Demigod's launch woes

[Gaping_MAW]

From the front page

One has to feel for Stardock, they’ve got a great anti-DRM stance, have good customer support and maintain a pretty open position on their forums. Unfortunately, the launch of Demigod has been a disaster, and it’s due to a combination of relatively unrelated factors, the disastrous combination of which would be difficult to predict in advance:

1. Demigod is a multiplayer-focussed game
2. The game phones home to the server on opening, to check for updates
3. Gamestop release the game 4-days early
4. The servers aren’t really ready for customers ahead of the launch date
5. More than 100,000 pirates try to play the game, ahead of, and after the launch date
6. Stardock did not anticipate a flood of users on launch, but instead planned on a steady increase in users (as this is what happened with Sins)
7. Games reviews will most likely occur in advance of the launch date, up to a few days later

You might be getting the idea on what the likely outcome is.

So, because of an unfortunate programming choice (why phone home for updates on application launch?), and the sheer volume of pirates grabbing the game at day zero (thanks to Gamestop going out early), the limited Stardock server infrastructure caved in, in what was effectively a ‘own-goal’ DOS attack.

This left all the legitimate customers with a barely functional multiplayer game, lots of fan rage on the official forums, and some review sites then gave the game a low score (Gamespot 6.5 for instance) because of the unplayable state.

Oh dear.

Stardock have been working frantically to fix the problem, and it’s looking promising right now that we’ll have a working Demigod game perhaps as soon as today. I really feel for them, and I hope people don’t overlook what is shaping up to be a very good DOTA-style game.

The debacle also brings reviews into question. How do you review a mp game at the day of launch? Gamespot, to their credit, have indicated they will revisit the game sometime soon and give it another chance. 1up have refused to review the game until today, giving Stardock a second chance. Will other review sites be so kind? Should they? I’d be pretty annoyed if I read a glowing review of a game that didn’t work when I fired it up… yet the gameplay will improve dramitically over the coming days, but probably after the ‘review window’ has closed and metacritic is an unforgiving place.

I predict that some will try and use this incident as an excuse to push DRM agendas further, but really, the blame lies partly with Stardock for bad networking choices and poor advance planning of their server loads, and mainly with Gamestop breaking the street date and causing the kafuffle in the first place. Had pirate only gotten their hands on the game at launch, Stardock most likely would have been able to direct legitimate users to a different update/login/mp server. Even if Stardock had had DRM in the game, it would have been cracked well before the official launch date.

You can be sure Gamestop doesn’t care

- Scoobs

[[AOB]Scratch]

Nice front page-age. Will this game ever be available on Steam?

[Gaping_MAW]

no. Impulse and Retail only.

Impulse is pretty good really, I just miss the steam overlay.

[[AOB]Scratch]

I just like knowing that if I want to play a game I own in 2 years I can go to my Steam list and install and play it, even if/when I re-install windows etc...I think I've come to a point where there are enough games to keep me busy that I'm happy to be a Steam snob and only play games in that platform. (and xbox

[Gaping_MAW]

yeah, I can understand that, but since you can backup impulse games and don't need it running to play the game in some ways it's more future proof than steam

[[AOB]Scratch]

Backup is not the same as online access at any time, in fact, backing up is not more useful than having the discs on your shelf. I just like knowing that as long as I remember my Steam username I will have instant access to any game I have ever purchased through Steam, which is going to be ALL of them from now on.

[Gaping_MAW]

huh? If steam goes under, you're just as screwed (one would hope they'd patch before dying to enable you to use all your games without it.. but who knows). At least if impulse goes under you don't lose anything

You still have to download from steam if you go somewhere else, so what's the difference?

[Gaping_MAW]

Anyway, I played a game of Demigod on the weekend. Technical issues aside it's fun, simple yet compelling. Haven't ventured online yet, which will be the true test.

[[AOB]Scratch]

Does impules have a "client" which lists all the games you have purchased from them and allow you to download and play them any time? I realise you still have to re-download from Steam but it's the single "platform" which makes it attractive to me, one place to store all my games and play from is the key to my Steam love.

As for Steam/Valve ever going under, i'd bet my left but that if that ever happens they will release code to "unlock" all the games allowing you to play them offline (in fact, I have bet my let nut in the form of all the games I have purchased).

I'm not doubting that Impulse or any of the alternatives is good, I just prefer Steam.

[Gaping_MAW]

Impulse has a client yes. Which does everything you'd expect. So if I go to another computer and I redownload everything from there too. Just like steam.

I just don't have to run impulse when I want to play games. The thing that steam does much better right now is the community stuff, which is very good.

[[AOB]Scratch]

Well, in that case, sign me up! (not).

Does impule have achievements?

[Gaping_MAW]

yes it does. They are still pointless.

[Gaping_MAW]

Turns out achievements in demigod can be used to purchase 'favour' items. This is the fourth item slot you can have, and during games you earn favour points regardless of win or loss, and if you achieve something you get a lot more points.

Favour items work ok despite the potential for 'favouring' those with more time to play than others. Basically you buy your favour item, which isn't hard to do, but only need to spend more favour if you want to change the item to a different one. Choose wisely and you don't NEED to choose again, although different matchups might make it better to do so.

Of course, favour items can be turned off in custom games