On Mon, 27 Sep 1999 22:29:00 -0400, Philster
>Well, if you're not sure if you're going to buy a game or not, you
>should wait to have some feedback from: a)newsgroups b)friends or people
>you know c)web sites d)computer game magazines. That being said, and the
>fact that you were able to find this newsgroup, I would assume you know
>your way around the internet. That assumption made, I would think that
>you would have the time to at least find info about the game before
>buying it.
Hmm. I tend to be the first one in my group of friends to buy
something, especially software (at that I'm one of the few in my group
to actually buy it instead of pirate it). I don't spend hours on end
reading consumers reports guide to video games nor researching each
purchase 6 days ahead of time. I'm pretty sure that most people don't
do that much research on a mere $50 product. I do spend a lot of time
doing research on the internet though it's for stock purchases, real
estate deals, etc. These are far more time consuming and important to
me for my line of work than sitting on the computer looking for
potential information from people who have generally no more knowledge
of the product than anyone else and are only speculating what is and
is not going to be in the product. You may wish to consider that for
the majority of buyers the decision on which software to buy is done
as a POP (or Point of Purchase) sale where they know they want
something new but have no idea what they want to buy. They may not
even be looking to buy something but a fancy box catches their eye.
There are not that many people who sat back for 6+ months anticipating
with beads of sweat on their brow the release of N3 or any other
software save for a select few. Try taking a course or two in
Marketting and Advertising if you are interested in the statistical
data. It also has a great insight as to the average amount of
research done by an average buyer prior to purchasing items by general
price breakdowns. Unfortunately much of this information is in need of
revision now that the Net is a source of buyers information that
wasn't as popular or available as it was when most of the Marketting
courses were first designed and their subsequent books put into print.
Again, what good is going to a Papyrus sight to look up things that
might tell me I will NOT want the game? It is not in their best
interest to trounce their own game on the net. Would you expect to
see a Chevrolet ad that reads "All new Corvette, some new construction
techniques, but it still has some rattles, still has some squeaks, has
a few problems here and there but it costs more?" Again, having just
found this newsgroup I wasn't aware of the variety of sites out there
for racers and many of those that do crop up are fly-by-nighters from
people who like a game but are far from unbiased about it. For all of
those people who dont' even know this group exists much less the
websites who is to warn them of the flaws in N3 and GPL, and SCGT,
etc.?
I don't see how pointing out that not everyone in the world reads this
newsgroup nor researches a purchase of a mere $50 video game until
they are blue in the teeth is ignorant. Would you mind explaining that
to me? The prime target audience for a video game (at least in the
US) is 18-50 years old. Most people over 50 are not interested in
computers and generally not interested in video games. Most people
under 18 can't afford them without their parents help. These people
typically work 40 hour weeks and or go to college which leaves them
little time for spending hours upon hours of research for a game.
They would typically rather be playing a game, shopping at the mall
and reading the variety of boxes, go outside and play sports, or sit
on the computer doing other things.
Different opinions are good. If everyone thought the same we'd be one
boring group of people! I do apologize for the Sherlock comment as I
was in a rather off mood before I even logged in. It was uncalled for.
I'm not new to newsgroups in general, just to this particular one.
For whatever reason it was missed when I was sorting through some
36-38,000+ trying to find those worth reading. Since I have been here
I have learned a few things, many constructive, a few less than
useful, some rather annoying, etc. For the most part this place seems
as divided as a civil war over a pair of games form the same maker.
That we have a pair of games that are interesting enough to generate
the sheer number of comments, thoughts, posts, and emmotions speaks
volumes about the diversity of the groups of people in here. Obviously
we won't all agree on everything.
Who knows, if they manage to get some of the bugs addressed (though I
understand that most of them are carryovers from N2 that were never
fixed) I would repurchase the game and be happy to take you up on your
race. Until then I'd rather stick with other games and wait until a
better version comes along.
____________________
Hydrogen and Stupidity.. The two most universal elements
