Post by axe99 on Dec 31, 2020 15:10:20 GMT -6
I just went through the "PC died, send an email to get new activation codes process". Many thanks to Chris for getting me squared away. However, I found there are no pinned instructions here (that I could find) that specifically discuss what to do when this occurs. At the very least, it was wildly unintuitive, which meant Chris had to email me back what he needed. It would have been helpful if in the issues with activation thread (https://nws-online.proboards.com/thread/2094/issues-activation-online-store) there was a section for "what to do when your PC dies/you get a new PC/etc", and there's a fair chance it would have saved Chris a little time as well. (or, if there is a section for this, one that passes the "Axe is a little thick and can't spot the current one" test at least 
)
I also would strongly suggest a less unintuitive system for your next release. Even for situations that are covered by the forums, it's still necessary to find the appropriate thread on the forums to have any idea what to do. This is fine for people that are right into the game (ie, I've been on the NWS forums since before RtW2 released, so at no point was I concerned I wouldn't be able to get the game working again), but for players who are less forum-oriented (and forums are a little 'old school' these days - noting that this isn't a criticism from my perspective ). As it is, I would be very, very surprised if the current process didn't leave at least a small proportion of customers feeling a bit alienated, and less likely to buy future products. I'm not saying this as anti-DRM, but more in terms of "more user-friendly DRM". At one point in the re-activation process, I got very close to the "stuff it, I'll just buy another copy, that'll be easier" stage - but for less attached consumers, that could easily morph into "stuff it, I'll play something else" (never an issue for me - I needs me my RtW ). I know this was heavily discussed at the game's release, but that was a while ago now, and I thought it would be useful to mention it again for the future, as I think NWS do a great job, and it'd be sad to see the audience unnecessarily limited because of "IT infrastructure" reasons.
)I also would strongly suggest a less unintuitive system for your next release. Even for situations that are covered by the forums, it's still necessary to find the appropriate thread on the forums to have any idea what to do. This is fine for people that are right into the game (ie, I've been on the NWS forums since before RtW2 released, so at no point was I concerned I wouldn't be able to get the game working again), but for players who are less forum-oriented (and forums are a little 'old school' these days - noting that this isn't a criticism from my perspective
). As it is, I would be very, very surprised if the current process didn't leave at least a small proportion of customers feeling a bit alienated, and less likely to buy future products. I'm not saying this as anti-DRM, but more in terms of "more user-friendly DRM". At one point in the re-activation process, I got very close to the "stuff it, I'll just buy another copy, that'll be easier" stage - but for less attached consumers, that could easily morph into "stuff it, I'll play something else" (never an issue for me - I needs me my RtW ). I know this was heavily discussed at the game's release, but that was a while ago now, and I thought it would be useful to mention it again for the future, as I think NWS do a great job, and it'd be sad to see the audience unnecessarily limited because of "IT infrastructure" reasons.
