Aren’t there hosting providers that can adapt to traffic spikes and adjust server availability on the fly? I suppose Valve does their own hosting, though.
Well, improving your customer experience might actually enhance your ability to make money, at least in theory. But it’s difficult to properly calculate or predict. It requires you to care about your customer experience from a personal standpoint (how do I make my customer happier) rather than just financial (how do I make my customer spend more money). Of course, happier customers tend to spend more, but again, difficult to calculate/predict, even more if you don’t care about them.
Also, with today’s technology (virtualization, containers, microservices, etc), provisioning for spikes is much easier than it was years ago. It could easily be done by Valve with little significant investment, but you know, they don’t care if your experience is bad in events like this, as long as you come back to spend your money later.
This is what I am thinking about, please chime in with any “you MUST get this” or “you MUSN’T get this”:
Metal Gear: The Phantom Pain - $16
Everything - $10
NorthGard - $14.6 (at bundlestars)
Streets of Rogue - $7.5
Sniper Elite 3 - $6
Universe Sandbox 2 - $16.7
Way of the Samurai 3/4 - $8/$10
Political Animals - $3.74
Plague Inc - $6.74
Star Ruler 2 - $6.2
The Bunker - $5
Cossacks 3 - $10
Virginia - $2.5
Domina - $5
This Is the Police - $7.5
Orwell - $5
Long Shot: Planet Coaster - $30
I enjoyed this one. Damn you Iceland and Madagascar!
I think they’ve run the math and it’s just not worth the effort. It’s pretty clear they host all this stuff themselves. The investment would be huge and if you kick it off site, then it just costs you even more. Given that most people know to just wait a little while, and that no sale is on a timer anymore, it doesn’t pay to keep things up during the initial spike.
If it continues for days, then they’ll feel like they’re actually losing money and maybe customers, but the problem with services like this is they own your stuff. It’s not really yours. You have to come back if you want to play what you bought even five or more years ago. They have us all by the balls.
It totally isn’t worth it. They don’t lose any sales because their site goes down every time there is a major sale. We all just keep hitting the site again and again until we can get back on.
I’m eyeing this one, as well. The Let’s Play videos are very compelling, as are the positive comments on the recently added MP and the devs’ efforts. Don’t forget to use code RED5 for an additional 5% discount.
You’ll end up paying $12 and probably get a bunch of other games that you’ll never ever play. I think I’m going to take my chances with the $4 version.
http://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3851/Daedalic_Summer_Sale_Bundle_2017/
Seems like good bundle. I already own 2 games (Shadow Tactics & BountyTrain, both good game IMO) from the bundle, so it only cost me $26 and change to get Long Journey Home along with SkyHill which is also on my wishlist.
You literally just beat me by a minute, I was coming here to post that. I don’t own Shadow tactics or Long Journey Home and have a hard time resisting either.
Considering this as well. Seems like a poor man’s Yakuza for those of us without a PS4.
Should I just skip 3 and go for 4?
Hmm Sniper Elite 3 for 6 bucks looks good.
Here’s the games on my list that I’ll have to consider:
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ - $7.49
Bomb Squad Academy - $4.89
Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics - $10.04
Hidden Folks - $5.99
LOGistICAL - $6.99
Mad Max - $7.99
Morphblade - $2.49
Pinball FX2 - Bethesda Pinball - $7.69
Rage - $2.49
Snake Pass - $9.99
Stellaris: Utopia - $17.99
You must get this. Ignore everything else.
To anyone who's played em all, what Talos Principle DLC is worthwhile?
So, which of any of these do you consider must buys? Frankly I’ve waited for so long on some of them I could probably wait until they appear in a bundle. I’m definitely trying to spend less on games this year and currently I’m on pace to spend less than 50% than last year.
Plan on Buying
Twilight Struggle: $7 bought
Logistical: $7 bought
Dungeon Warfare: $2
May buy one of these, but wait for bigger price drops on the rest
The Surge $37
Dirt 4: $48 (different site) – want to play this before everyone moves on
Prey: $40
Shadow Warrior 2: $24
May Buy
Both probably pretty good, but maybe wait for bundle.
SOMA: $9
Firewatch: $9
Nostalgia purchase - used to love AoE
Age of Empires Legacy Bundle: $20
Not sure. I didn’t get into TW Warhammer a lot, as I usually tire with TW games fairly quickly. I want to make another attempt. Any of these exceptional?
TW Warhammer: The Grim and the Grave: $5
TW Warhammer: Realm of the Wood Elves: $13
TW Warhammer: Call of the Beastmen: $13
TW Warhammer: The King and the Warlord: $5
Liked Endless Legend, but haven’t played in a long time.
Endless Legend Tempest: $3
So far I am in for $50.
SteamWorld Heist $5.09
ABZU $5.61
Anno 2205 Ultimate edition $24.99
Day of the Tentacle Remastered $3.74
Project Highrise bundle $11.01
I am kicking around the idea of buying the entire GalCiv III bundle for $30. I just hope it has some personality which was lacking from GalCiv II if I do so.
Metal Gear: The Phantom Pain - $16: Well worth it. Go in knowing the very first mission is a drag and skip the base building stuff. The rest of the game is very good.
Star Ruler 2 - I bounced off of it, but give it props for trying something different. I’d say skip based on my feelings but may be worth a try since it is so different to see of it gels with you.
I’m seriously so joyful that people are planning to buy LOGistICAL. Thank you.
