Failed to contact key server [Archive]

Dac

11-12-2010, 02:43 PM

Same thing. This is what I get for being a legitimate paying customer I suppose?

I spend so much time talking up PC gaming to my friends. Spent literally thousands of dollars on Steam over the years. I'm just disgusted. AFK while I emo

**edited out my stupid ranting. Still PO'd though. I don't understand why I'd be allowed to buy a product that isn't in stock. This is called product backorder, and its handled pretty simply- you display a notice to the customer before charging their credit card.

Grr.

Alwarren

11-12-2010, 03:02 PM

Same issue here. Purchased, downloaded, and it comes up with the "Failed to contact key server" message when I start it. Tried since an hour or two.

Pretty annoying.

caldepen

11-12-2010, 03:11 PM

yeah, not cool. There should be a warning prior to purchase. Pretty nefarious, they know they would be running out of keys and did nothing in order to keep people buying.

I was prepared to take this weekend easy with this game and now it looks like I might be out of luck...

nacho friend

11-12-2010, 03:13 PM

Same here and I'm as annoyed as the rest of you. I'm sure this will be sorted out shortly, but it's still bs and short sighted on Steam's part regardless.

KrisK

11-12-2010, 03:27 PM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

christheimp

11-12-2010, 03:33 PM

Wait wait... You guys (Valve) didn't get enough access keys for a sale?!!?!? Are you serious? What's our wait time looking at then?

mrwynd

11-12-2010, 03:35 PM

I'm a sad panda....

MarkG

11-12-2010, 03:50 PM

Fortunately DRM never causes problems for legitimate users who purchased their software.

martinidog

11-12-2010, 03:51 PM

Was wondering what the error means. Turns out others are having this issue, too.

We like RPGs.

And for Pete's sake, guys, it's a game. Settle down.

Timsfker

11-12-2010, 03:55 PM

It's understandable to occasionally run out of keys during a popular sale, but you really need to add a warning to the store page before you let people buy it. It will avoid alot of sad pandas.

christheimp

11-12-2010, 03:55 PM

Was wondering what the error means. Turns out others are having this issue, too.

We like RPGs.

And for Pete's sake, guys, it's a game. Settle down.

This issue here is people paid for a product they should have access to use. If it's a game, movie, or anything... We all have a right to be pissed!

tfrieden

11-12-2010, 03:56 PM

And for Pete's sake, guys, it's a game. Settle down.

... that people paid for and can't play.

caldepen

11-12-2010, 04:01 PM

The issue is the lack of a warning. Product purchased, not delivered. Thats a fundamental law that many of the world's economies are based upon.

Sure it is just a game, but if I buy candy I want sugar...

sethsez

11-12-2010, 04:09 PM

And for Pete's sake, guys, it's a game. Settle down.

And people are posting angrily on a forum dedicated to said game. Seems like about the right reaction. It's not like anybody is marching on city hall over this.

That said, I'm definitely irritated because I bought this for a trip I'm going on tomorrow and was hoping to have it to play.

columbus687

11-12-2010, 05:07 PM

yep, I have this problem as well. Steam is such a tease

BababooeyHTJ

11-12-2010, 05:31 PM

... that people paid for and can't play.

This is why I do not buy non-Valve games on Steam without a good discount.

kleebz

11-12-2010, 06:07 PM

Amen to that.

columbus687

11-12-2010, 06:23 PM

Evil Kerek,

Steam is pretty awesome. yes this sucks, but it happens and it wont last forever, you will get to play it eventually.

oh and Steam is waaay better than it used to be, you shouldn't give up just yet.

Dac

11-12-2010, 06:47 PM

Steam is a deal for these companies and they still insists on F@#$@#ing us with their DRM. We give up the right to re-sell our games. We can't pass them to a buddy when we are done. Patches are late. What is the value add of steam other than a little convenience?

And this is pretty much the problem. Punishing DRM and this ridiculous keys business (running out of a digital good? how the hell is that even possible?) kill the value that digital distribution is supposed to deliver. Of course mistakes happen, and no service is perfect. But these inconveniences are unforgivable because they're just unnecessary obstacles that mess with the customer experience. Technical issues are expected to come up from time to time, but getting ♥♥♥bloked by stupid boardroom-meeting bureaucratic fail policy really GRINDS MY GEARS!

caldepen

11-12-2010, 06:48 PM

I do normally like Steam, but no excuses, they sold something they have no business selling. Without the keys they should cap the sale not wait until the sale and download is complete to tell us. On top of everything many of us have monthly download limits and so pay for downloads as well. So in this case, it is not only 14.99 they are out.

crispy animal

11-12-2010, 06:51 PM

this is starting to happen way too often now, how about stocking up on some keys pre-sale? you know its going to sell.

Quatrix

11-12-2010, 07:08 PM

the drm included with this can scan our computer, if it ever had or has anything pirated it can deny you access to the content

Please get a grip.

widden

11-12-2010, 08:19 PM

Same problem here.
I should learn not to buy anything on steam, it's the third time in a row I'm buying into something yellow and sour.

And we're the customers who pay their wages. They should be a bit more honest, at the very least, eh?

TurkeySandwhich

11-12-2010, 08:39 PM

damaged

11-12-2010, 08:43 PM

+1

Patiently waiting...

caldepen

11-12-2010, 08:48 PM

Nice patronizing tone Turkey. As usual those who like to write in caps miss the point entirely. It is not about not being able to play, it is about paying for something and not receiving it. Something completely and easily avoidable by Steam had not greed reared its ugly head (like that of a turkey oddly).

sethsez

11-12-2010, 08:58 PM

Calm down kiddies. I'm sure you have other games to play, friends to hang out with, dinner to eat, TV to watch, sleep to catch up on, cars to wash, work to do, internet rage on other forums while Valve gets more keys for you. I know it sounds like the end of the world has just transpired in front of your very eyes now that you cannot play Risen but I vow to you this, YOU WILL LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY! SURVIVE MY FRIENDS! SURVIVE!

Calm down kid, I'm sure you have other threads to read, you don't need to freak out about this one, THE WORLD STILL TURNS!!!

See how stupid this is?

A digital download service has an issue with a game it offers and people discuss it in the service's forum for that game. I'm not exactly seeing the overreaction you are in these events.

Stefanthor

11-12-2010, 09:01 PM

Why are you all instantly assuming Valve/Steam is at fault?
For all we know the publisher promised to supply a bunch more keys pre-sale and never did.

Now Steam should perhaps have put up a notice that the keys were currently in limited supply, but in the end it only means I have to put off playing the game for a day or 2, no different to if I'd pre-ordered something.

Rubz

11-12-2010, 09:07 PM

I'd have to agree with Stefanthor, we really don't seem to have any information. I could also see that fueling some peoples fires.

Either way, I suppose I don't care as long as they get more keys in the future, I still got the sale price.

I really wish steam would put up a note on that store page for future customers. Seriously, are they so busy trying to get these keys, they cannot edit that page? (Yes there are a few in Forum but not everyone checks, let alone remembers to when seeing a sale they like.)

Okey, back to whatever nothing I was up to before.
Remember we don't have any information, before you hop ship on anyone. Or don't, it's your opinion. =)

DrinkingWhiskey

11-12-2010, 09:27 PM

They should let us know about when more keys will come in.
And they usually do when this sorta things happen, kind of a bummer,
I downloaded the whole thing in like 12 minutes and I wanted to play before bed. But I still got my mind right, and I'm sure the game will be playable in a few days.

koolzuru

11-12-2010, 09:38 PM

what a disappointment. Hope can play before this weekend over.

Cerabret100

11-12-2010, 09:45 PM

as regretable as the situation is, sometimes it's just not possible to have the supply for all the demand.

yeah it kinda sucks they didn't put a notice up. but they'll get the keys in due time.

sethsez

11-12-2010, 09:49 PM

^^^If they ran out of supply then they shouldn't still be selling it, and yet there it is with a great big graphic on the front page. At this point they know they no longer have the product they're selling, and yet they're still selling it hours after they ran out and admitted as much on the forum.

Why are you all instantly assuming Valve/Steam is at fault?
For all we know the publisher promised to supply a bunch more keys pre-sale and never did.

Now Steam should perhaps have put up a notice that the keys were currently in limited supply, but in the end it only means I have to put off playing the game for a day or 2, no different to if I'd pre-ordered something.

If the keys weren't provided then the sale shouldn't have happened.

Risen and Steam have had issues with keys before, but the fact remains that as long as Steam is the one handling the transaction, the ball is in their court here. The publisher may be responsible for the error but that doesn't negate however Steam decides to handle it.

shanesemler

11-12-2010, 09:55 PM

FARTS--Forced ARTificial Scarcity: http://www.cracked.com/article_18817_5-reasons-future-will-be-ruled-by-b.s..html

marcelteaching

11-12-2010, 10:05 PM

This has nothing to do with pirated software. There is NO pirated software on my PC. So it must be the key issue. Has anyone had any specific steam contact on this issue?

Hello!??? STEAM Support! Where are you?!

/me notes the echo

zBeeble

11-12-2010, 10:08 PM

Just posting to also lodge my displeasure. Had I realized that the game would not be available, I would have done something else this evening... and potentially spent my $14.95 somewhere else, too.

caldepen

11-12-2010, 10:11 PM

Supply and demand, what!!??

People we are not buying furs. This is not about supply. It is artificial. This is information. I only have 14 hello's to say in one day. After that I cannot say it again until Monday. Oh, sorry Ma'am I have used up my day's supply of hello so beat it!

rdqlus

11-12-2010, 10:21 PM

It appears I need to explain. I buy games from Steam due to the ease of use and the simplicity of maintaining a database of Steam games.

When those games don't work because of DRM, key issues or patch problems etc. then I remember that I can experience similar issues for free by downloading from my friends on the Internet. You don't want me to remember this so stop reminding me with ♥♥♥♥ups like this one. Thanks.

M.

columbus687

11-12-2010, 10:35 PM

really?! this issue still isn't resolved... bummer. It's going to be really disappointing if something doesn't get fixed by tomorrow

crispy animal

11-12-2010, 10:38 PM

The fact that i cant play yet does not bother me, what annoys me is that they should at least put a note on the page to let people know that they will be waiting for a key, i still would have bought it, but its still nice to know beforehand....

Shodan79

11-12-2010, 10:43 PM

Still not working, anyone else having luck?

mclazyj

11-12-2010, 10:47 PM

This is too reminiscent to the key fiasco that happened with Prey during the post Christmas sale last year. Remember that one? I got in before they ran out of keys, but it was a disaster. It just seems to be happening more often on Steam. Running out of digital keys. I love Steam, and this is not a black eye per se on them, but it is on JoWood depending on how quickly they remedy the situation. The ball is in their court now.

Sgt_sarge

11-12-2010, 10:48 PM

imagine you got to a store and the guy is like
- Hey i got a great sale great product do you want it, just buy it all give it to you after.
then you buy it and your like ah nice can i have it and the guy say
-Sorry out of stock, gonna have some another day, come back from time to time and one day youll be lucky

That is the same thing and that is pissing me off, i pay for that thing, i downloaded it and then oops sorry, that is really cheap but so cheap...

mclazyj

11-12-2010, 10:50 PM

I do think that Steam should put a note or suspend the sale until they actually get a new batch of keys. Seems a little dishonest. And their is not guarantee that there will be more keys. Remember, Prey has yet to return to the marketplace, due to a lack of CD Keys. Just put a note on the RISEN page and then extend the sale by a day.

pavel3

11-12-2010, 10:54 PM

Meh, I haven't even started downloading the game yet. I'm sure they will get more keys soon.

seastar

11-12-2010, 11:01 PM

Oh well, I always wanted to get this game and now that it is $15 I went ahead and bought the game. I am kind of sad that I won't be able to play it soon but oh well things happen. SO, I also bought Divinity 2: The dragon knight saga going to have some fun with this until I can play Risen. :)

caldepen

11-12-2010, 11:08 PM

I do not understand, how could there be a finite number of these? This is ridiculous. Who agreed to this system, Richard Cheney!? I wonder if Piranha Bytes realizes not only did they pay for this system but it is now costing them sales that will most likely outstrip any possible loss due to pirating. Not to mention the damage to their brand by leaving a bad taste in the mouths of potential future buyers. Unbelievably short-sighted.

sfade

11-13-2010, 12:30 AM

I wonder if Piranha Bytes realizes not only did they pay for this system but it is now costing them sales that will most likely outstrip any possible loss due to pirating. Not to mention the damage to their brand by leaving a bad taste in the mouths of potential future buyers. Unbelievably short-sighted.

Most DRM is shortsighted, it's frequently far more damaging in the long run than the piracy in my opinion. Invasive/overly prohibitive DRM fosters an atmosphere of zero customer loyalty which results in less return business and more willingness by general population to resort to illegal downloading as a solution.

It's really a vicious circle, and the honest customer ends up used and abused in the battle between publisher and pirate. We pay, in many ways, for being honest and doing the right thing. Sadly. :(

widden

11-13-2010, 12:38 AM

Troll alert...turkey troll...

I honestly would not mind buying it even if there are no keys, but the lack of information about it is what gets me. Pay for it then get the info; oh wait, we'll get some later!

Decaymoss

11-13-2010, 12:42 AM

Any words on WHEN will this be working since this is the weekend????

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 01:43 AM

Why are you all instantly assuming Valve/Steam is at fault?
For all we know the publisher promised to supply a bunch more keys pre-sale and never did.

It doesn't really matter who is at fault. All that matters is that people have bought a game, intending to play it over the weekend (unlike someone suggested, I am not a kid anymore and have an actual job), and they can't play it. I am sorry, yes it might happen that you run out of keys, but you have to guess really badly to run out of keys even BEFORE the weekend.

So, somebody is at fault, and naturally you get a number of genuine customers complaining about it. And you know what? They are right.

I am mostly disappointed that apparently nobody can at least give a hint on a timeframe.

Brother Horus

11-13-2010, 02:08 AM

same error here. Poor forward plannining Valve.

tfrieden

11-13-2010, 02:37 AM

Sorry, misunderstanding

Kazakhbear

11-13-2010, 02:40 AM

so how long do we have to wait? i am waiting for 13 hours now....

iTimmeh

11-13-2010, 03:15 AM

This has happened a few times before, Steam really should put a notice on the store page saying that they are waiting for more keys. I'm sure many people won't mind paying now and waiting for more keys to become available but custoemrs should be informed that they are backordering something

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 03:30 AM

so how long do we have to wait? i am waiting for 13 hours now....

That's what bothers me most.. not that I have to wait, but that they don't even give us an idea about how long we have to wait... Will we see this resolved today? Still this weekend? Do we have to wait until Monday? At least an idea would be appreciated, but nothing but silence.

WileyWilson

11-13-2010, 03:58 AM

That's what bothers me most.. not that I have to wait, but that they don't even give us an idea about how long we have to wait... Will we see this resolved today? Still this weekend? Do we have to wait until Monday? At least an idea would be appreciated, but nothing but silence.

Chances are, there is little / no support at the weekend, and we will have to wait until Monday

kleebz

11-13-2010, 04:32 AM

I was kinda hoping to play this game sometime this weekend but I guess not. It was a great price but darn it I wanna play now. Shame shame.I own over 100 games on Steam and this is the 2nd time this happened.Lets hope the get this fixed in a hurry!

bodo635

11-13-2010, 04:41 AM

Piranha Bytes is a very good developer so there is a slim chance that we will get keys on weekend ! But Valve will probably be too lazy to update it ...

Kazakhbear

11-13-2010, 04:53 AM

simply unfair to the cutomers.

Evil Kerek

11-13-2010, 05:01 AM

I'm still trying to figure out how you run out of keys the first day of a sale. I find it difficult to believe that someone underestimated it that much - which leads me to believe someone screwed up. I'm even more disturbed to find out this happens often enough it is in the knowledge base - this is the first time it's happened to me.

Whatever on Piranha Bytes being a good developer. THEY are the ones at fault here - they kept their DRM instead of using Steam and thus we all sit here unable to play.

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 05:13 AM

Chances are, there is little / no support at the weekend, and we will have to wait until Monday

Yes, and really, the thing that annoys me the most about this is that there is nobody making an official statement. Granted, they probably do not know themselves, but if they haven't been able to raise someone at the developer/publisher so far, chances are they won't over the weekend.

A common courtesy would be to inform your customers about it. Really, I am not complaining about that it happened (well I am but that cannot be changed anymore). I am complaining that there is no information other than "we're aware of it".

columbus687

11-13-2010, 05:43 AM

god it still doesnt work, are they just gonna keep selling this thing without letting anyone play it

shutdown the sale or put up a notice

ndiswan382

11-13-2010, 06:05 AM

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

matray

11-13-2010, 06:16 AM

Wait I can pirate games too? Why didnt I think of that before. Dam it stuff this legitimate customer get ♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥ crap. Time to do one of the worst and coolest of crimes.

MrSmit

11-13-2010, 07:30 AM

Whatever on Piranha Bytes being a good developer. THEY are the ones at fault here - they kept their DRM instead of using Steam and thus we all sit here unable to play.
Publisher's (Deep Silver I think) fault, not theirs

pwbdesign

11-13-2010, 07:38 AM

As I have stated in my thread....pull this game already. If they don't have enough keys for people, then pull it. I wish I had not bought this. I know a sale is a sale, but plan ahead and have more keys than you need.:mad:

martinidog

11-13-2010, 07:54 AM

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 08:15 AM

Interesting. If this is not the first time you're seeing an issue like this, then it's also your responsibility as the buyer to be informed before making a purchase. If you see a sale on something that looks appealing, check the forums for specific issues that may arise.

Trying to blame the customer for making a purchase is ridiculous.

The issue has been there since afternoon (my timezone, CET) on Friday, no mention was on the forum of any issue. It is not the responsibility of a buyer to check whether there might be an issue, more so since the issue was not mentioned anywhere, and still isn't mentioned anywhere but on the forum.

The least that could be done is offer an idea when we will be able to play the game. Obviously, Valve cannot do much about getting more keys when the developer/publisher doesn't deliver, but the least they could do is talk to their customers, and a bit more than "we're working on it".

xenol

11-13-2010, 08:35 AM

This happens a lot of with Steam sales of games that look promising. It's either that or the game fails to download because the servers are too busy. I'd say shame on the guys who run Steam because this is an ongoing problem and they should know to at least anticipate something like this.

Same with the free games thing. The one annoying thing I have with free game weekends is that when I actually do go around to buy the game, it's like QoS priority goes to those who are just trying it so I can't download the game until Monday. I bought the game, I don't deserve a higher priority so I can go and enjoy it? It sort of makes me feel cheated.

But you know, Steam is like being disgruntled with your girlfriend/boyfriend. You'll always come back to it.

Rinus4

11-13-2010, 08:35 AM

I wanna play!! ^^

iTimmeh

11-13-2010, 09:00 AM

Tick

11-13-2010, 09:05 AM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

what were you aiming to achieve with this first sentence? i suggest you better learn how to apologize appropriately for a problem your customers aren't responsible for.

Ravenger

11-13-2010, 09:06 AM

It just goes to show you should never buy any game with 3rd party DRM on Steam, especially games with limited activations that require CD keys.

lmaslany

11-13-2010, 09:34 AM

And people are posting angrily on a forum dedicated to said game. Seems like about the right reaction...
I would suggest making your opinions heard on the DeepSilver forums too as they are more likely to read it.

Make your voice heard in the right place (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1583680)

casshern09

11-13-2010, 09:51 AM

Is there any word and when we will get the keys?

Shodan79

11-13-2010, 10:34 AM

Still cannot post to the server, anyone else have any luck?:confused:

caldepen

11-13-2010, 10:38 AM

Not me and it has been 24 hours.

DrinkingWhiskey

11-13-2010, 10:46 AM

I'm pretty sure Monday\ Tuesday we'll get some keys.
They want to relax on the weekend I'm sure.

Schwinghammer

11-13-2010, 10:50 AM

It just goes to show you should never buy any game with 3rd party DRM on Steam, especially games with limited activations that require CD keys.

It's probably not DRM related, but I haven't bought the game so I can't tell the exact nature of the issue.

This problem can happen with DRM-free games too; from what I understand Steam doesn't generate licenses/CD keys at will (for many games anyways), rather they receive a set from the publisher/developer.

I've seen other games with the "out of keys" problem that didn't have secondary DRM (as far as I knew).

columbus687

11-13-2010, 10:58 AM

I'm pretty sure Monday\ Tuesday we'll get some keys.
They want to relax on the weekend I'm sure.

I hope they aren't relaxing. You shouldn't leave a business on autopilot. If you're open, there should be someone there, if you're closed then don't sell the product.

You're probably right though, I bet this isn't going to be fixed until Monday or Tuesday. shame.

I'm trying to think of this whole ordeal as though I just pre ordered it.

Cerabret100

11-13-2010, 11:07 AM

Dark_Gaia

11-13-2010, 11:09 AM

the problem ist that because it is a weekend, there most likley is only a very basic support staff present in the Deep Silver office, and they do not have the power to issue more keys towards Steam.
So we will have to wait till Monday (Central European Time), till someone in charge returns to his office.

Well, I wanted to try Risen too this weekend but it is not the end of the world.
BUT I still blame Steam for selling a product without putting up a notice "Currenlty there are no keys availaible. Game can be bought but not played till Monday/Tuesday".

Bear5

11-13-2010, 11:15 AM

I am getting this error as well and what gets me is that Steam owns the system/network - Why do I have to search the internet for a reason that I can't play the game.

Why not change the pop-up to read something like:

Dear User,

We regret to inform you that <Insert Game Here> is currently sold out of activation keys. We appreciate you as a customer and realize how frustrating it can be to wait. Please accept this <Insert Random Discount Here> as an apology for this delay. We will inform you by email when the keys are ready.

But instead I get a bunch of PO'd customers that tell me that the keys are out.

TEMPORARY SOLUTION
Oh btw, I really wanted to play so I bypassed the security for the game - you can find the game in your steam>commonapps folder - and use a mini image from say pirate bay - to play the game without waiting for a key. This may not be 100% legit, but I purchased the game so I am going to play it.

caldepen

11-13-2010, 11:24 AM

I blame valve. They are the sellers and ultimately responsible for the sale. Very disingenuous of them and not cool at all.

yzerman98

11-13-2010, 11:26 AM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

So you sold something you don't have? At least the pirates don't charge, and you can play it.

Maybe get the keys beforehand, or better yet don't agree to sell games that require them.

lmaslany

11-13-2010, 11:29 AM

It does make me wonder if they knew the Steam sale was on this weekend. If they did I would have expected someone to be on call for activation issues... Ah, well.

Atomic Hamster

11-13-2010, 11:32 AM

*grumble, grumble* me too!

christheimp

11-13-2010, 11:41 AM

I hope they aren't relaxing. You shouldn't leave a business on autopilot. If you're open, there should be someone there, if you're closed then don't sell the product.

You're probably right though, I bet this isn't going to be fixed until Monday or Tuesday. shame.

I'm trying to think of this whole ordeal as though I just pre ordered it.

They are closed on weekends... I know this from other issues with other games and not being resolved over the weekend and not until the following Monday. I think even though they should have planned ahead this all comes down to there being a holiday on Thursday and Fridays just suck for most businesses. It's unfortunate for all of us. I myself am considering a refund request if its not resolved by Monday evening.

Shodan79

11-13-2010, 12:06 PM

It's probably not DRM related, but I haven't bought the game so I can't tell the exact nature of the issue.

This problem can happen with DRM-free games too; from what I understand Steam doesn't generate licenses/CD keys at will (for many games anyways), rather they receive a set from the publisher/developer.

I've seen other games with the "out of keys" problem that didn't have secondary DRM (as far as I knew).

You're right...the last time this happened was when Batman Arkham Asyalyn came out. The authentication server was flooded and people had to wait up to 24 hours for it to work. :rolleyes:

It still the same I guess of buying from the store, they run out of hard copies. This is just the same thing..only slightly weirder. I'm not sure why they just wouldn't have a key generator that fires every time a purchase is made.

Oh well. This is still way more convenient that having to deal with CD/DVD's and going to Best Buy.

Inigo

11-13-2010, 12:16 PM

This is pretty ♥♥♥♥ing gay

b0kkie

11-13-2010, 12:32 PM

I paid for this game and now i am not able to play
because they ran out of keys. GTFO!

You cannot just brush us off with some silly apology.

VALVE IS BREAKING MY BALLS!

ex0du5

11-13-2010, 12:37 PM

You can play the game with a no-cd crack from GameCopyWorld. Not ideal, since you can't play it through Steam, but at least we get to play what we payed for.

Also, with how easy it is to bypass the activation DRM, it really shows how pointless it is. TAGES has a negative effect on sales since many people refuse to by DRM ridden software. Meanwhile, pirates can bypass the DRM all they want.

With Steam running out of keys, we're forced to go to piracy centered communities for help on playing the game. We shouldn't have to resort to no-cd cracks with our legitimately purchased software.

liamsharkey

11-13-2010, 12:43 PM

How long should keys take?

xuhavon

11-13-2010, 12:45 PM

I wonder what the real state of piracy was like before DRM, as it seems to be a self fulfiling prophecy.

The only games I have pirated in the last 3 years were ones I purchased and could not figure out how to hack my registry, upgrade DVD drive firmware or add some mythicle port forwarding in my router to get the DRM to be happy.

shanesemler

11-13-2010, 12:47 PM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

And it never occurred to Valve this might happen? Do you ever actually talk to the publishers before these sales? Do they go home on the weekends and forget they are running multi-million dollar companies?

I'm very happy with Valve and Steam but this is pretty inexcusable.

SiegfriedVII

11-13-2010, 12:49 PM

Same thing here. God damn, I bought it because I was bored today :mad:

Inigo

11-13-2010, 12:56 PM

Valve needs to communicate wtf is going on right now with the status of the keys

Evil Kerek

11-13-2010, 01:26 PM

I must say I really didn't expect to have to wait until Monday- or later- and that appears to be exactly what is going to happen.

Unbelievable. To run out of keys the day of the sale and have ZERO plans in place to handle it is piss poor. I mean, WTF did they do, dash an email off to the company and hope for the best?

I REALLY expected more from Valve than this. If someone had asked me if this ever happens on Steam I'd have said 'No way man'. Of course, come to find out, it's happened several times before - otherwise why would there be an entry in the knowledge base for it. I guess I've been lucky up til now as I pretty much only buy on sales.

Krazikarl

11-13-2010, 01:33 PM

I understand having run out of keys. Mistakes happen - I'm not going to jump on a company for making a mistake every once in a while as long as they make a reasonable effort to correct it.

However, this situation is completely inexcusable. They are still advertising this game and allowing people to buy it. They KNOW that people who buy the game will not be able to play it, but are choosing to not let them know that the game will not work for them. All while still accepting their money. Thats not OK.

I bought the game an hour ago expecting to be able to play. I can't - AND STEAM KNEW THAT I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO WHEN THEY SOLD ME THE GAME. Its not the inability to play that gets me, its Steam choosing not to tell customers that what they are buying will not currently work.

Stuff like this is why people get really frustrated with Steam.

xuhavon

11-13-2010, 01:44 PM

[QUOTE=Krazikarl;18592539]
However, this situation is completely inexcusable. They are still advertising this game and allowing people to buy it. They KNOW that people who buy the game will not be able to play it, QUOTE]

Give them a break, its awfully complicated to make a very small change to the store page, its gota be something like 5% longer to do than what it took me to type this reply.

Its not like they took your money and are making intrest off it until they pay the publisher for more keys.

Bear5

11-13-2010, 01:50 PM

I posted this earlier - there is a simple solution that allows you to bypass the security

ZombieBobie

11-13-2010, 01:53 PM

Must say Im quite disappointed. To me the whole reason for buying stuff on steam is to get it (more or less) instantly.

owenhbrown

11-13-2010, 02:01 PM

ndiswan382

11-13-2010, 02:02 PM

I posted this earlier - there is a simple solution that allows you to bypass the security

Tell us more !

Warrior536

11-13-2010, 02:03 PM

Well I am glad that the operators of Steam have taken time out of their weekend to approve my forum membership so that I may now express how not-glad I am that the operators of Steam have not taken time out of their weekend to make the product they sold me last night work as advertised, or to fix their advertisement.

It's rare that I buy non-GFWL games, so I have to be very psyched to buy one... I was psyched, now I am not and now I have $15 less.

Dude you speak like its ALL steam's fault. The game was not made by them. They get a certain number of activation keys for the game, and can only order more when they are all out. So its the game's maker's fault for providing an insuficient number of keys.

garronb

11-13-2010, 02:04 PM

I don't know what's more annoying, not being able to play what I've bought, or logging on here to see people trying to justify the fact. If aren't prepared for a sale, don't have a sale. Most tech industries know that if you're going to do something on a Friday, you'd better be prepared to address unexpected issues over the weekend. This isn't the first time we've seen Steam unprepared for it.

And don't tell me that "it's a sale". If you're going to tell me that I should expect problems, then shouldn't you expect problems more so? And take steps to be sure they don't happen? So unprofessional.

Evermourn

11-13-2010, 02:06 PM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

When your company sells something that plain doesn't work I'd suggest that you:

a) avoid cute one-liners that suggest you don't take it seriously.
b) keep customers who have been inconvenienced in the loop so they know when they can expect to start using the product they paid for - it's been 24 hours since any communication on this.

Poor service which I didn't expect from Steam, I'll be more wary in future.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 02:06 PM

Sorry for my english ....
I'm so jarateed of .... I Bought this game and than ... *fvsufvs*
Here is a solution .... you must know, because ... I Bought a game and than ♥♥♥♥ happens.... I'm really pissed of ... thank you steam!
First Step to play
Look araound ... gamecopyworld
Eventually you find something ...
save the originally dvm.dll ... then replace
start the game directly in the folder with Risen.exe
Sorry STEAM .... THIS IS A FAIL

Krazikarl

11-13-2010, 02:09 PM

Dude you speak like its ALL steam's fault. The game was not made by them. They get a certain number of activation keys for the game, and can only order more when they are all out. So its the game's maker's fault for providing an insuficient number of keys.

What really upsets people is the fact that Steam has know for a day that the game will not work when customers buy it. Yet they are still advertising the game and selling it, all without saying anywhere that the game will not work.

Selling something that you know will not work is simply not OK.

If Steam had run out of keys then immediately put something saying that they had done so when people tried to buy the game there would be no problem at all. Unfortunately, this is not what they have done. Instead they are doing a VERY shady thing by selling something they know will not work.

ndiswan382

11-13-2010, 02:09 PM

I don't know what's more annoyng, not being able to play what I've bought, or logging on here to see people trying to justify the fact. If aren't prepared for a sale, don't have a sale. Most tech industries know that if you're going to do something on a Friday, you'd better be prepared to address unexpected issues over the weekend. This isn't the first time we've seen Steam unprepared for it.

And don't tell me that "it's a sale". If you're going to tell me that I should expect problems, then shouldn't you expect problems more so? And take steps to be sure they don't happen? So unprofessional.
If you can play the game you bought you arent annoyng about complain's.

MusiccisuM

11-13-2010, 02:09 PM

Agreed, this is terrible on steams part for not ensuring they have extra keys for a sale. Considered getting it from a torrent to do a work around, but hell, part of the reason I've been building my steam collection is to pay for the product and support them. DRM and gaffes like this sometimes make me question if this is even worth doing it legitimately.

tke

11-13-2010, 02:11 PM

This is more an issue with DeepSilver than Steam, in my opinion.
Risen disappeared from the UK steam store due to a lack of keys from DeepSilver. It reappeared with this sale almost a year after initial release. The sale price of £10 is not what some would call an "impulse" purchase and the game is a year old (and following on from recent releases such as ArcaniA). It could be assumed that DeepSilver didn't think they'd have too many sales during this sale and probably failed to provide enough keys to account for all the customers who have been waiting 7+ months to purchase this in the UK on top of those who played G4 and were disappointed who then read people preferred Risen and decided to give it a go.

Although I agree (having been one of the "stung" customers) that Valve should endeavour to make potential customers more aware of the lack of keys. However I would like to point out to those people complaining they can't play it for the moment: at least you've managed to purchase it and at a discount at that. I for one have plenty of other games piled up due to other numerous discounts from Steam that could fill my time while I await more keys.

As a side note:
It's rare that I buy non-GFWL games
Wow - someone who likes GFWL?

DamienT

11-13-2010, 02:15 PM

likes ... no
but Bioshock 2 ... and Fallout 3
this I like ;)
(GFWL)

RavN

11-13-2010, 02:16 PM

This is rediculous. Its deep silvers fault for not getting enough keys to Valve (who would have thought they do not want to sell copies of their game?). Its Valve's fault for selling the game knowing this would happen and continuing to sell and advertise the product.

Has anyone ever heard of buying a game in a store, installing it and then not be able to play because the cd key does not work.

garronb

11-13-2010, 02:18 PM

Bear5

11-13-2010, 02:27 PM

Tell us more !

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Lawyer.

You can find the risen.exe in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\risen\bin

I am not sure of the legalities here so I can't really tell you much -

I believe that legally if I owned the CD (which I don't have) I could make a "Mini-Image" of the CD that had the security sector - then mount that image and start the game without having to authenticate it with a serial number or have a cd in the cd-rom.

Now I am not sure if my friend can legally share his mini image with me, if I purchased the digital download. However if he was able to legally share it with me, I could bypass the security.

Again I am not sure if this is a legal way to play the game, all I know it is a workable solution for those who want to play and have paid for the game(which may or may not be legal?).

You should be able to find out any thing you don't understand with a brain and Google at this point.

FireClaw81

11-13-2010, 02:34 PM

owenhbrown

11-13-2010, 02:36 PM

likes ... no
but Bioshock 2 ... and Fallout 3
this I like ;)
(GFWL)

It's not that I like GFWL. IT's that I like PC games that give me achievements for my MS gamerscore, just like my Xbox.

Sometimes that takes me to steam. Sometimes it doesn't. I am in it for the achievements, not the platform.

I played Fallout 3 and Bioshock 2 on both PC and 360 from start to finish, with a double dose of achievements. That's a double dose of awesomeness as far as I am concerned.

Lane

11-13-2010, 02:38 PM

The reason why I'm very, very disappointed in Valve is that they already had very good stand-up way to deal with exactly this kind of situation.

If I remember correctly this happened last Christmas with Prey. They ran out of keys so they pulled the offer saying that 'Sorry, we don't have keys but here's another game instead.' (The game was Bioshock.)
What was wrong in that way of handling the matter? It was too customer friendly way?

Why not just pull this offer till they actually have the product they are selling and put it out some other weekend or some mid-week madness thing. That way they could actually show Steam users that they are capable of handling these kind of situations and they take responsibility for the service they provide.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 02:43 PM

@owenhbrown
Do you know about the HI-Res Pack to Fallout 3?
in my opinon .... it's very "wow!
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12056

look out and fallout *ggg*

delronde

11-13-2010, 02:48 PM

I bought this game yesterday with the intent of playing it over the weekend. This doesn't seem very probable.

We could argue all day whether the fault is with Valve or DeepSilver or Piranha Bytes, but without further information we won't get anywhere. However, the least Valve could do is put up a warning on the store page for potential customers (and for people who say its not easy to make that change, its definitely possible, I've seen similar warnings on other games) and let us know what the status is.

As much as I like Valve, they need to understand that they cannot treat paying customers like this. I have asked for a refund. You should too. I'm fed up with this.

Technically, Valve has just sold us the game files. Without the CD key, this situation is similar to a pre-order, we don't really "own" the game yet.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 02:52 PM

signed

DamienT

11-13-2010, 02:53 PM

remember my solution ..... look at gamecopyworld.....
I bought this game too .... but in this time .... it works

Boredgamer

11-13-2010, 02:54 PM

I would not mind so much if there was at least an idea of how long it will take to get more cd keys

farny6

11-13-2010, 02:57 PM

I would not mind so much if there was at least an idea of how long it will take to get more cd keys

thats my thoughts exactly....

owenhbrown

11-13-2010, 02:58 PM

@owenhbrown
Do you know about the HI-Res Pack to Fallout 3?
in my opinon .... it's very "wow!
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12056

look out and fallout *ggg*

My days of playing Fallout were on an AMD Mobo and an Nvidia 9000 series card on a Vista OS, I had to play on the lowest specs and now I can't seem to install it on Windows 7, which does not bother me as I have all the achievements. It is well and truly played out.

But, if I do eventually install it, I might add the increased visuals... And all those mods I downloaded back in the day, such as the new worlds and quests and the one where Moria Brown is wearing a transparent jumpsuit.

But to keep it OT. I love open ended, free roam RPGs, and I sniffed out Risen about a year before its release without any knowledge of Gothic. I purchased it pretty early into it's console release and loved it. The world and characters are oh so charming. I had to play a few times to mop up all the achievements, so I saw all the story arcs and met all the important characters.

Knowing that the PC version was the superior version, and being so cheap I thought I could ignore my achievement addiction for a while and it could tide me over at least until I get my hands on a copy of Arcania, Two Worlds 2 or The new Divinity game for Xbox (I think I will wait for the price to drop a bit), or, of course, until Obsidian fixes the awful save file bugs in New Vegas.

I could play Sacred... but the top down view in that is headache inducing.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 03:05 PM

Do you mean Sacred or Sacred 2?
Sacred 2 ... the is a very good Community -> http://forum.sacred2.de/forumdisplay.php?f=167

my english is so bad ... sorry

yzerman98

11-13-2010, 03:11 PM

Welcome to capitalism, where stealing from your customers is good, stealing from corporations is illegal.

GeMack

11-13-2010, 03:13 PM

/signed

DamienT

11-13-2010, 03:17 PM

??? Do you mean my words?

screamingdean

11-13-2010, 03:17 PM

I would not mind so much if there was at least an idea of how long it will take to get more cd keys
I have never known Steam to notify their customers of anything when dealing with these kind of problems. They have our money, what do they care?

higore

11-13-2010, 03:19 PM

Am I the only one to think this way:

1) Steam didn't get huge key "stocks" because if they got too much leftovers, they might not get as puch profit as they wanted to.

2) They don't warn buyers that there are no keys left, because then some customers may think twice before buying, hence some people who may have purchased the game not doing so in the end.

And am I the only one to think that I never, oh God never thought of anything as creazy as having actual STOCKS for digital keys?
I mean, comon, I'm sure they (both steam and the people selling the keys) could have managed to think of a way that didn't involved actual "stocks".Maybe something like giving an almost unlimited number of keys to steam, and asking for payment only when the game purchased or anything else. I'm sure they have intelligent people to think on such logistic issues, or wait, do they?
Anyway, creating "stocks" for something that actually doesn't come in stocks, you have to be damn thick headed, so much that your brain might be as well made of bricks...

Though I must give it to steam they really did a good job on this one, actualy making me post here >_>

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 03:26 PM

So Relax, have some fun outside, read a Book, play some other games etc. Monday there will be an solution or an Key for everyone... i hope...

Again, not the point, and don't tell me what I should do. The point is that Steam/Valve does not mention it one bit, nor do they tell their customers anything about WHEN they will be able to buy the game. Besides, it's raining here. And it's midnight.

And you bring up one point yourself. "I hope". It would be easy for Steam/Valve to assure people that the keys are coming, to at least INFORM their customers that are waiting for the keys.

Again, this is not about not being able to play the game, even though that is already bad enough. It's about being treated like fools, not informing anybody about what is going on.

People are upset about this, and they have every right to be upset about it.

widden

11-13-2010, 03:33 PM

So you sold something you don't have? At least the pirates don't charge, and you can play it.

Maybe get the keys beforehand, or better yet don't agree to sell games that require them.

And the funniest thing; these keys are just DATA, simply INFORMATION. It's not like they have to truck in the new keys!
Should take about 10 minutes if they have a slow internet connection (poor steam ,eh? they can't afford a f@cking connection.)

DamienT

11-13-2010, 03:35 PM

Hey ... come down

VisualDeadlock

11-13-2010, 03:37 PM

Well, I'm having this problem also. To be honest, I only recently started using Steam because Fallout NV needed it to play. I decided, why not, lets buy a game from Steam (Risen), it's more convenient to download the game and I can play it shortly. Well, I'm rather put off now, and may just go back to purchasing retail box copies.

widden

11-13-2010, 03:40 PM

oh a note for those trying the risen noCD patch (reloaded) from gamecopyworld:
- it seems to contain a trojan!

Domi

11-13-2010, 03:43 PM

Uhm... did anyone here think for a second and realize that Steam may not even know when they get the keys? It's a weekend and the game's publisher needs to create/sell more keys to Steam. Maybe they aren't available during the weekend, maybe they don't even know when they can get more keys to Steam.

Whether it's just stupid data or not, we're depending on the publisher here to actually be AVAILABLE during the weekends. What if they're not? Does that mean it's Steam's fault? No, it's not.

I'm annoyed like anyone else here that I can't play the game I purchased immediately, but for crying out loud, you're all acting like the world is coming to an end. BAWW STEAM HAS MY MONEY BUT I CAN'T PLAY IT YET. BAWWW STEAM ISN'T GIVING ME A REPORT EVERY HOUR ON HOW THINGS ARE NOW I'M NOT A VALUED CUSTOMER.

If you're living with the illusion that a platform as big as Steam cares about your individual feelings, then go... do something else, because you're a tiresome person for being so naive. We're paying customers, of course profit comes first. If you want a high quality level of service on a personal level, go to your little 1 man gaming store who'll give you a cup of coffee for free with your purchase and likes having you around for another 15 minutes for casual chats.

Seriously people, grow some balls and stop living an illusion. Just understand that things are the way they are now and try to look beyond the obvious. Try to THINK of how Steam has to obtain these keys and that they depend on a third party. And if that third party can't deliver the keys right away, then they can't deliver them right away. Boo whoopy doo.

Steam told us on the first page of this thread that they requested the keys. Now we wait. End of story. Your silly little complaints about the adult world won't make that go any faster, and Steam can't fix something they have no control over. So chill. Really.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 03:46 PM

@ widden
No ... there is no trojan by copying from Gamecopyworld
Please check your antivir etc. ....

garronb

11-13-2010, 03:46 PM

Those of you who insist on sitting around telling people to relax sound like company plants to me, trying to dilute the frustration of the people here. Come Monday, somebody can say, "oh, well we had this problem with the Risen sale over the weekend, but some of the community were okay with it. So it wasn't all bad."

There's no excuse for selling something here that I can't use for 3 days after buying it. Whether the vendor or the publisher or the developer is to blame, I couldn't care less.

Gamers need to expect better, and stop acting like this is business as usual.

garronb

11-13-2010, 03:49 PM

@Domi -

The world isn't coming to an end. My weekend won't be ruined. But why are you telling people not to complain? Isn't this how we get improved service next time around, by expressing frustration? Stop playing Hammer Legion Member and let other people be upset.

Also, you have a really narrow idea of how software works if you don't think this is something that can't easily be planned for, and avoided. Steam doesn't need an apologist.

DamienT

11-13-2010, 03:53 PM

Yes ... good words!

3beers2many

11-13-2010, 03:55 PM

This is complete BS,I understand things happen but at the very least let everyone know how long these keys will take. If its Monday then so be it, but no communication at all is a complete joke.

Alwarren

11-13-2010, 04:34 PM

Your silly little complaints about the adult world won't make that go any faster, and Steam can't fix something they have no control over. So chill. Really.

Quit your patronizing. People have the right to complain, and I take offense at being called silly.

enerrene

11-13-2010, 04:57 PM

Thanks steam, next time I will double check forums before purchasing, if ever. I guess thinking about buying instead of torrenting was a better option, but it looks like no.

Also, seriously, Valve, you didnt get a ♥♥♥♥ing keygen for that game? You got like 10 scribbled cd keys or something???

martinidog

11-13-2010, 05:04 PM

Trying to blame the customer for making a purchase is ridiculous.

I love the internet, especially when people take words so far out of context, it looks intentional. Blaming the customer for making a purchase? Really? That's not what I said. I said that to those who have already experienced something like this from Steam - learn something! Be aware of potential issues before you buy! I didn't research potential problems before buying, since there already were no keys. So for that, I am at fault, because I didn't make myself aware.

But of course not, I'm blaming people for buying products. Obviously. I'm awaiting the next rebuttal from somebody who wants to put a ridiculous spin on something I said. Probably somebody who wants to accuse me of working for Steam. Go ahead.

For those who are really, seriously bothered by this, do something about it. I never said there was no reason to be upset. Request your money back, and/or stop using the service. If you complain yet continue using the service by playing and buying its games, then you're not accomplishing anything.

Krazikarl

11-13-2010, 05:16 PM

we just can do one thing. Waiting until Steam gets more Keys.

getting excited about it helps nobody.

Ok i bought Risen too, and there is no key for me. but there is not more than playing a game. isnt it ?

So Relax, have some fun outside, read a Book, play some other games etc. Monday there will be an solution or an Key for everyone... i hope...

We can actually do quite a bit besides grin and bear it. We can request a refund, buy the game from another source, and, in the future, buy games from another source whenever possible instead of on Steam (basically whenever its the same price elsewhere, a lot of people will now go elsewhere). Its better than risking stuff like this where Steam knows that the game doesnt work but doesnt bother to tell anybody about it.

Zipster

11-13-2010, 05:20 PM

It is a little ridiculous that they ran out of keys and are taking so long to get more. This is digital information we're talking about, it takes a keygen literally seconds on the publisher's end to generate tens of thousands of keys and push them into a database, and there's literally no cost to generating more keys than necessary. They should have just generated a million or two and called it a day.

Dac

11-13-2010, 05:43 PM

_____er Jacks!
This show really _____s me up!
OMG that flying rock put a _____ in my window!
Just say no to _____!
Step on a _____, break your mothers back!

Just downloaded my first game _____ in probably about 10 years! Not something I wanted to do, but honestly, with service like this, if you don't like it, you can just kiss my _____.

Da clown teehee

11-13-2010, 06:00 PM

steam and valve

The ultimate king troll

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUU

AbraCadaver

11-13-2010, 06:03 PM

This is beyond ridiculous, and I'm very pissed off. If there had been a message that it was back-ordered or something, I would have no issue. I bought it and expected to play it today, not at some point in the future.

Any idea when this will be resolved? Any chance it's before Monday?

NyanNyanKoneko

11-13-2010, 06:15 PM

I don't mind waiting to play if there's some kind of technical issue regarding the generation of new keys, but in the future, I would like some kind of warning before I buy the game.

Thank you very much.

bloomstomb

11-13-2010, 06:41 PM

Didnt any of you ever think for a second that maybe, JUST MAYBE

that they ran out of numbers?

DUH

caldepen

11-13-2010, 06:48 PM

Yesss, but then they should not have sold it, should they have? Anyway to everyone as frustrated as i was, download the mini-image and then mount it. Don't launch RIsen from Steam, it is in the Steam folder in Steamapps I think. With the mini-image mounted it tricks Risen into believing the disk is in your drive and bam, no prob.

owenhbrown

11-13-2010, 06:50 PM

Domi...

You seem to be an enormous apologist for a multi-million dollar game company that can't even manage enough staff on one weekend to edit some text and a JPG image.

"Purchase & Download now! (product keys available sometime next week, we apologise for the inconvenience caused)"

I'd have still downloaded it. It's not about us getting fresh air, it's just poor marketing from a company that could easily do better.

Gowron

11-13-2010, 06:53 PM

I am not surprised by this, this has happend to me about 6-7 times this year already with steam running out of keys in sale, It will be fixed later monday, or tueday if you an aussie like me.

viacin

11-13-2010, 07:01 PM

Every single one of us should open a steam ticket right now and tell them exactly how irresposible and ridiculous this is. Supply and demand? Are you kidding me? There is no more supply in this as there is in an ebook, or mp3. It is a DIGITAL product, it has an unlimited supply. All it takes is a automated program to randomly generate more keys and automatically upload it to the key server. No human input at all. A program could do thousands if not tens of thousands of keys a minute. There is NO way they are selling this game that fast.

This is like buying a 2012 ferarri and paying for it now...no, no it's not, because that would be ethical back ordering. This is like buying a 1995 corolla one day and coming back to pick it up the next and the jerk that sold it to you telling you he decided to sell the car to someone else after you left but if you come back in a few days he MIGHT have another car for you. What would you do? You would demand your money back wouldn't you? If you had a single brain cell, you would!

This is not about some silly game like some have said. Listen, when someone starts poking around your butt hole, don't just close your eyes and hope they will go away! Up until this point steam has been a viable way to buy games, no doubt. But now they are engaging in unethical and immoral business practices for the sake of GREED. They are in a sense stealing your money to pad their own pockets for a weekend until they can buy the games. You see this practice in dying business about to go under. They put out a big sale and rack in a lot of cash, then go belly up before they can produce the product they sold. While I'm not suggesting this or that steam is going bankrupt, they could be shut down by the BBB for this if enough people complained. This is an illegal inventory float. It is aginst the law.

Please, open a support ticket on this and voice your opinion. Tell steam how you feel about this. I know I have. And you never know, the ones to complain may be the first to get keys if support does it manually for them to keep them quiet.

Do NOT let this go unnoticed! Do not close your eyes *poke* *poke*!! It's not going to go away. It starts with Risen right here, right now. But soon it will be every game they sell if they can get away with it! Stop this NOW.

zierox

11-13-2010, 07:03 PM

Same problem here. Overall very happy with Steam on most occasions however this is a problem that Valve should have had a plan for. It also makes me slightly jilted towards online digital purchases and games that phone home. Not the end of the world and aint gonna lose any sleep over it though. Will play when the problem is solved and it's good to know Valve posted and is aware of the problem.

caldepen

11-13-2010, 07:06 PM

I have opened a ticket and sent a message to Krisk (the guy who said "don't worry folks we are working on it!" earlier in the post).

Lupo30

11-13-2010, 08:12 PM

Having same problem here and i say its a total shame that there is no official response until now... or is there?

I dont understand why they dont AT LEAST put it off sale... or provide us customers with some sort of information about this "insufficient key problem".

What is the STEAM marketing department thinking???
i mean... i am not an expert, but there are some MAJOR PROBLEMS with this situation. Starting with the fact that most of the LEGIT BUYERS HAVE TO CRACK THE GAME IN ORDER TO GET WHAT THEY HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR !!

Its like they say to me:"Haha you stupid fool! You gave us money for something you could have downloaded for free?! just wait... we will teach you a lesson. (Evil laugh) We will teach you what you should do next time instead of wasting your money at us!! First Hint: Visit, and register yourself to our forums. Why, you ask?!...Just download and see.(again evil laugh)"

Seriously:
Would i be head of the STEAM marketing department... Heads would roll... it would be a frenzy bloodbath. This could happen ONCE but never ever again.

Hope these lines make it clear that i am one more pissed STEAM customer (and RPG fan from austria).

Dalamor

11-13-2010, 08:31 PM

I'm not impressed. I've never encountered this before. Normally steam is really solid. But this is crazy. Is this even legal? As stated before, if there was a time frame given to the release of keys, that would be great. Even better, a guarantee that keys will be released. The sale needs to be stopped now.

guntario

11-13-2010, 08:31 PM

I do not get a whole lot of free time, and the free time I get is usually spent playing some games. So I get some free time, and there's a sale on Risen, but guess what? I can't play it... It isn't as if keys are hard to generate. Before putting something like this on sale, wouldn't it be pretty standard practice to work out some sort of deal with them to anticipate high sales?

m0sf3t

11-13-2010, 08:33 PM

Class Action Lawsuit anyone? lol naw but this is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ i bout some coveralls online like a few days ago and they ended up being out of stock, but here is the difference:
1)they didn't take my money
2)they immediately called/emailed me and told me they were out of stock
3)they gave me options like waiting or canceling the order or something like that

So i see this from a small time company and then steam pulls some crap like this

I think at the very least we should be get option to get our money back or a free game or equal value

PBookie

11-13-2010, 08:50 PM

I fully agree this is getting to be obnoxious, I've been waiting for for almost 2 days now and not only is there no feedback from Steam and the game is STILL on sale, but the problem is not fixed. I just want to know when the problem will be fixed and as of now it seems like it wont be till monday or even tuesday. Just fix the problem!

3beers2many

11-13-2010, 09:15 PM

This is beyond ridiculous now, I just want my money back.

owenhbrown

11-13-2010, 09:18 PM

I wonder how many people downloaded this because they were tired of Obsidian not having fixed the bugs in New Vegas?

Double whammy...

Mallrat

11-13-2010, 09:47 PM

I wonder how many people downloaded this because they were tired of Obsidian not having fixed the bugs in New Vegas?

Hate to make my first post here a wah wah, but yeah, this is me. Got sick of NV crashing and yesterday morning picked up Risen on sale. 30 hours after paying I still can't play. Like others have mentioned, I would like the option of a refund.

Inigo

11-13-2010, 10:07 PM

navidian

11-13-2010, 10:46 PM

We're all entitled to a refund as the service has an error we didn't know about at the time Risen was purchased and does not perform to standard. Heck, it doesn't even run.

I'm no lawyer but Valve continuing to offer this game for sale in its current state as advertised is surely illegal.

darkbaldur

11-13-2010, 10:53 PM

PoSSeSSeDCoW

11-13-2010, 10:58 PM

I'm annoyed that I'm not able to play as well, but there's really no point in complaining in this thread. Open up a support ticket to Valve or e-mail the publisher to show your discontent. However, that won't get you anything more. Either Valve, the publisher, or both are not working over the weekend, so we will not be able to play until Monday. Yes, that sucks, but that's life. You can complain all you want here, there, or anywhere, but it simply won't do you any good.

So post here if you want some catharsis, otherwise, don't bother. It won't get you the game any sooner.

garronb

11-13-2010, 11:09 PM

Yeah, people should open a ticket, etc. This thread has more views than any other on the Risen board. That alone should say something to Steam. And by the way, if you think opening tickets will get this particular issue addressed sooner, you're dreaming. This is a case where the fix will come Monday, and it will come for everyone. So the least we can do is express discontent. Whether it "makes a difference" is not my concern, or choice.

People do make mistakes. That's why, in the software world, people tend to not push out big changes or risk problems on a Friday, unless they have contingency plans in case of problems over the weekend. It's one thing to make mistakes. It's another to make them when people are spending money, and your mistake won't even get attention for 3 days.

poohbear

11-13-2010, 11:33 PM

really lame of Steam to put a game on sale for the weekend, have thousands buy it, and then tell them they can't contact the key server gotta wait till the weekend is over. very shoddy of them to do this, someone over there needs to get fired for being so disorganized & we need to be reimbursed for this nonsense. ridiculous.

next time POST A WARNING LIKE THIS THAT YOU ARE OUT OF KEYS FOR THE WEEKEND instead of having us buy it and just wait.

something81

11-13-2010, 11:38 PM

Honestly, these things happen. Supply and demand is always a factor in any economic model. The real sad thing here is the sheer amount of people who are sitting here raging because they have to wait... Society has become over accustomed to the quick fix I want it now mentality. Yeah I purchased the game and would like to play it but it will be there later when they get the key issue fixed. Are you really out a product that you will be able to play in a day or two because you can't play it now? And as you bought it digitally you spent money that doesn't exist in a real form for a product you don't have access to yet. Give it a break people go back to whatever you are going to do after wining and complaining and let it sit.

people make mistakes.. Companies make mistakes... EVERYONE makes mistakes. All you can do is wait for it to be fixed.

This is the equivalent of of entering a store, picking up a product you want to buy, placing it on the counter and paying the cashier, expecting to take the product home with you, only to have the cahsier tell you after taking your money, that there is a problem and the product isn't available now.

Well, don't you think that the cashier should have mentioned it before you payed?

Now, i understand that people make mistakes. yes, we are all humans. and if Steam would have kept us, the costumers, updated, then it wouldn't have botherd me that much. you don't want to hurt your sales and post a notice in the Risen 50% off notice in the online store? OK, i can understand that, although it's not very ethical and maybe not even legal, but OK.

But in the very least i would have expected Steam to post notices here in the forum, updating us on how long will it take for the problem to be solved. they'll fix it tomorrow? next week? fine, just let us know. you don't know yet how long it'll take to fix? fine, explain that you're working on it and have a Steam employee post a sticky thread, here in the forum and have him or her occasionally enter the forum and post an update on things and answer a few select questions from the costumers.

Don't want or can't do it because it's the weekend? so don't sell the game during the weekend! but if you are taking costumers money during the weekend then Steam can also hire someone to provide costumer service during the weekend.

So don't tell people not to get upset, as people have every right to get upset. Steam's silence is defaning.

Sprinkles10

11-13-2010, 11:39 PM

Like all of you I wish to express my frustration against this very unprofessional attitude of Steam.
As soon as they noticed they were running out of keys, they should at least have added a warning message before buying Risen ! But well, business is business....

xenol

11-13-2010, 11:42 PM

people make mistakes.. Companies make mistakes... EVERYONE makes mistakes. All you can do is wait for it to be fixed.

Obviously this is your first time (or maybe not at all) running into this issue. Steam in general has a problem with delivering games that just so happen to be popular at that time. I've experienced it once already when I purchased Unreal Tournament 3 during the free weekend. And now I'm experiencing it again, and there's really no excuse anymore.

And there is no "fix", it's called generating more keys.

caldepen

11-13-2010, 11:57 PM

What is a mini-image and how does one mount it?

A mini-image as I understand fakes a drive so that when you play the Risen executable found in the steam/steamapps folder somewhere (not the launcher in Steam) it thinks there is Risen DVD in your computer. You can find the torrent out there, just search Risen mini-image or crack or whatever. You also need the software for mounting disks which is a normal software download. I downloaded Daemon tools as it is free and very small. Once you have Daemon Tools install it (uncheck all the other stuff, except associations. Then when you download the torrent Risen Mini-image you just doubleclick the .mds file and it will auto mount it. Then open the Risen folder found in your steam apps and play the Risen executable. It sounds complicated but it is really easy. And it does nothing to your Risen files. Not a crack or anything. So when the key comes available you can go back to that. I am in the monastery now, actually a really good game.

Zipster

11-14-2010, 12:22 AM

Honestly, these things happen. Supply and demand is always a factor in any economic model.
Sure, except that the marginal cost of producing a key is virtually nothing, and we're certainly not running out of alphanumeric combinations anytime soon. There is no reason why supply couldn't have easily exceeded demand by ten-fold, or a hundred-fold, well in advance of the sale.

The real sad thing here is the sheer amount of people who are sitting here raging because they have to wait... Society has become over accustomed to the quick fix I want it now mentality. Yeah I purchased the game and would like to play it but it will be there later when they get the key issue fixed. Are you really out a product that you will be able to play in a day or two because you can't play it now? And as you bought it digitally you spent money that doesn't exist in a real form for a product you don't have access to yet. Give it a break people go back to whatever you are going to do after wining and complaining and let it sit.

people make mistakes.. Companies make mistakes... EVERYONE makes mistakes. All you can do is wait for it to be fixed.
You talk about how everyone makes mistakes and we should let it slide and wait for things to resolve themselves, but what about making the same mistake more than once? Is that still OK? If this is something that has happened with sale products in the past then Valve really has no excuse. What if the game still doesn't run on Monday? Or Tuesday? Wednesday? Next week? Next month? At what point is it unacceptable to accept money from consumers (which does exist in real form, hate to break it to you) under the impression they'll get their product immediately, only to have it be delayed for some unknown amount of time? Sure, we're only talking $15 and and I'm sure the issue will be resolve promptly on Monday, but that's still real time and real money and people have the right to be upset that they weren't fully informed of the situation before making their purchase. Perhaps there are those who wouldn't have bothered, sale or not, if they couldn't play it right away.

I, personally, really couldn't care less if I have to wait an extra day or two. There's plenty of other things I could (and probably should) be doing. But I'm not about to come online and patronize others because they didn't get what they paid for.

Lane

11-14-2010, 12:32 AM

people make mistakes.. Companies make mistakes... EVERYONE makes mistakes. All you can do is wait for it to be fixed.

Yes, and they should learn from mistakes and companies should establish policy to these kind of situations. This has happened before, at least last Christmas and then they pulled the game from sale saying that they don't have keys, here's is another sale instead.

Maybe I was just fool to think that they would do that every time and that I wouldn't have to check the forum every time before the purchase if they actually have keys (playable product) or not.

Idiaf

11-14-2010, 12:41 AM

Everyone defending Valve is missing the point.

They are selling a product they do not have.

Imagine if (weak analogy inc) you went into a store and say, bought a safe. You get the safe home from the store, and find out the key isn't there. You, of course, drive back up to the store and explain the issue. They just look at you and say, "Oh sorry, that was a popular safe and we ran out of keys hours ago. We are working on getting more." You then ask for when they expect to get more and are ignored. You call back the next day, and are put on hold until the call is dropped.

They are selling a product they know doesn't work, don't bother to alert people to the issue, and ignore the people that have already bought it and can't play it. It's unethical and seriously making me reconsider making any further purchases on Steam. They obviously don't care since they have our money, and are getting more than they would if they were honest about the situation. I seriously doubt the game's sales would grind to a halt, people would still purchase the game because of the discount, but at least they would know they couldn't play the game right after they installed it.

Valve should really be ashamed of themselves.

Britguy21

11-14-2010, 01:01 AM

Hi first time poster here. Like someone else said earlier I hate to make this a moaner. I got this game almost as soon as it came on sale. This STEAM is theft no two ways about it. You have my money for a product that I cannot use. If the issue is not sorted out soon. I WILL take action against you and make complaints to the various consumer rights people in the UK. Am so sick of being treated like this. Game was the same as well I hate to wait a whole weekend for them to send me a key.

navidian

11-14-2010, 01:09 AM

This thread has over 25000 views already.

Rinus4

11-14-2010, 01:16 AM

It's like buying a car from a dealer, but you can't drive away, cause he don't have the keys for it.. ^^ But while i'm waiting I'm playing Two Worlds II and Titan Quest Gold.

Hunter13303

11-14-2010, 01:20 AM

I've been watching this thread for the entire weekend. I bought the game, I didn't get my key blah blah. Steam should put a warning blah blah. It only takes a minute to make 25,000 people happy blah blah. Oh right, I remembered my password just for this post.

Hey Steam... Hey company people... fix it...

farny6

11-14-2010, 01:24 AM

well there goes my weekend downunder in Australia.i bought this first thing saturday morning and still have not played it....bloody disapointing. i'll think twice before buying online again from steam.nuff said.

Hunter13303

11-14-2010, 01:28 AM

Farny: Same here, except I got it since it's never been available in Australia before now.

freakshowfreak

11-14-2010, 01:36 AM

this is the 6th time within a year that they don't have enough key's for the sale...................

Valve/steam is run by a couple of morrons who don't give a f about their customers.
6th time and still to ♥♥♥♥ing lazy to put on a notice on your store page.

yeah I guess you don't care about customer satisfaction since you have so many users

xNECROx

11-14-2010, 01:49 AM

Yeah..the irony of a "ZOMG WEEKEND SALE" is people are buying the game for the....Weekend? So when you buy it and don't get the game until a lot of people's next work week..it's lulz.

Spazmodeus

11-14-2010, 01:49 AM

I had a date with a nymphomaniac supermodel who owns a Ferrari dealership but I decided to play Risen instead. Now I'm spending my Saturday night sitting alone in my 10 by 10 shack in the desert drinking Rocket Fuel Malt Liquor and crying with my only friend, a three-legged learning-challenged cat named Puddles. Thanks a lot Valve!

But seriously, lame company is lame.

farny6

11-14-2010, 02:00 AM

Alwarren

11-14-2010, 02:20 AM

That's not what I said. I said that to those who have already experienced something like this from Steam - learn something! Be aware of potential issues before you buy! I didn't research potential problems before buying, since there already were no keys. So for that, I am at fault, because I didn't make myself aware.

That's like asking people to make a technical examination of a plane because you heard that sometimes they crash. FWIW, when I bough the game there was nothing known about the issue, no mention on the forum either.

What you said was that it is in the responsibility of the buyer to check whether the item is available. I say that is ridiculous. There is no way that anybody could check the availability of the item.

Probably somebody who wants to accuse me of working for Steam. Go ahead.

You're overdramatizing.

screamingdean

11-14-2010, 02:27 AM

For £3 more I could have got this on Amazon. I think I'm at the end of my tether with Steam. I've had problems before, most recently when F1 2010 didn't unlock in the UK until 4pm (no apologies by the way). This is just one more example of their incompetence. I guess I'll just have to make a decision to either carry on getting slapped in the face or stop using them. It'd be a shame but it will be because of their poor customer practices. Steam is many things, but it is not a retailer.

parallel_twin

11-14-2010, 02:30 AM

Steam, I hate you.
YOU SUCK!

Bull♥♥♥♥ Bull♥♥♥♥ Bull♥♥♥♥ Bull♥♥♥♥.

(Yes I also only remembered my password for this forum to crack the ♥♥♥♥s.)

nixneweraccnt

11-14-2010, 03:02 AM

When the hell is this getting fixed?

Hunter13303

11-14-2010, 03:04 AM

Never ever, ever, ever.

Maxwell20

11-14-2010, 03:16 AM

Are we able to annul the buying?

Rinus4

11-14-2010, 04:12 AM

And they still selling it. ^^ I love Steam, love VALVe, but they have to learn from Dutch people.. We trademasters can learn them a lot. :D

nayas

11-14-2010, 04:12 AM

Same problem here.

I so much hate Steam and they just keep giving me reason to stop using their f***ing bad service.

I'll just stop being a legit buyer using this service, let's just download it from torrent. It will AT LEAST WORK

torrent 1 - 0 steam

And seriously, you are making a special week-end and you dont get enough CD KEY? wtf are you thinking? And is it really that hard for steam dev to say " 1 - 1 = 0, let's display a backorder message" ?

T@F

11-14-2010, 04:39 AM

That's not valve fault that they run out of keys.
that's down to the devs not given valve enough keys.

The devs should have known that it would become so popular with the new deal.Also the region unlocked everywhere did not help.

Valve will fix the prob they always do.you have to wait until valve gets more keys.

letionbard

11-14-2010, 04:49 AM

Anyway, steam need to do some warning in selling page.
anyone can even expect it?

T@F

11-14-2010, 05:36 AM

Anyway, steam need to do some warning in selling page.
anyone can even expect it?

It's the weekend,no valve employers wants to work on the weekend as they have a family as well you know.
it's ok for us to sit behind our computers as home on the weekend why not valve employers?

So there is no chance of the store page being updated until monday at least.

Greesha

11-14-2010, 05:44 AM

It's the weekend,no valve employers wants to work on the weekend as they have a family as well you know.
it's ok for us to sit behind our computers as home on the weekend why not valve employers?

So there is no chance of the store page being updated until monday at least.

It's called support. When you run an online business thats services the whole planet you don't care what time it is. You choose to run a 24x7 drm based service you support it 24x7. Don't want to hear cry baby stories about peoples weekend it's called rostering and on call. We in the IT industy are used to it, when a system goes down for customers we don't say f it it's Sunday. We get off our arses and we remote into work and we fix it ASAP. /rant

nekedsanyi

11-14-2010, 05:48 AM

I paid for it ->i want to play same day, not x day later, not googling error messages.(no cd key, server was too busy, steam error XX)

Will never ever buy a game from steam again.
It might cost more, but will work 24/7!

T@F

11-14-2010, 05:53 AM

It's called support. When you run an online business thats services the whole planet you don't care what time it is. You choose to run a 24x7 drm based service you support it 24x7. Don't want to hear cry baby stories about peoples weekend it's called rostering and on call. We in the IT industy are used to it, when a system goes down for customers we don't say f it it's Sunday. We get off our arses and we remote into work and we fix it ASAP. /rant

But we all know valve support is lacking,and they should get more ppl in.
also i'm not crying about it you lot are.

i do agree support should be a hell of a lot better than it is now.

tom_mckee

11-14-2010, 06:14 AM

What is annoying is that if this was a physical medium, you could return to the store and either demand a refund or argue with the seller. As it stands, steam can sell a noneexistant product and does not even warn a single customer.

If you went to the supermarket and after buying your shopping, you realised all the tins were empty and the excuse you get is 'yeah, you'll just have to wait till we grow some more' then I think I'd punch the twit.

Rinus4

11-14-2010, 06:58 AM

VALVe should hire some Indians (India), cause it's the helpdesk of the world..

Tomwyr

11-14-2010, 07:10 AM

Ah well, I do hope they'll get keys on monday. In the meantime I'll just have to resolve myself to play something different, hoping they get the missing keys soon, and once I got my key.. well, at least I got the game rather cheap.

Lupo30

11-14-2010, 07:22 AM

But we all know valve support is lacking,and they should get more ppl in.
also i'm not crying about it you lot are.

i do agree support should be a hell of a lot better than it is now.

hmmm..
A hell lot better?
It would be a great start if a mod just could tell me that they will fix it asap (monday hopefully) in this forum. I dont need a refund or anything(although it would be great) just a tiny answer to a serious concern. thats all

But nah... in that case one of their employees would have to check the forums of the games they put on sale every evening and as we all here know... IT WOULD RUIN THIS PERSONS WEEKENDS, WOULDT IT?!

lulz

Well, i can laugh. I can play the game with a crack for the gameversion 1.10 from gamecopyworld, just as described in this forum. It replaces the dvm.dll file in the gamefolder... and this is not the only game i could afford or have installed... there are options for me. But unfortunately not everyone is that lucky, as it seems.

VividNinjaScar

11-14-2010, 07:27 AM

Well, i can laugh. I can play the game with a crack for the gameversion 1.10 from gamecopyworld, just as described in this forum. It replaces the dvm.dll file in the gamefolder... and this is not the only game i could afford or have installed... there are options for me. But unfortunately not everyone is that lucky, as it seems.

And people said pirates, who made that crack, were useless.

poohbear

11-14-2010, 08:05 AM

i dont understand how anyone can make the argument "its the weekend, they're off". if they're off WHY THE HELL ARE THEY SELLING IT???? u're off but you're selling goods???? what kind of sick logic is that??? the weekend is retail's biggest money maker, no way in hell are they off. Class action lawsuit folks, its great grounds for that!

nixneweraccnt

11-14-2010, 08:06 AM

You know what would be great? If the mod just came back with some news on the status of our keys; on the way to being done, never going to be done, enjoying the hate being flung at them so they're doing nothing. Any little ditty of info would be great.

You know what would be better than that? A working game.

tom_mckee

11-14-2010, 08:24 AM

Yeah, all it would take is a slightly clued on mod to come on here, post something better than the ♥♥♥♥ we got earlier, which was basically them making a joke of it and I'd be a lot happier.

I know I cant play the game, it isnt about fixing the keys right this second, its about responsability and a bit of customer care. Seriously, we have a lot of people looking for job (AFAIK its the same in US) and if I could get paid for tech support on the weekend, I would work weekends gladly, so none of that bull♥♥♥♥ about its the weekend and no one wants to come in and work.

Seriously, because this is an online transaction, the retailer seems to thing they have no responsability. That attitude will loose them profit. Typing a short apology would not take effort or time. They could straight up say, sorry about this, someone made a mistake, we'll be trying to fix it. rather than just 'popular game is popular, lolz'

UMS

11-14-2010, 08:30 AM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

Asinine meme is asinine!

Lane

11-14-2010, 09:16 AM

But we all know valve support is lacking,and they should get more ppl in.
also i'm not crying about it you lot are.

i do agree support should be a hell of a lot better than it is now.

And why on earth would Valve improve their support if no one was complaining about it? People are upset the way Valve handled the situation, they voice it out and hopefully Valve is going to do something about it (in future).

If no one complained about the way they now handled the situation there would be no improvements since it seems that things are OK.

massiveheadcrab

11-14-2010, 09:20 AM

now i'm stuck with a game that i can't play for 2 days now , if i dowloaded a cracked copy instead i could be enjoying the game, so much for being an "honest customer"...

cgoodno

11-14-2010, 09:44 AM

Popular sale is popular!

We're working on getting more keys. Sorry folks!

Why would you _not_ have in place a system that at least notifies people at the point of sale that they wouldn't be allowed to play the game until you get more Keys in stock? It's not like, based on the responses so far, you haven't encountered this issue in the past.

I don't mind waiting, but it's just unprofessional, to say the least.

Edit: Also, don't trust the dvm.dll file from gcw, it has a trojan attached to it.

Chivalrous_Erik

11-14-2010, 09:53 AM

The reason nobody's giving you support is most likely
1): They're having a laughing fit right now watching the rage building within this very thread. Pointing out people who they find the funniest (possibly you) and saying the words you wrote to make them laugh the most.
2): They're worried if they actually post anything, not what some morbid modfan(?) says, that you'll just get worse because: A, they aren't very good at responding to such things especially over the weekend when they say "*squeak* this" and go home.. Or B, they're trying to control a very sensitive situation and taking the time to explain to a Steam community the severity of this problem would just make a lot of people angry and/or leave Steam.
So quit crying about it, be happy there was a sale now, be happy you got in on it, wait it out, play it when you get it. Quit pointing the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ finger at everyone. Every time you do that, you've got three pointed right back at you.
All in all, I hope this made some people feel better. I sure know it made me feel better. I made an account cause you guys made me so hurrdurr about it.
I want answers not QQ's

badblood

11-14-2010, 10:15 AM

Since it's clear this thing won't get fixed till Monday the earliest, I suggest everyone affected gets a $30 coupon towards the purchase of their next game. It's only a $15 game but if Steam wants to do right they should step up.

bloomstomb

11-14-2010, 10:16 AM

Interesting. If this is not the first time you're seeing an issue like this, then it's also your responsibility as the buyer to be informed before making a purchase. If you see a sale on something that looks appealing, check the forums for specific issues that may arise.

As for this "I'm a paying customer" card being tossed about. Yeah, so am I, and so are a lot of other people. Last time I checked, Valve is a human-run business. Humans make mistakes. Stuff happens. We can all make assumptions and fire our 'should'ves' and 'could'ves' but do any of you work there? Do any of you know the real reason as to why this happened? Enlighten me.

MartiniDOG, I tried to explain them this dog.

I explained that steam simply ran out of numbers to assign to us.

After all its not as if numbers are infinite or something crazy.

People run out of numbers all the timte. Jeez

bloomstomb

11-14-2010, 10:17 AM

On a serious note does this kind of ♥♥♥♥ ever happen at D2D?

Anyone know ? (direct2drive).

Jiefangjun

11-14-2010, 10:18 AM

What the Steam apologists and people who complain about customers QQing don't get is that this isn't simply an issue with not being able to play the game right away. Yes, that certainly is ONE of the complaints. It is a legitimate one too: imagine going to a grocery store, buy food, and then the cashier holds on to it for a few days after you pay. The principle is the same. You buy something, then it is yours to use right away.

Anyway, the larger issue here is the unacceptable customer service here. As many have stated, they are unhappy there was no warning from Steam that keys would be a problem. Why can't they warn people? There is absolutely no reason for them not to.

Look at other major online retailers. Amazon, for instance, clearly tells you whether an item is in stock, when expected delivery times are, and they even tell you if they CANNOT guarantee certain purchases. This is customer service. All that information is provided before you pay. Steam can learn a thing or two from Amazon.

Flojoewiggi

11-14-2010, 10:19 AM

Da hätte man aber mal schnell am Samstag noch ein paar Keys erstellen können. Kann doch wohl nicht so aufwändig sein oder?

sethsez

11-14-2010, 10:22 AM

Quit pointing the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ finger at everyone. Every time you do that, you've got three pointed right back at you.

Yeah this is a cute saying and all but it doesn't actually apply here at all. The people who bought the game didn't screw anything up, and as I doubt any of the people posting here own or run their own retail business there's not much in the way of their complaints reflecting back on themselves.

And telling people "be happy you got it at all" is pretty asinine when they don't have it yet. They've had the chance to give away their money, nothing more. I'm pretty sure most people would rather spend $40 for something than $15 for nothing if they knew they actually wouldn't be getting the game they bought (but, of course, couldn't get a refund).

Consumer advocates exist to counter the damage people like you cause.

bloomstomb

11-14-2010, 10:23 AM

Im thinking about switcing to d2d guys has anyone had experience with them?

If the same kind of crap happens there I obviously wont switch...

But it might be nice to be able to play my games without steam brother watching over my shoulder.

Also does D2d store your games on their cloud servers like steam does?

tough2snuff

11-14-2010, 10:24 AM

Same issue, purchased game and could not play.

Expecting refund or discount from valve. I agree with others valve should not offer a product for purchase that knowingly can not provide.

martinidog

11-14-2010, 10:28 AM

That's like asking people to make a technical examination of a plane because you heard that sometimes they crash. FWIW, when I bough the game there was nothing known about the issue, no mention on the forum either.
Ugh. No. It's about clientèle who have been experiencing the same issues with Steam repeatedly. That's what my post said. There's no hidden meaning, there's no alternate interpretation. You had no way of knowing. Fair enough. This is not directed at you and others like you, but you seem to think it is for whatever reason.

What you said was that it is in the responsibility of the buyer to check whether the item is available. I say that is ridiculous. There is no way that anybody could check the availability of the item.
No. It's the responsibility of the buyer who has had continuous problems with Steam to check if there are any similar issues with what they have had in the past. They constantly have problems, they constantly complain, yet they continue using the service. Why? Again, you're twisting my words around and paraphrasing them inaccurately as a means of supporting your argument. It doesn't work that way.

You're overdramatizing.
I'm not the problem, here. Or do you want to go there?

ChaosDwarf

11-14-2010, 10:37 AM

when do I get a key?

blooMac

11-14-2010, 10:42 AM

This is a copy of what i've sent to the so called support. I dont hold out much hope of a happy resolution. It is theft and fraud if you take someones money for a product you dont supply.
As for the customers - and thats what we all are - who behave like Hammer Legion Members valve...pathetic.

Question? Dont know if thats the word for it. Do you deliberately make it as difficult as pos for customers to contact you? Its not enough to BE a customer with a steam account, you have to create ANOTHER account to contact you. Then i decided i wanted to add my comments to the forum thread thats currently going on about this dreadful customer service. So i create a THIRD account. Register, check email, click link. Then i was STUPID enough to think that i would be able to post my comments. NO CHANCE. I'm not allowed to apparently.
I've had enough. You have stolen my money and i want it back. Then i will remove every shred of steam from my pc and just swallow the loss of all the other stuff i've bought from you.

Finally get the chance to post sunday evening. was really angry earlier and just wanted to vent a bit. How many customers has this con happenced to?

Has anyone ever received a refund from this company?
ps the words i wrote have been changed by whatever censoring software they use.F.A.N.B.O.Y.S. is not swear word so why does it keep changing it?

Evil Kerek

11-14-2010, 10:42 AM

That's not valve fault that they run out of keys.
that's down to the devs not given valve enough keys.

It is ENTIRELY Valve's fault that people who are buying the game right now having no idea, unless they happen to look at the forums, that they won't be able to play it until HOPEFULLY monday. I don't know about the rest of you, but one of the main reasons I buy from Steam is not having to deal with a store and basically being able to play the game immediately.

As I've stated before, it reeks of an entirely broken system. There was NO plan in place to handle this happening except 'oh well too bad - we'll just see how many we can sell'. This is jarate poor. Valve is too big for this kind of bull♥♥♥♥ and I expect a lot more from them. Or maybe they simply have gotten too big and drank a little too much koolaid. Maybe getting on the PS3 has them too excited to worry about the PC anymore.

All I now is this is NOT the way you handle this sort of thing. SOMEONE should have fixed the problem. I've got more than enough experience with corporations to know how things work - I pretty much make a living getting the job done when corporate drones can't or won't. Someone should have gotten their thumb out of their ♥♥♥, made some phone calls and made it happen. I don't believe for a second it couldn't have been handled. I find it difficult to believe the publisher wants this level of animosty aimed at them. If someone called up their owners and said 'dude, we need keys right now or every person that buys the game is going to be furious with both of us when they find out we are selling a game knowing they can't play it', SOMETHING would have happened besides this fiasco.

The RIGHT thing to do would be have a message at the buy screen indicating you will not be able to play until the key issue is resolved AND extending the sale at least the number of days keys were unavailable. This is the BARE MINIMUM that should have been done.

If I could get a refund right now, I would.

columbus687

11-14-2010, 10:53 AM

surely someone that works at Steam must see this happening, how is this possible? All it takes is a one sentence explanation on the store page.

everyone should send this story to Kotaku if they haven't already,

Wholly

11-14-2010, 11:10 AM

Am new to Steam, thought it was a great deal, probably is, but is ruined by not being able to play directly after purchase.
I know wah wah, but honestly, you get a brand new toy, then told you can't play with it as it has no batteries, it's christmas and there are no stores open, you are rightly disappointed, and this is the place to express that disappointment.
I have to say the most dissappointing part of it is that we don't know when we will get a key.

bagofbones

11-14-2010, 11:29 AM

I informed some gamer news websites of this poor show of Steam. Really crazy the game is still up for sale with no cd-keys being handed out.

apaeth

11-14-2010, 11:45 AM

If they haven't gotten the keys generated by now it most likely won't happen until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. I'm not happy either...

Hunter13303

11-14-2010, 11:51 AM

Overnight, 10,000 views later and still no key...
Lemme go grab my internet slapping fish...

crispy animal

11-14-2010, 11:51 AM

No. It's the responsibility of the buyer who has had continuous problems

No, its the responsibility of the retailer to have a merchantisable product, if they have something for sale, it IS NOT the job of the buyer to see if its in stock. The retailer should let people know.

I dont get all the people saying its not steams fault, are you trying to score points for licking their backsides? Pull your tongue out and wake up.

Alwarren

11-14-2010, 11:59 AM

It doesn't work that way.

Nevermind. Fruitless to discuss with you, your "arguments" work in my favor as well.

diatheke_kaine

11-14-2010, 01:10 PM

Hmmm, maybe I'm naive, but I fully expect that Valve and Deep Silver will come up with the keys and I'll be able to play this game in a couple of days. I guess a lot of people here don't trust that to happen, but Valve hasn't done anything in the years I've been using Steam for me to distrust them now. I mean, sh*t, every single Steam purchase is a matter of trust anyway--you are trusting that you will be able to access property that you do not physically own. If you don't trust Valve, what the heck are you doing buying from Steam anyway?

But really, the alternatives don't seem all that better. Lets consider:

A) Valve cancels all of these sales as soon as keys run out. Every weekend sale becomes a stupid rush-before-it-runs-out rampage, or you end up missing out on sales because you simply didn't see it in time. Honestly, I actually rather appreciate that I was able to take advantage of the sale even after they temporarily ran out of supply.

B) Valve only does these sales if they can guarantee all keys. What? That's pretty much an impossible quantity to predict, which means that all sales are basically limited to mainline products only, like COD or some such. Man, half the games on sale here I can't find anywhere nearly as conveniently as it is, let alone at such discounted prices.

Anyway, blah blah, you're apologizing for a multi-million dollar corp, whatever. I'm just looking out for my own interests, which are the continuance of these ridiculously cheap sales and the upholding of a healthy level of trust in the contractual exchanges which makes the incredibly convenient Steam possible (that is, the whole software archiving, least invasive DRMing, friends networking service).

Does waiting suck? Yeah, absolutely. Still, better to have bought it half price and wait a few days than wait a few years for game to drop to same price.

ChaosDwarf

11-14-2010, 01:13 PM

I don’t get it is still on sale... few months back during a sale of prey they had run out of CD-Keys so they stopped selling the game till they were back in stock.
Not sure why they did not do it this time.

Cerabret100

11-14-2010, 01:22 PM

In case some of you didn't see it, Deep Silver has responded:

http://forum.deepsilver.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52745

Monday it is. silver lining: I'm rerunning through HL2 and it's episodes...damn they never stop being awesome.

blooMac

11-14-2010, 01:38 PM

Thanks for that. pity nobody from steam bothered to communicate with us.

Has anyone ever got a refund from these thieves?

Cerabret100

11-14-2010, 02:11 PM

Thanks for that. pity nobody from steam bothered to communicate with us.

Has anyone ever got a refund from these thieves?

it's kinda hard to be a thief when you haven't actually taken anything. Anyone who's bothered to check their bank account has probably realized that valve hasn't actually charged for the $15, unless I won the "Secretely won a free game" contest.

And they most likely won't until after delivery of the key.

Also, what exactly was Valve supposed to say? "uh, we don't know when they'll get us more keys" oh yeah, because that would have gone over totally awesome. They said they were working on it a few pages back.

The only thing Valve can be criticized for is being careless with posting proper notice on the store page, and they should be criticized, it was a poor decision on someone's part, and they should be reprimanded for it, but that hardly makes them thieves.

letionbard

11-14-2010, 02:17 PM

I'm so tired with this key problem,
Now all I want is at least game is fun.
If it isn't, maybe I will kill myself and go to gamer's hell

crispy animal

11-14-2010, 02:21 PM

maybe I will kill myself and go to gamer's hell

What's that? playing Wii through eternity?

doberlec

11-14-2010, 02:24 PM

I'm so tired with this key problem,
Now all I want is at least game is fun.
If it isn't, maybe I will kill myself and go to gamer's hell

Did you try the demo? After all that is why something like a demo is published beforehand.

iTimmeh

11-14-2010, 02:28 PM

What's that? playing Wii through eternity?

And the only piece of software you have is Carnival Games.

It's enough to give you nightmares.

Warrior536

11-14-2010, 02:29 PM

Hmm...still not solved...oh well, I got some homeworks to finish anyway.

tom_mckee

11-14-2010, 02:38 PM

...
Does waiting suck? Yeah, absolutely. Still, better to have bought it half price and wait a few days than wait a few years for game to drop to same price.

No one is really suggesting we dont have sales in future, all I want and all many people want, is to be informed that the keys are not ready. To receive an apology that isnt basically a joke. Something slightly longer than a few line, one of which was assine crap.

I'd have preffered for them to have enough keys, sure, but if someone messed up, all steam would have to do was step up, say we're very sorry, we're trying to get new keys but heres the eta. Sorry once again.

I mean, I can deal with the wait, but its the fact that I've paid for this and wasnt told that it wasnt in stock. Aside from how stupid it is that they have stock levels for a none physical item (artificially constrained bull♥♥♥♥ much) its the fact they cant even be arsed to tell us.