Duke Nukem Forever xStreamed?

[hal]

Game xStream is a streaming content delivery service created for delivering assets electronically, much like Valve's Steam. The Game xStream website quotes Scott Miller, founder of 3D Realms as saying:

Game xStream is the first and only delivery platform that can satisfy a gamer's desire to buy a game on impulse and start playing minutes later, regardless of the size or complexity of the game. 3D Realms is extremely excited by this ground breaking technology, and we plan to use it to sell our future releases.

Naturally, one would immediately infer that the long-awaited U-Engine Duke Nukem Forever would be among those titles. (Thanks, Shack)

[Selerox]

DNF is going to be hard enough to sell as it is, without using a Steam-like delivery system. Not a smart move.

[W0RF]

Maybe they'll market it on the Phantom.

[Ulukai]

Hmm, a match made in heaven. They deserve each other.

[smattbac]

Try not to be so surprised when Epic announces that it will use the same or similar software for their next PC game.

[Dragon_Myr]

That's it, I'm boycotting the internet. It's trying to take over everything!

[W0RF]

Streaming is the Next Big Thing. It's the precursor to software-as-a-service, which means we get to start "subscribing" to Windows, Quicken, et al.

[Shrimp]

Umm, GL to the 56k players.

GL to half the world that doesn't have extreme fat bandwidth.

GL to the other half of the world who have download caps.


Wow, they might sell maybe 10 000 copies online? They going for best selling game of all time or what?

How about spend 7+ years making a game and sell it to 1% of the fans who have been waiting that long?

[Shrimp]

Oh, and bring on the days when I can rent Windows and Office on a month-to-month basis too, gotta love that idea.

[SubCog]

Originally Posted by Selerox

DNF is going to be hard enough to sell as it is, without using a Steam-like delivery system. Not a smart move.

actually, xstreme might be good. The website makes a huge point about how un-intrusive it is, and it even uninstalls itself once it's done downloading the game. That's pretty cool, really.

[Caravaggio]

They can install all the online downloadablle alternatives they want as long as it doesn't require activation once I have it, even for store bought versions... ...which I know it probably will.

Bastards.

[bid]

DNF will actually use Valve's S-E-C-R-E-T Half-Life 3 activation system.

The HL3 activation system is foolproof: after you buy the game, you have to physically go to Valve's office and show your purchased game CD's to the fat guy (who likes to eat babies) every time you want to play the game.

[Dragon_Myr]

They do this sort of stuff with games for my cell phone. You have to download it (that costs money), then have to connect to their net to play it (more money), and then you have to pay a monthly fee to play it (more money yet). I will hate the day all games and software do that.

[bid]

Originally Posted by Dragon_Myr

They do this sort of stuff with games for my cell phone. You have to download it (that costs money), then have to connect to their net to play it (more money), and then you have to pay a monthly fee to play it (more money yet). I will hate the day all games and software do that.

That day is NOT very far away, however, I have enough games (both retail and emulation stuff) to keep me entertained till the end of time.

The same hold for music--If I played the music that resides in my HD, back-to-back, it will play for over a YEAR. Besides, the music today just SUCKS.

[SkaarjMaster]

Even though I was actually considering buying DukeNukem Forever, if it really is Xstream only and you have to have something connected to play it offline then I won't be buying it. In fact, screw every game that does this in the future. I have a lot of games here right now that I haven't completed, so I can be entertained for a long time. Yes, it's new technology, blah, blah, blah, but I still think if you're playing it offline then you shouldn't be required to be connected if you don't want to. I don't mind a one-time activation code or whatever, but to be connected to a server everytime is totally ridiculous.

[NeoNight]

Game xStream is a delivery platform that can satisfy a gamer's desire to buy a game on impulse and start playing minutes later, regardless of the size or complexity of the game. *there we go thats more accurate*

[smattbac]

Distributing it via xStream only would narrow down a games potential audience, which leads to loss in sales. Not gonna happen. xStreams is just another way to get a game to (impatient ) gamers and give the developers a larger cut of the profit. But it won't mean the end of buying games the traditional way (atleast not for a long time).

Required to be online/authenticated to play or online activation, well it does suck a bit but as long as it doesn't get in the way it doesn't bother me that much (I had no problems with Steam..).

That's my view on it anyway.

[L0cky]

At this point, how can you consider buying DNF? That's like considering marriage when you haven't got a girlfiriend

I agree that an exclusive deal for DNF on the Phantom would be a match made in heaven.


bid: why have you got a banner against AntiTCC for an obscure short lived version that nobody used for more than 3 days?

[Assymilator]

I think "buying on impulse" should be tweaked a bit. Considering it took, what? 7 or 8 pre-loads for Half-Life 2 months before the game was released because the beast was around 3 gigs in size? UT2004 was maybe 6 CD's if I'm not mistaken?

It'd be quicker to just get off your ass and drive down to EBGames than have to wait 5 or 6 hours to download a game only to find you don't have enough space available on your harddrive.