promo codes are out of control

Discussion in 'Site Feedback and News' started by renton, Jul 25, 2009.

  1. renton

    renton Well-Known Member

    Jul 26, 2008
    157
    0
    0
    freelance design
    california
    /rant on

    as i logged on tonite, i noticed that a fair amount of games had promo codes.. so i logged on said threads, and of course all the codes are gone. i then noticed while looking thru past promo code threads that certain people are always getting these codes. they must camp on here 24/7..

    1) that's not fair system. why should peeps that hang out here all day long get 'free' games? it's not like they just get one. i keep seeing the same names posting that they got a code...

    2) some of us work, and can only check every so often. this means you have to have a very large amount of luck to pop in and have a thread with promo codes just entered.

    3) i suggest that the idea of promo codes be talking about amongst devs and people smarter than me to come up with an acclimate system for everyone.

    now, i'm not all pissed about this. im not some riled up tween or twenty something. when you see that a few people get all the free games they can muster by 'camping' on this board, well, it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

    i know devs use promo codes to get free advertisement; esp from devs that don't have the cash like NGMOCO or chillingo, or EA to promote their games.

    honestly,i don't know what can be done if anything at all. it just makes me sad that a few work the system and take away from everyone else....

    /rant off
     
  2. VoodooVyper

    VoodooVyper Well-Known Member

    Jan 25, 2009
    2,244
    15
    36
    So, if you're a dev, would you rather give a code to someone who 'camps' here and likely plays games a heck of a lot more than someone who spends most of their time at work? Do you complain when people buy a product that has a good sale on Black Friday because you were too uninterested to go there 6-10 hours before the store opened? Why should developers accomodate to people who don't want to put the extra effort into obtaining a code. If you want them that bad, then 'camp' here too.
     
  3. tadad1

    tadad1 Well-Known Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    420
    1
    0
    Uranus
    "As the actress said to the Bishop."
     
  4. HJJ

    HJJ Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2008
    858
    0
    0
    This must be a joke.

    You can get free meals everyday if you hang out at Costco, sure, but the cost is being cooped up in a warehouse everyday. Most of us, act like adults and just buy the food we want to eat.

    Yes, it's nice to get something for free from time to time, but we're not owed anything. I don't see how these threads keep constantly arising. What is so difficult to understand about this concept?

    With promo codes, it's all about being at the right place at the right time. Any sensible person will realize how big TA's audience is. It's obvious that 20 codes will go quickly when you understand there are thousands of eyeballs vying for them. This isn't about "lurkers" or the "same people who camp out here all the time." It's simply a matter of a TON of people grabbing at the same prize. Just be glad in your supreme annoyance that you won't wind up trampled to death.
     
  5. 1337brian

    1337brian Well-Known Member

    Oct 12, 2008
    3,358
    49
    0
    In My Head
    I'm at work all day and I "camp" more then most people here, BTW don't you have an iPhone or an iPT? If so I believe there is an icon called.... ummm.... Oh here it is, Safari... Oh cool copy and paste?!? How could a web browser on the go help me get promos?.... Hmmmm.... I wonder?...:confused:


    /rant off
     
  6. HardcoreEricXXX

    HardcoreEricXXX Well-Known Member

    Nov 29, 2008
    1,045
    3
    0
    Virginia
    my biggest complaint is when I post codes under redeem in iTunes app, it crashes back to the springboard
     
  7. gekkota

    gekkota Well-Known Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    1,490
    2
    38
  8. yourofl10

    yourofl10 Well-Known Member

    Dec 11, 2008
    4,176
    43
    38
    Its the developers choice on how he/she distributes them...Oh well if you dont get any, life sucks at some points, sorry to tell you that but its the thruth.

    EDIT:

    Look at gekkota's post it explaings everything
     
  9. sf49lu

    sf49lu Well-Known Member

    Apr 16, 2009
    619
    0
    0
    Sylvania, OH
    It is not worth it to camp and hope to get a 99c game. Go work for couple hours and youll have more money to buy more games than a "camper" could ever dream of.
     
  10. The Bat Outta Hell

    The Bat Outta Hell Moderator
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold Patreon Bronze

    Mar 10, 2009
    9,125
    189
    38
    Hat Salesman
    Washington
    Yeah I know, it's so damn frustrating.

    Don't hit redeem, hit that blue button on your keyboard, it never crashes from that.

    Plus I hate it that you have to tap the redeem code window, wait like 5 seconds, THEN you can enter it, THEEEN you have to say "yeah, I wanna enter my password". It's just stupidly designed.
     
  11. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    To be fair, your average iTunes user will never use a promo code and has no reason to even know they exist. There's not really much reason for them to refine the promo code redemption process so freebie mongers can redeem them quicker. :p
     
  12. 1337brian

    1337brian Well-Known Member

    Oct 12, 2008
    3,358
    49
    0
    In My Head
    Yea suprisingly none of my friends in real life have even heard of a promo code!? I'm talking fairly tech savvy people here... I won't tell them, that means less chances for me...:rolleyes:
     
  13. Kamazar

    Kamazar Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2008
    6,509
    18
    0
    Everyone has to do it, so it's not really like you're wasting precious time. Unless you're either using Windows (not starting another OS war or anything, but I know Apple ported it to take up 99.9% of the processing power to get back at Bill Gates), or an old as s*** computer.
     
  14. Sainter

    Sainter Well-Known Member

    Dec 8, 2008
    1,175
    6
    0
    Promo codes would be out of control if Gameloft were giving them out as often as someone caught Swine Flu

    The amount of people trying to win these codes is out of control. Blame the crowd, not the performer
     
  15. markx2

    markx2 Well-Known Member

    Dec 28, 2008
    685
    0
    16
    If you are not in the USA promo codes mean just one thing. forum clutter, crap posts saying I WANT ONE TOO, OMG ITZ TEH AWESOME and the *sob* I missed out to the lurkers the *******.

    Sometimes all the 'Games Discussion' forum is about promo codes.

    Think it's bad now? wait till the Rest of the World gets codes and then you will be moaning that the USA isn't special any more and that Apple are ****** for letting it happen because the USA is the biggest, no-one else speaks english etc etc etc etc.

    One day I hope this forum will have a Promo code only forum the it might be worthwhile looking in the Game Discussion forum. Right now it's the promo codes that absolutely ruin the forums when you are actually after information.
     
  16. atommo

    atommo Well-Known Member

    Jul 19, 2009
    290
    1
    0
    Developer
    I found a nice way to distribute codes that some people would probably find highly unfair...

    I looked at the post counts, and if a users posts were a high number then I looked at the last bunch of posts made by them.

    If they seemed to contribute to the community in some way and weren't just spamming "LOL" and "Sucks!" messages, I sent them a promo code.

    It doesn't get the same visibility as giving away 5 codes in a thread, but it also doesn't leave a lot of people seeing them sitting there and not being able to redeem them.
     
  17. markx2

    markx2 Well-Known Member

    Dec 28, 2008
    685
    0
    16
    Sounds very good here.

    If you want a return on the codes you need to treat them wisely.
     
  18. Bluellama1

    Bluellama1 Well-Known Member

    Jul 25, 2009
    919
    3
    18
    Student
    Metro Detroit, Michigan
    That is actually a pretty good way to distribute the codes.
     
  19. HJJ

    HJJ Well-Known Member

    Dec 2, 2008
    858
    0
    0
    This is a really fair point. I don't know why they have held off on making a dedicated US Promo Code forum for so long. I know people will whine that it will be plagued with campers and lurkers, but that's absolutely no different than what we have now. The real difference is that the Code Spam would be isolated away from actual discussions. I'm actually surprised that the Games forum was split between Releases and General Discussion before the promo codes were moved out. I'd rather see a Top 5 thread, which is actually about games, than a promo code black hole. And this is coming from an American - I can only imagine how you poor Internationals feel.
     
  20. ImNoSuperMan

    ImNoSuperMan Well-Known Member

    Jun 28, 2009
    10,506
    19
    0
    #20 ImNoSuperMan, Jul 27, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2009
    That Sucks. LOL

    BTW I never received one from you in my pm. I wonder why:rolleyes::p

    Anyways what u have is a nice idea but I don't think it'll help u or ur game much. You drop a code to someone u thought was a decent member of the forums. What if he already had the game. Or he is not interested in playing ur game. But if you'd still prefer to continue this way then atleast create a thread talking about ur game. Once u see posters who are interested in getting ur game then u can drop them a promo to give it a try. Atleast it'll make sure u don't give away the codes to someone who didn't want it in the first place.
     

Share This Page