Why do EA suck

MooseJam · 08-12-2008 4:19am #1

I don't know much about publishers, that side of things rarely caught my attention but I can't help but notice any time EA get a mention here you can't hear yourself think for the chorus of boos, so whats the story with them , why all the EA hating, what ills have they perpetrated ?

Phototoxin · 08-12-2008 4:23am

A game that can only be installed 3 times. So even if you computer needs formatting, you upgrade or you buy a new pc you can only use it 3 times.

Fall back 5-10 years games like deus ex - I'm still playing it because no crappy stuff that i can only install it 3 times.

EA also like to expansion pack their games a lot rather than give you a full ****ing game off the bat.

Also their motto 'challenge everything' If I say yes then I am not challenging it, If I say no I am complying without wanting to. So its a no win situation.

Jazzy · 08-12-2008 6:31am

they make inferior games to what they could be and then they buy the licenses of what could be good games and then make them an easy to play prequel with an expansion attached.
you cant skip their intros, cos like... ya know, u need to know their company slogan for some reason. paying 60eu means thats very important.

they are just generally **** at making what we love, but are very good at marketing it to ppl that dont know any better. play a led zeppelin cd to someone that is an x-factor fan. pissing in the wind has far better results. its the same with ea. they make cheap tak that sells, then get rich and buy licenses and make the games worse so they can have more universal appeal.

all in all - electronic arts hold back the art

Overheal · 08-12-2008 7:20am

EA's one of those publicly traded companies. By law, they have to maximise profit. In contrast, Valve is a privately owned company. Stardock is a Privately owned company. Activision-Blizzard is Public, and yes, they've become a horrid abomination since the launch of World of Warcraft.

Valve and Stardock have their critics, but both companies are widely praised for their rich content, reasonably priced games (take Orange Box, for $30 US, which gets you HL2, its 2 expansions, Portal, and TF2), and great after-sales support in the way of periodic updates. Stardock's Sins of A Solar Empire ($40 + New Expansion for $10) has no DRM on it up to version 1.03: an unusual philosophy but it works. Later patch releases require a Steam like application (Impulse) to be used to download the updates.

EA: I bought Command and Conquer, the First Decade, for $50. And they didnt even bother to patch any of the games in it. Trying to install Generals for some reason is a constant pain in the ass. Tiberian Sun refuses to run. When you open a support ticket with EA (all 7 times) They respond with a 2-page list of instructions which, in a sentence, is "Uninstall the game; Reinstall the game, Thank you for choosing EA."

In fact, here's the full thing:

Customer 09/02/2007 02:26 PM
I cant connect to Generals Online.

It says i need to download a file (65540_65536_english.rtp)
when it begins download the file and the progress bar shows up it stops and says unable to load file.

Ive downloaded and installed the ZH 1.04 English patch and followed the manual-install instructions but under the game options it still displays the version as 1.00

I'm running under Windows Vista Home Premium with XP SP2 compatability and administration running on all generals executables and general patches.

--------

Response (EA Tech Jonas M.) 09/03/2007 01:51 AM
Hello,

Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts. I&#8217;m sorry for the difficulty that you are having with Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour.

An improper installation or corruption of the game data can not only prevent the game from loading, but can cause the game to crash at seemingly random but very specific points in the game. When such an occurrence happens, it&#8217;s best to manually remove all of the components to make sure that next installation does not run into the same issues. To do a manual uninstall for Command and Conquer Generals and expansion, follow these steps (instructions referencing an expansion you do not own should be ignored):

Delete the game folders.

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on the Run button.
3. Type C:\Program Files\EA GAMES into the text field, and press OK.
* Note : If you changed the install path for the game during the initial installation, you will need to type that into the text field in lieu of the previous path.
4. Right-click on the following folders, and choose Delete to remove them:
* Command & Conquer Generals
* Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour
5. When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.
6. Once deleted, click on the Start button.
7. Click on All Programs.
8. Click on the EA Games folder.
9. Right-click on the following folders, and choose Delete to remove them:
* Command & Conquer Generals
* Command & ConquerTM Generals Zero Hour
10. When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.

Delete the game registry keys.(Warning: Changes to the registry can cause your computer to operate improperly, so please follow these instructions exactly as they are written.)

Follow these steps to back-up the registry so that should something go wrong, you can restore your system back to a working state:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type regedit into the available text field, and press OK.

+ If you are using Windows 2000/XP, click on File on the tool bar, and select Export.
+ If you are using Windows 95/98/ME, click on Registry on the tool bar, and select Export Registry File&#8230;

1. Check All under Export Range.
2. Type registry_archive into the File name field, and click Save.
3. Close the Registry Editor by clicking on the X in the top right corner of the window.

Follow these steps to remove the game registry keys from your system. (instructions referencing an expansion you do not own should be ignored):

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type regedit into the available text field, and press OK.
4. Double-click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
5. Double-click on SOFTWARE.
6. Double-click on EA GAMES.
7. Right-click on the following folders and select Delete to remove them:

+ Command and Conquer Generals
+ Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour

1. When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.
2. Click on the minus sign next to EA Games.
3. Double-click on Microsoft.
4. Double-click on Windows.
5. Double-click on CurrentVersion.
6. Double-click on Uninstall.
7. Right-click on the following folders and select Delete to remove them:

+ {06F80017-8F98-4C94-B868-52358569FC32 } &#8211; Generals
+ {F3E9C243-122E-4D6B-ACC1-E1FEC02F6CA1 } &#8211; Zero Hour

1. When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.
2. Close the Registry Editor by clicking on the X in the top right corner of the window.

Follow these steps to restore your registry, should you notice any issues after removing the previous keys.

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type regedit into the available text field, and press OK.

+ If you are using Windows 2000/XP do the following:
# Click on File on the tool bar, and select Import.
# Select the file registry_archive.reg and click Open.
+ If you are using Windows 95/98/ME do the following:
# Click on Registry on the tool bar, and select Import Registry File&#8230;
# Select the file registry_archive.reg and click Open.

Your registry is now successfully restored; close the Registry Editor by clicking on the X in the top right corner of the window.

Delete the uninstall files.

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Click on Run.
3. Type C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information into the text field and press OK.
* Note : If Windows cannot find this location, try copying and pasting the bolded path into the text field.
4. Right-click on the following folders and select Delete to remove them:
* {06F80017-8F98-4C94-B868-52358569FC32 } &#8211; Generals
* {F3E9C243-122E-4D6B-ACC1-E1FEC02F6CA1 } &#8211; Zero Hour
5. When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.
6. The game should now be completely removed from your system; close the folder by clicking the X in the top right corner of the window.

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledgebase (http://support.ea.com)

Jonas M.
EA Technical Support

--------------

Customer 09/03/2007 09:32 PM
following these instructions had left behind a ghost clone of the two progrmas, generals and zero hour, in the programs and features settings in vista (aka. add/remove programs in XP)

when I re-installed before discovering this I tried to launch zero hour to find 1) that vista had remembered my compatability settings for the generals and zero hour executables and 2) I had a new critical error which stopped the game from launching at all. the explaination given in this new crash is that it may be a virus, a hardware incompatability or hardware overheat - I have ruled all three of these circumstances out (having run a Norton scan, having already run generals on the Previous Install offline, and running the computer with additional cooling tray and temerature readouts of 45^C.

So I then patched manually again to 1.04 and now I could not launch for a New Third reason: "Please insert First Game Disc" - after inserting all 4 generals CDs (Gen1 Gen2 ZH1 ZH2) it recognised none of them.

So I have tried a conventional uninstall of both sets of installations. I will update this again if the third install finally works but please assume it hasnt as of yet. Im attatching the copy of my registry that was created as part of the your first Detailed Suggestion. Thank you for your continued time.

----------------

Customer 09/03/2007 09:37 PM
PS. i'd like to ask: what exactly is the file 65540_65536_english.rtp ?

------------------

Customer 09/03/2007 10:26 PM
Results of Third Installation:

Generals version 1.0:
-Launch: Success
-Online Connection: *Allowed by Firewall* Error. you must update to play online. *click OK* downloading 65540_65536_english.rtp ... ERROR: No Such File

Generals version 1.08 (manually patched):
-Launch: Success
-Online Connection: *Allowed by Firewall* Error. you must update to play online. *click OK* downloading 65540_65536_english.rtp ... ERROR: No Such File

Zero Hour Version 1.00:
-Launch: Success
-Online Connection: *Allowed by Firewall* Error. you must update to play online. *click OK* downloading 65540_65536_english.rtp ... ERROR: No Such File

Zero hour version 1.08 (manually patched):
-Launch: Success
-Online Connection: *Allowed by Firewall* Error. you must update to play online. *click OK* downloading 65540_65536_english.rtp ... ERROR: No Such File

Generals is still displaying as Version 1.00 (not version 1.04).
******I Need to know what 65540_65536_english.rtp is and where and how to get it.********

My Computer Specifications:

HP Pavillion dv6500t Special edition
Windows Vista Home Premium
Intel Centrino Duo. 2.0ghz, 4MB L2 cache
2GB RAM
128MB Nvidia Geforce 8400M GS with 768 additional shared memory
Wireless internet enabled. speed 300kbps.

Symantec Norton Internet security Enabled. Game programs set to allow.

The game physically runs flawlessly as ive ever seen it when playing offline. My online complaint in that regard is the game wont support widescreen resolution (1280x800). The problem I keep getting into is connecting to Generals Online and I dont have that rtp file!

---------------------

Customer 09/04/2007 08:11 PM
If I may offer a possible solution, some players on some online forums have reported an identical error, and that buying a new copy of generals solved the issue. I can only assume maybe a batch of copies of the game were made with flawed/corrupt installation files?

Is it possible (while providing my CD Keys) to receive a clean image of the game discs? I know Generals: The First Decade is already supplied free to Fileplanet subscribers (though I am not one) so it shouldnt seem like a big complication to do (to me, anyway).

Either way, Im still having issues and would appreciate any support to get me playing online.

----------------------

Discussion Thread
Response (EA Tech Marc C.) 09/05/2007 02:10 AM
Hello,

Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts. I&#8217;m sorry for the difficulty that you are having with the game Command and Conquer.

An improper installation or corruption of the game data can not only prevent the game from loading, but can cause the game to crash at seemingly random but very specific points in the game. When such an occurrence happens, it&#8217;s best to manually remove all of the components to make sure that next installation does not run into the same issues. To manually uninstall this game you will need to edit your system registry in a two part process. This will remove all traces of the game from your system. Remember that editing your computers registry incorrectly can severely damage your operating system. We recommend having a computer professional perform these steps. If you are confident, however, that you can edit your registry successfully, then please follow the instructions below carefully.

To remove all of the game folders:
Open My Computer.
Open your harddrive (by default this is C:).
Open the Program Files folder.
Open the EA Games folder.
Right-click on Command & Conquer The First Decade folder, and choose Delete.
A Confirm Folder Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
When the folder is finished deleting, close the window.
Right-click on your Recycle Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin.
Next delete the installshield folder. To do this:
Open My Computer.
Open your harddrive (by default this is C:).
Open the Program Files folder.
Open the InstallShield Installation Information folder.
Next locate the folder labeled {66D6F3BD-CA23-41A4-9FA3-96B26B32528C}.
Right-click on this folder and choose Delete.
When prompted if you are sure, select Yes.
Once deleted, close the active window.
Now you can remove the registry keys for the game.
Click on Start and then click on Run...
In the text line type 'regedit' without quotes, then click OK.
click on File and then Export...
Choose a location and name for the file (this will be your backup registry file).
Click Save.
The next steps will all be performed in the left pane of the Registry Editor window.
Click on the + next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Click on the + next to SOFTWARE
Click on the + next to Electronic Arts
Right-click on the Command & Conquer The First Decade folder and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Click on the + next to EA GAMES
Right-click on the Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour folder and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Right-click on the Command and Conquer The First Decade folder and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Right-click on the Generals folder and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Right-click on the Westwood folder and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Click on the + next to Microsoft.
Click on the + next to Windows.
Click on the + next to Current Version.
Click on the + next to Uninstall.
Right-click on the Key named {66D6F3BD-CA23-41A4-9FA3-96B26B32528C} and choose Delete.
A Confirm Key Delete window will appear, choose Yes.
Command & Conquer The First Decade has now been completely removed from your system. You may now choose to reinstall the game.

We would also like to suggest to install the patch for the game which is available at this link and please install both patches for the game. http://www.ea.com/official/cc/firstdecade/us/news.jsp?src=Patch102

Should you require further assistance about this or any Electronic Arts games in the future please visit our website and review our extensive Self Help knowledgebase (http://support.ea.com)

Marc C.
EA Tech Support

At that point I started to regard the First Decade as an expensive Coaster.

As for Blizzard, they're getting geared to make Starcraft 2 into a cash cow from hell; breaking into SC2+expansion+expansion+expansion; so you can about expect it to cost over $120 if not more before you get the full flavor of it. In retrospect, Starcraft is still one of the best selling titles of all time, and retails on average for $10, and has done for the last 10 years. Then theres the whole "Why 30 day game card, not 30 game-days card" issue I still have with them and pretty much all MMOs.

Thank you for asking, MooseJam.

Jazzy · 08-12-2008 7:35am

f**kin right. that sc2 bull**** got my tits in a right flare.
yes blizzard, i want to play 30+ missions as terrans... then another 30 as zerg and protoss. 90+ missions... sound. i promise i wont get bored.
it will be deadly in multiplayer but in single player id prefer to grind up to fight penance in ffx then do more then 15 missions per race.

some guy in game was telling me how this would be a deadly thing and how i shouldnt criticise it.
the sooner that ppl learn that everyone is fu*king around in the games industry the better. the standards need to drop... or is Little Big Planet too good for 9/10 ?

Cunny-Funt · 08-12-2008 10:03am

They also assimilated/eliminated many much loved developers from back in the day. Bullfrog, westwood etc etc.

PogMoThoin · 08-12-2008 10:12am

Take a look at Need For Speed, see how they have milked that series, like they do with all their series. They force the developer to add a new skin to the same game with 1 or 2 new added features and call it a new game. Then there's the DRM, You never actually own your game but rent 3/5 installs off them. The patch support for their games also ends after about 6 weeks.

Creamy Goodness · 08-12-2008 10:15am

well considering their last good football game was releaed in 1997 and count how many they've released since then. Its easy to see why they get stick

jonski · 08-12-2008 10:29am

Why do I have a problem with EA ........

Well , unlike many I didn't , then , 2 years ago , at the height of BF2 they brought out a patch to fix some issues . The patch "broke" the servers and the game became unplayable . You would start your server play the game for a few minutes , then the server would crash . Anyone that played the game will remember how hard it was to get a server going , this made it impossible . Also it brought an end to clan wars .

So , what was the big problem you ask , surely the hotfix cleared it all up , well it took 3 months for the hotfix to clear it up and in that time the game was unplayable for the majority and also the majority had paid up front for their clan servers that they couldn't use . Only the strongest of the clans survived the lull and the game was never the same after it .

And EA didn't seem to think that this was a big problem .

ghouldaddy07 · 08-12-2008 10:29am

The only thing I can say in their defense is dead space.

I am currently waiting for them to destroy one of my favorite game companys Bioware,

Helix · 08-12-2008 1:44pm

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

well considering their last good football game was releaed in 1997 and count how many they've released since then. Its easy to see why they get stick

you havent played fifa 08 or 09 then? both of which pissed all over any of the pro evos

but yes, in general, ea are a bit pants

burnout is super tho

K.O.Kiki · 08-12-2008 1:58pm

EA Sports.
Being arrogant jerks.
DRM.
Sims expansion packs.

In their defence, they funded Mirror's Edge, and though it wasn't a *great* game, it was an *interesting* one.

Cuddlesworth · 08-12-2008 2:10pm

Charging stupid prices for expansion packs or downloadable content that are not worth it.

Releasing Mods or re-skinned games at full price. Battlefield 2142, COD5 etc etc.

Horrible DRM.

The Sims.

Sabre0001 · 08-12-2008 2:19pm

Laziness in my opinion...

In my opinion Road to World Cup 98 was the last good FIFA they released (and they took away the indoor soccer! boooo!). Rugby games have been appaling. Ruined Bullfrog - Theme Park newer editions never held a torch to the classic, thinking about a Dungeon Keeper 3 (DK1 was the pinnacle!). Recent Need For Speed games.....

I don't mind The Sims - they took a simple concept and made it huge. A great leap from Sims 1 to Sims 2. HOWEVER, I do not like the milking thing that they do - releasing SO many add-ons, a lot of which don't do anything - more clothes?! No thanks! It ends up that half of the top 20 is just Sims and expansions.....

Also, that stupid EA account that never remembers me - so with each new game, I usually end up with a new account if I want to play online.

Helix · 08-12-2008 2:22pm

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

COD5

that wasnt ea

Creamy Goodness · 08-12-2008 2:25pm

Helix wrote: »

you havent played fifa 08 or 09 then? both of which pissed all over any of the pro evos

haven't played 09 yet as i'm in my final year of college and the little time i can afford to give to gaming isn't spent on fifa. i have played 08 and found it just as terrible as 07/06/05/04/03/you get the point.

let's not turn this into a pro evo vs. fifa war as fifa is only a small part of why EA "suck" as the OP kindly put it.

Also the whole thing about trying to buy Rockstar and the rumours to delay GTA IV if they acquired rockstar also furthered my severe dislike for them.

MooseJam · 08-12-2008 2:28pm

Is patching the publishers job, I would have thought the developers do it? is it a case of if the game is broken and known to be broken by the developers they won't work on a patch unless the publishers ask them ?

Cuddlesworth · 08-12-2008 2:29pm

Helix wrote: »

that wasnt ea

My bad, still a trend made prevalent by them.

Stephen · 08-12-2008 2:43pm

MooseJam wrote: »

Is patching the publishers job, I would have thought the developers do it? is it a case of if the game is broken and known to be broken by the developers they won't work on a patch unless the publishers ask them ?

Developers are responsible for patching, but the usual story is that greedy publishers force them to release buggy sh1te early to get the product out in time for Christmas, or whatever other event they're trying to milk, then worry about fixing it later.

Azza · 08-12-2008 2:53pm

I generally dislike them primarily for there assimilation of well known well respected developers like Bullfrog and Westwood as previously mentioned and then those studios effectively dissolving under EA. I also dislike there yearly franchise games where too few things change like in games people previously mentioned such as Need for Speed, but in fairness the last 2 Fifa's seems like a decent improvement. Generally I don't think the developers of these franchises are given enough time to make games that differ enough from the last.

As for the DRM issue I don't like it much myself but it only applies to PC games not EA's console games. Secondly its not limited installs as some people keep saying despite being told to the contary but its limited activations which is considerable less severe. Recently they released the actitvation revoke tool for CnC Red Alert 3 activations and I'm sure they will do it for other games with the same DRM.

Also I had CnC First decade pack and I had no issues bar in game videos not running in the original 2 CnC games which they fixed in a patch quite quickly. I believe Generals Zero hour is already patched 1.07 out of the box. I think 1.08 is the latest version but I had no issues with that pack and neither did a freind of mine who had it.

Also I don't see why EA are getting stick for the Battlefield 2 patch fiasco's. They did not make the game but where simply the publisher. The people at fault where Dice the developers but EA got hammered over it because its too easy and people just blammed them without thinking. Battlefield 2 was also not a game pushed out for christmas it saw a June release. Incidently Dice are releasing a 1.5 patch for BF2 soon. EA are one of my least favourite publishers/developers and generally there reputation is deserved but they also get stick for somethings they don't deserve at times because people take fun in hammering them.

rizzla · 08-12-2008 3:43pm

I think EA have recently published some very good games. Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Skate, Burnout Paradise.

I don't do pc gaming so the drm issue isn't a problem for me and I also dislike the yearly releases with little improvements.

And EA didn't try to buy Rockstar they tried to buy Take Two.

evil-monkey · 08-12-2008 4:19pm

Has anybody here considered that while ye may all think that EA do in fact suck, they are the world's largest video game developers / publishers now, and the developers of the most successful PC game of all time...
So while we may all think they suck (I'd be inclined to agree myself), they don't suck at all - in fact, they have conquered their industry in a way that no other developer has ever come close to replicating...

Weidii · 08-12-2008 9:16pm

*points to Dungeon Keeper 3 thread*

Kiith · 08-12-2008 9:28pm

EA definitly get too much blame thrown their way. Dont get me wrong, they have had some horrible problems over the past few years, but they are (imo) getting better. I hated them for effectivly destroying Bullfrog and Westwood, and their constant releasing of new yearly games, without adding anything of substance was annoying to say the least. But they have since given acquired studio's much greater control, and dont try to interfere as much. Bioware still make great games, so maybe they are getting better. 2008 has been a pretty good year for them, and for us because of them.

Overheal · 08-12-2008 9:29pm

evil-monkey wrote: »

Has anybody here considered that while ye may all think that EA do in fact suck, they are the world's largest video game developers / publishers now, and the developers of the most successful PC game of all time...

Unless they own the rights to Windows-Solitaire, I'm not convinced.

And imo, Half Life is still the most successful PC title of all time.

Kiith · 08-12-2008 9:46pm

I'd say he meant The Sims (and its 50 million spawns)

MooseJam · 08-12-2008 10:02pm

I have noticed there is already an expansion pack for spore - 15 notes, cute and scary or something similar, so I guess EA told whoever developed it to hold back some stuff from the release so they could drip feed expansions

m83 · 08-12-2008 10:48pm

I say... f*ck EA!

Helix · 08-12-2008 10:52pm

MooseJam wrote: »

I have noticed there is already an expansion pack for spore - 15 notes, cute and scary or something similar, so I guess EA told whoever developed it to hold back some stuff from the release so they could drip feed expansions

you cant blame ea for releasing them, you can however blame the absolute idiots who buy these things

xbox36016 · 08-12-2008 11:11pm

must ea games are ****

eggplantman · 08-12-2008 11:25pm

btw,is that crysis game any good? EA published it didnt they
havent had a chance to play it since i got it

Azza · 08-12-2008 11:40pm

Crysis is a pretty decent game, an above average FPS for the first two thirds of the game which are open ended enough to allow for a decent variety of tactics and gameplay styles. After entering the alien ship at the two thirds stage it becomes a much more linear experience with less interesting enemies to fight. The story is pretty generic and not very memorable. The multiplayer was well reviewed but never took off due to being perhaps overcomplicated and the fact that 64bit players where all but excluded by the lack of punkbuster support. The game is still the best looking full game on any platform surpassed only by its expansion Crysis Warhead. Crysis Warhead is good fun while it lasts with a much more hectic pace and a few new weapons. Combat against the aliens is improved thanks to the aliens have better A.I. and the Koreans don't dissappear completely after the aliens show up allowing for 3 way battles and keeping the action nicely mixed up. Again the story will win no oscars. The mutiplayer was again well recieved but I don't know if its taken off either.

eggplantman · 08-12-2008 11:44pm

thanks for the review,i will try it tonight

Overheal · 09-12-2008 12:21am

It definitely deserved to be longer, and the game was left on a bit of a cliffhanger. Again, leading to the expansion-philosophy of marketing. Crytek still earns high praise for building a great looking gaming engine. Not deserving of a $60 price tag in my opinion; I'd place it more at a 30-40.

Cy_Revenant · 09-12-2008 8:46pm

Personally, I thought Crysis was a great game. Along with some other recent releases such as Mass Effect, Mirrors Edge and Dead Space, it proves that there are a number of good developers whose games are distributed by EA. Remember, Valves games are also distributed by EA.

That said, I am personally not a fan of them, due in part to their use of SecureRom DRM. Also, due to their abysmally poor Technical Support team.

These people never seem to actually read your message, they're quite content to simply reply with a link to some vaguely relevant but unhelpful FAQ article. The only tech support I've encountered who is worse than them was Midway, who refused to acknowledge that my problem existed.

evil-monkey wrote: »

Has anybody here considered that while ye may all think that EA do in fact suck, they are the world's largest video game developers / publishers now, and the developers of the most successful PC game of all time...
So while we may all think they suck (I'd be inclined to agree myself), they don't suck at all - in fact, they have conquered their industry in a way that no other developer has ever come close to replicating...

As I understand it, Activision Blizzard are the largest Developers/Publishers in the world. Though you touch on an interesting point here. EA is a very large company, so much so that the different aspects of it operate as separate entities.

Along with EA themselves who look after all of their Developers games such as Maxis, Crytek, Bioware, Harmonix etc. There are also EA's in house studios, who, as I understand it, are pretty functionally independent. EA Sports, EA Big, The Sims etc.

silvine · 09-12-2008 10:01pm

Why do EA suck?

Check out the dlc for Deadspace.

gizmo · 09-12-2008 10:43pm

At least they're making an effort to get better, although it's taken them long enough. As someone said above, there are some great games out now being published by EA. Fair enough it isn't enough to undo all the **** they've done in the past but any move in the right direction is a good one so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

rizzla · 09-12-2008 10:57pm

silvine wrote: »

Why do EA suck?

Check out the dlc for Deadspace.

Then on the opposite side of the spectrum, check out the DLC for Burnout Paradise.

Podge2k7 · 09-12-2008 11:02pm

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Take a look at Need For Speed, see how they have milked that series, like they do with all their series. They force the developer to add a new skin to the same game with 1 or 2 new added features and call it a new game. Then there's the DRM, You never actually own your game but rent 3/5 installs off them. The patch support for their games also ends after about 6 weeks.

+1

monument · 09-12-2008 11:44pm

People view them as thinking something like... "oh, that works, let's make a million more of that type of game" and then they won't fix anything until sales start to slow.

EA, to be fair, have helped innovation. But on the other side, Will Wright was asking for years before he was allowed to make the Sims (not everybody's cup of tea, and it's image isn't helped by the apparent rampant cashing in on add-ons).

Toolbag · 10-12-2008 12:05pm

jonski wrote: »

Why do I have a problem with EA ........

Well , unlike many I didn't , then , 2 years ago , at the height of BF2 they brought out a patch to fix some issues . The patch "broke" the servers and the game became unplayable . You would start your server play the game for a few minutes , then the server would crash . Anyone that played the game will remember how hard it was to get a server going , this made it impossible . Also it brought an end to clan wars .

So , what was the big problem you ask , surely the hotfix cleared it all up , well it took 3 months for the hotfix to clear it up and in that time the game was unplayable for the majority and also the majority had paid up front for their clan servers that they couldn't use . Only the strongest of the clans survived the lull and the game was never the same after it .

And EA didn't seem to think that this was a big problem .

Why would EA fix one of their most popular games when they can turn people off it so they buy their latest crap? :rolleyes:

As if the patch fiasco wasn't bad enough, holes in the coding of BF2 and its player ranking system have left a window open for many widely available hacks to allow any a$$hole to crash a BF2 dedicated server (usually full 64 player ones) at will. Not only that, but also allow them to imitate other players' accounts, and hack with them to have the stats and accounts of innocent highly ranked players completely reset to zero.

So again, players who put in time playing and had attained a high rank and people paying money for servers were shafted. You would think such major security flaws, especially one that compromised the security of players' accounts would be fixed fairly quickly. But no, 18 months after the first cases were reported, no fix yet, although a fix is confirmed in the coming months.

Things like this, DRM software, recycled games and money extracting expansion packs would serve as pretty good reasons to dislike EA in my eyes.

tba · 10-12-2008 1:08pm

There is a certain belief that EA are a publisher, but they also have a large in-house development team, albeit under different names such as maxis. However the problem with EA is that they place the money before the game, seeing the developer as another tool in their business model along with marketing/distribution/human resources/accounting/maintenance, no doubt they have a cool name for it, something like "creative assembly"*.

legal%20boardroom.jpg

As such, a product produced by the developer is most likely assessed for its market value rather than on its gaming value, this kind of thing will always happen with a big, money driven company like EA, however, distribution doesn’t have to be inherently a money business. If you look at the STEAM model introduced by Valve and consider that their "creative assembly" is routed deep within their distribution model, you can see how a developer could use digital distribution to benefit the end user. In fact they do so with their downloadable content for their own games, it is done on the fly, discretely and best of all it is free.

Valve however have a lot of unanswered questions about their system, including, but not limited to, price and long term playability (i.e. after valve go belly up). What they have proven is that they are willing to innovate for the benefit of the consumer. Ea while not afraid to innovate tend to do so for their own benefit, expansion packs, pay as you play, DRM and in game advertisement, the list goes on.

Battlefield%20Heroes.jpg

They continue to innovate their most exciting concept on the horizon is Battlefield heroes, it looks good on paper, apparently it is free to play, but I am sure that something will arise, some small issue, that will destroy that ideal, something brought in not by the guys charged with making the game but the guys charged with making the money.

*I realise Creative Assembly used to work for EA and I am aware of the implication as such*

Overheal · 10-12-2008 4:52pm

tba wrote: »

Valve however have a lot of unanswered questions about their system, including, but not limited to, price and long term playability (i.e. after valve go belly up).

Its my understanding that they said very early on with the inception of Steam is that should Project Steam fail, they will release crack-patches for all valve-published software in your digital locker, essentially releasing them of their DRM. They obviously cant promise the same for other publishers represented through steam, but its my understanding that most if not all would agree to it if the whole system fell apart.

Whats wrong with their prices? Probably the most reasonable among any of the big publishers.

uberpixie · 10-12-2008 5:51pm

tba wrote: »

As such, a product produced by the developer is most likely assessed for its market value rather than on its gaming value, this kind of thing will always happen with a big, money driven company like EA, however, distribution doesn’t have to be inherently a money business. If you look at the STEAM model introduced by Valve and consider that their "creative assembly" is routed deep within their distribution model, you can see how a developer could use digital distribution to benefit the end user. In fact they do so with their downloadable content for their own games, it is done on the fly, discretely and best of all it is free.

Funnily enough Gabe Newell came out id defense of EA a while back: EA are one of the publishers that that handle physical distribution for Valve.

According to Gabe they were a lot easier to deal with than some other publishers...

Spotted this ages back on N4g.com

"After enjoying a healthy relationship with EA during development of The Orange Box, Valve will likely stay in partnership with the publishing giant for 2008's zombie apocalypse epic, Left 4 Dead. Valve MD Gabe Newell told Eurogamer that it would only be a "natural consequence" of the time spent on October's orange offering. "Everybody always tells us what a horrible monster EA is supposed to be and we keep waiting for the hair to sprout out and the fangs to grow."
"
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/28/valve-not-looking-to-leave-ea-4-dead/

evil-monkey · 11-12-2008 12:33pm

Overheal wrote: »

Unless they own the rights to Windows-Solitaire, I'm not convinced.

And imo, Half Life is still the most successful PC title of all time.

The Sims is the most successful PC title of all time, if you consider sales figures as a measure of success...which I imagine, most big gaming companies do...

Kiith wrote: »

I'd say he meant The Sims (and its 50 million spawns)

Exactly...

m83 wrote: »

I say... f*ck EA!

:rolleyes: Well that's a well put argument...

xbox36016 wrote: »

must ea games are ****

:rolleyes: Another fine point...keep the wisdom coming lads...

Cy_Revenant wrote: »

There are also EA's in house studios, who, as I understand it, are pretty functionally independent. EA Sports, EA Big, The Sims etc.

All of whom have developed hugely successfull games...

EA are the world's largest developers - countrary to what a few posters have claimed - and are in their industry leaders for the simple fact that their games are very very popular. We might not like em, but a fair chunk of the world's gaming population do...

Slutmonkey57b · 11-12-2008 1:41pm

Toolbag wrote: »

So again, players who put in time playing and had attained a high rank and people paying money for servers were shafted. You would think such major security flaws, especially one that compromised the security of players' accounts would be fixed fairly quickly. But no, 18 months after the first cases were reported, no fix yet, although a fix is confirmed in the coming months.

Anyone that pays ~€50 for a game, and then spends money on a server or a monthly fee deserves whatever they get in my book. If a developer wants me to pay by the month for the privilege of playing their game, they can damn well give it away for free. People paying EA to be allowed to run a server for multiplayer? Morons. People paying to be in a clan? Morons. People paying for 10 "stuff" expansions for Sims games? Morons. Morons who are destroying gaming by substituting money for practised skill.

Y2J_MUFC · 11-12-2008 2:34pm

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

well considering their last good football game was releaed in 1997 and count how many they've released since then. Its easy to see why they get stick

This is BS of the highest order. You haven't even played the FIFA'09, how can you comment on something you haven't played?

It's widely acknowledged that 08 and 09 have overtaken Pro Evo...they had some bad iterations (around 01-05) but having played all the FIFA games, the last few have really improved, maybe its because they have got the finger out, but...

Don't judge something you haven't played and assume the worst. You can have gripes against EA, but the majority who play FIFA'08/'09 and are football fans like it. This is not something they can be criticized on.

humanji · 11-12-2008 2:48pm

I know The Sims is an easy target for complaining about cashing in, but to be honest the add-ons are demonstrations on how to lilsten to your fans. If you're happy witht he finished game, then you can ignore the rest. But the add-ons don't just add a few new things to do, they change the game mechanics which is what the fans asked for.

A much better target for cash-in complaints are the sports games that are released each year with only a few minor tweeks and an updated roster of players. At least with the sims you get the feeling that the developers are actually enjoying themselves while making them, as opposed to the factory line assemble of the by-the-numbers sports games.

jonski · 11-12-2008 3:04pm

Slutmonkey57b wrote: »

People paying EA to be allowed to run a server for multiplayer? Morons. People paying to be in a clan? Morons.

I don't quiet follow you here . You don't pay EA to run the server you pay one of the server providers , this has been the way since I started gaming ...way back when .. . And as for paying to be in a clan , well for most clans thats not quiet how it works , you contribute to the costs of running the clan ir: servers costs and maybe web hosting costs . The reason you rent a server is so that you can run the game in a setup of your choice and also password it for clan wars and the like . Are you sure you understand the concept of clan servers ?

Maybe it's just not for you , and that is fair enough but part of your post comes across like you haven't a clue what it's all about .

steviec · 11-12-2008 3:07pm

humanji wrote: »

I know The Sims is an easy target for complaining about cashing in, but to be honest the add-ons are demonstrations on how to lilsten to your fans. If you're happy witht he finished game, then you can ignore the rest. But the add-ons don't just add a few new things to do, they change the game mechanics which is what the fans asked for.

A much better target for cash-in complaints are the sports games that are released each year with only a few minor tweeks and an updated roster of players. At least with the sims you get the feeling that the developers are actually enjoying themselves while making them, as opposed to the factory line assemble of the by-the-numbers sports games.

Plus the Sims concept (whether you like it or not) is actually one of the most original and innovative in gaming, and nobody else has managed anything like it.

The yearly sports updates are perfectly reasonable in my opinion too. Sports fans expect to be able to buy a game with the current season's rosters at any given time, so they're just meeting demand. As a Formula 1 fan, it annoys me that I can't buy a game featuring the 2008 season for example. Nobody's forcing you to buy a new one every year, but it's nice to have the option. And if there was no demand for it they wouldn't be doing it. Small "for the fans" type developers like Sports Interactive don't do it any differently.

Sabre0001 · 11-12-2008 3:46pm

On the subject of the Sims expansions - certain ones are a good idea (Seasons, Pets, Free Time, etc) because they do change the game or game mechanics. My problem is the useless ones like H&M Fashion, Kitchen & Wardrobes and so on and so forth.

Interesting trivia - Spore and The Sims 2 and the top 2 most pirated games of 2008 (despite Sims 2 being 4 years old...) - http://clanbase.ggl.com/news.php?nid=306484

Why do EA suck

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