a wider fan base and offer a wider variety, they like many retailers often have to swallow what is fed them in order to make the product available.Sometimes competition is not about the bottom line but about what is available to a certain audience or market. Obviously the vendor feels their product is worth what they choose to charge for whatever reason. That does not mean Stardock has to say 'no'. It does, however mean that they still have a bussiness to consider and a right to make a profit. Without knowing the details, you couldn't possibly know what that profit margin is. So, you are not in a place where you can accuse Stardock of ripping anyone off.

It's ignorant consumers that assume the retailer has the final say.  As someone who has spent years in retail, it is very often the vendor that sets the price. Often because they are attempting to maintain a certain image and feel that going below a certain rate will 'cheapen'  the perception of their brand.

You really need to be voicing your complaint to the publisher. Especially if you're seeing it at the same price across the board from retailers. That should tell you where the complaint needs to be directed.

Just because they -could- sell something doesn't mean they -have- to sell it, I'm not arguing from an economic point but from a moral one. Stardock who create their "Gamers bill of rights" to ensure a fair product that meets certain guidelines for there customers don't follow the same practice when it comes to sales.

What would you say if EA, Paradox or whoever came to you as a retailer and said "hey, sell my games but you have to charge all black people 50% extra"? Would that be fine and dandy to you? Same difference.

Just to conform to Godwins law, "I was only following orders" didn't admonish the Nazi's, or anyone else when they tried to claim it in their defence.

Selling what we do and how we do it isn't a defense; it's a reason.  Getting market share counts.  If you don't like it, take your moral high ground and shop elsewhere.  Start your own business and do whatever you like.  Let us know how it goes.  Until then.  Your question has been asked and answered.  More of the same may make it not worth having you on the forums.  Can you dig it?

Untrue, They are one of the best PC developer`s going.

That`s your problem.  Contact Paradox, Write your member of parliment a letter complaining of these issue`s.

Stardock (Impulse) is the middle man.  They provide a service to allow greater access to a larger amount of people for the developer.  They don`t set prices.

Answered above.  Not relevent.

Nice try.  That`s just stupid.

Last time I checked 19 was a teenager.  You`re proving your ignorence by your writing.  When the grown up`s are writing, You won`t win.

EDIT

Stardock, You guy`s should really lock these threads when you post them.  Including the Dev journal`s.  When they`re open you allow douche bags to destroy the positive nature of them.

Retailers/distributors of a product have to abide by several RULES.  Some are imposed by the Manufacturer of the product, and others are by local Government regulations under International Trade agreements/limitations.

Simple example... Games such as Wolfenstein were/are prohibited to be sold and/or distributed within the Legal boundaries/jurisdiction of Germany.  Is THAT a fault of the Manufacturer, the Retailer, or the Distributor?

Nope.

DVD Region-coding limits either by time/calendar or by outright prohibition the distribution of Film and Television.

In Australia [where there is no R-rating for PC games] some games are therefore prohibited by Australian Govenment Censorship Laws. [want an example?...last week I got into my head I'd like to get a copy of the PC game 'Starship Troopers' ....not apparently available in Australia anymore...but I found it on Amazon....but on my way to checkout was informed it was a prohibited distribution to AUS and could not be sent].

Stardock [via Impulse] is entirely free to choose between one of two options.....they are...

1. Facilitate Online purchase/distribution of a game/software under whatever pricing and/or conditions imposed by the product owner.

or

2.  Not Facilitate purchase/distribution of that product at all.

There IS NO third option.

People can bitch and moan as much as they like, typically through naivete and/or mis-information but it will not change reality.

They're left open to attract response and feedback.  That doesn't always mean all the responses will be favourable or well considered.....but that's life....;)

I want to see top sellers TOP10 always

Karma for giving informative answers and staying cool. I like that style.

@ XSive_Death

http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi

Convert,before complaining.

something tells me he cannot.  his train of thought is a cancer.  it already polluted this thread.

for something more thread related, i am considering Mount & Blade.  has anyone enjoyed it?  would it be worth the $15 or so?

Shaft has spoken.

People who know me may be a bit surprised, but I actually am Stardocks's side here. I think it is hard to avoid regional pricing at all, publishers operate in different markets, and obviously costs in different markets will be different. Obviously this is not true for a webshop, but publishers have to make a price policy for a certain market and that means an on-line distributor like Stardock has to comply with that policy. And let's not say the EU is an easy market with 23 official languages and the laws of 27 countries to respect.

Of course, 1 EUR=1,42 USD, costs in Europe will not be 42% higher than in the U.S., that is plain nonsense. Publishers that are using that kind of price policies are not trying to reflect different costs, they are trying to maximize the money their customers are going to pay. That practise should be frowned upon. There is a very easy way to work around that: buy internationally, and I think that is what we consumers should do.

Well, for a fact well over 90% of the steam titles are heavier priced even before tax than the US store even when the distribution costs are roughly the same in europe so its not by chance there are 90 percent more Euro complaints about the unfair pricing, i can just imagine how it would been if it were the other way around...

If it now starta at impulse its really just 3 options remaining:

1 - Get ripped off, and try not to feel riped off.

2 - Buy the product retail for a lower pricetag with physical media, manual ect but you get the risk of lossing media, insane grade drm ect.

3 - Pirate the title, get no drm, no rippoff, convinient delivery ect. I dont like piracy but if the publishers pick the path to conduct the unfair tradepractices who sais people with remain "fair" by purchasing the titles at the unfair rates ?

Thats my 2 cents. If the software industry wants to encourage piracy of their product they sure found the best way sadly

Rippoff or getting rippedoff... works both ways!

Go for it....enjoy the typical 'crack.exe' that's used to generate a reg key.  If you also have a decent antivirus tool [one not also cracked] it'll tell you what that file actually is....

There ARE only 2 options....the third will see you removed from this site. Stardock is a Software/Game developer whose staff/employees are all real people with real families, etc and the public's product purchases are their livelihood.

Deny them that and you void any rights and privileges to interact on a site also owned and paid for by them [Stardock].

And read #14. It shows there's more to disparate pricing than the greed you claim to be the case.

Just suck it in where it comes to differences in pricing and speed and timing of availability.  It is outside of your control...as it is out of the distribution engines such as Steam and Impulse.

Lobby your Government....sit in on the next International Free Trade Agreement/discussions....research property law and marketing/distribution...

...but don't blame the entities obliged to work within the legislation.