Warlord

This is exactly what I'm worried about. Without access to the dedicated server files themselves, we cannot have the freedom that we did in previous games. Plus, being able to host your own dedicated server without having to pay for it is an option I'd like to see.

This is almost as bad as what MW2 did. Publishers are so scared of piracy they do boneheaded mistakes to save a buck.

As a pirate, I will say this: Those that WILL buy your game WILL buy it if it's good enough.

I've been waiting for ANY BF game for the PC since BF2142. This one looks like a decent update to BF2, while BF3 is still in the obscure far distance. All I worry is if they try to make this BFBC have a story like the first one did *shudder*

The leaflet, pictured above, was handed to me by the Gamestop employee.

The one included within the box itself is the one with the crappy "exclusive" download from their site.

@Traceur: Yes, but that doesn't usually mean lost sales, either. I've dabbled in piracy a bit, but still buy games. Especially games that are worth it buying. Other games I'd never go to the store and purchase, so it's NOT a loss for the company.

I'd wager that most piracy is also this way.

Unfortunately, any PC boycott (of which I am participating in, at least until I can get it for a normal PC price) just enforces these companies idea that developing for the PC is a waste of time. They figure there's ever onjyl piracy, and you'd be right, most of the time. The high standards PC users have have not been fulfilled by a lot of games for a long time. So PC sales go down. Lower PC sales tell the company to focus more on consoles. More focus on consoles lowers PC quality, so lower sales. It's too freakin cyclical.

And now, a previously high-quality PC game developer strips out basic features out of their PC version, and charges more for it than other companies, even earlier games they developed.

Console gamers, of course, are not participating in this boycott, nor do they have a reason to. There is nothing wrong with this game compared to other console games they've gotten in the past, so pre-orders are up, hype is higher than ever, and it will be the most sold console game "EVAR!"

PC gamers, however, are quietly trying to have game companies care about the PC as a platform. But rushed-out and crappy ports, on top of piracy (while the numbers of pirated copies are high, I'd wager that 90% or more of them were never going to buy it in the first place), are killing PC games.

QQ

Windows 7 is just Vista with a facelift.

Did anyone not notice the "INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED"? Why is this game exactly like Half Life 2, in that even though you purchased a retail copy, it still uses Steam exclusively?

Ooh, ooh, I have ANOTHER reason why those interested in the game in the US are not outside a gamestop right now! The fact that the PC version was delayed 6 days, and is thus not AVAILABLE tonight.

No PC love... :(

Arrg. Another fantastic FPS completely bypassing the PC gamers.

Well... thanks. But it just won't be the same without a keyboard and mouse. Maybe they'll make a PC port of this years down the road...