The digital download thread

[OverKnight]

I used Direct2Drive to purchase Medieval 2 when it came out. I was satisfied at that point. However, due to the size and complexity of the 1.2 patch, the D2D patch was delayed even though the patch for the hard copy version of the game had been available for months. D2D failed to give a concrete estimate of when a new patch would be available.

Due to my participation in PBMs I ended up having to buy a hard copy of the same game. D2D finally got current with patches 3 to 4 months after the rest of the market.

Just be aware that when you buy a download version of a game, it can vary from the hard copy version. Your most likely dependent on the download provider for patches and might suffer from mod incompatibility.

However, this did not prevent me from using the same service to purchase Jade Empire. I figured a port of an older game would not encounter the same problems as above. I would just caution people to do a bit of research on each game before deciding to use a downloaded version.