Ryzom

I really don't understand what Nevrax is thinking. They have done a good job of advertising the game (practically every MMORPG fansite I've been to lately has a Ryzom ad) but the game distribution has been a nightmare. I frequently go into several stores that sell computer games and have yet to see a copy on the shelf. Based on the horror stories I've heard from people desperate to find a copy, I think that it isn't flying off the shelves, its never getting to the shelves. I got mine at gamestop in our local mall and they said on release day, they got a grand total of 3 copies. I don't think they have received a second shipment yet either. That is pathetic.

I have also learned that while the game has been made available for dowload, it is region restricted to areas that don't have retail distribution. Well I have news for you Nevrax, North America and Canada effectively have no retail distribution. Why not allow download by anyone who wants the game? Why restrict it to certain regions? Games like Anarchy Online and now EverQuest have been available in retail outlets as well as via download. Why would you limit your user base by making the game so hard to get?

I've got my copy and I'm loving it. I just hope you get this distribution problem sorted out so you can afford to keep the game going.

Oh yeah, I agree on that one. When I first was trying to find a copy of SoR I was about to just buy it and download it from Nevrax. Of course I found out fast that US players couldn't cause we have retail distribution. Think they need to allow anyone that wants to pay and download do so. It helps out everyone, Nevrax gets the money/new players and the people gets the game without having to go searching all over town for the boxed version.

Ordering online is your friend. That's what I did.

I have 2 EBs and a Gamestop withen a 10 minute drive of my apartment, all of them had at least 6 Ryzom boxes on the shelves last I checked. I'm like 30 minutes outside of Boston. I don't understand why it would be different somewhere else.

And as caleinia mentioned, you can always order online which is very easy to do.

We don't need a few hundred people lagging up the server even more by downloading the full version when they can just order it from EBgames.com and get it in 2 days.

Say you are from the virgin islands and you can download it

That's part of the USA so when you use your credit card it will work. Not ideal but hey it worked for someone else here.

*sigh* Think about it for a change, people.

- Nevrax (or in, this case, his distribution partner) is selling Ryzom to retailer A.
- Soon after ryzom is released nevrax is offering a download option, cheaper & faster than getting it at retailer A.
- Retailer A is pissed because he cannot sell all his Ryzom boxes because of this and refuses to deal with Nevrax or it's distributor in the future.
- Future games and/or addons won't be present in a good part of the retail market, reducing the amount of people buying them (especially causal players, which are the main part of mmorpg suscribers)

Downloadable clients for everyone isn't an easy, everyone-is-happy solution as you think it is...

shrike wrote:*sigh* Think about it for a change, people.

- Nevrax (or in, this case, his distribution partner) is selling Ryzom to retailer A.
- Soon after ryzom is released nevrax is offering a download option, cheaper & faster than getting it at retailer A.
- Retailer A is pissed because he cannot sell all his Ryzom boxes because of this and refuses to deal with Nevrax or it's distributor in the future.
- Future games and/or addons won't be present in a good part of the retail market, reducing the amount of people buying them (especially causal players, which are the main part of mmorpg suscribers)

Downloadable clients for everyone isn't an easy, everyone-is-happy solution as you think it is...

I have to agree. There is a price to the retailers for carrying the boxes. Agreements are made and must be kept.

Besides, the game is huge and bandwidth is expensive.

I live in Canada.. I became very annoyed at the continual "tomorrow" release date.. So I used a proxy and DL'ed it.

I know it was probably wrong to bypass the country filter and DL because my country has retail distribution.. but I really don't care. Whatever retailer did not get my money from a box, should ream out their distributor. It i in stores in my area now, but back-benched and not really advertized as a new release. It is shelved with regular games, since the new x-box games seem to take precedence over no name MMO's, and the shelf space..

Nevrax should lift the regional restrictions.. then people would just DL it and play.