So What Did You Score This Year?

[capnq]

Dominions 2 and Interstellar Trader 2, and a check. I'm told that I also should have gotten some pajamas, but that package appears to be delayed in the mail.

[David E. Gervais]

Well, Boxing Day Sucks.. I managed to get one of the 2 defunct games re-imbursed. (Everquest 2) but because the Deus Ex 2 was 'open' they refused to exchange or re-imburse it. I even told them the salesperson (who was not there to my dismay) had assured me that if this DVD game did not have the english Version included, there would be no problem of exchanging it. Well, I spoke to the manager and he was adamant that 'open' packages were absolutely not exchangable or refundable. I spent some time trying to get him to see things my way and in my defense said "How am I supposed to know if the english Version is included or not if I don't at least attempt to install it?" I even asked that he boot the DVD and see for himself, but he basically wanted nothing to do with it. I then told him that I'll take a full refund on the un-opened Everquest 2 and leave, I further told him that even though I lost $30 on this gift, he has lost a customer. I think I got the better deal out of this. I guess he is absolutely in no need of new customers or cares if I come back.

Now, Do I write a nice letter and send this DVD to eidos or Ion Storm? and see if they would be willing to change this DVD into an English CD-Rom Version? Or do I just throw it on my shelf or into the garbage for all the good it will do me. (don't mind me, I'm just venting a bit.)

What I will do is give it away to a friend where I know that some enjoyment will be had by playing this game. (Hey, Maybe I'll find the game in the bargain bins in a month or two and have my cake and eat it too.)

Anyway, sorry for the rant, Cheers!

[Alneyan]

Well, you could look for a French/Italian player stuck with an English Version, and wanting an exchange. Now, that might be a tad bit complicated, as such exchanges would usually be the other way around (that is, a foreigner wanting to get rid of a translated Version).

What I would do is try to find Deus Ex 2 in English via P2P or something of the like. After all, you already have a legitimate Version of the game, and you should be allowed to download the game under your "one backup for your usage only" right (unless you are expressly denied this right by the EULA).

However, I am not sure if that is technically legal, as the game isn't completely the same, as the language would be different. I have tried to look up on that matter, but failed to find anything, so I guess changing the language of something you have already bought is a bit of a grey area. I think the current regulations in Quebec (if you still live there) don't help much either; Last time I heard from there, games *had* to come in French, but nothing on the topic of these other Languages. Isn't there a handful of Canadians speaking English? (Warning: sarcasm detected here. I know Frenchmen are a bit in the minority to say the least, except in Quebec)

I wish multiple language support would come by default for all games, or be offered via a patch of some sort. It isn't as if text alone would take a lot of space after all, though speech would be another matter. Oh well, I guess I have started to rant as well.

[Fyron]

What I would do is try to find Deus Ex 2 in English via P2P or something of the like. After all, you already have a legitimate Version of the game, and you should be allowed to download the game under your "one backup for your usage only" right (unless you are expressly denied this right by the EULA).

You do not have the right to download a copy from an illegal source in any event. Also, a company does not have the ability to create and enforce illegal clauses in a EULA, such as violating copyright laws by saying you can not make as many backup copies for your own personal use as you want to...

[Alneyan]

From what P2P programs say, using them is not illegal; it is what most Users do with them that is illegal. At least, such is the view held by these programs themselves, and what is commonly reported here. Few programs (besides Napster) were shut down following such rulings, so that seems to be correct, at least for now. I did not hear of any jurisprudence on the matter, however (not that I am so fond of lawsuits), so I could be wrong.

A company *may* have the right to forbid you from making backup copies, as a court ruling (from a few months ago in Missouri, if memory serves) *could* be interpreted so. Of course, it does not mean it would hold in a trial specifically targetted at this sort of violation, and it remains interpretation for now. I would probably not expect this right to be so strongly established, however; but I am getting out of topic really (that is more the topic of the thread about BitTorrent).

[Fyron]

Alneyan said:
From what P2P programs say, using them is not illegal; it is what most Users do with them that is illegal. At least, such is the view held by these programs themselves, and what is commonly reported here. Few programs (besides Napster) were shut down following such rulings, so that seems to be correct, at least for now. I did not hear of any jurisprudence on the matter, however (not that I am so fond of lawsuits), so I could be wrong.

I am not sure what this has to do with anything I said... Distributing software in a manner not condoned by the copyright holder is illegal on both ends.

A company *may* have the right to forbid you from making backup copies, as a court ruling (from a few months ago in Missouri, if memory serves) *could* be interpreted so. Of course, it does not mean it would hold in a trial specifically targetted at this sort of violation, and it remains interpretation for now. I would probably not expect this right to be so strongly established, however; but I am getting out of topic really (that is more the topic of the thread about BitTorrent).

They still can't break the law...

[Mephisto]

Imperator Fyron said:
You do not have the right to download a copy from an illegal source in any event.

Funny, thanks to a slip in the German copyright law you have this right. It is only illegal if you know that the copy you are downloading from was made from an illigal copy. Since I don't know if I download from your legal backup copy or an illigal copy you got from somewhere else I'm not doing anything illegal by downloading from you. However, every ofer to upload from me (as every P2P software requires me to do) is illegal. Laws can be complicated.

[Ed Kolis]

Back on topic...

A one gigabyte USB flash drive!

[David E. Gervais]

Problem solved, my local EBGames has the english CD Rom Version for $19.95. I'll do like I said and give this french DVD Version to my friend and I'll pick up the english Version from EB. I'll still have enough left over to buy a couple of extra games for $19-$25 dollars each.

So, in the end, I'll have 3 games, (4 if you count O.R.B) and the joy that comes with the gift of giving. Looks like this 'bad' situation is going to end up good.

Thanks for letting me babble, (not that you had a choice ) LOL

Cheers!

[Alneyan]

Something I have forgotten on the specific topic of DeusEx: it may be worth a try to get the language-related files from English players. TTLG is a rather nice community for the games from Looking Glass and their splinters, and someone there may be able to upload the appropriate files somewhere. If you are lucky, Deus Ex 2 still has the original speech in the translated Versions, as Deus Ex 1 did.

Applying the English patch can do the trick for some games, but no promises here. If you are truly lucky, they will have made some international patch working on all Languages, and allowing you to switch the game back to English. Even language-specific patches can trick a game sometimes; whether it will work with Deus Ex is another matter. I don't have the game myself, so I cannot be more specific here.