My conclusion - Trymedia and DRM not a good thing.

I'm a huge proponent of Digital Distribution, I love it. If I can buy a software product online, download it, and have it up and running without the inconvience of driving to the store or waiting for it to be mailed, I will do it. However I have a few specific things that I require from digital purchases I make.

1) The product MUST be cheaper than in the store or from mail order companies. Giving up a nice CD/DVD, Box and glossy printed manual (which I read) should come with a lower price tag.
2) The product must be able to be installed on multiple machines. I have 3 PC's in my house, and have purchased a nice new laptop this week. I use different machines on different days, or under various random conditions, and I expect to have access to my games on all of my machines.
3) I must have access to a reasonable refund policy. If a product crashes, doesn't perform as doccumented, or just flat out sucks, I want to be able to get my money back. I will happily sign a letter of destruction if needed, but when I want a refund, I shouldn't have to call my credit card company and run a chargeback.
4) I must be able to activate the product many times without being questioned. I'm a perpetual hard drive formatter. On average, I reinstall WindowsXP Pro on my machines every 3 months. Windows is annoying, it gets bloated and runs poorly the longer its installed. I even have custom WindowXP CD's with my games/software/patches/drivers pre-burned. I slap it in, hit format, and in 45 minutes my machine is setup and ready. As such, I need to be able to use many installations per year of my digitially purchased products.
5) Re-download of the product must be available forever, regardless of when I purchased the product, and i'm not paying a "Fee" to have some bullshit extended download timeframe.

Pretty basic requirements don't you think? The problem is, companies like Trymedia, and whatever version of their 20 different names they use, has a licensing system so strict, and policies so rediculous, that I could never justify a purchase from them. Their DRM (Digital Rights Management) system only allows you to install and activate the product on ONE machine.. They have a refund policy that states once you install or recieve an email, you cannot return a product. To further complicate the issue, they charge MORE for their products than retail on many occaisons, and certainly more than most online resellers. For example:

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Majesty, a great game released about 4 years ago, they have priced at $14.95. Which doesn't seem to bad, until....

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You find the GOLD edition on Amazon, brand new, in a box, with a manual, for .99-1.55 price range. Only then do you realise how rediculous this price is.

There are plenty more examples like this.. Almost every national retailer or internet sales site has Tribes Vengence priced in the $14.95-19.00 range, while Trymedia (again) has it priced at $30.00 at their Direct2Drive company site. Link Considering you CANNOT install it on multiple machines, and don't get a CD or Manual, does that qualify as a ripoff? Sure does to me.

Matrix games Link comes close to doing it right, but they offer an extremely limited download period, so they don't get a perfect score. But they do a LOT right, such as no DRM, good return policy, and the ability to download AND have the product shipped for no additional fees. Download only comes with a reduced price, like you'd expect.

In conclusion, the reason digital distribution isn't mainstream yet, is because most companies just aren't doing it right. A few are coming close to a workable formula, but the big boys out there are missing it by a mile. All of these solutions seem like common sense to me, and i'm quite puzzled why everyone is missing the formula of a successful business model in this area. I explored starting a Digital Distribution company last year, and with the current lousy models of most companies doing it right now, I wish I had done it. Perhaps I should do it this year, I have the money to invest as needed.

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Cant agree more. I have to say, DRM still needs work. But I dont know, maybe for casual gamers, they aren't so savvy. Dont feel they need to reinstall again and again. Are the prices also much more expensive for casual games? Would like to hear from you my ICQ is 44312127. Anyway we can chat sometime will be good.

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"...companies like Trymedia, and whatever version of their 20 different names they use, has a licensing system so strict, and policies so rediculous, that I could never justify a purchase from them. Their DRM (Digital Rights Management) system only allows you to install and activate the product on ONE machine.. They have a refund policy that states once you install or recieve an email, you cannot return a product. To further complicate the issue, they charge MORE for their products ..."

I've noticed too, not in reference to gaming, but in reference to the fact that a lot of companies are buying out the smaller ones or taking over products and creating policies that are so ridiculous, it in no way bodes well for consumers. They are in fact cornering the market and getting away with the nonsense they call their policies. As for pricing, this can be soooo off base too they have the power and freedom to as they wish. You should go for it though, the DDC, I bet you would do a much better job given you know what's really needed out there.

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