Lack of DRM

[geredis]

I notice that there seem to be a lack of DRM. I am just given a download link I could just hand out to a number of friends. It is strange to me. Is there any story behind that? Does the dev have a like a buy when you can kinda thing going on?

I'm not sure if anyone else brought it up, but if I remember, the Download link (at least for SendOwl) is limited to 7 downloads per platform per patch...making sharing, while not impossible, certainly prohibitive.

[DNK]

I like it because it's a cinch to install, and there was no extra hoops to jump through when I wanted it on a second device for when I'm traveling.

DRM hardly prevents piracy anyway. Every game makes it's way onto TBP,etc, eventually. Some people use those sites as demo shops, buying what they like and expect to replay, effectively stealing a few short-played titles in the process. It adds up to greater sales to those people, since they'd likely otherwise not be willing to risk the money. While I didn't do that with Rimworld, as I realized it was an instabuy, I've done it with other games, and spent plenty on games I've tried and liked. Usually if I put 15+ hours into a pirated game, I feel forced to pay for it at the very least.

And some are just too poor or of poor morals to care, and you'd never get money from them anyway.

[b0rsuk]

The uncomfortable truth is that demo versions are almost unheard of nowadays. Combined with the raise of movie-like trailers (instead of gameplay videos), many advertisment strategies feel like an attempt to deceive you into buying the game. That, and publishers doing their best to prevent reselling. If you buy a board game, you can easily sell it if you don't like it. Video game publishers are asking for much while showing very little.

I base my purchases on let's play videos mostly.

[RemingtonRyder]

Not to get off-topic, but have you seen the TV ads for the Clash of Kings game lately? It isn't a particularly original strategy, but it sure does feel like an over-the-top attempt to suck you into playing a game.

[Kegereneku]

Ah yes... the death of Demo.
In some case it can be justified, very big game with openworld can't always make demo that aren't as big as the final game or other game can't 'sabotage' their own code to avoid giving a complete game a mod can unlock.

But sometime I'm wondering if they stopped making demo because many AAA game are so linear that if we had access to the demo we would know what we would spend all the game to do.
Not forgetting that game are getting so short a demo could make it look obvious.

...I'm just rambling around

[MsMeiriona]

Ah yes... the death of Demo.
In some case it can be justified, very big game with openworld can't always make demo that aren't as big as the final game or other game can't 'sabotage' their own code to avoid giving a complete game a mod can unlock.

But sometime I'm wondering if they stopped making demo because many AAA game are so linear that if we had access to the demo we would know what we would spend all the game to do.
Not forgetting that game are getting so short a demo could make it look obvious.

...I'm just rambling around

Didn't some demos just used to be the first level/mission? I feel like game makers realise that some people will quit after the first few levels when they realise the story sucks/gameplay is boring/the whole thing wasn't what was advertised and want to get their money first.

[iame6162013]

Oh and I wanted to tell you guys something, drm is like steam it limits what you can and can not so (to some minor extend) but it isn't safe.
(let's talk about steam because many developers get it wrong) if you are going to use steam make sure your executable uses it too!
(do it for all the version though if you don't the one's without can be given do the bad part of the internet) games can otherwise be shared to everyone and it's actually rather hard to stop like let's say drm if it isn't forced because the game NEEDS the servers, it can and will be hacked.
because if you don't give the consumers some streamed software they can run it if you delete the part where it needs to sync up to the servers (if the servers even serve a purpose!) because if it comes don to assembly or machine code you can read it (at least some hacky devs do) and change the executable to not do said thing and as a developer there is nothing you can do against it so let's all stop talking about piracy and stop doing so before we get a streamed game(they are just youtube but your button presses are given to the server) and even then they can hack your server but I have to say that's more than just a little illegal! because what isn't on that server the passwords to every one? what won't they put on there?

[Jam]

When I saw all those allowed download counts, I honestly thought that was Tynan's clever way of saying "go share RimWorld with your friends." Every one of the people I shared a copy with went off to buy their own afterwards.

[falcongrey]

When I saw all those allowed download counts, I honestly thought that was Tynan's clever way of saying "go share RimWorld with your friends." Every one of the people I shared a copy with went off to buy their own afterwards.

It was actually a friend that 'shared' one of his downloads that got me hooked. I've seen the game on twitch played and thought it looked fun but was more 'eh'. Then my friend sent me his link to download the game and 'try it'. I was amazed with how fun and addictive the game is. Granted I know I'm not the norm when it comes to this but no, I haven't downloaded the updated versions. Would love to... but it wouldn't be fare to Tynan. He has done a LOT of amazing work. I want to support him. My only hangup is I do want a Steam key, mostly for simplistic purposes for updates, mods, and re-downloads in the future. I'm mostly sitting, watching, and waiting for the Steam GO when he releases to Steam or comes up with some way to promise the Steam key if I purchase through the site.  So, I'm waiting with no game, as the old game as fun as it was isn't the better versions.  I have other games and my stories to write until Rimworld takes up ALL my time.

If there was DRM in the game, my friend wouldn't have had the ability to 'share the download' and let me see how much fun he was having. Tynan wouldn't have gotten the up coming sale once I can get a Steam Key. This isn't going to be true with ALL cases, but enough will 'sample' then buy to make it worth his time NOT to put it into the game. Those that pirate are GOING to pirate. The better the game, the more pirates are going to break a DRM to get it so why waste time and resources on developing DRM (even server DRM is breakable) when those resources and time can be focused on a better game. DRM hurts sales, hurts the game, punishes the legit players, and presents an encouraging challenge to pirates that are already competitive and looking for the next challenge to conquer.

Tynan has the right mindset to this and I'm glad for it. It is part of why I respect him and I'm willing to wait to give him what is due. The respect and money for a well developed game that shows he cared about the game and what his following told him about his game. I know there are going to be many who are doing the same because of it.

[kic]

I had pirated the game, In my defense, I was tired of buying games that after a few updates wouldn't run. After I spent countless hours with the game, it was easy to realize that i'll be playing this game way passed it's value, like, xcomEW, terraria, minecraft and space engineers to name a few. Sometimes, a pirated game can lead to a sale if {like in my case} the culprit is anxious for the latest updates

This (and other posts, but yours was the first post that made me think of it) reminds me Alex (sorry, can't remember his last name), one of the devs (producer?) for Pixel Piracy. He has taken a somewhat similar stance in that he accepts piracy as an eventuality.

He's taken a different approach which I won't get into because that's a whole other topic, but it has had the same result: many people who pirated the game ended up purchasing it because he made a quality product and wasn't a jerk about piracy.

Stand-up devs can go long a way to selling their product, never mind the quality of said product. When you have a good product AND a good dev? Well, you have Pixel Piracy, and of course, you have RimWorld.

I'll definitely get my money's worth from this game and I'm happy to have supported a good product and a good dev (and a good community) with said money.