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    Wts the catch with classic PC games for free legal download?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by noobpad, Feb 10, 2011.

  1. noobpad

    noobpad Notebook Consultant

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    can someone fill me in why there are a couple of legit games for download?

    Im talking about classics like command and conquer, red alert, duty calls etc - that are being offered FREE and allowed for 100% legal download, direct from EA no less.

    Why?

    e.g.:
    Command & Conquer Classic | Command & Conquer
     
    noobpad, Feb 10, 2011
    #1
  2. Ayle

    Ayle Trailblazer

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    You can try Filefront.
     
    Ayle, Feb 10, 2011
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  3. KSD

    KSD Notebook Consultant

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    copy right expired?
     
    KSD, Feb 10, 2011
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  4. noobpad

    noobpad Notebook Consultant

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    Whats the law on that? Possible as promotion on later titles? Wts the reason
     
    noobpad, Feb 10, 2011
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  5. jeremyshaw

    jeremyshaw Big time Idiot

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    These were being offered as some part of Red Alert 3 back during the RA3 launch. I think EA just decided to extend them indefinately. I mean... most of them are sprite driven, and in 2D with no option to change the resolution.

    Duty Calls is a promo ad created to promote BulletStorm, and make fun of Call of Duty, a competing franchise from Activision.
     
    jeremyshaw, Feb 10, 2011
    #5
  6. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

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    No catch. Think of them like advertising. They're just bits, it costs next to nothing to reproduce them, so EA is just giving them away to keep interest up in their games.

    The Internet changes everything as far as economics are concerned. When you effectively have a zero cost of duplication, the only monetary costs incurred are on initial development. So you have to start looking at non-currency-centric measures of value. I have 24 hours in a day... what am I gonna spend it doing? As a game developer, do you want to make me happy by giving me old games you couldn't sell anyway thereby encouraging me to keep buying your new games, or would you rather have me looking at your competitors?
     
    Pitabred, Feb 10, 2011
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  7. rschauby

    rschauby Superfluously Redundant

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    Free Steam Games List

    I've actually gotten quite a few games for free or pretty darn close to it ($1 or less). A few months ago, Microsoft was selling Age of Empires III Complete for 39 cents, followed by daily games for $1. I also did some recyclebank and got Mirror's Edge, BC2 Specact, & Civ 4 for free.
     
    rschauby, Feb 10, 2011
    #7