Why is In-Store DVD-ROM different?

[Gibbeynator]

Online activation is certainly disheartening to hear. Still, the disc is free. Just lump it in to a purchase of some other fine Telltale products and pretend it's a bargain.

[Klink]

Originally Posted by Gibbeynator

Online activation is certainly disheartening to hear. Still, the disc is free. Just lump it in to a purchase of some other fine Telltale products and pretend it's a bargain.

Except that it's not a bargain. It honestly is the worst value-for-money (or no money in this case) product Telltale has ever produced. Go back to my post near the end of page one to read exactly what's on the DVD.

This wasn't a bargain, this was a scam.

[Gibbeynator]

That's why I said "pretend"

[Rather Dashing]

Originally Posted by Gibbeynator

That's why I said "pretend"

Seems like a rather flimsy delusion to me.

[Soultaker]

Originally Posted by Gibbeynator

Still, the disc is free. Just lump it in to a purchase of some other fine Telltale products and pretend it's a bargain.

No, because I bought these games with the understanding that I could get a lasting hardcopy on DVD at the cost of shipping, a couple months after the games were released online. That's what I paid for. But now it seems Telltale won't deliver what they promised.

Had I known beforehand that this would be an online-only game, I might not have been willing to buy the games. I think this is just downright dishonest business. The offline DVD version is a big deal to me (and many others, apparently), Telltale sold it to us, but they won't deliver it. Frankly, I feel scammed.

[Mirko]

I also dislike this change from disc-based copy protection to online activation for the DVD. While I accept online Activation for the downloads, I really hate it if disc-based games use it. It is even worse when there is a limit on activations, which is for me genereally a reason not to buy a game until it is really cheap or the limit is removed (which is mostly at the same time).

I really liked the old "Buy Online with activation first, get activation-less disc later for cost of shipping" business model, and I think this change is a really big step in the wrong direction. And I think it would have been better to wait a little longer for the DVD and have it activation less, than do it the easy way and just put the web-installer on the disc.

But the activation is just one problem of this DVD. Compared to the other discs Telltale has to offer (especially the Sam and Max DVDs) it just seems to be done with less love or at least a bit rushed. I really was looking forward to watch the Cracking Contraptions short on my TV, but I can't because all the Videos are just .wmv files and those can't be played by my DvD-Player. I don't even know if there is any Player that can play those. Maybe a more open Format would have been better, but then maybe i just dislike wmv-files for some reason ;-)

I think the W&G DvD is the worst DvD Telltale has ever produced :-( and I really hope that future Discs will be better again. I'm really glad I did get the DvD together with other really great Items, when there was a free shipping deal. Otherwise it would have been a great disappointment, because I expected something like the DVDs of Sam and Max. It was free for me so I can't really complain, but there are people who are paying for it and I really understand it if those are angry about this DvD.

[Klink]

Originally Posted by Mirko

But the activation is just one problem of this DVD. Compared to the other discs Telltale has to offer (especially the Sam and Max DVDs) it just seems to be done with less love or at least a bit rushed. I really was looking forward to watch the Cracking Contraptions short on my TV, but I can't because all the Videos are just .wmv files and those can't be played by my DvD-Player. I don't even know if there is any Player that can play those. Maybe a more open Format would have been better, but then maybe i just dislike wmv-files for some reason ;-)

I think the W&G DvD is the worst DvD Telltale has ever produced :-(...

To echo the first bolded point, yes, this DVD was rushed. No thought, no love, nothing but a quick cash-in. What makes it more disappointing is that this is supposed to be a 20 year anniversary celebration. 20 years of Wallace & Gromit and all Telltale could do was pull out a half-***ed DVD. I honestly can't imagine what Aardman are thinking at this point but if I were them I'd be pretty angry and disappointed.

To the second point, glad to see another satisfied customer.

[Rather Dashing]

Originally Posted by Klink

I honestly can't imagine what Aardman are thinking at this point but if I were them I'd be pretty angry and disappointed.

If it was my property, I would have been very impressed with the actual games, but extremely disappointed with how it ended up being packaged. Especially if I picked Telltale due to the amount of care they normally put into the properties they adapt.

They're just Windows Media files? Seriously?! I'm frankly shocked.

[Laserschwert]

I've gotta say I'm really disappointed as well... even the "Cracking Contraptions" shorts were just copied to the DVD as WMV-files and not even named properly. A VERY poor release, and totally pointless since it still needs my Telltale-login to work... you know, I could've burned that stuff to a DVD myself!

I really liked the games though. But the DVD is way below Telltale's high standards.

[Tero]

Don't know if anyone cares anymore, but I bought the store (blue box) version and it indeed does not require any online activation, so the information in this thread is accurate.

There's a freezing bug in Fright of the Bumblebees, but it is easily gotten rid of by deleting two files (the .dlg files in the "pack" folder of fright of the bumblebees) that were accidentally included with the game.

[Hassat Hunter]

Also, a screen with no hotspots apparently (same episode).

[Rather Dashing]

Originally Posted by Tero

Don't know if anyone cares anymore, but I bought the store (blue box) version and it indeed does not require any online activation, so the information in this thread is accurate.

Wait, wut?

[Tero]

Well, the first post says "I was told" and I'm just confirming it.

[SHODANFreeman]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the most heinous problem with the DVD release yet:

The Telltale logo is slightly lower on the spine, so it doesn't perfectly match their other releases

[Gibbeynator]

I imagine Telltale will come up with something to make up for the shoddy release of this DVD. Even if they just lift the activation limit for these particular episodes.

[GinnyN]

I don't know what to say, actually.

Mostly because I have also personal problems with the DRM Scheme they are using, and I'm not asking for my Disc just for that. But also because I brought just one episode and the rest got them free. Somehow.

The good thing is, there's still the release of Wallace and Gromit DVD with the Mac Double Boot (Around this year eventually), so, there's a chance to get that fixed. I'm waiting for that. I hope the complains will be addressed.

My problem goes with the people who has already the Disc. I know is beyond difficult because is a physical product, but I hope those guys had a fix too.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Klink

Sure, I get the Wallace & Gromit short-movies yet the entire W&G DVD is made up of items we could have downloaded ourselves! In fact, that's exactly what I'll do. For your viewing pleasure, here's the W&G DVD in its entirety.

- First, if you have the digital versions of W&G, go to your Games page up the top and download all the W&G episodes.
- Youtube/Google Video "Wallace & Gromit Cracking Contraptions". Watch all 10 of them.
- Go here: http://www.telltalegames.com/videos/ and download/watch practically all the trailers advertising all of Telltale's games.
- Go here: http://vip.telltalegames.com/ and scroll down to Wallace & Gromit and download some concept art.
- Go here: http://www.videogamer.com/videos/wal..._feature.html# to download the 'Behind the Scenes'.

Vwolla! I r maek teh DVD!

Originally Posted by Mirko

I really was looking forward to watch the Cracking Contraptions short on my TV, but I can't because all the Videos are just .wmv files and those can't be played by my DvD-Player. I don't even know if there is any Player that can play those. Maybe a more open Format would have been better, but then maybe i just dislike wmv-files for some reason ;-)

They can't do a half-assed job with ToMI's DVD. Dave Grossman worked as a designer on SMI and MI2 back in the day, and now on ToMI. He has to know that it will piss off a lot of people.

At first, I didn't care much about the issue of online activation on a disc version, since I was sure there would be a patch to break it if TTG ever closed. But since I read Klink's post that you can find everything from the game on the net already, and Mirko's post that the clips on the disc are just .wmv's... Well, I have to say that it's changed my mind about it all. This is terrible.

Dave wouldn't do the same thing to MI fans. He's been around since the beginning, so he has to know how much it means to us to have it done right.


...perhaps, if we made a big enough stink, they might improve the W&G disc? I know I wouldn't buy it after reading Klink's post unless it had stuff that wasn't so obviously easily burnable on my own.

[Gibbeynator]

Originally Posted by GinnyN

The good thing is, there's still the release of Wallace and Gromit DVD with the Mac Double Boot (Around this year eventually), so, there's a chance to get that fixed. I'm waiting for that. I hope the complains will be addressed.

That's true, they have a chance at redemption with the Mac version. After all, we know they have functional builds of the disc-check version, that's what they released to retail after all.

[Wapcaplet]

Originally Posted by GinnyN

The good thing is, there's still the release of Wallace and Gromit DVD with the Mac Double Boot (Around this year eventually), so, there's a chance to get that fixed. I'm waiting for that. I hope the complains will be addressed.

Not gonna happen.

Originally Posted by HumpsMcLovin

I don't think there will be updated DVD's of older games. Somewhere (I can't find where), Will said they were interested, but that the cost was probably going to be too great.

Originally Posted by Will

What HumpsMcLovin said. We'd love to, but it's just not feasible.

[SHODANFreeman]

I have a new proposal for DRM. It is a unique and innovative idea that has never been done before.