DON'T LOSE ANY INFORMATION. By which I mean GameSaver Account name/password
and game keys. I also don't delete emailed confirmations of games I've bought.
Again, I don't plan to cancel my account soon, but if I do, apparently I will
either have to log into my account first, or make a long-distance phone call.
Some customers either were not aware that they had opened an account, or didn't
get the account info, making the closing of their account a difficult and tricky
matter. It is also essential to keep the game keys in case the registry, where
the game licenses are stored, goes corrupt or is wiped by a reinstall of
Windows. If that happens, even an unplayed demo will say that its time is up,
and to please unlock it using the key; or the game will need to be completely
reinstalled. CasualGames keeps track of the games I've bought, but I would
rather keep track of my game ownership myself, and not have to rely on a
database that is completely outside my control. Big Fish Games doesn't give out
keys, which is why I don't buy games there. As of 12/2012,
neither does CasualGames; my first impulse was to cancel my account, but
sadly, it's likely that all sellers have adopted this strategy by now.
JUST SAY NO TO CD-ROMS. In ye goode olde days, I could download a demo file
from Acer GameZone: an executable that I could install whenever and wherever,
after which I simply unlocked the demo by typing in the key. So, I just had to
copy both the demo file and the key to a backup drive and if the disk crashed,
or I installed a new OS, I could easily reinstall any games I had. Oberon
Media's installation method was already more complicated than that, only letting
me enter a game key by launching the game through scripts in another directory.
Then, suddenly, the option "include backup CD" was added to the game
buying/redeeming screen, ticked by default and adding six dollars to the total.
I found the demo file I'd been saving was useless: the only way to reinstall a
game was to go to the game site, now CasualGames.com, and download the whole
demo again. I still backup the demo files, but haven't found a way to properly
reinstall a game with them offline. The CD is supposed to save on download time,
but you still have to be online to install the game. It can't be ordered later
but has to be bought at the moment the game is redeemed, which proves that it
isn't a regular retail CD; apparently, if more games are bought, they are put on
the same CD, implying that this backup is a burned and not a pressed CD, which
means its lifespan is far shorter, and I might as well burn a backup myself.
This backup CD will also contain demos of other games which it may well decide
to install at the same time - that's what I hate about retail CDs, which are
otherwise the preferred way of buying a game - and, in all, simply isn't worth
six extra dollars! Since reinstalling a demo file doesn't work any more, the
best strategy is to back up both the game directory and "C:\ProgramData\Oberon
Media", as well as your user directory which also has a "AppData\Roaming\Oberon
Media" subdirectory plus any game saves, and just copy back and re-unlock as
necessary. As of 12/2012, games can no longer be unlocked, so
the Windows registry, which contains game license information, must also be
backed up.
WATCH OUT FOR INSTALLATION "EXTRA'S". It's fortunate that when I installed a
demo and forgot to untick the extra's, this happened on a partition that was
about to be wiped anyway. Both I-play (formerly Acer GameZone) and CasualGames
(formerly Oberon Media) as well as, undoubtedly, many other outlets, offer the
following installation option: either default or custom, where custom means
that installing GamesBar and having Websearch hijack your browser are suddenly
optional. My advice: choose custom and UNTICK THAT SHIT. People have posted at
malware sites about strange "I-play" malware that opens a certain website every
time they try to do a web search or open an email. They are desperate for help,
because standard anti-malware programs can't seem to squash that bug. Because it
isn't officially malware. It's a delightful little extra that comes with Oberon
Media games these days, and that you don't even know was installed if you didn't
immediately check out the custom options. Anyway, one late night I started to
install a demo, chose custom but left the options ticked, had an "oops" moment
and quickly aborted the pre-installation download, but although the installation
was reported cancelled with all the changes rolled back, GamesBar was smugly
sitting in the "installed programs" screen. (As of 12/2012,
GamesBar is automatically installed along with the game.) The sneaky way
in which the Oberon Media outlets try to force this unwanted software on users,
installing without warning, refusing to remove it, even making sure it ends up
on the drive when no game has been installed, has considerably cooled my
enthusiasm towards them.
Having said that, game companies like Oberon Media/CasualGames have the
double disadvantage of the bureaucracy that comes with being a big organization,
and going along with the disturbing trend of exercising more and more control
over an increasingly passive consumer, up to doing stuff to computers without
their owners noticing. I don't think it's malice. One month, I received a notice
to reactivate my account, as the company couldn't charge my credit card. The
charge had been deducted and the account was active, so I shrugged and assumed
an administrative glitch. Soon after, I received a mail from the company saying
that this notice was a mistake, apologizing for any confusion they might have
caused, and giving me 50% discount on the next game purchase. Since the
administrative glitch affected a good many users, I can just imagine the screams
and howls over the telephone at the helpdesk. What I mean is: they do try. And I
hope the above warnings will contribute to a happy customer-company
relationship.
