Left 4 Dead isn’t even out yet and people are already going for Valve’s throat. Valve has updated the demo 4 times already and people are still complaining. How many other companies do you know of that would patch a demo? Valve provides excellent support (for a demo, no less) and people decide that the best way to repay them would be to kick them in the teeth (figuratively of course, we all know that Gabe Newell is a martial arts master). 99.9% of all the problems that I have seen so far lie in the hardware of the user, not Valve’s code.
Now while I do understand that buying a new computer is a big deal, it’s really not Valve’s responsibility to make sure that their games can run on your computer. I know I’ve said this before, but Valve has absolutely no responsibility to provide support for their games. They have no obligation to cater to your every whim. A lesser group of people would have given up by now, given they way some people treat them, but they continue to trudge forward and update their games. And yet people feel the need to act indignant, as if Valve owes them something.
Normally I would say that the ungratefullness that the community has demostrated was shocking, but having used the internet more than once, nothing shocks me. Once again, how many companies would take the time to update a demo? I challenge anyone to show me a developer who has ever shown that kind of dedication. Valve shows the community time after time that they do care, and people spit in their face.
Now, an argument could be made that the demo is a smaller copy of the actual game and that Valve are working the bugs out. And if so, then why the hell are people complaining? On the Steam Forums (and you know the intellectuals all flock there), I counted at least 5 threads saying that Valve’s updates “broke the game” and that Valve “had no right to remove console commands”. As for the first, if the updates “broke the game” why was I still able to play it? Oh wait, because I’m not using the same 8 year old system you are you stubborn bastard. As for the latter comment, it’s Valve’s game. They can do whatever the damn well please, I might add. If they wanted to, they could remove multiplayer. They don’t even have to release it if they don’t want.
So I want all the whiners to think about this next time they’re about to post some generic “I HATE VALVE” thread: Does Valve really have to do anything for you?
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