interview: advertisements coming to cs

[mr.solokiller]

I'm guessing these things will start out as map-specific designs before they are added to the HUD system, because everybody will play older versions of the maps anyway (back up the maps people).

[FLeK0]

[hahnchen]

This is the steam train of inevitability.



I've always hated the advertisements servers put in, such as those random wall sprays everywhere and that manimod rubbish.



But I'm ambivalent towards in-game ads in general. There are some games in which in-game ads can actually add to the experience of gameplay, but they're usually so badly done. Sin Episodes was a game which absolutely could have benefited from ads in my opinion. Small studio, semi-realistic setting, could have done with the extra revenue.

In-game ads would work really well in the Lobby room of NS as well. Especially if the sequel has the lobby as a more "out of character" location than the original.



IGA would absolutely suck in the main NS game though.

[Venom666]

lame... maybe if nobody buy what they are advertising they will take it off...

[Gpig]

I don't buy games with in game advertising, and boy do I love it when it's patched in after I buy it. I know it's a ton of money for them and they want to cash in on the huge amount of popularity cs still has but god damn. I'm pissed.

[Tesko.Pk]

C-c-c-c-c-cash grab-grab-grab.



1. It should be optional on a server basis

2. If the server chooses to have them, they should see a direct revenue from them based on the amount of players and the time they play (ie. How many people see the ads, and for how long they see them)

3. Then Valve could take a small cut, say 3%



Then players can choose to play on a server with, or without ads, and server owners can choose whether they want that source of revenue or not, doubtless many will, and Valve will still get their slice of the pie. So of course the advertisers will be happy that they're hitting the "prime" demographic.



Win, win, win, win.

[FlyingMongoose]

It's interesting: this is an exact instance of what made a TON of people leave planetside:

http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/cl...s_planetside/



But like i said, I wouldn't mind it if it fit as though it were real-world, to add depth and realism to the world of counter-strike, I don't like the spectator ads idea, but I wouldn't mind a realistic looking bill-board somewhere, or a real-world logo on a pop machine, but ads tacked onto places so they're blatantly obvious would suck.



Say it's in HL2 itself where msot things are broken and fallen, I wouldn't mind a huge pepsi bill-board that's fallen down and broken. Again, most advertisers wouldn't like it, but I think it would earn them more respect from the gaming community.

[Thortok2000]

Do any of you notice how much advertising there is in movies? No? Because it typically fits in well, doesn't it?



Every time you see a REAL brand of ANYTHING, soda, beer, a restaurant that gets passed in the window, either that brand paid the movie to have it there, or the movie wanted it there anyway.



I'm willing to give in-game advertising a try. If it's seamless and therefore ignorable, sure. If it stands out in any way, the community is just going to find some way to block it (much like Mozilla Firefox has plugins that can block ads). And if they stand out, and can't be blocked or ignored, then a lot of people are just going to stop playing that game.



It really, really hinges on how seamless and ignorable the ads really are.

[milly9]

Edited by [user="447712"] @ [time="1165687727"]

valve sucks

[Thortok2000]

Paying for ads is typically the reason I don't buy cable. If I spend money, I expect no ads. You already have my money, stop trying to get more. If you needed more money, raise the price, or have FREE versions that are ad-sponsored.



That's the general ethic of the consumer.

[m4elite]

Thortok2000 wrote..

Do any of you notice how much advertising there is in movies? No? Because it typically fits in well, doesn't it?



Every time you see a REAL brand of ANYTHING, soda, beer, a restaurant that gets passed in the window, either that brand paid the movie to have it there, or the movie wanted it there anyway.



I'm willing to give in-game advertising a try. If it's seamless and therefore ignorable, sure. If it stands out in any way, the community is just going to find some way to block it (much like Mozilla Firefox has plugins that can block ads). And if they stand out, and can't be blocked or ignored, then a lot of people are just going to stop playing that game.



It really, really hinges on how seamless and ignorable the ads really are.

If the ads could be circumvated, they would not include them.

[skankuser]

Guys, it's high time we start to boycott Steam. I don't mean this as a war tool, or to piss people off, but Valve has changed from what they used to be.



They used to care about the community. Now we don't even have a voice. WE'RE the ones playing their games. WE'RE the ones using our credit cards to buy the new stuff they sell. So why are THEY deciding who gets to see these advertisements?



I say we boycott Valve and game companies that continue to produce this nonsense. I see enough advertisements in a day. I don't want to see anymore when I'm playing my games.

[LeRaldo]

Valve is officially dead to me. Once ads are in place, I will either no longer play that game, or use 3rd party mods to completely remove them (hacks are easy, people).



Never buying from Valve again.

[entRo]

m4elite wrote..

If the ads could be circumvated, they would not include them.

Much like walls in CS can't be circumvented, right? Or ads here on CSN?



So Steam was originally sold to us under the guise that it would be a win-win situation for Valve and us. They could cut out the middle man, we would pay less for games and receive constant updates. Well, so far, the prices have either stayed the same or actually gone up, and the updates we've gotten have been bug ridden and full of mostly useless stuff. Remember back before Steam when it seemed like they actually tested the changes first, and we didn't end up with bugs that crashed your game when you switched teams?



So not only did Valve not live up to their promises of cheaper products, or better game support (releasing a half-finished CS:S and finishing it through updates over a year is hardly what I'd call support), but now they're trying to grab even MORE money through throwing advertisements into our games without our consent.



What a bunch of greedy motherfuckers.

[Diamond Dust]

I think free versions would be overrun with ads. Do it decently and knock a few bucks off the price and I can live with it. One thing is for sure, we will let them know if the ads are distracting.