- Apr 19, 2019
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um yeah, its said from the beginning of the story he has ISSUES...
why would anyone care if he is emo/whinny/angry in an AVN if he is getting some?
- Thread starter 7767
- Start date
why would anyone care if he is emo/whinny/angry in an AVN if he is getting some?
I am so far removed from all of this that I struggle to comprehend the reason why a German release is so, so important to Ocean from a purely business POV (as opposed to a personal or sentimental POV).
I have no information about the metrics of the German game market relative to, say, the rest of Europe (let alone the rest of the world), so I can't see why the loss of the German market would be so disastrous overall.
Are there potential German business subsidies or tax breaks at play here?
PS - This post is a ripe target for know-it-all, achieve-nothing Ocean haters to reply with low-rent, low-effort barbs at Ocean. I will happily block every user who replies with no clear intent to respond like an adult and add knowledge to the debate, or who makes potentially slanderous remarks. To any low-rent replies, I will say in advance to those users: " From your mouth to God's ears..."
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The most obvious reason ever... Ocean is german and lives in germany. No better reason to try a release in germany right?
But you are missing something here... its not about a german release only, we are talking about GLOBAL release. Most AVNs around here with a steam release arent released global. And it would make a huge difference if SG is available global with a 16+ rating instead of 18+
And just a small look around the discord gives a little idea that Ocean has gathered a fairly large fellowship from german players already... so yeah selling SG to german people is kind of a big deal in this case.
*edit* oh yeah and i forgot mention... there will be a german version too. And just to clarify that... for many many many german players its kind of essential that a game is available in german language. I dont have a problem with english versions at all. But you wouldnt believe how much heat Rockstar gets for the fact that there is no german audio language in their games like GTA and RDR and so on... And i have to say, we germans a kinda spoiled with german-synchronisation for movies and games. No other country makes so much effort in that regard.
So many german players look for games on steam with german language, if the games dont provide german language it is for many people here a no go... so releasing a german AVN in germany could be a door opener too...
Well yeah, enough of that, there are plenty of good reasons for Ocean to go for a german release and to be really upset about it that its not gonna happen.
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Thank you for adding perspective. To be honest, in the age of machine translation, it's hard to gauge the nationality of users/fans/players, unless they say something to give that information away.
I certainly generally understand the GLOBAL implications of the rating (16+ versus 18+) - more reach, without knowing which countries would be affected by the higher rating (SG shows up on Steam in my country, regardless of the rating). In any event, what would be the point of gaining a sizeable Steam following with a 16+ game if subsequent seasons are unavailable to those players because of an 18+ rating? EDIT: this would obviously affect a German-language edition aimed solely at the German market.
PS - I see the block feature is still working as advertised : )
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That is quite obvious too. Lets say... you buy a game on steam, play it, liked it... but its released in episodes. Just like Summers Gone. to continue you need the next episode. but the next episode will NOT be released on steam. Only a complete season. So... ingame there is the big huge patreon/subscribestar button. What will you do? Take a look. And than you might get hooked. Many AVNs skyrocketed after they got released on steam... many customers subscribed on Patreon. Which is a way better income for the DEVs cause it comes monthly, not only once.
Patreon or Subscribestar are available anywhere in the world. They dont have the same restrictions like steam.
Someone said Steam is more like a "tool" to get things running. And that is true. Initially ocean might get a nice little income boost selling the Season 1 there, but the main-income will be Patreon/Subscribestar in the longer run. So Steam/Epic/Gog is like a fishnet in the sea... and with a lower rating the fishnet becomes larger, so more fish, and the more fish he can catch, the more of the fish will go to Patreon/Subscribestar cause they want to play the next episode and dont want to wait until the next season is complete.
*edit* oh yeah and once you are at patreon/SS... the rating doesnt matter anymore. On top of that, the patreon/SS version is uncensored while the steam version will be changed just a tiny little bit. So another reason for many to just go to Patreon/SS too if they just learned about the game via steam...
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- Dec 24, 2018
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Being completely honest, anyone 16+ who gets season one will be 18 by the time a full season 2 is released. So no issue for the next release. If people have to wait to be old enough to play season 2 in 2 years time, that's the same as waiting to play some 18+ CDprojecktred release (or not).
The issues with 18+ are pretty unclear. I can access plenty of USK 18+ pages from a German IP without being signed in or submitting an age check, but any AVN with DAZ models is shadow banned. I almost feel steam have identified the engine as synonymous with porn ...and for the most part they're not wrong.
THe thing that really irks me is that if it retains a 16+ rating even with the frequent sexual content tag, but still gets shadow banned, it's very clear that Steam are not following the ratings system. That would also put them at risk of some form of lawsuit, or class action surely? THe fact that large studios put out 18+ games in Germany that aren't shadow banned says a lot, but considering they can still advertise if there is no 18+ content in the advertising, I can see how they get around that. Ocean could consider re-rendering Sonya's (?) semi nude from the intro cinematic, I think that the only thing that might trigger 16+ on the store page.
I think the rating isn't as important as steam's efforts to shadow ban regionally, considering they don't restrict USK 18 behind account walls/shadowbans. Think of the first season as the best way Ocean can build awareness in the non adult gaming community.
THe other issue is to prevent the rating from voiding the music contracts. That's something that could cause the rights holders to issue takedown notices. Season 2 will have separate contracts to Season 1, so S2 definitely being 18+ doesn't affect the licenses for S1.
The other thing is until it's got it's rating stamp, because it's triggered 16+ concerns, it has to be treated as shadowbanned until it's been resolved. So once steam opens for business on Monday, if SG retains 16+, I imagine they'll attach the rating to the page and set the permissions then, but while the game is unverified but flagged as a potential problem, it'll be hidden.
At least that's how I'm reading the situation.
steam be slow it's been ready for a bit but he wants it to release on steam first.
Why should Valve do this? Why should Valve risk their trust globally with such a stupid move. Germany is fucking Stupid as I said you can not even buy Zombie games uncut. And there is no fucking excuse for this. And protecting children? Children or teens will get on these things ANYWAY if you want to or not. So stop putting shit like this as reasoning.
I am already annyoed that I can not buy AVNs on Steam to support I am tired of it.
That is kinda weird... cause... well my library is full of uncut games, even zombie games. Dont know what you are talking about regarding that, and that has nothing to do with DAZ AVNs anyways, total different issue. And SG is available on Epic and GoG in germany after all...
What are the major game platforms available in Germany that offer compliant age verification, thus catering for a strictly German-language audience? By game platforms, I am not referring to Patreon/SS.
I can certainly understand building a German-language fanbase on Steam (using that platform's broad reach) who can later migrate to another game platform for subsequent seasons of SG.
There is no such thing as a "strictly" german platform.
Its just... you can set search criterias looking for games, in steam you can set "show me only games with german language" and many do just that. The major game platform is by far Steam in germany, Epic and GoG are not even close.
*Edit* oh and patreon is not well known in germany, but in the game is a direct link to the patreon page of SG, so people who buys it in steam will learn about the patreon page... Subscribestar is practically not existent around here, and never will be if they dont add other payment methods then creditcard. Creditcards are not used often in germany, especially not in the internet, too much saftey troubles happened in the past. And i will not subscribe on SS too as long as they only have creditcard... at least paypal would be needed, but they will not do that because of the restrictions that will come with that.
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By "strictly German-language," I am referring to the gaming audience in Germany (not any platform), for whom the Steam restrictions apply.
Anyway, you answered the question. Out of interest, do Epic and GoG have compliant age verification?
could someone make a new thread to talk about this "german legality problem"
this thread is about the game / vn, nothing else.
please keep it on topic
this thread is about the game / vn, nothing else.
please keep it on topic
Age verification... well if you want to call it that... i would not.
Its simple:
All they do is ask about your birth date. Thats it, you can fill in what you want there, thats really no real verification. No passport or something like that is needed... Which is a yearly topic of our child protection community and law, but they dont do much besides talking.
Well the stronger "age verification" is the essential payment method though... you cant open up a paypal account without being 18. You cant have a creditcard without being 18. Same goes for a full bank account. Those things have a really good verification of course and without a valid payment method, no working steam/epic/gog account. But most parents dont care obviously and just open up a account for their kids so they can do what they want and so on, they deal with the problems when its already too late...
Besides, i dont think underage people have much intereset in a Visual Novel... because... well they need to read and the whole game is basically a book, not that popular around teenagers these days.
But dluser is not wrong... we went way to deep in those things and they dont really matter for the game anymore...
- Mar 28, 2021
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in my understanding that's not fully correct. You can sell your game in other marketplaces for cheaper, you just can't sell steam keys in other marketplaces for cheaper.
- Sep 23, 2021
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Have to correct me here... so sorry Maviarab shit happens.
Steam/Epic/Gog and PAtreon/SS price will more or less be the same for the whole season 1.
Again, when the next episode will be releases (Season 2 episode 1) you can get that for 5$ (if ocean doesnt change his mind, which he could do) and when the whole Season 2 is complete it will be released via Steam and company and to get that you have again the same price range for the whole season on patreon/ss like it would cost on steam.
That said... new episodes are only available on patreon and SS until the season is complete... only complete seasons will be out on Steam and so on...
Sorry for being wrong here.
Either way, there are some changes in the tiers on patreon and maybe SS too coming up
- Oct 22, 2017
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Dude, all Germany wants is a safe and working age verification, nothing more nothing less. And this is EU-Law, a law that is mandatory for all country's in the EU, they just don't care. Basicly all country's in the EU have to demand this on steam, That Germany dude from the Hamburg DSGVO authority who has sued steam was just the first, it is only a matter of time until someone from France, or any other country, does the same thing.
What will steam do then?
Geoblock all France users?
Steam is just lazy and don't want to put effort in it. Germany was now just the scapegoat.
Sooner than later steam (and all other online platforms) will/must/ is/are
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out, or they will be the one kicked out in the end.Minor protection is important, and as said many times now, Germans are the victims and steam is clearly the perpetrator here.
That case - afar - was going on, because a German has bought a physical copy (CD/DVD) of a steam game in Slovakia - way less cheaper - than it was available in the German steam store.
Steam, greedy bastards as they are, don't want this because of reasons and have generally put a geoblock on game keys, from the same game, that are from a cheaper region.
And that clearly violates an absolute principle of the EU:
Shopping without borders.
Within the EU member states, no customs duties may be levied or measures (geo-blocking) taken that prevent the product from being used outside the country in which it was purchased.
Quite simply for this reason, steam has been taken to court.
The fact that steam doesn't realise that their blocking will fall on their feet sooner rather than later is really remarkable, you would think that there would be smarter people in the company management.
It's still EU-law and steam has to comply. Whether they want to or not. The age verification is a thing, and there is no way around for steam in the long term.
You are right, the Half-Life thing was just ridiculous, but not so bad. To be honest, 99% of the Half-Life users had HL only installed for Counter-Strike, Team Fortess or Riccocet. Im my case, back in time, I bought a physical copy of the German Half-Life and organised me an US-Installer to enter the HL-Key - that worked perfect.
You can more estimate, that the wide release is in 10-14 days because Ocean wants to send the game first to some curators first to push the game more into the broader public and have them play and make some reviews of it. But he had to wait till the age rating is final, sending the game to the curators with the assumption of PEGI 16+ to play it and then get a kick in the ball s from steam because "Surprise! Now it's PEGI 18+ motherfucker" is quite unlucky.
Ocean says nothing, learn to read and understand what you read. And for the love of god, stop spreading rumors.
I(!) have written that, that was MY(!) assumption, simply because that is the way I(!) would think of it, from the given facts and the point of view as a businessman.
The facts are :
Steam is only a one time sell.
The game client has a button build in that leads to Patreon/SS/Discord/Twitter/...
Why should the Patreon/SS buttons be there, if there is no intention of hoping that there are some players are hyped for the game and don't want to wait until the next season lands on steam?
Dude, can't you understand it intellectually, or do you just not want to understand it? Whichever is the case, it has been explained more than enough.
The trend of the banking system in germany is that they are moving slowly away from the good old Giro Card, and roll more and more the Debit Card out. They work like a Credit Card with the difference the amount withdrawn is charged to the card immediately and debited two to three days later, unlike a credit card which collects the amounts and debits them once a month - and exactly this behaviour is why so many people lose control over their own finances and deep in debt.
No matter what, My bank has handed out to me two cards. A Giro Card and a Debit Card. The Giro Card is just collecting dust because I can use it only on ATM's from said bank. And in a 80km radius of my home is not a single one... So I use the Debit Card, and it works on all ATM's, on amazon.uk/us and - surpise - on subscribestar.
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