Pre-order suggestion

pizzaddict · 04-02-2010, 10:43 AM

I think it would be great if when pre-ordering for a version, in this case 11, we were allowed to download older versions for free.

User pros:
For those of us who don't own 10, like myself, we would have a couple weeks to play around with that before getting version 11.

OOTP pros:
You aren't losing out on money, it's not like I am going to buy 10 just to play for 2 weeks before 11 shows up.

Gives potential users more reason to pre-order 11.

MorseMoose · 04-02-2010, 10:54 AM

(non-official answer)

This has been suggested several times and while I personally think it's a great idea, OOTP has said multiple times that it isn't doable.

There are free versions out there (OOTP 8, I believe is the newest free version) for you to try out.

pizzaddict · 04-02-2010, 11:00 AM

I actually own 9 and started a league in that a few days back. I was hoping to play around with the new features in 10 such as individual pitch ratings before I played 11 (which I already pre-ordered). I will probably start a brand new league when 11 comes out, but if I had 10 I would probably transfer that league to 11.

Maybe it would be a pain for them to manage the licensing, otherwise I see no negative to doing this.

Sparrow · 04-02-2010, 11:10 AM

There is a demo for X. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but you only need it to last 10 or 12 days at this point.

pizzaddict · 04-02-2010, 11:33 AM

Good idea, I'll give that a try. I just assumed the demo would either have limited features or only let me play part of a season.

starship · 04-02-2010, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

There is a demo for X. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but you only need it to last 10 or 12 days at this point.

If you don't have version X it wouldn't hurt to give the demo a try just to see if it runs OK on your system. I made the mistake of buying one of OOTP's main competitor's game before trying it on my main system and found out it won't run and there's no fix for it.

megamanmatt · 04-02-2010, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starship

If you don't have version X it wouldn't hurt to give the demo a try just to see if it runs OK on your system. I made the mistake of buying one of OOTP's main competitor's game before trying it on my main system and found out it won't run and there's no fix for it.

A good point but honestly I can't a imagine a system OOTP wouldn't run on. And if it exists it probably couldn't connect to the internet to license it anyway.

battists · 04-03-2010, 10:03 AM

Thanks for your posts, everyone. We're always willing to listen to ideas from our customers.

In this particular case, though, we do believe that doing this would both hurt our revenue and be a huge pain to manage. We do still sell older versions of the game at a reasonable clip, so they are an important part of our revenue stream. Allowing people to have it for free is lost income for us, and even if you weren't going to buy it anyway, it raises complicated related issues. If you're proposing we just give it to people who preordered 11, how do we control who gets a "free" copy? Do we have to build a system to validate their OOTP 11 serial number when they download OOTP 10? How do we prevent them from just giving it to all of their friends who didn't preorder? And so on.

Doing this would generate a small amount of goodwill from our preorder customers, but apart from that, it doesn't appear to benefit us in any other measurable way, such as increased sales or reduced costs. Resource-strapped as we are, the cost to us of coming up with a way to manage this, documenting it, and answering questions about it operationally seems greater than benefit to our business. And sadly, yes, we are ultimately a business.

I think other similar businesses have found much the same as we did. Look at franchises with similar business models (one release per year). Madden doesn't give you a free copy of Madden 10 when you've preordered Madden 11, nor does SI or any of the console sports leaders. If anything, I would argue that a company like EA would be in a much better position than we are to do something like this.

The OOTP 10 demo is still available here: OOTP Developments Downloads

The only restrictions on the demo are:

1. You can only run it for 7 real-world days
2. You can only sim for 1/2 season in historical play, or 1 1/2 seasons in fictional

Other than that, it is fully-featured, and you can even import any leagues you create into OOTP 11!

So, I would encourage you to give the demo a try, and if you run out of demo time, you can spend your leisure hours reading the online manual! OOTP 11 won't be THAT different, so it will be good information. Plus, it makes me happy when people read it.

I hope you guys understand!

Steve

Bluenoser · 04-03-2010, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pizzaddict

I actually own 9 and started a league in that a few days back. I was hoping to play around with the new features in 10 such as individual pitch ratings before I played 11 (which I already pre-ordered). I will probably start a brand new league when 11 comes out, but if I had 10 I would probably transfer that league to 11.

Maybe it would be a pain for them to manage the licensing, otherwise I see no negative to doing this.

The BIG negative is, why should I bother purchasing ver 11 when I can get the most recent/previous version for free? I could do this every year and OOTP would go out of business in no time flat. I'd only ever be one version behind the most current. Seems to me like it would be a no brainer to take the free copy and be one version behind than to pay for the new one. And believe me, a lot of people would think along the same lines. Thus, OOTP Developments would be out of business before we knew what hit us.

MorseMoose · 04-03-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceM

The BIG negative is, why should I bother purchasing ver 11 when I can get the most recent/previous version for free? I could do this every year and OOTP would go out of business in no time flat. I'd only ever be one version behind the most current. Seems to me like it would be a no brainer to take the free copy and be one version behind than to pay for the new one. And believe me, a lot of people would think along the same lines. Thus, OOTP Developments would be out of business before we knew what hit us.

I think he means if you buy 11, then you would have 10 to play until 11 comes out.

Which brings up the interesting thought of a OOTP 10 Pre-order. It checks to see if 11 has been released, if it has...the game is dead and no longer works.

But that would require some programming on Markus' part

for a game that is old and that'd be ridiculous for him to spend time on.

robc · 04-03-2010, 10:57 AM

Is it possible to give someone who preorders OOTP a 30 license to the prior version?

pizzaddict · 04-03-2010, 10:58 AM

One difference between Madden and OOTP is console versus PC. It's not like EA is going to mail me an older game if I pre-order the newest version. In the PC world it makes more sense where we are just talking about downloading and sending a key.

As far as maintaining and sharing with others, it would be no different then how copies are handled now. I pre-order 11, then I get an license key for 10. Once 11 is released I get the key for that. I can't share because the key is tied to my account, just like it is now.

Anyway, not a big deal. I didn't realize the demos had all the features of the full game. I've downloaded the demo 10 and will run my league on that until 11 comes out.

Thanks for the response.

Bluenoser · 04-03-2010, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MorseMoose

I think he means if you buy 11, then you would have 10 to play until 11 comes out.

Which brings up the interesting thought of a OOTP 10 Pre-order. It checks to see if 11 has been released, if it has...the game is dead and no longer works.

But that would require some programming on Markus' part

for a game that is old and that'd be ridiculous for him to spend time on.

That's what the Demo is for.

f_monster · 04-03-2010, 03:07 PM

I would be happy with the ability to look at the manual for all preorder customers. This gives a nice jump and has us up and running full steam by the time the game comes out. It would also create an even bigger buzz for the game.... atleast in my opinion.

Gavyl · 04-03-2010, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f_monster

I would be happy with the ability to look at the manual for all preorder customers. This gives a nice jump and has us up and running full steam by the time the game comes out. It would also create an even bigger buzz for the game.... atleast in my opinion.

Indeed, sounds reasonable!

skunkle333 · 04-03-2010, 06:10 PM

I spent a good deal of time installing the v10 (I bought v10 with preorder but didn't have it on my laptop) on my laptop assuming there was no license limitation. Oops. All that work.

I got a new great PC a few weeks ago and forgot that I had not taken the license off my old XP that I gave to my son-in-law. So after installing and putting in the purchase code I got the message that no more installs were available. Drat.

SO then I went and installed the v10 demo. Hey...the 7 days would be close to the 12th for any times that I wanted to use the laptop while sitting outside in the nice spring weather. NOT.

I was brain dead and forgot that long ago I had already used my 7 days on the v10 demo. Double drat.

Oh well...enjoying v10 on my new 22" screen and waiting til' the 12th. Poor laptop!

megamanmatt · 04-03-2010, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pizzaddict

One difference between Madden and OOTP is console versus PC. It's not like EA is going to mail me an older game if I pre-order the newest version. In the PC world it makes more sense where we are just talking about downloading and sending a key.

Actually all three consoles have robust digital distribution systems. For instance Microsoft typically sells downloadable version of their "Greatest Hits" games over live. Nintendo has put the larger portion of their entire library since the 80's up. Heck there is downloadable content which exceeds 1 gig size for tons of games.

The biggest mistake people make when looking at a console is that it is a "less capable computer". My X-Box is just as capable of doing everything the computer I'm on right now can do, it's just it's functionality is very narrow. It is a computer that's only purpose is to play games and watch videos on. I'd be willing to bet a PS3 or 360 is more powerful than the average person's home PC.

Kelric · 04-03-2010, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skunkle333

I spent a good deal of time installing the v10 (I bought v10 with preorder but didn't have it on my laptop) on my laptop assuming there was no license limitation. Oops. All that work.

I got a new great PC a few weeks ago and forgot that I had not taken the license off my old XP that I gave to my son-in-law. So after installing and putting in the purchase code I got the message that no more installs were available. Drat.

SO then I went and installed the v10 demo. Hey...the 7 days would be close to the 12th for any times that I wanted to use the laptop while sitting outside in the nice spring weather. NOT.

I was brain dead and forgot that long ago I had already used my 7 days on the v10 demo. Double drat.

Oh well...enjoying v10 on my new 22" screen and waiting til' the 12th. Poor laptop!

You can contact the OOTP license provider to try and get your licenses re-issued, you know.

battists · 04-03-2010, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f_monster

I would be happy with the ability to look at the manual for all preorder customers. This gives a nice jump and has us up and running full steam by the time the game comes out. It would also create an even bigger buzz for the game.... atleast in my opinion.

That would be a wonderful idea . . . if the manual were ready.

battists · 04-03-2010, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skunkle333

I spent a good deal of time installing the v10 (I bought v10 with preorder but didn't have it on my laptop) on my laptop assuming there was no license limitation. Oops. All that work.

I got a new great PC a few weeks ago and forgot that I had not taken the license off my old XP that I gave to my son-in-law. So after installing and putting in the purchase code I got the message that no more installs were available. Drat.

SO then I went and installed the v10 demo. Hey...the 7 days would be close to the 12th for any times that I wanted to use the laptop while sitting outside in the nice spring weather. NOT.

I was brain dead and forgot that long ago I had already used my 7 days on the v10 demo. Double drat.

Oh well...enjoying v10 on my new 22" screen and waiting til' the 12th. Poor laptop!

Just send an e-mail to support@elicense.com. They will get that fixed right up for ya!

04-02-2010, 10:43 AM	#1
pizzaddict Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 136	Pre-order suggestion I think it would be great if when pre-ordering for a version, in this case 11, we were allowed to download older versions for free. User pros: For those of us who don't own 10, like myself, we would have a couple weeks to play around with that before getting version 11. OOTP pros: You aren't losing out on money, it's not like I am going to buy 10 just to play for 2 weeks before 11 shows up. Gives potential users more reason to pre-order 11.

04-03-2010, 10:03 AM	#8
battists Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18,506	Thanks for your posts, everyone. We're always willing to listen to ideas from our customers. In this particular case, though, we do believe that doing this would both hurt our revenue and be a huge pain to manage. We do still sell older versions of the game at a reasonable clip, so they are an important part of our revenue stream. Allowing people to have it for free is lost income for us, and even if you weren't going to buy it anyway, it raises complicated related issues. If you're proposing we just give it to people who preordered 11, how do we control who gets a "free" copy? Do we have to build a system to validate their OOTP 11 serial number when they download OOTP 10? How do we prevent them from just giving it to all of their friends who didn't preorder? And so on. Doing this would generate a small amount of goodwill from our preorder customers, but apart from that, it doesn't appear to benefit us in any other measurable way, such as increased sales or reduced costs. Resource-strapped as we are, the cost to us of coming up with a way to manage this, documenting it, and answering questions about it operationally seems greater than benefit to our business. And sadly, yes, we are ultimately a business. I think other similar businesses have found much the same as we did. Look at franchises with similar business models (one release per year). Madden doesn't give you a free copy of Madden 10 when you've preordered Madden 11, nor does SI or any of the console sports leaders. If anything, I would argue that a company like EA would be in a much better position than we are to do something like this. The OOTP 10 demo is still available here: OOTP Developments Downloads The only restrictions on the demo are: 1. You can only run it for 7 real-world days 2. You can only sim for 1/2 season in historical play, or 1 1/2 seasons in fictional Other than that, it is fully-featured, and you can even import any leagues you create into OOTP 11! So, I would encourage you to give the demo a try, and if you run out of demo time, you can spend your leisure hours reading the online manual! OOTP 11 won't be THAT different, so it will be good information. Plus, it makes me happy when people read it. I hope you guys understand! Steve __________________ Come check out my dynasty report, Funky Times!

04-02-2010, 10:54 AM	#2
MorseMoose Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 6,023 Infractions: 1/1 (1)	(non-official answer) This has been suggested several times and while I personally think it's a great idea, OOTP has said multiple times that it isn't doable. There are free versions out there (OOTP 8, I believe is the newest free version) for you to try out.

04-02-2010, 11:00 AM	#3
pizzaddict Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 136	I actually own 9 and started a league in that a few days back. I was hoping to play around with the new features in 10 such as individual pitch ratings before I played 11 (which I already pre-ordered). I will probably start a brand new league when 11 comes out, but if I had 10 I would probably transfer that league to 11. Maybe it would be a pain for them to manage the licensing, otherwise I see no negative to doing this.

04-02-2010, 11:10 AM	#4
Sparrow All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 803	There is a demo for X. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but you only need it to last 10 or 12 days at this point.

04-02-2010, 11:33 AM	#5
pizzaddict Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 136	Good idea, I'll give that a try. I just assumed the demo would either have limited features or only let me play part of a season.

04-03-2010, 10:57 AM	#11
robc Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,095	Is it possible to give someone who preorders OOTP a 30 license to the prior version?

04-03-2010, 10:58 AM	#12
pizzaddict Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 136	One difference between Madden and OOTP is console versus PC. It's not like EA is going to mail me an older game if I pre-order the newest version. In the PC world it makes more sense where we are just talking about downloading and sending a key. As far as maintaining and sharing with others, it would be no different then how copies are handled now. I pre-order 11, then I get an license key for 10. Once 11 is released I get the key for that. I can't share because the key is tied to my account, just like it is now. Anyway, not a big deal. I didn't realize the demos had all the features of the full game. I've downloaded the demo 10 and will run my league on that until 11 comes out. Thanks for the response.

04-03-2010, 03:07 PM	#14
f_monster Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cartersville, Georgia Posts: 26	I would be happy with the ability to look at the manual for all preorder customers. This gives a nice jump and has us up and running full steam by the time the game comes out. It would also create an even bigger buzz for the game.... atleast in my opinion.

04-03-2010, 06:10 PM	#16
skunkle333 All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2006 Location: St. Louis metro area...IL side. Posts: 643	I spent a good deal of time installing the v10 (I bought v10 with preorder but didn't have it on my laptop) on my laptop assuming there was no license limitation. Oops. All that work. I got a new great PC a few weeks ago and forgot that I had not taken the license off my old XP that I gave to my son-in-law. So after installing and putting in the purchase code I got the message that no more installs were available. Drat. SO then I went and installed the v10 demo. Hey...the 7 days would be close to the 12th for any times that I wanted to use the laptop while sitting outside in the nice spring weather. NOT. I was brain dead and forgot that long ago I had already used my 7 days on the v10 demo. Double drat. Oh well...enjoying v10 on my new 22" screen and waiting til' the 12th. Poor laptop!