Origin

[floppybootstomp]

Are crap. EA's finest is a great big pile of festering giraffe poo.

I saw a Dragon Age add-on 'Awakenings' for three quid in a GAME store so bought it. Then when I got home I realised I didn't have the first Dragon Age (Origins) but only Dragon Age 2.

So I checked out Dragon Age 1 and it had glowing reviews so I bought it from Amazon for £8.95 and it arrived today. In the box is a redeem code for some add-on or other so I went to get it and found I must be logged in to my Origin/EA/Bioware account to do so.

I cannot log in, I enter correct e-mail address & password but nope, it ain't having it. So request password information and wait for the e-mail from EA. Nothing in my inbox so I do it again. Ten minutes later still nothing arrived.

So I start Battlefield 3 thinking I should then log in automatically to Origin. They wanted to update Origin so I go through the motions only for Origin to tell me an error has occured and it can't continue. I can't run Battlefield 3 now.

I can play Dragon Age Origins ok but I can't redeem my code for it's free add-on.

EA/Origin/Bioware are rubbish, they will never ever compete with Steam. I also notice on their news page they have now adapted a zero tolerance policy for anybody abusing Origin staff or fellow forum members and will ban members at the drop of a hat. What does this tell me? Hmm, doesn't need explaining really except to say they must attract lots of angry people.

Just checked my email again - nothing.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Just sent myself an e-mail to make sure that account is working - it is. I tried chatting to an EA advisor online but - you guessed it - I have to be logged in to my account - snookered.

 

[Ian]

Hope you get it sorted Tony - it sounds pretty frustrating!!!

I'm no fan of Origin either, so I'll be removing it once I no longer need it. If it doesn't improve rapidly then it may push me toward more console gaming in the long run. Hopefully Steam will continue a good relationship with other publishers.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I think I'll adapt a similar stance Ian. I've just browsed the Origin forums and it's full of disgruntled gamers, Origin being referred to as 'a nightmare' amongst other more colourful descriptions.

I looked for an option to e-mail them but you have to be logged in to even e-mail them. So I bit the bullet and phoned an 08 number where a man informed me that the password reset system was down at the moment. Ya don't say? Fortunately it was a brief phone call, less than 2 minutes.

They expect to have the password reset system up and running in about an hour (it's now 16:16 hours). Watch this space.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Now 21:36 and password reset still not working.

It occurs to me EA may have been hacked but if so they are staying tight lipped about it.

Seriously, until Origin is dead and buried and I read that EA have their act together, no more EA games at all for me, no matter how tempting the game, I have had it with them.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I suppose I should report the good as well as the bad so at around 22:30 I noticed EA had e-mailed a password reset code which worked and I can now log in to Origin. It still remains a mystery to me though why my original password didn't work I can only think EA must have suffered a major glitch.

I started BF3 and it updated and I also managed to download my Dragon Age Origins add-on.

Have just played some Dragon Age Origins and so far it's fair, very playable, kinda like an improved Dungeon Siege One so far, I think I could waste some time with this. Skyrim it is not though. Still, for £9 + £3 for the Awakening expansion pack can't complain.

 

[Reefsmoka]

Dragon age origins is brilliant, one of the best games ever. I've completed it as a warrior and as a mage. I bought the complete pack with like 7/8 add ons including awakening for around a tenner just before christmas. Didnt have to deal with the EA program though, just put the disc in, install and play

 

[floppybootstomp]

Didnt have to deal with the EA program though, just put the disc in, install and play

As I explained above I didn't need to log in to Origin/EA to play Dragon Age Origins but I did have to log in to load the free add-on that came in the box with a redeem code.

Origin's cockup did effectively lock me out of BF3 though, both single player and multi player.

And I still think they're rubbish

 

[floppybootstomp]

So, thought I'd play me some Battlefield 3 SP. Put the disk in and I'm getting an 'install' prompt in the opening window. Close window click icon to start game. Origin updates. Ok, fair nuff.

Try to start game again and it tells me my password is wrong. This is the 2nd time this has happened. I apply for new password, code sent to me, I reset password and again try to start the game.

And straight away BF3 is applying patch, it's doing that right now, 10 of 15 minutes left. It is SO easy playing EA games

I swear I will never ever part with money to play an EA game again, the whole setup stinks to high heaven.

 

[floppybootstomp]

It's just finished applying a 1.5Gb patch but when it finished it told me it had done a 'repair install' on BF3. Repair? I wasn't aware it was broken, but being an EA game it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[V_R]

I saw on some other forums that the EA servers were down yesterday evening for a bit, looks like you may have caught that..

I dont like Origin either, though its been good to me so i have no basis to really complain in that respect. Thought the guys i play with have had issues, lots of. Infact one of them ended up uninstalling BF3/Origin altogether and reinstalling them so he could play BF3 again....!

One thing that does concern me is that a while ago a couple of EA games that i've purchased via Steam (Medal of Honor and NFS: Hot Pursuit) have appeared in Origin as 'Ready to Download' using the same CD Key's as the Steam copies.....

 

[floppybootstomp]

So I thought I'd play some more BF3 single player and possibly finish the campaign. Took a full six minutes to load through the Origin setup then when I did 'resume game' I'm back at least three levels

It has messed up my save game. And to make matters worse the point I re-enter the game is where another soldier drops a retractable ladder, you go up the ladder, climb in a karzi window then an enemy comes at you both with a pistol. It hints to press 'E' to interact, which I do, but I keep dying. And then I have to play the poxy ladder sequence over and over and over again. Gaaaaaaah!

I have seriously had it with EA/Origin/Battlefield 3. They can all bog off, never, ever, again

Excuse me, I'm just going to kick the cat. Oh, hang on, I haven't got a cat. Oh well, must be an excuse for first Guinness of the day.

Origin are truly a smelly turd. Just a smelly turd, not even a shiny one.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Oh, this is good, perhaps a little subtle but spot on the money:

 

[V_R]

Flops you will love this...

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-06-06-david-demartini-origin-wants-to-be-the-hub

Steam sales "cheapen intellectual property" says EA Origin boss​

David DeMartini, head of EA's Origin, talks about a rocky first year and how EA wants Origin to be the hub for gamers

David DeMartini is Senior Vice President of Global Ecommerce for Electronic Arts, and that means that EA's much-maligned Origin digital distribution service is his baby. The service has had some difficult patches in its first year, and GamesIndustry International sat down with DeMartini at E3 to find out if things are getting better.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Well, from the horses mouth eh? He really doesn't realise he's just shot himself in the foot does he? Look at his face, looks like a loony to me, lol

The whole world is in recession, anybody in business is selling stuff cheap just to generate a cash turnover and stay in business. Steam balance keeping best-sellers at full price with offering occasional bargains and one supplements the other by building trust and a feelgood factor.

That way, Steam regularly generate real cash for themselves and the publishers that deal with them and offer their games for Steam distribution. This is something that brain-dead pillock DeMartini from EA has not yet grasped. His arrogance will, if not put EA into administration, will certainly lose them revenue.

Absolute fool.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Couldn't get that interview out of my head so I've just banished Origin and any future EA PC releases to flops' wasteland. The only game I actually needed Origin to run was Battlefield Three. So, to that end, I've just uninstalled BF3, BF2, Alice The Madness Returns and Origin from my gaming machine. And Origin will never contaminate my hard drive again. Same goes for any future EA PC releases, I've had it with them.

I now have three games in hard copy format that are worthless, thank you EA.

I still have EA games installed here but they don't need Origin. I'm currently playing Dragon Age II for instance. Plus there's Bulletstorm, Crysis 1 & 2 and no doubt a few others.

My boycott won't extend to EA Xbox 360 games though, as I don't need Origin there but I will try and ensure I never pay full price for an EA title. The DRM thing has always been there on console games anyway. I have four Need For Speed titles on Xbox, all of which are published by EA. Reduced price or used copy, all of them

 

[V_R]

Ok, Mr Flops, work this one out...

So figure this one out. You may remember that twelve days ago, there was quite a lot of discussion over EA’s Origin store boss saying they wouldn’t be engaging in “deep discount” sales on their Steam-rivalling service. David DeMartini (whose name sounds like he should be the star of a Bond spoof) said, “We won’t be doing that,” when asked about such services. Explaining why he added, “I just think it cheapens your intellectual property.”

Today on Origin, Dragon Age: Origins is available for £5. That’s discounted from £40 – an incredible 87.5% off!

Spore is 75% off, as is Darksiders, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, and Battlefied: Bad Company 2. 66% savings can be found on Alice: Madness Returns and Darkspore, while Dead Space 2, Shank, Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Mirror’s Edge, The Saboteur, Gotham City Imposters, Gatling Gears, and Batman: Arkham Asylum are all half price.

That’s half the price of their current Origin prices, of course. Not half the price of their original prices. In fact, most of those games are now available for 87.5% off their original launch price. That’s an awful lot of intellectual property EA are cheapening today.

“Occasionally there will be things that are on sale you could look for a discount,” said DeMartini less than two weeks ago. “Just don’t look for 75 percent off going-out-of-business sales.”

Uh-oh!

We’ve contacted EA to ask them why the sudden change of heart. Cheers to Lewie P for the spot.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201...-deep-discounts-on-many-games-er/#more-112592

 

[floppybootstomp]

Maybe the shareholders were listening....

As pointed out in the article original quoted prices were set by Origin and therefore worthless as a price guide.

So I thought I'd be a smartarse and look to find Dragon Age: Origins cheaper than a fiver.... but I couldn't It's £3.92 on Amazon but that comes with an additional charge of £2.03 for postage.

So, Origin's price, for that one game anyway, is actually good. Maybe somebody at Origin's helm has just a soupcon of business sense

 

[floppybootstomp]

£5 specials

Methinks EA may have finally woken up, knee jerk reaction or future policy?

There's actually a few bargains in there, BF2 for a fiver is not to be sniffed at. If you don't mind having Origin resident that is