News SWAT 4 patch contains Adware

[The_Pope]

The latest patch for the tactical FPS game, SWAT 4, downloads advertising textures inserted into the game. Added realism or unwanted intrusion? You Decide.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/08/10/swat4_adware/

[Firehed]

I noticed the screensavers on comps in SC:CT had ads for War of the Worlds, although as I had been playing a friend's copy at the time that I've since given back, I can't check to see if it's updated now that it's released. If games were in the free to $15 range, I'd be fine with it, but it's downright BS to slap **updating** ads in games that you're already expected to pay $50 for maybe twenty hours of gameplay if you're lucky.

It'd be much more realistic if the ads stayed the same... SC:CT takes place in 2007 IIRC, so naturally "War of the Worlds: in theatres June 28 [2005]" or wahtever doesn't fit too well.

And on top of all that, it wastes my bandwidth. Sure, not much, but "it's not the point, it's the principle of the thing"

[BioSniper]

"Planetside" is doing this in its next update. rotating billboards with advertising.. in a subscription based game!

[Hamish]

i dont mind ads in games as long as a) they're properly done (ie, they appear on billboards or on tv's in the game, not just stuck to the wall randomly) b) they dont update automatically

[Sp!]

I think live updates and feeding back viewing statistics is a bit off (unless of course the game is subsidised by the ads in which case you know that that's what your gettinging)

But if you just include updated billboards TV's etc as part of the latest patch or a monthly update etc then I think as long as they fit in with the game seeting i.e real world environment = real world ads so things like need for speed, SWAT etc etc this is fine but I realy home we don't start to see advertisments for Burger king in those dark corridors on mars in Doom.

[lepre]

when you are in the streets there is someone how care how much time you look at ads etc? it should be the same in games if they want to put ads.

and of course i should pay less for the game. but lot of the moneys go to the distribution circuit not the developers :|

I really like 'em if it's like Burger King in NFSU2 as it's a proper restuarant and makes it more real, and the same with McDonalds in THUG2. But as Sp! said BK advertisements on mars in Doom is waaaay out!!

[mclean007]

Ads which are sensitive to the context of the game are all very well, like ad hoardings in virtual stadia or along the side of rally tracks etc. in sports games, are fine IMHO. Similarly I wouldn't mind if the billboards in the exterior scenes of a city based game showed real ads.

Having them auto-update is pretty much necessary tbh. What's the point in having ads in a game which are months out of date? In fact I'd be more annoyed if my game was pushing ads at me for special offers which have long since expired. The amount of bandwidth they use will be miniscule. Only thing I'd object to in this respect is if the ads started downloading huge video files or if the updating code didn't give priority to multiplayer game packets. That would suck, if you started getting lag in games because of advertising updates.

[DriftCarl]

I agree with most people, the adds are fine as long as they fit within the game environment. Like in car games I get annoyed when they have cars called "The GT" then it really is a porche, because they dont have the licence they cant call it by its real name. I would like to see cans of coke with little coca cola logos on them, TV's with Sony on them and cars with the correct badges and names on them.
I dont mind having bilboards ingame showing current advertisements as long as it doesnt effect the gameplay. Infact I might be interested in game/IT related ones.
connecting to servers and streaming ads constantly is a bit crap. I would rather they issue a patch every few weeks, a steam system would be ideal for this.

I just fear that soon there will be a macdonalds "drive through" system in halflife3 where you can order online as gordon and then carry on your game while you wait for the doorbell to ring. I think a basic pizzahut version of that is in everquest already =/

[Bindibadgi]

Originally Posted by Hamish

i dont mind ads in games as long as a) they're properly done (ie, they appear on billboards or on tv's in the game, not just stuck to the wall randomly) b) they dont update automatically

Yea, but those 2 key factors are rarely done. I dont even mind if they update as long as they dont WASTE MY DAMN BANDWIDTH uploading adware info Adverts = tollerable. Spyware = take a gun to those who developed it.

[Da Dego]

I would have to draw the line here...I think it's fine to have NON-updated adverts in games that would benefit from such, but that's it. For instance, in FIFA or Madden 05, the companies that carry products in that year would be relevant advertising for that game. But when we're in 2008, I don't want to see the new, updated McDonalds adverts...it will make the whole game anachronistic.

Besides, by doing this, they're really taking away your right as an owner of your computer. They are saying "whether you meant to or not, you will now have streaming advertisement fed to you, despite the fact that your contract was with us and not advertisers." You can not choose to put a video game on there now without agreeing to send your info to all these advertisers...BY NAME no less...it's not even an anonymous statistic!!!!!

I think the worst of this, though, was the deceptive way they made the change. You didn't pay less to have this game since it was being subsidized by advertisement. No, you paid your $50. You even played through a couple rounds of patches and updates. And now, all of a sudden, after all the money's changed hands, you find out you're victim to spyware/adware. That's like Microsoft selling you XP, then putting out SP2 with banner ads in it...worse, banner ads that track the state of your computer, from mouse movement over the ad to how long it's covered up by other windows, and relays all of that by your user login and mac address.

You can sell adverts before the game is released, if it's applicable to the game. But going THIS far is really, really wrong in my book. I now know not to buy this company's products.

[The_Pope]

What I think is almost worse than having in-game streaming ads is the fact that this functionality was added *after* the game's release. Apparently the EULA was updated for the patch, meaning when you click Install you're technically consenting to this crap.

Personally, I'd be kicking up a huge stink and ask for a refund. If the feature was there to begin with, and that fact was made known in reviews of the game, then people could make an informed choice. To sneak it in the back door after release just isn't cool.

I hope the developer does a u-turn and offers a new patch without the ads, so people have the choice. As I understand things, version 1.1 fixed several substantial bugs, so people will want the functionality of the patch, but should have the option of dodging the eye-spam.

[Lowsidex2]

This is mapped to the gamer id, so they know which player in the game saw the advert, and when, for how long, and from how far away (by virtue of the size attribute). Even the average viewing angle is passed back."

Does it pass along how many bullets I put into each poster?

I'm disgusted by the rampant increase in ads of the years. Even this very forum was knocked down a couple notches when the upgrade included a massive increase in ads. (Yes, this a great site and free to the users while costing plenty to providers, I understand, don't flame me). But streaming ads in games after paying $50 is BS. I'd refuse to buy a game that I knew had that. And I hope companies that add it as a 'patch' (probably intending to all along) get a class action suit filed against them.

[Da Dego]

Seriously, I think people should be demanding a refund...even just on the principle of the whole thing.

[3t3rn@l]

I would not be fussed about ads being in a game like other people have said as long as it follows along with the storyline to some extent, however putting it on a patch and forcing people to download it is just being downright scum. Also I don't care if the ads are in the game and players are warneed BEFORE they purchase the game, im more anoyed at the fact that it gathers all that information and sends it to the advertisers, do they want to annoy their customers with spyware, this may be brought on by the creation of pop up blockers but they should have realised that maybe people don't want their information broardcasted across the net are we not entitled to any privacy in our own lives anymore.

[The_Pope]

I asked Vivendi UK PR for a comment, and it has been referred to the US office. I will let you know what comes back, if anything.

[kiljoi]

What a bunch of slimy **************s. It's crap like this that is going to be the death of gaming as we know it. I pretty much agree with you guys on all of this. Screw that, I'm not paying $50 to get something I stopped watching tv to avoid. Damn, and I actually wanted to buy this game too, so much for that idea.

[Fatboy]

Its all tolerable UNTIL Jamster/Crazy Frog makes its way into our games

Then we need to worry.

[TGImages]

I agree with the comments that this is wrong. Period.

However I'd like to ask, what are they actually advertising and would you stop and read it? While I'm busy dodging to avoid getting killed I'm not going to see an add for some new coke product and stop to read it. If the advertisers or developers have a clue, they're going to figure this out too so they'll start putting in "dead" areas where you have to move through but won't be shot at, or otherwise engaged in any way other then just moving through... thus freeing up your attention to see and "stop and read" the ads.

BS.

Now, offer a free ad based version and a pay for, ad-free, version and I could live with it... But, even for the free, with-ad, version, I do not give my consent to track me and report my results back.

-G

[mclean007]

Originally Posted by TGImages

I agree with the comments that this is wrong. Period.

However I'd like to ask, what are they actually advertising and would you stop and read it? While I'm busy dodging to avoid getting killed I'm not going to see an add for some new coke product and stop to read it. If the advertisers or developers have a clue, they're going to figure this out too so they'll start putting in "dead" areas where you have to move through but won't be shot at, or otherwise engaged in any way other then just moving through... thus freeing up your attention to see and "stop and read" the ads.

BS.

Now, offer a free ad based version and a pay for, ad-free, version and I could live with it... But, even for the free, with-ad, version, I do not give my consent to track me and report my results back.

-G

You don't need to stop and read to absorb the subliminal message to buy something. It's like product placement in a film - you see the character walk by a McDonalds or whatever, and it increases the chance that you will stop at McDonalds rather than Burger King afterwards.

The most successful brands all have instantly recognisable product - the golder arches of McDonalds, the red and white ribbon of cocacola, the Nike Swoosh. All it takes is a flash frame of one of those images to bring the product to your mind.