Patching on the 360...

[seregrail7]

These are some quotes from a thread (http://developer.saintsrow.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4480) on Volitions forum regarding the patch that they are working on for Saints Row. The ones with V in fornt of their names are form Volition.

How will you get Saints Row Updates, Clothing Packs, Vehicle Packs ETC without live?


Maybe you can purchase and download them from Volition?
Silver accounts are free. If you have internet, you can have a Silver XBL account.
I don't know about dial-ups and the 360, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was some way to work that out.

If you have no internet connection to your 360 whatsoever, I think you're out of luck. There's no mechanism (to my knowledge) to deliver or install marketplace products or product updates without one.

Perhaps if they didn't release a game that needs a patch I wouldn't be out of luck.

Anyone else think that it's irresponsible for MS to allow games that have some bloody annoying bugs and glitches to be released when there is no service in place to deliver updates to users without a broadband connection?

[qwerty]

If you have internet, you can have a silver XBL account


besides of that Ive played more than 8 hours in saints row now and I never had any of those bugs

[seregrail7]

What if you don't have internet? Or you have dial-up?
Apparantly there are ways to get XBox connected to live with dial-up, I'm seeing if it will work with 360 Live. Even so, depending on the size of the patch it could take ages.

[Scream]

Ultimately, Microsoft doesn't give a sh1t about people who don't have broadband. Cold, harsh reality, but true. The money for them is in the online service. If you're not able to sign up for it, they aren't too interested in you.

[seregrail7]

I do bitch aobut buggy pc games, actually.

I wouldn't call some of the Saints Rows bug minor, either. Some people can't play in the 16:9 even though that's what their tvs aspect ratio is. For me the sound often stops for a few seconds, then comes back. Sometimes mission critical NPCs spawn inside walls. If you read readons for some features people wanted being absent, Volition say because they wanted the gmae out on time. Why not over look a few issues that not many people will notice to get the game out on time?

I don't see how patching bugs is putting XBox Live to good use, making content like demos available is putting it to good use. Using it as a safety net to get your game out on time is not.

[Duoae]

Yeah, i was complaining about exactly this situation long before the 360 was released but unfortunately the majority of people's responses seems to be "STFU!" because they don't care because they have internet connection to their 360...

[Scream]

I do bitch aobut buggy pc games, actually.


I don't see how patching bugs is putting XBox Live to good use, making content like demos available is putting it to good use. Using it as a safety net to get your game out on time is not.

Well, from Microsoft's perspective, making money with Xbox Live is putting it to good use. You are in a small minority of 360 gamers (i.e. not having a broadband connection) so they're not going to spend a lot of time worrying about you because it simply doesn't make them any money to do so. Harsh perhaps, but reality. People without broadband are not their target consumer. You bought the console with the idea that it was just a gaming machine. You were incorrect. Microsoft doesn't see it as that. It's a media hub and Internet gateway from which they can collect both subscription fees and fees for content downloads, and they have designed it's entire support system around that idea. Ultimately, it's game support will be very much like the PC has become. If you wanna play, you need an Internet connection.

[Phayzon]

I do bitch aobut buggy pc games, actually.

I wouldn't call some of the Saints Rows bug minor, either. Some people can't play in the 16:9 even though that's what their tvs aspect ratio is. For me the sound often stops for a few seconds, then comes back. Sometimes mission critical NPCs spawn inside walls. If you read readons for some features people wanted being absent, Volition say because they wanted the gmae out on time. Why not over look a few issues that not many people will notice to get the game out on time?

I don't see how patching bugs is putting XBox Live to good use, making content like demos available is putting it to good use. Using it as a safety net to get your game out on time is not.

Hey, at least they're willing to fix it. What about buggy NES->GameCube games? Those users are just screwed.

[Mongorian]

What about buggy NES->GameCube games?

Such as?

[Duoae]

No idea, though i do remember some buggy console games being released on the PS and (of course) a new version of the game had to be released because there was no other method. Though of course there were other buggy PS games that were never fixed in any fashion.
I think that if a company is willing to release a game that has bugs which stop you from being able to experience the game you paid for then that company should be forced by law to buy back the game from the customer with no ties - ie. not a coupon but actual money back.

[seregrail7]

Well, from Microsoft's perspective, making money with Xbox Live is putting it to good use. You are in a small minority of 360 gamers (i.e. not having a broadband connection) so they're not going to spend a lot of time worrying about you because it simply doesn't make them any money to do so. Harsh perhaps, but reality. People without broadband are not their target consumer. You bought the console with the idea that it was just a gaming machine. You were incorrect. Microsoft doesn't see it as that. It's a media hub and Internet gateway from which they can collect both subscription fees and fees for content downloads, and they have designed it's entire support system around that idea. Ultimately, it's game support will be very much like the PC has become. If you wanna play, you need an Internet connection.
What's going to happen when the 360 picks up pace, and most of the users don't have broadband? Like people who don't even own pcs, and if they do don't have the internet because they don't use it? I know loads of gamers in that kind of situation.

CAlling the 360 a media hub is marketing bullshit. It's a games console. Noone gets a 360 because they can look at photos on it.

[Duoae]

Yup and it's not required for the gaming experience to have internet connection. In fact i just checked. Although it supports media functionality and internet out of the box. Nowhere does it say that to have a 360 internet is required.

[seregrail7]

I also forgot to mention that in Europe, monthly download limits are still the norm, don't know about over in America.
I wouldn't like to be wasting my allowed download limit to fix an issue in a game I shelled out €70 for.

[Phayzon]

Such as?

Half of the N64 games I own. I dont remember off hand what SNES/NES games I have that are buggy. My gamecube library is pretty small, so none of the games I have are really buggy.

And of cource, there had to be some PS/PS2 games that were buggy. The PS2 version of THAW is horribly flawed :mryuck: . But seeing as who its targeted for, I wasnt surprised.

[Duoae]

I never played any buggy N64 or gamecube titles? I've played some PS1. What kind of quality games are we talking about here? Console AAA? Or £10 bargain-bin knock-offs?

[Phayzon]

I would look at all the N64 titles I own, but I dont have it where im at. The one I can remember is Jet Force Gemini .

[Scream]

Yup and it's not required for the gaming experience to have internet connection. In fact i just checked. Although it supports media functionality and internet out of the box. Nowhere does it say that to have a 360 internet is required.

Only if you want to patch buggy games...

I'm not talking about the marketing literature. I'm talking about the reality of what MS wants this to be. They take a huge loss on the sale of each console. They make some of that back with the licensing fees they charge developers to produce for their system, but where they are really hoping to make money hand over fist is in Xbox Live Marketplace. Band of the month, movie trailer downloads etc are just the tip of the iceberg. It's another advertising medium for companies to sell their wares through, and pay MS to advertise there.

If you don't do online, you have zero potential to make money for any of these people. Hence the reason they don't care about you. The games are just the hook to get you to buy. It's all the rest of the shit that they are really selling.

[Hudson]

Console-elitists, let me welcome you to the wonderful world of post-release product completion.. something hardcore PC gamers are all too familiar with.

"Eh, go ahead and ship it.. we'll patch it later!"

:rolleyes:

[Duoae]

"Eh, go ahead and ship it.. we'll patch it later.... if they whine enough!

:rolleyes:


Completed :)

[Hudson]

Ah yes, thank you.