Steam vs BIS Store & Exclusivity - Explained

[scaramoosh 10]

Yup but also because not only would no one I know be playing on PC any more if it wasn't for Steam as it really saved the platform and gave developers a reason to develop for it like what itunes has done for the music industry. No one I know would have more ArmA 2 if it wasn't for Steam, me included because we all picked it up thanx to the advertising on Steam and many people I know bought it during a Steam sale and would never have paid full price for it.

Steam is going to make the multiplayer so pain free unlike the horrible experience that was ArmA2 which tbh I gave up with.

[Dwarden 1124]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

[PuFu 4591]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

shhh david, gabe might see this ;)

stating the obvious ^^

[k3lt 3]

Can i use Paypal or Google Checkout in BI store?

[Binkowski 25]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

This is why I will be purchasing direct from the store.

[dwaight 17]

sadly i cannot pay thrue the BIS store.. i only can use Paysafecard.. but its not availeble on the arma site.. or Bisstuidio sadly.. so i need to pay thrue steam with paysafe.

[silentdawn 10]

well, with all due respect, i'll buy it from the first shop that puts it for sale :)

[dwaight 17]

can someone answer me please if possible. so for how much will it be on the steam store 24.99 right? ( euro / Alpha )

because when i log in into the site it costs 35Cents more but since i added a paysafecard wallet to steam ( 25,00 euro ) i cant buy it on the store of BI itself.

hopefully it will be 24,99Euro on steam since they dont add taxes i guess.

[Winfernal 2]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

Will do :D

[sproyd 2]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

Thanks for confirming my OP thesis good sir :) (Hopefully by saying so you're not in breach of the BIS/Valve agreement though :confused:)

[PrinceCola 10]

Haha, to much cake can also be a bad thing ^^

[FatFukinLenny 3]

just to clarify something quite important, if you buy from BI store, we get bigger % cut from the cake, so try prefer our store ! :)

From your store it is then;)

[sagemred 10]

Haha, to much cake can also be a bad thing ^^

Well, it is a lie after all ;)

I had some store credit at GAME which I traded for a £20 Steam wallet card to buy Arma 3, but if BIS get it up on their store first (which they probably will because Steam updates in the evening in the UK), I may have to buy it there and use my Steam funds on something else :)

[sproyd 2]

I had some store credit at GAME which I traded for a £20 Steam wallet card

This statement is a perfect illustration of how irrelevant High Street PC Game retailers are.

[wolfflight 0]

Since the store and the forum share the same profile, you would think I could log into the store, since I can clearly log in here.

That being said, every time I try to log into the store I get the same message

"Username and password do not match or you do not have an account yet."

I know my name and password, I logged in here. I have an account, they are the same.

I can request my username, and it tells me that yes my username is WolfFlight in the nice email it sends me.

I can request to change my password, it sends me an email with a link. I click that link and I change my password.

I then try to login but the store does not work.

I come back here with my username and the nice new password that I just reset and bingo here I am.

[sproyd 2]

Since the store and the forum share the same profile, you would think I could log into the store, since I can clearly log in here.

That being said, every time I try to log into the store I get the same message

"Username and password do not match or you do not have an account yet."

I know my name and password, I logged in here. I have an account, they are the same.

I can request my username, and it tells me that yes my username is WolfFlight in the nice email it sends me.

I can request to change my password, it sends me an email with a link. I click that link and I change my password.

I then try to login but the store does not work.

I come back here with my username and the nice new password that I just reset and bingo here I am.

Same. Bare with it, they are probably trying to fix the pricing issues.

[spamurai 3]

I love Steam and I love BIS.

I love you both.

It just recently came to my attention that BIS has decided to go released Arma 3 for $32.00USD.... and on Steam exclusive.

I am so enthusiastic about this news, it flabbergasts me ....

In an era of mega-publishers like EA-Games, Activision, UbiSoft, ect ect.... where the trend is to charge as much as possible for as little as possible and then charge the gamer more on top.... a market model of still pricing their products at flat, inflated rates of $59.00, over $100 for "special" editions, having product plans that include additional monetizations for "Day-1" and "On-Disk" DLC content for $14.99.... (you don't even get the all the content of the game for it's flat price of $59.99).... then they stack on $19.99 "season passes" and $49.99 "Premium Memberships". You even have CEO's of these publishers like John Riccitiello saying things like;

"When you are six hours into playing Battlefield and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time."

And then, for all the money you shell out for their games, they still restrict and control how you play, when you play, with what you play and for how long you play. Do you get editing and world building tools any more? Do they provide you scripting and moddable resources to create custom content? do they provide the dedicated servers and support to host their games your way, how you play and with whom you play? Do they provide constant never ending support to the product through continuous upgrades and patches (years later)? Do they support their communities and remain accessible and accountable to them? Do they avoid forcing you to agree to complicated and dubious End-User Agreements that permits them to monetize your personal data, idea's and creativity without compensation or permission?

No.

But if I told you could have all of the above, you could retain control over your game and play experience, even have opportunities to monetize your creativity... all for $59.99.... would you think twice about it?

That is what's always been available in an ArmA game, supported by BIS.... and they've done it for $49.99

But, wait... is that what BIS is doing this time around? After reaping a windfall of profit from Arma2 thanks to the surprise rise of DayZ? Hell no...

They're going to smash 2013 out of the park by pricing down the greatest AAA MilSim ever known to gaming mankind.... at $32.99USD

Are you kidding me?

All of the above... everything that all the other AAA franchises refuse to give their players and say is impossible, full mod and custom content creation, dedicated servers, the largest open sandbox shooter experience, supporting the largest potential number of players of any game, PVP, Soloplay, Multiplay, Co-Op... all with no "always-on DRM" schemes... and of course,

$32.99

*sniff

I'm sorry, it makes me misty eyed just thinking about it :(

I love you guys.

And it's because of all that... that i have no problem with buying a Steam key from the BIS.store and plugging it into Gabe Newells Steam machine.... and not for $32.99...., $92.99. I sincerely hope that your BIS.store servers meltdown and explode in glorious affirmation of your decisions to price down ArmA 3 on March 5th. After, of course, I've paid for my own ticket to the show.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Spamurai

[sproyd 2]

Great post ^^^ he gets it.

[24oz 10]

I am able to log in to store now.I am new to Arma and look forward to buying this game and participating in the alpha.see you guys tomorrow on the battlefield.

[Jericho 1]

Spamuray nailed it ^^

Sprocket, here I come.

[wolfflight 0]

I would try connecting to store again, but page fails to load, and the forums are very slow. (Please note, I am on a 50meg high speed business connection at the moment), perhaps due to load on the store and all the alpha activity

[dunedain 48]

Well at the end of day, even Steam haters will have to admit that, Steam saved the day... :rolleyes:

[maturin 12]

I have a somewhat different sort of question.

If I buy on Steam as an American currently located in Russia, will I pay a different price or have to use the Russian language version?

[sproyd 2]

So apparently the BIS forum is on the same lovely servers as the BIS store. Well, seeing as the forums have now improved to 'snail's pace' from 'recently deceased' I would like to share 2 things.

1) This morning i resolved to buy the Supporter's Edition - BIS are just that kind of company that deserve me paying double RRP for an Alpha :)

2) A3Alpha launched 1pm while I was at work and I refreshed the BIS store once a minute for FOUR HOURS trying to buy the damn supporter's version. I even got as far as entering my Visa details before I timed out.

At about 5:30pm I caved and bought the alpha version off Steam, in spite of this thread I created and my encouragement of others to buy from BIS store. I mean WTF BIS - did you not expect this level of traffic? How could you not expect this level of traffic? Did Origin go down when EA/DICE launched BF3? No. Obviously you are such good bastards that you were focused on making an awesome game instead of making money like usual...

Anyway, sadly I ended up buying through Steam who saved the day in the face of catastrophic store failure. Steam, in a way, deserves their cut as others have said for their reliable service.

Will look for other ways to support BIS in the future - assuming I can transact.

I'll save my opinions on the Alpha for another thread (preliminary: EXTREMELY POSITIVE).

[4 IN 1 0]

Ah crap, forum system decided to double post for me

---------- Post added at 08:17 ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 ----------

Well I brought it in Bi store, have to say it toke a lots of waiting to get payments done and a lots more to get the code, not that it is unexpected through. But surely they could have done better, on the bright side atless we do not need to be afraid to subject to the ludicrously long queue that Scamcity have;)

also since buying standard and DD from BI STORE do not subject to US VAT it is cheaper that way, it is still worth waiting.