Star Wars Republic Commando Patch Appeal RSS Feed

Better Business Bureau Complaint

arramus — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:08:44 +0000

We recently submitted the following complaint to the local 'Better Business Bureau' in which Valve Corporation is located.

COMPLAINT
Valve Corporation operates an online business called Steam. Steam provides an outlet for PC game publishers to sell their games via download content.

There are occasions when a game is released with issues that will not allow the end user to use the game application as it described in the sales description.

In such an instance Steam will not provide a refund and instead refer the customer to the publisher's website to ask for technical support.
Steam justify this stance by saying they simply sell the product and offer no other support.

However, I have 2 issues with this stance:

1) The product supplied does not match the advertising claims.

2) It is not possible to play the game as a standalone product. Users must install the Steam application and play the game through that portal. Attempting to start a game without running it through the Steam application installed will be met by a message that the Steam application needs to be installed.

RESOLUTION
I am seeking the following.

1) Refund in full when the product fails to meet advertisement claims.

2) Recognise your relationship with the publisher as more than just an online retail outlet. Ensuring the end user has to have the Steam application installed to play a purchased game warrants a level of responsibility that goes beyond the realms of purely sales.

Anchorhead Fight Week - Jan 2nd ~ 10th

arramus — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:15:11 +0000

The Sandcrawler Network is hosting an RC Fightweek Event from early January 2010. If you experienced an ER BattleWeek event then it'll be something along those lines.

http://www.sandcrawler.net/forum/afw.php?setsite=afw

A couple of random prizes (Killing Floor and Frontlines: Fuel of War) are up for grabs to any players who complete. As the prizes are random, it's activity that counts rather than performance.

Get your clan and players registered and clean off those blasters.

Killing Floor Republic Commando

arramus — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:40:00 +0000

If you're familiar with Killing Floor then this will make sense...otherwise just go with it.

With a lack of Horzine Troopers to stop the advancing Zombie Horde, the Horzine Corporation has drafted in the help of a Star Wars Republic Commandos. This is a Killing Floor model with SWRC overlays to provide that RC feel.

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv191/arramus/Killing%20Floor/repcommdude.jpg

Avatar Update

arramus — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:54:19 +0000

The new SWRCPA avatar was submitted by group member (MK)Mr.Roboto. Thanks for keeping the images flowing over the past few weeks. They all look great.

Letter to LucasArts through Planet Feeback

arramus — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:09:10 +0000

http://www.planetfeedback.com is an online consumer feedback website that contacts companies on your behalf and keeps your issue in the public domain. LucasArts is already in the Planet Feedback database and sending a letter to them through this method of communication was a simple and smooth process. The letter is as follows:

Type: Complaint
To: LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC
Subject: Star Wars Republic Commando (PC) - Steam Digital Distribution Platform

Message: In July 2009, LucasArts released 'classic' software on the digital distribution platform, Steam.

LucasArts' President, Darrell Rodriguez described this release as follows; "This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games."

One particular game, Star Wars Republic Commando, was one of the classic games released.

My complaint is this. Star Wars Republic Commando contains many gameplay issues due to a lack of compatibility with current computer hardware and gaming trends. In fact, one major issue has been reported by LucasArts itself on its customer support website.

Main issues include:

A known bumpmapping issue that causes the game to crash.

Client side console commands that cause game servers to crash.

A known mouse scroll issue when in the game menu that causes erratic mouse movement.

Developers and publishers have always been shy to update content primarily used for online gameplay past the original stock files but since the 'Multiple Gaming Mode' of SWRC is being advertised as a game feature in the sales introduction, I think it's fair to expect that will also be online gaming ready.

With the effort to attract a new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games, I would like to see these known issues fixed with a patch release.

Additional patch support to ensure this title is fitting with today's gaming trends are; Server Admin Support Tools and Auto Downloading of Files.

Group avatar request

arramus — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:58:30 +0000

The new SWRCPA avatar was submitted by group member (MK)Mr.Roboto. It fits the context of our group perfectly based on the design and text.

If anyone else would like to submit a group avatar for display another week then please make a post in the http://www.sandcrawler.net forum, contact 'arramus' through Steam, or simply post a link in the group comments.

Please make images 184 X 184 and in .jpg format using a tasteful image and text in context with the theme of this group. :)

Thanks for getting the ball rolling (MK)Mr.Roboto.

Welcome to 333

arramus — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:19:34 +0000

Greetings to our 333 group members for the Star Wars Republic Commando Patch Appeal.

Thank you for your valuable input and supporting comments to this stage of the appeal. We'll continue to publicise our goals throughout the community and keep you updated with correspondence replies as and when they arrive.

Patch appeal letter sent to Steam/Valve Software

arramus — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:38:56 +0000

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv191/arramus/RC/valvesteamletter.jpg

After receiving the reply from Steam Support regarding our 'Patch Appeal' here is a follow up letter sent by postal mail to Steam/Valve Software.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Star Wars Republic Commando (PC) on Steam

To whom it may concern,

In early July 2009, I was most delighted to see LucasArts bringing its' classic games over to Steam and also with LucasArts' President, Darrell Rodriguez' comment of "This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games."

With this effort to attract a new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games I would also like to highlight a few of issues that are not compatible with the needs of current computer hardware and gaming trends, namely:

Client side console commands that allow players to perform exploits in multiplayer servers, eg 'Exploit1' and 'Exploit2'.

A known Bumpmapping crash issue which is being posted about in the Steam forum for this game title.

A known Mouse Scrolling issue as posted in the Steam forum for this game title.

While the content is somewhat classic and dated it should still function on modern PCs without having to rely on workaround fixes which may or may not work.

Developers and publishers have always been shy to update content primarily used for online gameplay past the original stock files but since the 'Multiple Gaming Mode' of SWRC is being advertised as a game feature in the sales introduction in the Steam shop, I think it's fair to expect that will also be online gaming ready, especially since this is not a new title and these issues are clearly presented in the LucasArts Community and Official websites.

Kind Regards,

MyRealName
(AKA arramus)

Star Wars Republic Commando Patch Appeal --http://steamcommunity.com/groups/SWRCPA
Sandcrawler Network – http://www.sandcrawler.net

------------------------------------------------------------------------

and an accompanying image.

Letter
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv191/arramus/RC/valvesteamletter.jpg

Image
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv191/arramus/RC/swpatch1.jpg

Reply from Steam Feedback

arramus — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:11:26 +0000

In order to ensure that Steam are aware of the issues surrounding SWRC, we sent a short message to support feedback. Steam are usually very good at replying to messages and a message arrived today as follows:

======================================

Reply from Steam Technical Support
------------------------------------------------------

Games Developed and Supported by Third-party Developers/Publishers

You will need to contact the game's developer/publisher directly for support if you encounter any errors or unexpected behavior which is not related to Steam authentication or CD Keys after the game has loaded. If you are unable to locate third-party support, please contact Steam Support for further information. Some examples include:

* Game crashes or errors after the game has been launched (that do not appear in a Steam dialog box)
* Not being able to connect to multiplayer servers
* Game bugs
* Gameplay and/or controller questions
* Third-party DRM and activation limits

Sending your support request to Steam Support rather than the correct provider may result in a delay in processing your request. Please make sure that your question is only sent to Valve if it does not fall into the criteria listed above.

CD-key for Republic Commando
-----------------------------------------------
Note:

Retail CD-Keys for this game cannot be registered through Steam.

Suggested Links from Steam
------------------------------------------

LucasArts Support Forum - http://forums.lucasarts.com/forum.jspa?forumID=53

Steam Forums for SWRC - http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=655

Contact LucasArts Support - http://www.lucasarts.com/support/

------------------------------------------------------------

This reply clearly presents Steam's stance on how much support it provides to third party games it sells and suggests its role is simply as 'extended' vendor of the supply chain management. In addition to contacting technical support through the online approach, we shall also use the 'old fashioned method' of writing a letter.

Here's the short message sent to Steam support feedback.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In early July 2009, I was most delighted to see LucasArts bringing its classic games over to Steam and also with LucasArts' President, Darrell Rodriguez' comment of "This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games."

With this effort to attract a new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games I would also like to highlight a couple of issues that are not compatible with the needs of current computer hardware and gaming trends namely:

Client side console commands that allow players to perform exploits in multiplayer servers, eg 'Exploit1' and 'Exploit2'.

A known Bumpmapping crash issue.

While the content is somewhat classic and dated it should still function on modern PCs without having to rely on workaround fixes. Developers and publishers have always been shy to update content primarily used for online gameplay past the original stock files but since the 'Multiple Gaming Mode' of SWRC is being advertised as a game feature in the sales introduction, I think it's fair to expect that will also be online gaming ready.

regards,
arramus

Message to Steam Support Feedback

arramus — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:59:05 +0000

Here's a short message sent to Steam support feedback. Support are typically good at replying and the response will dictate whether a letter will be sent to the mailing address.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In early July 2009, I was most delighted to see LucasArts bringing its classic games over to Steam and also with LucasArts' President, Darrell Rodriguez' comment of "This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games."

With this effort to attract a new generation of gamers to LucasArts' classic games I would also like to highlight a couple of issues that are not compatible with the needs of current computer hardware and gaming trends namely:

Client side console commands that allow players to perform exploits in multiplayer servers, eg 'Exploit1' and 'Exploit2'.

A known Bumpmapping crash issue.

While the content is somewhat classic and dated it should still function on modern PCs without having to rely on workaround fixes. Developers and publishers have always been shy to update content primarily used for online gameplay past the original stock files but since the 'Multiple Gaming Mode' of SWRC is being advertised as a game feature in the sales introduction, I think it's fair to expect that will also be online gaming ready.

regards,
arramus