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Limit Updates to Paying Customers

SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
in General Discussion
It would be really useful to be able to limit updates only to paying customers

Three reasons:

1). If you take your console to a mate's house or some place that doesn't have internet, and you've forgotten to update the games you want to play, you're completely stuck at the moment.

2). The free part of the game is a lot less likely to change. Forcing everyone to update every time there is an update might make some people who've downloaded the game to try out later, give up and uninstall the game.

3). Games are evolving from products to services, where the base game is free, but the services like bug fixes, updates and expansions, that are delivered via the internet, are what you're really paying for. Limiting updates to paying customers would for many games negate the need to check purchases in-game

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  • xatxat Posts: 4Member
    Well, I just downloaded a game in his 1.0 version. Two weeks later, the developer release the 1.1 version of the game. An other guy download it after the update release. This guy have the 1.1 while the guy who downloaded the 1.0 have to be stuck to this version.

    Doesn't seems logicial, Right ?

    But there's a big lack in the update process. We MUST be able to play a game, even if there's an update available. Think of gamers with a low connection, who must wait for half an hour to play a game...
  • SpoonThumbSpoonThumb Posts: 426Member
    Depends how it's implemented. I was thinking something like when you upload the game to the OUYA store for approval, you have a list of check boxes marked "Purchases that will trigger an update", so you can select all, none or any combination

    That way, if it is a vital update for all users of your online multiplayer game, you just check "all", so everyone is forced to download the same version before they can play. While if you're just adding a bug fix to "DLC Map pack 3", only people who need that will be forced to download the update.

    The tricky thing comes when someone then buys DLC Map pack 3, and has to then update their game before they can continue? Or are they only forced to update next time they launch the game?

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  • xatxat Posts: 4Member
    Forcing to update every time an update is available is really a bad thing.

    Maybe in the approval submission, we could have the possibility to check "Force update before playing".

    So if there's an not-so-important update (fixes, ...), we can update or play the game. If it's an important update (new content, security fixes, ...), we must update the game.

    Also, providing a changelog screen before an update could be a good thing.
  • KonajuGamesKonajuGames Posts: 560Member
    Firstly, I think this is a bad idea.

    Secondly, I do not understand reason 1 at all.  It makes no sense.

    Thirdly, bug fixes are not a service.

    Fourth, you're just going to end with a huge mess of who's got what or not.  You will create issues that you will not be able to work your way out of.
  • bobbyjohnson82bobbyjohnson82 Posts: 38Member
    I have to say i agree with konajugames. Everyone should get updates but i don't think it should be mandatory for you to accept them to play.
  • dra6onfiredra6onfire Posts: 91Member
    My Nostalgia app let's you launch your apps and games as well as emulator roms.
    This was not intentional, but since it has no integration with ouyas update service, it allows you to launch any app without updating it. Since that is part of the demo version of the app, you may consider using it as a free workaround.
  • SandMagnumSandMagnum Posts: 10Member
    Updates are essential to maintaining reliability of your application. There's a reason the big-name consoles won't let you play games until you update them. What if one of the bugs of the game is that the IAP isn't working? There's money you would lose because they continue to play the broken game and refuse the update. There should be a way to update only parts of a game like what is done with PS3 (patches, instead of redownloading the whole game), but I'm not sure how they would do this. It is nonsense to deny users updates/fixes to games simply because they aren't paying customers. As a developer it is your duty to ensure that your game works for everyone.
  • madmax2069madmax2069 Posts: 155Member
    edited July 2013
    SandMagnum said:

    Updates are essential to maintaining reliability of your application. There's a reason the big-name consoles won't let you play games until you update them. What if one of the bugs of the game is that the IAP isn't working? There's money you would lose because they continue to play the broken game and refuse the update. There should be a way to update only parts of a game like what is done with PS3 (patches, instead of redownloading the whole game), but I'm not sure how they would do this. It is nonsense to deny users updates/fixes to games simply because they aren't paying customers. As a developer it is your duty to ensure that your game works for everyone.

    Actually that's quite the opposite, the big console manufacturers allow you the option to skip the update, on 360 a dialog box pops up asking you if you want to download and where to, you can skip out, on PS3 it will start the download if it detects a update, you can press O at anytime to cancel it and play the game.

    The only thing that's mandatory is system software updates (or you can't connect to their service), so far all of them have been on 360, while on PS3 they are not always mandatory at first.

    This is the way the ouya needs to be. If there's a update is available it should list a update button beside the play button.

    The only time when a game update is mandatory is if its a online only game.

    Post edited by madmax2069 on
  • bobbyjohnson82bobbyjohnson82 Posts: 38Member
    dra6onfire said:
    My Nostalgia app let's you launch your apps and games as well as emulator roms. This was not intentional, but since it has no integration with ouyas update service, it allows you to launch any app without updating it. Since that is part of the demo version of the app, you may consider using it as a free workaround.
    You can also sideload any launcher (adw, go launcher, apex) and it will stop you from having to update the apps as well as system updates.
  • LususAnimatLususAnimat Posts: 32Member
    madmax2069 said:
    The only time when a game update is mandatory is if its a online only game.
    Actually, the 360 will completely log you out of Live if you decline a game update. That means even things like leaderboards, earning achievements, and sending messages will be unavailable during game. 

    For the OUYA, it's hard to say if the "offline only" mode of a 360 game would even be possible. Almost all OUYA games, at a minimum, will need to communicate with the server to check what entitlements the user owns. If there's a mismatch between the entitlements stored on the server and the implementation of those entitlements in an old binary, bad things could happen. 
  • jtn0514jtn0514 Loganville,DCPosts: 142Member
    edited July 2013
    bobbyjohnson82 said:
    I have to say i agree with konajugames. Everyone should get updates but i don't think it should be mandatory for you to accept them to play.
    I agree but i think that the developer SHOULD have the option to have a forced update in order to play depending on the severity of the update to the game. if its a giant bug that crashes the game for instance..

    Obviously developers could abuse this but i highly doubt they will

    So for instance if it detects an update it gives you the option by default to bail out and play the game, otherwise if its a forced REQUIRED update it wouldnt allow you to bail out kind of like it does now....
    Post edited by jtn0514 on

  • madmax2069madmax2069 Posts: 155Member
    edited July 2013
    LususAnimat said:



    Actually, the 360 will completely log you out of Live if you decline a game update. That means even things like leaderboards, earning achievements, and sending messages will be unavailable during game. 

    For the OUYA, it's hard to say if the "offline only" mode of a 360 game would even be possible. Almost all OUYA games, at a minimum, will need to communicate with the server to check what entitlements the user owns. If there's a mismatch between the entitlements stored on the server and the implementation of those entitlements in an old binary, bad things could happen. 
    It only signs you out to update the game, you can skip it and it auto signs back in. The only time you can not do this is if its a system update or a online only game that requires you to have the current version to play on the servers (actual dedicated servers, and mmo games).

    I don't know how many times I skipped a update for skyrim (because the patch introduced bugs) and joined a party chat with a few friends while I was playing.

    Forcing a update for a offline game is stupid, I should decide if I want the update or not.


    Post edited by madmax2069 on
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