Origin Message Board older than one year ago

#ea Electronic Arts has run a surprisingly frank piece on the Origin blog, which basically amounts to "yeah, we know, this service isn't that great, so tell us how we can fix things". More »

EA is seeking your input on things its digital distribution service, Origin, is doing right and wrong. The company has a post up now asking customers what their favorite Origin feature is and what features that they'd like to see in the future. Think of it as an internet-based focus group.

The company will also host a Q&A session with Origin Creative Director Robert Kissinger and Product Manager Mike Lewis next Tuesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. The company will post more information about how to RSVP for the event at a later date.

Our first Origin recommendation: providing a time zone to go with that 10 a.m. meeting.

[Image credit: AMC's Mad Men]

#valve Valve Software boss Gabe Newell has said kind things before about mega-publisher EA's upstart rival to Valve's popular PC gaming service Steam. That may have seemed charitable, given that EA's new Origin service competes with Steam and even by EA's own standards may not be as good as Steam for years. More »

EA has quietly made things a little easier for those banned from its digital Origin service, allowing even those scorned by the company to access single player content in purchased and downloaded games. Previously, gamers who behaved badly on official EA forums or otherwise caused their accounts to be revoked were locked out completely, but now EA is saying that by switching the Origin client over to offline mode, players can at least play bought games by themselves.

To get back online, players will need to appeal the ban, for which instructions can be found here. EA does say that most bans are only temporary, but just in case you want to speed up the process, we'll say this: Offering crop sacrifices to an idol of John Ritticello certainly can't hurt.

#ea For over a year now, EA has had a system in place where users reprimanded for their conduct in an online arena - whether that be multiplayer games or forums - were punished by losing access to their singleplayer games as well. More »

EA probably wasn't too keen on you learning about a new Crysis just yet - the news comes from its Origin service where box art and cursory details popped up overnight for "Crysis 3" (as seen above). The box art and listings have since been removed, but as we all know Google sees all.

Moreover, as Neogaf points out, GameReactor magazine is teasing a reveal for Crysis 3 in the coming week. Unfortunately for both EA and the European magazine, some of that thunder got stolen by a faulty switch over at Origin.

Box art for Xbox 360 and PC versions popped up, but we imagine it'll also arrive on PlayStation 3. We've reached out to EA for clarification, but we don't expect to hear more until next week's planned reveal. (And yes, that dude on the Crysis 3 cover is rocking what looks like a compound bow.)

There you were, living in a world where Crysis 3 wasn't a thing. You wake up this morning, drag a comb across your head, and boom! New Crysis game. Just like that. Well, kinda like that, anyway.

As it turns out, EA probably wasn't too keen on you learning about said Crysis announcement - the news comes from its Origin service where box art and cursory details popped up overnight for "Crysis 3" (as seen above). The box art and listings have since been removed, but as we all know, Google sees all.

Moreover, as Neogaf points out, GameReactor magazine is teasing a reveal for Crysis 3 in the coming week. Unfortunately for both EA and the European magazine, some of that thunder got stolen by a faulty switch over at Origin.

Oh, also, yeah, that dude on the Crysis 3 cover totally has what looks like a compound bow. Which, yes, is totally awesome. Box art for Xbox 360 and PC versions popped up, but we imagine it'll also arrive on PlayStation 3. We've reached out to EA for clarification, but we don't expect to hear more until next week's planned reveal.

EA this morning announced Mass Effect 3's "Extended Cut" DLC, which adds to the game's ending and will arrive for free at some point this summer. According to the publisher, the content will add "additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes," which will apparently offer fans "further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3" and "deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes."

The additional content comes as a response to a group of fans who felt the third game ended in an unsatisfactory manner. That outcry apparently had a serious effect at BioWare internally, as project lead Casey Hudson says the team has, "reprioritized [its] post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player."

No specific information is given about what said content will be, but we sure hope it means we won't see other DLC packs delayed or scrapped as a result. Studio co-founder Ray Muzyka notes,"With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team's artistic vision for the end of this story arc."

Extended Cut will arrive on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC "this summer."

New downloadable content for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is slated to arrive later this month. Entitled "Teeth of Naros," it has players exploring the land known as the Teeth of Naros, where they will "encounter the Kollossae, a devout race of giants, and uncover the mysteries of their faith."

The DLC will feature the magical, floating city of Idylla, 20 side quests, dungeons and new enemies to fight. And, of course, there will be some fresh loot, including Twists of Fate, armor sets and weapons. Teeth of Naros will hit Xbox Live, PSN, Origin and Steam on April 17 for $10.

Good news: If you want to download SimCity somewhere other than Origin, you'll have the option to do so. An EA representative confirmed with Joystiq that the title would be available for purchase on other digital distribution platforms, though a list of stores has yet to be finalized. SimCity is arriving sometime in 2013.

Lead designer Stone Librande confirmed that SimCity would be an internet-dependent experience. Players will need to be online on Origin while playing, even if that wasn't the point of purchase. The always-on connection becomes necessary with the game's emphasis on multiplayer and regional impact, and the use of a global economy that all players can influence.

#wingcommander A fan-engineered sequel to the long dormant Wing Commander series is known to Electronic Arts, and all of the franchise's rights holders, but they are taking no action to shut down its development. That said, they don't officially or unofficially endorse the game. More »

Sega's PC games have been available on Steam and other internet portals for some time, and are now on the way to EA's Origin service.

Starting today, folks can pre-order the upcoming Total War Shogun 2 expansion, "Fall of the Samurai," and more content will follow in the coming weeks. Beyond the Japanese publisher, Origin added Team 17, Rebellion, Kalypso, "and more" to Origin today, and their games will start showing up "in the coming months."

#simcity EA has already launched an Origin page for its new SimCity, revealing that those picking up the Digital Deluxe Edition will be getting a range of content that includes supervillain lairs and European city packs. More »

You're no procrastinator. You plan things ahead of time like a responsible member of society. And now you may prepare for Tuesday's launch of Mass Effect 3 by pre-loading the game through EA's Origin platform, freeing up valuable time this weekend to stock up on the cuisine of the future: Mountain Dew and Totino's Pizza Rolls.

If you've pre-ordered Mass Effect 3, all you have to do to pre-load the game is log into your Origin account, head on over to the Game Library section and click the "Ready to Download" button on Mass Effect 3.

During a brief period of fiscal insanity, EA decided to offer a free copy of Battlefield 3 to Origin pre-orderers of Mass Effect 3. That period has now ended, unfortunately, according to a tweet from EA's Origin account. Moreover, pre-orders won't receive a code to download BF3 immediately, but rather "by March 8th." So, just in time to play Battlefield instead of Mass Effect 3, then? That seems ... unfortunate.

Bizarrely, EA originally claimed the deal would extend until March 5, though it seems that the publisher decided to cut it early. Regardless, Origin's tweet went up about 18 hours ago (around 2PM ET yesterday), so it stands to reason that the window of time for a free copy of BF3 was somewhere between Valentine's Day and yesterday afternoon. EA says that "all pre-orders made during the deal" will snag a free code, so, uh, hopefully that's you!

#origin Less than a year ago, EA told PC gamers it would give them something that many PC gamers probably thought they didn't need: a competitor to Steam. More »

It looks like we have the making of a thing on our hands here. Following EA's Origin promotion, which promised a free copy of Dead Space 2 for those who pre-ordered Battlefield 3, it's now employing a similar strategy with Mass Effect 3. We've dubbed it The Leapfrog Initiative[TM].

Anyone who pre-orders Mass Effect 3 through the publisher's digital distribution platform will get a free copy of Battlefield 3. And even though we expressly mentioned Origin in the first paragraph, we'll say it again: this is a PC promotion only. Don't go thinking EA is going to mail you a PS3 copy of Battlefield 3 or anything.

Interested parties can head over to the Origin site. Everyone else, you can safely go back to playing the Mass Effect 3 demo.

#origin For those living in Japan and wanting to play Western games in their original format, the invention of the Blu-ray disc was a godsend. Suddenly games shipped with both versions, Japanese and English, right on the same disc. But for some reason, EA never followed suit. More »

Make way, make way! EA needs space to trot through the seven publishers joining its Origin digital distribution service. Sure, chances are you only recognize one, maybe two, of these names, but it's important when the company is trying to make a show against Steam.

The seven new publishers include Remedy Entertainment, which will add Alan Wake after the Steam exclusivity window, slong with Focus Home Interactive, Iceberg Interactive, Strategy First (Disciples, Jagged Alliance), Macro Games, Selectsoft and Legendo Entertainment.

EA currently boasts 9.3 million registered Origin users, with a million daily active users.

Is Origin a success? We can't be sure just yet, but reaching one quarter of Steam's userbase in a fraction of the time it took for Valve to do so certainly doesn't hurt. And that's precisely what EA revealed today in a press release ahead of its third quarter financial earnings call for fiscal 2012, which boasted 9.3 million registered Origin users since launch in June 2011.

For those of you playing along at home, Valve announced its Steam service has approximately 40 million users as of mid-January 2012, resulting in 100 percent growth for yet another year. EA can't quite boast 100 percent growth numbers, but it does point out that those 9.3 million users "generated more than $100 million in non-GAAP revenue since launch." Which is to say that the service generated, like, a lot of money for EA, especially if you contextualize it in the nebulous "non-generally accepted accounting principles" world that EA has.

I’m fairly ignorant of what’s on EA’s Origin, which I currently think of as a Battlefield 3 launcher. But even I can’t wilfully avoid the news of more new publishers dropping games onto the digital distribution service. Not when it’s the likes of Paradox, Trion Worlds, and CD Projekt.(more…)

#origin In a rather obvious attempt to court a more demanding PC gaming crowd, EA's Origin service today announced it has signed up eleven new publishers for its online marketplace. Among them are CD Projekt, of The Witcher fame, and Paradox Interactive, of hardcore historical strategy game fame. More »

With the announcement that the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 demo will be hitting on February 14, BioWare has also revealed the PC system specs for the final chapter of Shepard's story.

The system requirements (found below the jump) are surprisingly modest, and very similar to those of Mass Effect 2. You might notice that the list shows a low hard drive space requirement (a measly 2.5 GB), but the line probably refers to how much space the demo will need. So, it looks like PC gamers probably won't have to upgrade to defend the galaxy from destruction... but it certainly couldn't hurt. After all, the Reapers won't be holding back, so why should you?

If you pre-order Mass Effect 3 just about anywhere, you'll get the M55 Argus Assault Rifle for free. In addition to that weapon, you can get even more in-game swag should you drop some reservation bucks at GameStop (N7 Warfare Gear) or EA's own Origin online store (an AT12 Raider shotgun).

Care to take a look at the pre-order stuff in action? We've got a vid above and another below the break, and they're both full of space bullets.

EA has a pretty massive sale going on over at the Origin store. Nearly everything has been marked down by 40 percent, including Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, Crysis 2 and most of the EA-published titles currently available on consoles or PC. The offer is only good today, so get cracking and stuff some stockings.

#starwars Those who preordered Star Wars: The Old Republic get early access to the game. That early access will begin on Tuesday, two days earlier than first announced. More »

Origin may be the new kid on the block, but that doesn't mean it was born yesterday. EA clearly realizes that its digital-only game service needs to compete with the other digital retailers, as evidenced by its overtly aggressive pricing on today's Cyber Monday sales: Battlefield 3 for $30, as well as Need for Speed: The Run, not to mention package savings that rival Steam's.

Beyond the games available for PC, a variety of the publisher's iOS slash mobile titles are also getting deep cuts, all of which end around midnight tonight. If you were waiting patiently for a heavily discounted copy of Risk for your iPad, now is the time!

EA has proven that it's not afraid to bring the banhammer down on Origin users who defy their Terms of Service; though its stringent adherence to that policy has, on occasion, provided cause for concern. In March, a user on the Dragon Age 2 forums was banned for breaking the forum's rules, only to find out he'd been prohibited from using his purchased copy of the game as well. Though EA reinstated his Origin access and chalked it up to a system error, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported that it was not an isolated incident.

EA has never explicitly said that handing out Origin bans alongside forum bans was its modus operandi; however, RPS finally received an official statement on the bans from EA Corporate Communications' John Reseburg. According to him, "when someone violates our Terms of Service, we are forced to take actions that can include suspensions and other measures." That's not a clear confirmation of the policy, though Reseburg later added, "We have listened to our customers and are planning a policy update which will include more equitable rules on suspensions - we want to make sure the time fits the crime."

It seems utterly bizarre that EA wouldn't be explicitly clear about a policy that carries as heavy a punishment as this. We can understand wanting to keep a forum free from the blight of obscenity, but if that comes at the cost of preventing legitimate purchasers of EA's products from accessing said games, those purchasers deserve to know about it ahead of time. As it stands now, Reseburg simply suggests, "any user with a question about suspensions or our policies to please contact us at (866) 543-5435 so we can address their specific situation."

EA has accepted another publisher into its Origin "family," with Capcom offering two games on the digital distribution service. Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition and Dead Rising 2 Off the Record are both available now for $39.99 each, the same price you'd find for those games on Steam.

EA is slowly building a collection of non-EA games for the digital distribution service. EA's deal with Capcom was announced concurrently with similar agreements putting THQ and WB games on Origin.

#origin If you act like a dick on a forum, you deserve to be suspended or even banned from that forum. That's fine. But when that forum account is attached to an account which manages games you've paid for, and stops you playing them as well, there are problems. More »