Topic: Opinions on Direct2drive

[Fade2gray]

Howdy!
Lately I've been getting rather fed up with the sorry PC game selection at the stores in my area, and I was impressed with my experience with Steam, so I've been looking into getting most of my games on-line. So far the only on-line download store I've found is Direct2drive, but before I decide to jump in feet first I was wanting to get your guy's/gal's opinions on the site. Anything you might have to say would be appreciated, but here's a few questions off the top of my head.
How reliable are they? Can you easily re-install a game if it gets corrupted and/or you've had to delete it?
I've heard that patches and updates have to come through their site first. Is this easy to do, and how long have does it usually take for them to make them available?
How long does it usually take for new game to come available?
Also, if there are any similar sights you might suggest feel free?

Thanks for putting up with me and my windy questions!

P.S. sorry if this has been discussed before but I didn't see anything relevent when I did a search.

[c14dude]

i have a few games on D2D, and i'm pretty pleased. they don't have the biggest selection but they do have some top games. if you need to re-install a game its easy, just download the program again (from fileplanet)
as for the patches, yeah most arnt compatible with the regula store versions, but they stay pretty up to date.

[Yankeefan]

Personally, I like having a physical CD that I can install over and over (I'm always upgrading my system). Does D2D let you burn it to a DVD and then re-install?

[c14dude]

i'm not sure, i never tryed. most games come in two files so you don't have to
download 5GB at a time, so i don't see why couldnt just store the executables on the disc

[Sub]

Don't buy a game that you'll be playing online with D2D.  From what I've heard, they need to make a D2D version of every patch that comes out, which may take awhile if at all.  That's just what i've heard, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[c14dude]

nope, thats right. that means if they slack off, your not gonna be able to play with everyone who has the regular retail version. however, i guess they now have a few games that work with the regular patches.

[mikeha]

I think Oblivion works with the delivered patches, also D2D screwed up and did not make both patches available for Blazing Angels, so I installed the regular patch and it worked.

[Gaming Steve]

i use D2D all the time and I really like it. The patch issue can be a problem, but so far it hasn't caused large delays for any games I have purchased. However, with services like D2D and Steam (not to mention Xbox Live) you will see services like this more and more often in the future. But having the ability to purchase a game at 3:00 AM over the Internet? And then playing it a few minutes later? What's not to love!

[Yankeefan]

I don't know if I agree that things like D2D are in the immediate future as a widespread medium for delivering games. Brick and morter stores still have a tremendous amount of clout in the biz and they aren't giving it up without a fight. Also, broadband isn't as widespread as we would like to believe. There are tons of rural areas where dial-up is still the only option. I think D2D has some growing to do before it becomes mainstream.

[Fade2gray]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!
I'll probably go ahead and give it a shot once I have the $ to spare. Thankfully I'm not much into MMOs so the patch issue shouldn't be too big a problem for me. I did have one last question that just occurred to me. D2D uses a proprietary file manager right? I'm assuming that that has to be running to verify the games similar to Steam. Has anyone noticed if it causes any performance issues in the games or on the system in general?
Again, thanks for all of your responses!