f13.net

I think I'd like to give this a try this week. Is there a free trial system that I am unaware of?

Edit: Think I remember reading something about a refer-a-friend type system?

Unfortunately, in a stroke of SOEness, because I purchased my (two) copies of the game via the Station store (i.e. direct from Sony) as a download, I'm not allowed to have any buddy keys.

Dumbasses.

edit:  I too, am a dumbass.

Now allowed, or not allowed?

Not, sorry.  I should have two, but I actually have zero! :(

I am also looking for a trial key if anyone has any spare. But only if I get to shoot at Hat.

I'll take a Trial Key.

!!!


Also, I don't think anyone has any keys :(

Anyone who purchased the digital download won't have a key (either from Direct2Drive or from the Station store).  I petitioned in an attempt to get a key (after all, it seems like it would be in Sony's best interest to be handing out keys so they could, you know, get more customers) and they said, and I quote "Fuck you newb".

I'm thinking most of the people here downloaded the game (after all, why would any of us leave the house and drive to the store, we're posting on a message board about mmogs).  So probably there are very few, if any, buddy keys..

Stupid fucking Sony.  See schild, this is why it's retarted to be a Sony fanboi, they suck at everything they do.

I'm surprised there are buddy keys at all. It's a brand new game. They had an open beta. I feel sorry for nobody. And you're strange.

It would be better to be rid of the buddy keys and trial accounts...it would certainly curtail the gold farmer spambots.

I gotta say, I am not terribly happy about the treatment of the digital download customers. We paid the same price, but got no box, no physical media, no manual, no download codes for goodies, no buddy keys... I understand the need to have a good relationship with brick and mortar retailers, but not taking care of customers who COST YOU LESS MONEY TO DELIVER YOUR PRODUCT TO seems unfair at least.

WoW had buddy keys at launch, they have.. how many subscribers again?

And SOE has, with all their combined games a total of.. how many subscribers again?

Worst. Comparison. Ever.

Yes, it's terrible to compare how a shitty company runs things to a successful one, since it makes the shitty company fanbois weep.  I agree.

EDIT:  Of course, the point is not that buddy keys made WoW.  It's that if you don't take a big steaming shit on your customers at every possible turn you're likely to be a more successful company.  Though I guess we'll never know, since the powers that be at SOE enjoy taking a big steaming shit on their customers more than they like making money.  Which, in a way makes me respect SOE a little, at least they know what they like.

I'm not seeing where the big steaming shit is.

Woo hoo.

Buddy Keys.

Meh.

There are better things to bitch and moan about.

Of course you don't schild, of course you don't.

I'd love the chance to do so without dumping $50 on it.

You should think about games how I think about games these days.

If I need a demo to decide, I'm not going to be playing it.

I don't contain the correct level of fiscal irresponsibility to think about games the way you think about games.

I didn't buy Pirates.

I bought a box from a retail store, and got all the fun goodies including a Buddy Key... Too bad I gave it to an actual buddy, who also bought a box and passed his buddy key on to the other RL friend who used to be part of our EQ group in the early days.

So, it looks like all you beggars are just gonna need to go spend the price of 5-6 movies in the theater to play this game.

I gots two keys. PMs sent to Hat and Morphiend, just because they were first who asked.

If you think trials and buddy keys are a bad idea, then you have a narrow view of the type of customers this game needs to appeal to, or have never run anything where a trial program can turn into a sale.

Why do you think WoW is putting so much effort into getting people into Blizzard's game faster and more efficiently?

I want to try Pirates.   I *really* do.  It might even lead to a purchase.  If I bought the game and didn't like it? It'd be spiteful towards the company and probably wouldn't pick up future products.  If I could try something out for free and didn't like? I'd be "meh", but I'd be appreciative that they have a free trial.

Open Beta as trial? Psht.  Ok, let's invite people to try our game in a pre-release state that could have possible game-wracking bugs or can't transfer their character to the live environment if they want to buy our product.

Please note: The pre-order for this game was a free trial, where you could keep your characters, it just required you paying a refundable $5-10 which you could cancel or apply toward an actual purchase.

You are 4 weeks late for this now, and the game has released.. so either buy the game, or wait patiently for a freebie offer if you don't have a buddy with a key.

Well I ain't begging for one.  If I get one, nice, I'll check it out.  But if none comes my way, that's one less potential customer they have.

:ye_gods:

also lol @ trialkeys=bad idea

There is a chance that my memory may be a bit hazy on the actual quote.  I may have been on my 5th rum and coke.

Maybe.

I don't understand how trial keys can be anything but good.

My only concern with trial keys is making it that much easier for gold sellers to get accounts with which to spam me. They should go the WoW route and disallow trials from sending /tells to anyone without prior contact.

If anyone still needs/wants a buddy key, PM me and let me know.  I won't be able to send it to you until tonight, however.

Yes, at this point the industry should be smart enough where they take appropriate counter-measures to make sure Trial Accounts aren't abused.  I'm not advocating full access Trials.  Let me play the game and see if I like it so that I can evaluate whether I want to be a customer or not.

Edit: Pfft.  I forgot I have coworkers who play.  Well, I'll ask them first.

Three words.

Sony Online Entertainment. That is all.

That was six words.

I knew I should have put in a line break.

Hmm.  Apparently my friends are living in the digital age and all bought the Downloadable version.  That doesn't come with a Trial.  And costs as much as a box copy.

Progress!

RL storage space is costly

On one hand, I don't seen schild as ever having been a SOE fanboi. On the other hand, no MMO (and only some games) get my money without some kind of trial. Even if that trial is buying it from EB games.

Wow, that is some amazing crack you are smoking.  Can you introduce me to your dealer?

As an assist for your reading comprehension:

SOE stands for Sony Online Entertainment. ie Everquest. Everquest 2. Star Wars Galaxies. Etc.

Not Sony Computer Entertainment. Those of the Playstation. That's SCE. SCEA/SCEE/SCEJ. He's the world's biggest fanboi for that arm of the company. That's not the Smedtown SOE.

You must have missed the 100+ page thread that started when schild was exposed to the SWG NGE before it came out and declared it Robot Jesus.

No, I remember that. I was pretty sure it helped him learn his lesson. Wasn't that also about 18 months ago now? I'm also not sure if it made him a SOE fanboi, or someone who was easily suckered by friendly devs. Did they fly him out to that, too, or was he in Houston for some other reason anyway?

Anyway, if he were a SOE fanboi, he'd be all over POTBS, EQ1/2, still hard for SWG, and possibly even Vanguard and MXO. I'm not seeing any of that, currently.

For fuck's sake. I'm defending schild. Please stop.

Okie dokie.  After playing Pirates of the Caribbean, I realized I wanted to play this for reals.  So I bought the game.

It didn't.

since it didn't. please to be making an elaboration of schild's "current" SOE fanboism please. with specific examples.

you know, current ones.

Why?

Azazel, don't feed the troll.

Once again, I did not resub to SWG, all the other people that think READING IS HARD did.

Meh, whatever. I've been over this countless times. Clean server, no lag, game handled perfectly, and even then - No CD No Sub.

The environment I wrote about was not indicative of the SWG that it was launched... into (?). Anyway, whatever, apparently people think I'm an SOE fanboi. I should stop wearing that cape that says SOE fanboi.

Just to show that you're not full of shit.

You know how it goes, if you make accusations, be prepared to back them up. That kind of thing. The stuff we teach elementary schoolkids.

 :awesome_for_real:

If you walk into a physics convention and shout "I don't believe this thermodynamics stuff, someone prove it to me" you'll get the same response I'm about to give:

Be quiet, the important people are talking.

Actually, he's saying don't be an accusatory punk without any support to back up your claims.

I like my modified response better. :)

And, uhh.. again I'll ask:

Why?

EDIT:  And for the record, it took a month for me to troll you into a justifying your SWG review yet again, so I really do consider this to be a fail.  I'm out of practice.

Cool, so a bunch of frontin' bullshit, no balls to back up your claims, a straw man, and some weak, weak smack talk.

(http://www.toadking.com/6x9=42/fail.jpg)



In other news, I'm done playing with young cevik here. But I would like to see a trial of PotBS.  :awesome_for_real:

Did anyone get you that key yet?

I failed, eh?

Well, they actually are going to be doing a promotion where they giving more buddy keys away, and each subscribed person is going to get 3 keys to give to friends for 14 days of PotBS. link (http://www.burningsea.com/page/news/article&article_id=10706)

Also now is a good time to make lots of alts, because mid week all characters are gonna get some bonus experience items.

Saw this at Target in a bargin bin for $9.98, can't get a much better trial.  Not my style though, didn't pick it up.

Well, I still do enjoy this game, and actually am playing multiple classes, on different servers, enjoying it in small doses, and not grinding myself or trying to burn out... but the buddy key program and recent changes plus server merges isn't helping... So:

TADA

Free Trials coming!! (http://www.burningsea.com/pages/page.php?pageKey=news/article&article_id=10857)