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My Xsyon Review Part 1 of 3
willbonney
Member UncommonPosts: 72
The most common question I have received so far when asked about this game, has been "What the he** is Xsyon?" My answer is usally about the same, "The only game I've been interested in for about two years now."
Why have I been so interested in Xsyon? One of the most promising, in depth, rewarding, and altogether ingenious "Features List" of any game I have ever seen. The second most common question I get, is "what's it like?" This question is usually a harder one to answer. It's a lot like Wurm, it's a lot like Darkfall, it's a lot like SWG (pre-NGE), it's a lot like "REAL LIFE," and a whole lot more.
Currently this game is still in Beta. I say just Beta, and not Closed or Open, because the way to get into Beta is by pre-ordering the game. Not a bad deal really, ensures the people testing the game are ones who are actually interested in it, not just looking for a free "pre-game" to try out, and giving up 2 days later because of the constant wipes or bugs that happen in Beta. The game though is only 2.5 weeks from it's "Final Wipe" however, February 14, at which time Pre-orders get one more added bonus. Anyone who pre-ordered the game will get a two week headstart on the game before it opens up publicly. That's right, testers/pre-orders are given another reward, a two week headstart before the mindless mob enters the game and start bugging them with questions. The game is set to launch publicly March 1st.
But back to the actual review. The game is just purely awesome. I'm talking about every single aspect of the game being well thought out, purely "Sandbox" as the label is declaring it, and well, fun. I'll go through the "big selling" points, but there really is just so much to cover, I highly suggest you check out their features list. Now, not all of it is currently in or working yet, and the list is a little dated as they have had to change their views on some things, but I would say, this close to launch but still in Beta, about 75% of the listed features are working, with another 10-15% still being worked on. The other 10% is stuff that won't be added until after launch, or might be scrapped altogether in lieu of "different ideas." The features list can be found here:
Gathering
The bread and butter to many games out there, how to collect resources. There are many different types of resources, with a multitude of ways to gather. First, there's "Scavenging," in which you scrounge around on the ground looking for junk. Another way is "Harvesting," in which you scrounge around on the ground looking for usefull plants. Other ways like chopping trees for wood, terraforming the ground to dig up dirt, picking up a piece of flint off the ground, and skinning, decapitating, de-boning, as well as "dissecting the head" of animals you kill in game for leather, bones, eyes, antlers, skulls, and brains (hmm, brains, Hannibal Lecter would love that). The most common way to gather, is well, just pick it up. From grass (yes, grass is used in a specific craft), to scrapmetal, all the way down to limestone out of rivers, you can just pick it up. Xsyon has some very cool concepts for the different types of resources, and the ways to get them. One thing I really like, is because it's supposed to be set in a Post-Apocolyptic time, in which mankind is try ing to re-build in a remote part of Utah, there are "Scrap Piles" everywhere. Basically piles of debris and junk left over, conceptually from old garbage heaps, fallen buildings, and the like. The kicker, these junk piles are "The Best" way to gather all the different resources for all the crafting. However, as you gather from a junk pile, you use it up. After four times gathering in one spot, the junk pile visual goes away, and you're left standing on a mound of dirt. Now that's realistic, when you take something away, it stays away. Once all the junk piles are used up, the game plans on removing them completely, which means players will have to find a new way to get these resources. These are plans for the future, after the "Prelude," which the launch and initial release of the game is titled. Future ways I have heard of to then get craft resources is raising sheep for wool, planting cotton for cotton fabric, having a mine and smelting ore to craft metal. There's a ton of potential here for growth in all of what the Notorious Games fellows are doing. It's quite impressive.
Crafting
Personally, I love crafting games. I have been let down big time of recent, I really haven't found a game with a really in depth crafting system that I truly liked since Horizons (loved the crafting in that one). This game's Crafting System dwarfs all others I've seen. First the obvious, Weaponcraft. Make weapons, duh, but also, make Axes, Shovels, and Picks, that are not only weapons, but are also used as tools for chopping down trees, digging holes, or destroying rocks. That's right, no "this is GreatAxe, but nope, no chopping wood with it." Use it like it's meant, or use it to kill, your choice. There's Toolcraft, the basis of any and all crafts, in which you make every tool that is required to make everything in every other craft. I mean, nice, can't do much in real life without the proper tools, well, you can't here either. Woodcraft, transfer the trees you cut, turn 'em into logs, then actually make something usefull out of them. There's no "gather this resource and magically is formed into shape to make a hammer" here. Nope, first you have to make it into something usefull, like a wooden handle, or wooden block. Masonry, make bricks. Bricks are then used of course to make walls or other fortifications. Architecture, build walls and buildings, like tents, tee-pees, fences, and more. Basketry, use grass you collect and weave it into storage containers. And not just that, but grass clothing/armor too, lol. Speaking of armor, along with Basketry you have three other crafts to make clothes and armor. Tailoring, Leathercraft, and Bonecraft. Each craft has various amounts of different patterns to learn, from around 120 tools, 50 buildings, 100 weapons, and each armorcrafting craft has around 150 each. That's a lot of patterns. Now, to start with, you can choose one "craft" to specialize in. That craft you will be able to learn every single recipe possible in it just by "practicing" your craft. As you gain skill, you'll get more recipes. You'll also get some of the recipes for the other crafts, and learn a few more, but really only the "basic" ones. That doesn't mean you can't learn them though, for the others you have to find "book" by scavenging or trading, and you read the book, learn a new recipe. Regardless of the craft class you chose. This means you can learn to craft every single recipe in the game, one way or another. Now, just because you can learn the recipe, doesn't mean being a Weaponcrafter will let you make the best tools. No, once you've "mastered your craft," Notorious plans on letting you further improve, repair, and modify what you do make. That's just pure awesome. There is so much more I could cover here, but for the sake of time I'm going to move on.
Terraforming
As with a few other games out there, this game allows you to physically change the shape of the world. You can dig into hill, widen rivers, create a waterfall, cause a flood, build a mountain, or even build a keep. There's so much an imaginative player can do, it's quite astounding. I'm currently in game and have been working on building a keep for the last three days. It's mostly been by myself, but today I actually recruited a few players into my "Tribe" and am now receiving help. You can view my progress so far in the following link. This is purely work done by players, and is a little rough because we're rushing to beat any "wipes" that might occur, so it's not nearly as polished as it will be in ilve:
http://www.xsyon.com/forum/showthread.php/2905-Building-My-Keep
I'm certain others have done a better job then this, but many in the Beta have lost a little heart in seeing a wipe happen, and then all their hard work get erased from the game. There are plenty of screenshots of different terraforming ideas though on the main Xsyon website.
The Tribal System
Tribes is the term used in Xsyon for "guilds." Though, they work a bit differently. A tribe consists of a leader and it's members as any other guild, but the number of members the tribe has also determines the amount of "land" they can claim. The tribal leader places down a "Totem Pole" which then claims that area in the game for his tribe. This land is the land they are allowed to terraform, and shape the way they want. But it also allows the Tribe to "lay claim" to resources in the area. The trees, the junk piles, the river, even the grass on the ground. Then, as the tribe grows, the "area of claim" for that tribe, increases. Giving them more land to control and develop. This is an awesome feature, that has totally sent me for a loop. Never before in a game have I seen where "Personally owned property" in a game be dependant upon the size of your tribe. Currently in Beta even a one man tribe can lay claim to land and start his building. I believe there will be some "adjustmant" to the size of their claim, as it's really big if you have looked at those screenshots, but all the same, they can build their hut by the river and live in peace.
The next part of the Tribal System I want to discuss is the "town." When a tribe gets so big, it becomes a town, at which time more options are opened up for the Tribe. They can then build a market area, vendors, craft shops, and much more. The Tribal Leader can set taxes, tariffs, and even post up Quests for others to take up and earn money. Those quests will mostly be gather and deliver resources, but there's plenty of room for expansion in the system.
Seasons
That's right, this section is labeled right, there are true "Seasons" in Xsyon. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, all with different looks and visuals within the game. And not just that, but weather that actually effects your character. This is just astounding, and I'm not sure if I totally understand the system yet, but the rain, snow, sleet, and hail affects how your character plays, as well as your equipment. Just astounding. Currenlty in Beta, the game is at what seems to be the end of Fall, and the beginning of Winter. It's not a sudden change at all, not "one moment dirt, next moment snow." It's raining a lot, and then every now and then you see splotches of "ice" over the ground. I'm really looking forward to seeing snows, and seeing what the snow looks like everywhere. I'm betting it's going to be remarkable though, this game impresses me a lot.
Minimum System Requirements
I've been playing this game in Beta using the "bare minimum system requirements" that are listed in the Game's manual. I'm not certain if I'm allowed to list them, but will tell you what I am running the game on. A Pentium 4 3.4 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, and a Nvidia Gforce 6800GT 512MB video card. For those in the know, realize that this is a "pretty weak" and "outdated" system. I do this though to ensure a game lives up to it's stated minimum. And Xsyon hasn't let me down, even though it's in Beta. Loading time is there when first launching, but the game itself is a "seemless" one, in which there are no "instances," just one big world. I have gotten some lag, but that has seemed like when my Ping has shot up a bit (it's beta). So far though, with mid to low range graphics settings, I run at a fairly constant 80FPS, even while travling around, running into other people (loading others), and fighting animals. I would definitely advise others to have a better system than this antique, just in case, but I am very satisfied with what my 10 year old machine can do.
There is oh so much more I could discuss about this game. I know I'm leaving so much out, this review barely gives it justice. For those wondering, no, I am not an employee of the company, but I am a true Fanatic (some spell that Fanboy), and have been following this game's progress for quite some time. Well, I'll quit tooting Xsyon's horn right now, and hope to see any and all in game at some point. I have high hopes for this one, because there is just loads of potential.
Edited to add: Usually don't like editing posts that have comments on them, but going ahead and doing it anyhow. This thread is a Part 1 of 2 series (so farm, we'll see if I do more), read on for more information on the Combat (pvp) and other stuff in Part 2.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
Comments
hi this game very interesting but you need to be real patient right? so is there combat and classes? so what basically you do in the world? and u need to pay monthly fee?
Yes on monthly fee.
Don't know what you mean about patience. I find the game is as fast or slow as you want it to be. Yes, there's combat. Full Loot PvP (however there is a major PvP system that I didn't really go into, bad stuff can happen to your reputation if you kill the wrong person), and combat against animals like raccoon, coyotes, deer, and bears. You then can harvest resources from the kills, as well as "scalp" the players you killed. Hope this has answered some of your questions.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
Can you fly kites in Xyson??? Didn't see that listed in the features.
Look, if you are offended then I have done my job. Your review of the game has too much polish to it for it so seem real for me. Every time I see something listed about this game, it seems too contrived.
Xyson sounds like a solid game that I would definitely be interested in playing, but there is no "organic" word of mouth that is backed by actual players that I can see.
Compare Xyson to MineCraft "organic" spread and this game, while relatively simple, has over a million players without ever being complete. I can't seem to find the same, or any level of coverage for this game that doesn't look like a sales pitch.
If you truly are not connected to Xyson, then the fault lies in the fact that you wrote an excellent review for a game in the forums where the trolls and fanbois lurk. You should have contacted MMORPG or other MMO sites and submitted that as a nice journalistic endeavor instead of a murky looking sales pitch.
Xyson looks like the game I want to play, but I have been burned too many times before.
Heh, I understand your skepticism then. I too have felt burned a lot of times. I'm just trying to share the fact that, at least I think, I have found my next big thing. Possibly, maybe, just once, maybe I'm saying, it's not as "Too good to be true" as you think it is, that all these reviews are from us players.
I got burned with SWG (damn NGE bullstuff). Burned with Horizons (awesome crafting, but where the action?) Burned with WoW (how many effing hours of killing the same fricking shyte do I gotta do?) Burned with Darkfall (afk macro's galore, can't play more then 10fps if there's more then 50 people around, and eff the damn system requirements).
With Xsyon, even with me pre-ordering to even get into Beta, and the fact that not everything is yet working cuz it's still in Beta (though getting closer and closer to launch), this game really is fun as hell. I'm enjoying every moment of it, even though I know for a fact that my character is going to get deleted in a couple of weeks.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
I might give it a try just because I have MMO burn out from everything, and I mean everything out there right now. When I spend more time digging caves in MineCraft then using my P2P accounts, or deleting my Betas due to boredom (DCUO, Rifts), then I am looking for something that is going to hold my interest.
So, I might buy Xyson, and play until I waste my money on SWKTOR, Guild Wars, Dragon Age 2, and a Kinect.
Figured I would post here since Willbonney's objectives are in question. He is only a player, and lover, of Xsyon, nothing more.
None of the Developers post here or anywhere else since they are busy working on the game, especially with release quickly approaching.
As for myself, I am not a developer or hired by Notorious Games. I just assist on the forums, manage the site, and do odd jobs here and there as they come up. However, you will notice that I have always attempted to stay neutral when it comes to posting. I only post to correct or clarify any questions or comments about Xsyon.
I've been burned too many times too. I don't go around assuming that every player who writes a good review is a developer for that game though.
Me? I was just pleased to hear a review from someone on this game. I've been toying with pre-ordering for some days now and the OP's review has given me something to think about. People can be very complimentary about a game and not be a developer. You're paranoid if you think it is otherwise.
I'm still not sure about Xsyon though. I love minecraft and I loved Pre-NGE SWG and I can't help but think this game combines the two of those and has a possibility of giving me a game in which I can feel engrossed.
I just still don't know about paying £20 for a game I know next to nothing about. I was negative about this game when I looked closely at it last year. I saw some combat videos and it gave me a real feeling of horror. I'm sure I posted my response on these forums. Something made me have another look a week or two ago though, and I saw what seemed to be a different game.
I'm still in two minds though. I doubt friends will be interested in Xsyon and that is one thing that makes me dubious, and I'm not the social animal that many may be so I'm always very tentative about finding a guild (or tribe as it is in Xsyon). How friendly is the game? How quick is it to feel immersed and at home?
I need convincing. The new progression server for EQ launches in March and it's really that or this. Any other game I'm interested in is way off. I'm tentative about EQ too, because it might just be a bad revisiting of good old memories. Xsyon is actually ahead for that reason but EQ will get the nod if I can't decide.
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To answer your questions, extremely easy. There's no in game map, just a coordinate system currently in beta to figure out where you are, and a wiki that has a "zone" map so to speak. The x,y coordinates are being planned to be removed before Prelude, just the "alitude" coordinate to help making things level when terraforming.
To give you an example, I'm normally a "Guild Leader" in many games I play, but not for games in the last three years. For this one decided again to give it a go, and try a few new things I think would be fun. Well, started my castle three days ago. The first day and a half I was working alone, then a guy comes along and sees what I'm doing and asks if he can help. Then he finds about 3-4 others that are also interested in the "project" and want to join up. So thus, even in the Beta of this game, "If you build it, they will come." Population is rather low especially right now. We get a few new pre-order Beta'ers every week, but for the most part, many of the long timers in Beta have "given up" leveling or building, because of the numerous "wipes" resetting their characters and work. It's expected though, it's Beta, but many of them are now satisfied they have enough knowledge of the game to be successfull.
So, hope that answers your questions. Not trying to sell anything here, but I am enjoying myself quite a lot, and hoping others will share in the experience. I want this game to be a success, because I can see the "Vision" that the people working on this game have, and where they want to take it. It's a great game, but even great games fail (Pre-NGE SWG again, they tried to get more subscribers, and ruined the game those who were already paying loved). So hoping the Buzz starts soon with this game, trying to help it along in that aspect. So yes, I am trying to sell Xsyon to you, but I'm not misleading anyone at all. I am really happy with the game, even in it's current "Beta" form.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
sorry, but i refuse to believe, that any normal player would write things like " Anyone who pre-ordered the game will get a two week headstart on the game before it opens up publicly. That's right, testers/pre-orders are given another reward, a two week headstart before the mindless mob enters the game and start bugging them with questions."
Refuse to believe if you want. I beta test a ton of games, and so far, I've done this three times to "buy" a game early to Beta test it. I prefer it. Means those who are testing it are actually interested in the game, and not just downloading the game to play it for free. Means you get better "guilds" / "tribes" in beta that are actually going to be around for launch.
So, again, I'm am a player, I play tons of games, I wrote it, posted it, the works.
I do agree that I am not your "normal" player though. I'm unique in my own little ways thank you 8). That does not make me an employee, and I'll never claim to be. "If" that day happens though, I'll let you know. These guys would be cool to work for I think. And as long as they aren't the slavemasters I know Blizzard to be, I'd enjoy the experience.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
Well, I'm not working for them, and dont care if you or anyone else preorders. But I will say that Xsyon is a very impressive game, but it is nothing like anything I have played before. I tend to like games like DAoC (greatest ever) AoC, Aion, EQ2... and so on. to me, Graphics usually come first (if my wife had not been beautiful I never would have talked to her to find out how awesome she is).
Games have to look good to get my attention, which is why Xsyon is so odd for me, the character models at character creation are absolutely horrible, I mean, they caused me physical pain when I was making my character to start off, the only reason I had continued on past that was the fact I had just paid full price on the preorder.
However, once in the game, the character models seem to stop being an issue for me, some how they seem to look ok in-game after your playing for a bit. Can't explain that at all, but for me it is true.
As far as the features, I cant even explain them fairly, they really have delivered on a very entertaining all be it very different game experience for me. I played for two days before ever killing anything and had a blast the whole time, kinda crazy. In the end, I preordered two additional copies (for my two teenage sons who are playing as well).
So in the end, I am not recommending this game to anyone because it is very hard to say who is going to like it, I would never had expected to like it myself as much as I do. But if someone is looking at the screens, checked out the vids on youtube and looked over the feature list and are actually interested, I dont think that person will be disappointed.
You just have to get past the horrendously bad character models !!!
www.90and9.net
www.prophecymma.com
Yeah, I have to agree, I preordered Xsyon and that statement sounds like an Ad.
www.90and9.net
www.prophecymma.com
Eh, I hate editing posts, especially after others have commented on it. Wasn't intention to make it sound "add-like." Is just my opinion on the whole "pay to Beta" thing. It's been a bit of a "controversy" for about every game that has been doing it. People are used to the "free Closed/Open Beta" model. And like all changes, not everyone has taken a liking to it. I have though, so far at least. Even though two of the other games I paid for Beta, and didn't play much after about the first week.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
I agree that the OP sounded a bit like an advert, still I'm sure he isn't an employee or connected to the developement in any way. I've read his posts on the Xsyon official forum and that proved me very well he isn't a member of the official staff. He just loves the game and perhaps got carried away a bit, but I mostly agree with him, the ones who play Xsyon seem to overly enjoy it. If someone takes the time to read about the game and knows what he is getting into by preordering it won't be disappointed. If someone only listen to friends who haven't experienced it themselves that person might get upset later.
If you like to rebuild society after an apocalyps this game is for you. If you like to mindlessly gank people without any punishment then you won't like Xsyon.
Why not? It's the truth and there's a lot of people wondering if they should pay the money for Xsyon. It's an honest answer as to why there's a good reason. It's a good reason to pre-order and test...I can see that.
I can't see why it's hard for anyone to imagine why someone should be so enamoured with Xsyon. Is everyone really so surprised that an indie game could be good?
And why can't a fan of the game be keen to plug what he wants to be a success? It's in his own interests if more people decide to play.
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I wasn't faulting his love of the game or his honesty about Xyson.
When i saw that he was a novice poster and this was his first post and the post had such clear language and language used by those who are advertising for a game, it gave me a feeling that the OP was not on the up and up. But since his posting, with his follow ups and with my own research, I have decided to give this game a chance.
I am sure i am not the only one on MMORPG who has followed a thread to a "great new fantastic game that everyone loves" and found out the poster was new and had links to questionable sources. That was the only reason I questioned the OP. It was his own fault he wrote such a great and compelling piece.LOL.
But he has since convinced me that 1) he is real 2) he loves the game and the most important part 3) he has convinced me to give the game a try.
Ah, the post count is new, yes. Howeve,r, think I have been registerred on here for 4 or 5 months. I've followed it for years, taking advice on what game to play from other's on here. I just never really had much opinion on what was discussed in the forums. I get that quite a bit on these sites. I post often and am a bit of a forum whore when it comes to the games I play, but not so much on these big game sites.
Willbonney, a.k.a. William H Bonney, a.k.a. William Antrem, a.k.a. Billy the Kid
"I'll make ya' famous."
"Best dollar 'n eighty I ever spent."
Good to hear that you came to your senses Nega.
Both the comments of Willbonney and some others have given me more inclination to give this game a go, but I'm still tentative about it. It's odd of me to be so stubborn to stump up money for a game what with the number of titles I have bought on Steam in the last couple of months and not given enough time to. I'm happy to flash the cash there but worrisome about doing so for Xsyon and that has me perplexed.
Of course I'm not feeling so well today, so it may just be the virus acting on my wallet as well as my throat.
It's definitely right up my street, is Xsyon. I love the idea of building a new world from scratch and I really love the idea of being some vragrant and building things from junk piles and my own innovative use of the environment. I wouldn't mind the little cottage by the river somewhere. I saw that in the film Centurion and it got me thinking that lifestyle would be interesting. Does that mean I'm really the sad loner I wonder about? The building a town with a tribe and doing tribe created quests does have a big pull on me though.
I guess if I'm really honest about my concerns it is the combat that has me tentative. I'm not so much of a hack n' slash kind of guy and I do keep referring to the old videos I saw of Xsyon combat, even if I know the game has improved from then. I haven't seen any current combat though.
Also, are we going to fill the world up at any time? That is a concern with me with many games of this ilk. I would hate to start creating settlements everywhere and the world starts getting so small that there are tribes backing on to each other's doorsteps. I read the game covers the area of Lake Tahoe, but my US geography isn't exactly top notch. Is it a huge area that the game starts with?
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after playing Minecraft i was urging for a MMO with world building tools... man i'm almost getting this Xyson also. Would you mind, OP, doing some vids and posting on Youtube for us ?
i searched there... but very few old videos about it.
Can you actually build Walls and floors on a house/keep ? or they have a pre model ? how free are you to build the stuff you want ? can you shape the world outside your tribes lands ?
ty
There's a lot of new screens over at the Xsyon website, and there are videos from the end of last year on YouTube. They show some of the settlement building. I can't recall how I got to them and most YT searches for Xsyon end up uncovering some of the horrible old combat videos. I more than likely got there from here or the Xsyon forums.
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sorry i did found some videos now...
i didn't before due misstyping... i was typing Xyson instead of Xsyon....
already watching some. The game has improoved from the last ones i've saw.
There's a tutorial series from SaintBob that I just had a look at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Saintbob001#p/u/6/z6pnrP22I4o
It looks so much better than I remember it appearing last year. I think I'm going to take the plunge.
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i was just watching that one...
but look a this one !!!
i'm sold !
man... i'm sold for sure. If earthrise dont do the trick, i'll get Xsyon for sure.
How will be PVP ? and how is combat already ?
I havent played in a while (waiting for release, and have been playing dcuo), but combat has improved much since the pre orders first began. has a lot of promise and is engaging. Cant wait for the 14th.
why there is no open-beta or even closed beta? they are afraid that their game sucks and people will not play/buy it? forcing player to pre-order cause they knows normally people wont buy this game?