Ramaniscence Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I don't think it's that stupid to get upset over the entire Potato Pack thing in the first place. It isn't just about the release date...I've felt like this whole concept was goofy from the start. Setting up this whole ARG phenomenon across a bunch of titles is little more than a way of bribing people who otherwise don't care about those games to snap them up, and those of us who chose not to were cut off from all parts of the ARG. Last time Valve did something like this, when they first announced Portal 2, they used updates to the original Portal...which, y'know, makes sense as a place that fans of Portal could look and participate. I know I'm not the only one who's felt like this whole Potato thing sucks for those of us who are really really excited about Portal 2, but may or may not care about a random assortment of indie games on Steam. Having that very same set of games now being used to determine the release date is kind of the last straw. Hey, i'm really excited about Portal, too. That's why I pre-ordered it from GameStop, and that's why I'll go pick it up when they get it on Tuesday...ya'know, the release date? What makes you think you deserve it more than I do? Especially if you're not willing to foot out a few extra dollars. Shit, I paid MORE than you did for it. And then I'll enjoy the shit out of it until it beat it in like 3 hours, and probably not play it again for 6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I don't think it's that stupid to get upset over the entire Potato Pack thing in the first place. It isn't just about the release date...I've felt like this whole concept was goofy from the start. Setting up this whole ARG phenomenon across a bunch of titles is little more than a way of bribing people who otherwise don't care about those games to snap them up, and those of us who chose not to were cut off from all parts of the ARG. Last time Valve did something like this, when they first announced Portal 2, they used updates to the original Portal...which, y'know, makes sense as a place that fans of Portal could look and participate. I know I'm not the only one who's felt like this whole Potato thing sucks for those of us who are really really excited about Portal 2, but may or may not care about a random assortment of indie games on Steam. Having that very same set of games now being used to determine the release date is kind of the last straw. Oh please. The last straw? What are you going to do? Boycott it? It's already been scheduled for a release on Tuesday. If people play the Potato Sack games and get it released earlier than that, how is that a bad thing? You don't have to do a goddamn thing if you don't want. I'm pretty sure the rest of the internet will take care of it and you'll get your precious Portal 2 earlier than expected anyway. And to be perfectly honest, the cross-promotion is great because it's an awesome way to promote really good games that people might not have known about or had been on the fence about before. Seriously, pick up Rush or The Ball. Both of them are fantastic, and if you're really jonesing for some Portal stuff, definitely get The Ball, because it's got an entire hour-long free DLC map pack that features 7 Aperture Science test chambers with original GladOS dialogue. Rush has extra puzzles with GladOS dialogue and companion cubes too. There are more games out there than just Portal. How is Valve encouraging you to check out some awesome indie titles a bad thing? You're just as bad as those awful whiny people who complained about Valve making Left 4 Dead 2. Honestly, the sense of entitlement some people have baffles me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brushfire Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Portal 2 is terrible, imma boycott it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleck Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I will boycott boycotting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Wow...did I manage to paint a target on the back of my head here? Let's try this again. First off, I'm not saying any of this out of some "sense of entitlement." I'm fine with waiting to play the game until its original release date. That was the original expectation I had before I heard about any of this "Potato" stuff. But when I saw the game update the other day and heard increasingly-defined rumors about the potential for an early release, I got excited, because who wouldn't? That countdown timer led a lot of people to believe that the game was going to be released this morning. But when the time came, we all found out that it was just a continuation of the Potato games thing, and I was (understandably, I think) somewhat disappointed. I didn't mean "the last straw" in the sense of any "BAWWWWW imma boycott it" sentiment...I meant that I'd found the whole Potato concept kind of annoying beforehand, and now find it even more so. Hell, at the rate things are going according to the status page, it doesn't look like we'll get it much before the original release date anyway. As for the overall Potato concept, I'm sorry to say that I don't have the spare cash lying around to put up $40 for a bunch of games I've never heard of on top of $45 for one game that I have heard of and really want. But even if I did, I most likely wouldn't be spending it on said games I've never heard of. I don't buy many brand-new games in general (lack of income, backlog of old games sitting around, general lack of interest in what's out there...take your pick), so when I do, it's a game that I really want, like Portal 2. As a fan of Portal, I feel like having the expectation that activities related to the sequel wouldn't require purchasing random games was a reasonable one; that's how things worked with the ARG added into the original Portal, after all. But then the Potato Sack came out, and I learned that I'd have to purchase these thirteen random games, only two or three of which I have any legitimate interest in, if I wanted to get involved with said activities. As an overall concept, it doesn't make much sense, and it certainly doesn't seem fair to people who are specifically interested in this one game. If Valve wanted to do a big cross-game event, why not use some of their own titles, which Portal fans would probably have general interest in already? You speak of promoting these other games, but isn't that something that happens all the time on Steam? There was the special Treasure Hunt event, there have been other themed events and sales, there are the regular weekly super-bargains on select games...there are plenty of opportunities to promote lesser-known titles on the service. Hell, several of the games in this pack have been promoted by those other methods in the past. So why is it that this promotion has to be specifically tied into getting info and other assorted goodies about Portal 2? Is there some general expectation that just because someone wants that one game, they'll want thirteen others too? It's like offering a NASCAR fan free merchandise if they sit through that weekend's PGA Tour event...it doesn't make much sense. That's really all I'm upset about here. I don't think Valve should use a bunch of completely-unrelated titles to promote their big new release, because it excludes those of us who can't/won't purchase said titles by default. I don't really see that as being that revolutionary of an opinion. (As far as waiting for the PS3 version goes, honestly, I'm not entirely sure why someone would want to own the game on both a console and PC in the first place. But that's just me personally.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 You don't have to buy the whole effing pack. Do some research before whining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coop Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Each Portal 2 campaign (single player and coop) is supposed to be twice as long as the original.Also, it's only $45 for the Steam version if you preorder it. I hope it's not set up like the first one, with a bunch of very quick, simple levels, and then the last few are the real challenges that take a while. That kind of elongated "training" part is what killed the longevity of the first game. A couple levels to get the hang of it, sure. But over 10? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 You don't have to buy the whole effing pack. Do some research before whining. No, no one's holding a gun to my head and forcing me to buy the entire pack together, but what would be the point of buying just two or three of them when you have to perform tasks in all of them to really "play"? Even the games in the pack that I have the most interest in still aren't games I'd buy on their own, at least not right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 No, no one's holding a gun to my head and forcing me to buy the entire pack together, but what would be the point of buying just two or three of them when you have to perform tasks in all of them to really "play"? Even the games in the pack that I have the most interest in still aren't games I'd buy on their own, at least not right now. The ARG segment that requires all games is over, no use whining about it anymore. The whole thing has been uncovered now. You can play one or two of the games to contribute CPU, because that is the current phase of the ARG. If you want to contribute to an earlier release date, then buy Rush for $2.50, run it, and then let it sit in the background (or, you know, PLAY IT. It's a great game.) Or really any other games in there you might fancy. Your business is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 why can't you think of it as a bonus for the people that are interested in the games in the pack I mean you're kinda looking like a guy that keeps his head under a rock right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Hey, I'll have you know that the space under this rock is very comfy. Such lovely springy moss. But srsly, I have no problem with Steam promoting those games. I have no problem with them being gathered into a pack. I have no problem with people being interested in them and choosing to buy the pack in order to play them. Hell, I don't even really have a problem with people getting a TF2 hat for buying the pack; there have been games with promo hats released before that I didn't have much interest in, and I'm sure there will be in the future. The only part I do have a problem with is Valve choosing to use this pack of games, none of which have any natural relation to Portal, to exclusively set up an ARG for and affect the release date of Portal 2. That's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koriantor Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Well on the other hand, steam is doing the indie developers a huge favor. I imagine they paid the developers to add portal 2 content, and on top of that gave them HUGE publicity. The publicity alone is probably worth the indie dev's effort to participate in the pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Oh, I fully agree that the developers of these games must have loved this whole event, both for the financial/exposure gains and for the chance to be part of what was probably a really fun experience. I'm really just looking at this from a consumer's perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenogu Labz Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Think outside the box, though. While you may not want these games, many other people do, and are more than willing to participate in this - I daresay - brilliant marketing scheme. The entire metagame was put together wonderfully, and coordinating that many developers to modify their games just for this release had to have been a tough challenge (especially given Valve Time). The end result was promotion for both Portal 2 and these games, neither of which is required to enjoy the other. Mutual benefit for Valve, the indie devs, and the consumers, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 This isn't really unfair because the Potato Sack games are really cool. If you're complaining that you don't get to affect the release date because you don't like these games, boo hoo. You wait for the official release date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 dude, it'll get released at most two days ahead of schedule, get some perspective you're getting all bent out of shape for some people having fun that you're refusing to participate in you can't not have your cake and eat it too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 ]you can't not have your cake and eat it too You can't have a lie, regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyXIII Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 So wait - do we have to buy these games to get it to work or just play 'em? I already own AudioSurf and would rather not buy it again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 dude, it'll get released at most two days ahead of schedule, get some perspectiveyou're getting all bent out of shape for some people having fun that you're refusing to participate in you can't not have your cake and eat it too ...I'm not really sure where people are getting the idea that I'm "bent out of shape" over this. I'm not going all RAAAAAAEG and pulling my hair out over the whole concept. I just find it to be kind of irritating. That's all. And as I already said, it's not just the release date thing, but the Potato Sack cross-promotion as a whole. And I'm not "refusing" to participate in anything here...it's something I honestly couldn't do even if I wanted to, because I didn't have the spare cash to throw down $40 for the pack on top of the $45 I already spent for Portal 2 itself. The whole thing was basically, "You must pay this much to participate!", and that's what rubs me the wrong way. The previous ARG stunt Valve pulled was added to the original Portal, so anyone who was already a fan of it would get the chance to participate. This time, there was a price for entry. So wait - do we have to buy these games to get it to work or just play 'em? I already own AudioSurf and would rather not buy it again... If you have any of the games on the list that haven't reached "completed" status left, I think just playing them will move them along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 because I didn't have the spare cash to throw down $40 for the pack on top of the $45 I already spent for Portal 2 itself. The whole thing was basically, "You must pay this much to participate!", and that's what rubs me the wrong way Again, you don't need the whole pack. Just buy one game. Don't go to Burger King next week, get Rush or Super Meat Boy or something. Rush is $2.50. And you don't need to buy any games you already own, LuckyXIII. The computation cycles will help GLaDOS reboot regardless of if your purchase was before or during this event. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramaniscence Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Rush is $2.50. Oh, I get it. it's like Chu Chu Rocket, but 3D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Again, you don't need the whole pack. Just buy one game. Don't go to Burger King next week, get Rush or Super Meat Boy or something. Rush is $2.50. Yes, as I've already stated, I realize that I can buy the games separately. But if you had wanted to fully participate in the ARG and find all of the potatoes and the secret GLADoS messages and whatnot, you'd have to go through all of the games. Buying a single game at this point doesn't serve any real purpose, especially when it's a game I'm not interested in anyway. (srsly, why have I had to repeat myself like four or five times now? I don't think my statements are some uber-complex treatise.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeCrusher Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Waaaaaaaaaaaaah. I'm mad. Haha, this is hilarious. Keep up the rage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 But if you had wanted to fully participate in the ARG and find all of the potatoes and the secret GLADoS messages and whatnot, you'd have to go through all of the games. Or you could go to www.youtube.com Oh, I get it. it's like Chu Chu Rocket, but 3D And I thought I was the only one who appreciated that game. But seriously, not even. For the first easy levels, yeah, but as soon as you hit medium levels the difficulty rises exponentially past any hard puzzles Chu Chu Rocket had (save for the custom level creator... that was serious gold right there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inimitable Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 You didn't need to have all of them (or any of them) to participate in the first place; just hang out in IRC and say WHAT'S THAT SOMEBODY CHECK THIS OH GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING like 500 other people did. Helping investigate the games you did own was part of it, but the puzzles and clues that came out of them were worked out by the community, not just by the people that owned that specific game. Two things you can do if you own any of the games in the potato pack to speed things along: 1. Earn the potatoes in the game you own, and 2. Play or idle in that game until its glados@home bar is completed. Right now, we are (as a collective IRC/Reddit/everyone ball of playtime) working on one game at a time. We're playing AAAAA now, and when that's close to done (about 90%), switching to RUSH. If you don't own either of those, check out the priority list of games to play on the ARG wiki homepage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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