rec.autos.simulators

Below is the message that I tried to post to Rick Parr's Test Drive 4
messageboard.  This show my contempt for Accolade and I urge everyone
not purchase any Accolade products.

I haven't posted any messages here since 2-28-98.  In that time NO ONE
from Accolade has responded to my message (not they would) nor has
anyone from Accolade resond to any messages here.

It would appear that the last time that anyone from Accolade responded
to a message was on 2-6-98.  That's over one month ago.

This leads me to draw the following conclusions:
     1.  Accolade has gotten their money and could care less about the
PR nigtmare that has been created.
     2.  Accolade is working hard at getting their act together so they
don't look like idiots.  (I hope that it is not this one)
     3.  Accolade is working hard at getting the itemes that were
promised ready and have neglected to tell anyone the status.
     4.  Accolade has realized what a turd the last two version of the
TEST DRIVE saga were.  (Test Drive Off Road and Test Drive 4) And are
concentrating on redeeming themselves with TD5

Accolade needs to respond to the messages and tell everyone what the
deal is.  I guess that they haven't heard about what is happening with
Electronic Arts and the Ultima Online.  Essentially, they are getting
sued  for breach of promise and a few other things.  This could very
easily happen to Accolade if they are not careful.

Accolade is going to have hire the best Public Relations people in the
business in order to get out of this.  In my opinion, they have just
killed themselves.  They promised downloadable cars shortly after the
release of the game.  The only cars that are available for everyone is
the ones the GTO that was included with the Electronics Boutique
version.  That just doesn't cut it.  They then modified when the
downloadable cars were going to be available to be when the patch was
released.  They missed the dates multiple times on when that was going
to be released.  Well the patch has been out for how long, and there are
still not any downloadble cars.

What's up Accolade.  You are losing lots of customers.  I know that I
will have to think long and hard before I biy another game from Accolade
or any of its subsideraries (sp?).  When they release a product under
the pretense that they will have downloadable cars and none have shown
up.  I guess, I would not mind so much if they would give us an idea of
when the cars are going to be made availabe, if at all.

I am hung up on the downloadable cars, since that was the whole reason I
bought this game.  So far it looks like I should have waited until this
game is in the bargain bin for $9.00 before I would consider buying it,
and I would have to think long and hard.  I think that Accolade has let
everyone know what is going on.

I have had my time to post now, and it is proably a waste of space since
no one from Accolade is reading this board.  I will leave you guys now
for another two weeks or so before I post again in anticipation that
Accolade will respond (yea right, and the pope is really Hitler)  What
are the chances.

matt

Matt,

You are absolutely right on each point. I sent an email to Accolade over two
weeks ago expressing my sheer disgust regarding TD4 and asking for my money
back and I have not heard a peep out of them. I am going to send a follow-up
mail tomorrow and if I don't hear anything by about Monday (their web page
says that they will respond within 24 hours), I am going to make a phone
call and get some answers. There is nothing I hate more than buying a game
for $50 and it turns out that it is crap. I will post follow up...

Z.

here!  here!
very well said>I haven't posted any messages here since 2-28-98.  In that time
NO ONE<BR>

I've had the same problem with support from Accolade on TD4. I finally got it to install and
work. I understand your concerns about piracy but why exactly should a company be paid for a
product they won't even attempt to support. If ya can't get support you may just as well have
a pirated copy. Had the same problem with Bethesda and xcar, Finally got a reply from support
after blasting them in this newsgroup. I'm in the software business and I have to, and do,
support my clients or face lawsuits:(

Joe.

Yes I am aware that there was a demo. I downloaded it and played it. I
assumed that the missing features would be implemented in the full version
since so many of them were such obvious oversights. Demos are meant to give
you an IDEA of what the game will be like but not to include all functions
that will be available in the game.

I should be able to return an opened package because I am dissatisfied with
the product. I know that piracy is a problem but that does not mean that
software companies should not be expected to stand behind their products.
Normally if I buy a game and it turns out that it is not as great as I think
it is going to be, I keep it and just don't play it much. But TD4 sucks SO
BAD that I cannot bring myself to do that. There are such blatant omissions
from the game that I don't feel that Accolade should be allowed to keep my
money.

That is true, but some of us people purchased the game directly through Accolade.  They
claimed that the actual release was superior to the demo.  Who are you going to believe?
When you download a demo and play it and you think that it sucks or whatever, and the company
states the game will be much better than the demo.  In most cases I will believe the
manufacturer, since the should know more about the problem areas in the game.  This is not
the case with Accolade.  I will probably never purchase another product from them based on
their lack of following through on the product.  This is the first time that I have had this
problem with a publisher.  I can say that unless Accolade does something major to this game
to make a lot of people no one including me will ever purchase anything from them again.

You can come back and say whatever you like.  When you are promised something like
downloadable cars and true to life performance, and is pretty much the whole reason that you
purchase the game and none of that appears. That tends to really annoy myself and a lot of
other people.

So far Accolade has made no attempt to rectify this problem.  I am getting ready to sell it
to my nine year old neighbor for a heck of a discount.  He actually likes that pile of fecile
matter.

matt

The fact that it's easy to pirate software has little bearing on the
matter; I haven't made an illegal copy of software since I was
probably 14 and software came on audio cassettes.

If a game sucks and I return it because it sucks, I'm certainly not
going to keep a copy for posterity. And if a game doesn't suck, I'm
more than happy to have the publisher, developer, and distributor get
$50 of mine. That's the standard; doesn't have to blow me away, just
has to not suck. And I find myself returning an all too high
percentage of software I buy recently. :-(

The fact that others are liars and thieves shouldn't mean that I can't
exercise reasonable rights as a consumer. I'm not sure what percentage
of sales EB sees as a result of their reasonable return policy, but I
can *know* that they are selling more product as a result. Other
retailers stuck in the stone ages of rampany piracy should take
note...

---Jim

Jim,

You are absolutely right. Your message stated my feelings perfectly.

Todd

Software is not quite like A Walkman, Clothes or other consumer items.

You can take it home, make a copy and return it and get your money back.
You can't exactly do with that with most consumer items, can you?

Anyway, it's about being an informed consumer. Reading reviews, if you value
your dollar, seeking out info about a product.

If you are going to run into a store and place dollar/pound/peso/mark on
counter and get something with no thought, then why should we have sympathy?

More importantly, why buy from a store that has a no-returns policy which you
are aware of at the time of purchase. Take your dollar elsewhere, or suggest
that you have a 24hr right-of-return to the store in question.

Buyer Beware.

or be informed.

it's down to the orginal.

Have you considered the fact that PC Gamer has just kow done their review of this game.  Most
magazines have a three month lead time.  By the time that the reviews come out  most people
have already purchased the game and decided it sucks.

The whole idea of copying a pile of fecile matter like TD4, is a waste of time. Who in their
right mind would copy it.  That would be a waste of the media.  Publishers need to stand
behind their products, and everything that they state.  The has been no one from Accolade
respond to anything messages on Rick Parr's website in about a month.  There has been no word
about when the downloadable cars are going to be released.  That is where a lot of complaints
come from.

Accolade has pretty much dropped all ties with this game.  They have release no information
about it.  They only thing that they are doing is keeping it on the shelves hoping that some
poor idiot will buy it so that they can make more money.

I would like to call of a Boycott of all Accolade Products!  If they are not going to stand
behind a product that was released then there is no reason why we should support them.  I
think that if they would have allowed people outside of Accolade to test the game, we could
have told them the problems with it.  I think that they were also rushing it out the door so
that they could capitalize on the Christmas buying season.  Boy did a lot of people get
screwed.

It's about 8 weeks lead on a coverdisk, 6 weeks on an review.

Um, o.k sure. So if a game is really good.... then ppl aren't going to copy it
becuase it is good either?

Does it crash?
Is their visual bugs?
Sure, if a game is buggy, then a fix is due.

So the game is not all you expected. Move on, get a life.
Be more careful where you spend your money in future.
You know, justbecuase a product comes out with a brand name which was
successful in it's first few versions, doesn't mean it will continue with
success. If you buy by the name, well.... Buyer Beware.

The problem here is that i see a lot of ppl whining about something they
brought, knowing that it could not be returned. No sympathy. No sale.

If you don't like these policies, then find a retailer who offers the above.

The reason for no-returns, is simply, piracy. It's all too easy these days,
and it is a reality of the software industry.

Boycott Accolade if you will. Have you actually written, on paper, a formal
complaint about the product?

Z.

The only complaint that I have is that Accolade has NOT followed through on the
things that they promised.  If they did that I would have no problem.  The other
gripe that I have is that none of the cars or modeled to their true-life
characteristics like they claim.  Explain how the '98 Vette can do sub 13 sec
quarter miles?  The '98 Vette can only do 13's with a good driver.  The ZL-1 Vette
and Camaro cannot not accelerate like they do and get the quarter mile times that
they do.  That goes against all the laws of physics.

Those are my only complaints about this product.  The problem of the not true to
life characteristics is not as important to me as the much promised downloadable
cars.