Burned by App Store and Aspyr

[Freeþinker]

I bought Civilization V a month ago with the silly expectation that the add-on modules could be installed in 10.6. Nope. You have to buy 10.7 before App Store will allow you to buy any of the modules. I then made the mistake of buying one of the modules (Mediterranean) from Aspyr. Aside from the headaches of having to use Steam to download the module, it wouldn't even allow me to do an install because I'd bought my original version of Civ V from the App Store and therefore can't give a code. I spent extra money for nothing, and I'm pissed. I really don't care much for the yakuza-like distribution agreements that give the App Store exclusive control of parts of apps. I refuse to part with $30 for Lion and cripple my Mac Pro just to be able to fully use an app that I already paid for.

 

[doh123]

You shouldn't buy games in the Mac App store if its available somewhere better, like Steam. If you had bought Civ5 on Steam, you would have paid the same price, and gotten both the Windows and Mac version... and not locked into Mac Store rules.

 

[Freeþinker]

Thanks for the tip

I wish I'd known.

You shouldn't buy games in the Mac App store if its available somewhere better, like Steam. If you had bought Civ5 on Steam, you would have paid the same price, and gotten both the Windows and Mac version... and not locked into Mac Store rules.

 

[0dev]

You should always research before purchasing. This goes for pretty much everything.

 

[Freeþinker]

I agree that research gives a consumer an advantage, but I didn't expect to need research beyond pricing and reviews of game play. Businesses like Apple, and especially banks, use a principal known as information float. This means that the products and services are offered in a manner that conceals the actual cost of ownership. It's a sleight of hand that businesses get away with all the time. There is no way of invoking 'caveat emptor' if the buyer doesn't know where the critical detail is concealed.

You should always research before purchasing. This goes for pretty much everything.

 

[0dev]

Hey, at least you didn't buy £200 RAM from Apple

 

[Freeþinker]

Yes

Yes, the mark-up on RAM modules through Apple is through the roof. I'd say that I got mine at a closer-to-sane price through MacSales.com.

 

[Mackilroy]

Stinks that you can't use what you paid for, but the information is right there on Civ V's page (and it's been there for a while):

 

[Cougarcat]

Get a refund from Apple, and buy it from Steam. You'll get multiplayer compatibility, it's $10 cheaper, has the DLC included, and you'll get the PC version, too.