From Steam and Humble Bundle to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. We study gaming services. From Steam and Humble Bundle to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live How often does the Humble Bundle give away games?
Preface
Humble Sections
First of all, make sure that you are on the correct Humble site - and the secure connection icon is displayed in the site bar:
The site has six sections:
Under the “Pay What You Want” button there is a counter indicating the amount of time until the end of the sale of this set.
A counter called "Bundles Sold" represents the total number of bundles sold.
Most often, the buyer is offered three “internal” sets:
- Minimum set per dollar
- Mid-price set (plus dollar set)
- Flat price set ($10 or $15, plus mid price set and dollar set).
Register on Humble (optional)
It is not necessary to register on the site, but it will be convenient in the future if you decide to manage all your purchases.
Selecting the desired set, entering the amount and mail
To get started, scroll to the very bottom of the page so that you can see the recruitment statistics and purchase options.
By clicking on the “Choose where your money goes” spoiler, you can choose where the money you spend should go:
- Developer (or publisher)
- Charity
- Humble
If you do not plan to spend $10, $25, $50, or $100, click the “Custom Amount” button and enter the amount you plan to spend in the field that opens.
To get the minimum priced set, you must pay at least $1. Purchases cannot be combined. If you pay $0.69 and then $0.31, you will not receive the set.
Once you enter the amount you want, you will receive appropriate minimum alerts.
If you spend $2, you will not receive the mid-price and fixed-price bundle.
Taking into account the warning, enter the captcha.
In the “Enter your email address here” field, enter your existing email address. mail
By leaving a tick, you will receive notifications about new sets
If you want to give someone a gift and send a link to activate the game, then check the box here
Payment for the set
Let's consider the most easy way payment - payment via card.
I don't know if the system will accept Maestro or American Express, but Visa and MasterCard accepted without problems.
I will not describe the method of registering a card, since there are dozens of banks and other payment systems, but I will say that I use St. Petersburg Bank cards for payments. If you do not want to issue a plastic card at any bank, you can issue virtual card QIWI. You can learn more about QVC.
Having prepared your card for payment, click on the “Pay with Card” button.
You will be presented with a window in which you will need to fill in the required information. IN LATIN.
Example of filling a window:
Name - first and last name (Vasya Newell)
Address - address in Latin (for example, Nevsky prospekt, dom 32, korpus 3, kvartira 1337)
Postal - index (usually 6 digits)
City - city
After going through the fields with contact information, you will need to enter the card number, expiration date and security code indicated on its back.
If you check the box next to “Remember me”, the system will remember you, and in the future you will no longer need to enter the data again. In order to be remembered, you will also have to enter your mobile phone number.
Payment options
There are five payment options for the sets:
- Pay with debit or credit card
- Payment via PayPal
- Payment via Amazon
WebMoney and other payment methods not specified in the selection are not accepted.
Dial activation
If the bundle purchase operation was successful, you will receive the following window:
Now check your email. email for a letter from Humble.
An email with the subject “Your Humble Bundle Order is ready” contains a link to activate the bundle.
An email with the subject “Your Humble Bundle receipt [#XXXX-XXXX-XXXX]” is a check.
So, for those who are in the tank, then humble bundle, is a site where you can buy game bundles for a very low price. Overall they have great support. I did this and everything worked for me. First you need to write a new letter to them by mail. For this we will use, for example, mail.ru. You don't need to buy ANYTHING. But if you want 100% results, then buy a dollar bundle.
1) Write here " [email protected]"message like: oh, how unhappy I am, I bought a bundle for 20 bucks, but it didn’t arrive! (We write everything in English!!!)
2)we are waiting for a response. They should respond like: wait, we'll come up with something.
3) Expect them to come up with something.
4) They send you a link to “your” bundle.
5) profit
So I wrote to them:
Hello! I bought you a bundle of the first three games by paying a dollar. Once paid another 7.64 dollars to buy the next three games. But unfortunately activation link does not come already night. Is this normal?
Thanks in advance!
Alexey
It says here that I bought the first bundle with 3 games and paid another 7.64 dollars for the next games, but I haven’t received the key link for the night.
They have replyed:
Let's move on.
Second letter.
I:
hello! I still have not come on my Gift 3 games for 7.64 dollar. thus, you have released a new set. what do I do?
They:
Here is the link to your download Humble 2K Bundle page:
www.humblebundle.com/?gift=blablabla
Please save it for future use and enjoy the games! :)
For future reference, you can also use our handy dandy key re-sender to have your links emailed to you again!
www.humblebundle.com/?s=resender
Thanks for your support
As you can see in the photo, they gave me the link. I hope you learned something new.
But also remember that this is support, there are people sitting there and I don’t know how they will react to a large number of identical letters, so don’t overdo it and don’t write the same type of messages, come up with something new and generate different texts! Good luck!
We talk about the best playgrounds and what they have to offer. Both good and bad.
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It's been quite a long time game industry From a gathering of enthusiasts, geeks and creators, it turned into a business. The business is huge, harsh and merciless. All these stories around exorbitant price tags, security systems, loot boxes and other things that poison the lives of ordinary players are firmly established in the news. But is there anything good left besides games?
We decided to go through various popular platforms and see what shortcomings they have now, and most importantly, what pleasant things they can offer to players, whether there is any room left for generosity, useful and interesting ideas and other positive things.
Steam
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is Steam. About the digital store Valve Probably everyone knows about Gabe Newell now. Well, or almost everything. The most extensive library of games, the most generous discounts, the largest community, in general, everything is the best.
Steam has plenty of advantages. Quantity various games there have already exceeded fifteen thousand, and on almost any holiday they hold the most generous promotions: at the winter, for example, price tags GTA 5 and third "The Witcher" they dropped as much as 60%, and some projects even more. Which is sometimes pleasantly surprising.
Side activities deserve special attention, such as a system of cards or rewards. Valve is constantly coming up with ways to turn the purchasing experience into something truly creative. So, by playing games, you can earn cards, which are then sold for real money or exchanged for all sorts of useful things. Some, having accumulated cards, manage to sell them for an amount that is enough to buy a brand new AAA project.
And a few years ago in new year holidays For a variety of actions, such as filling out a profile or achieving achievements in a particular game, you could receive “coals.” I saved up enough money and exchanged it for a gift. And the prizes were sometimes impressive: a collection of classic Fallout, For example.
But the main thing that distinguishes Steam from all competitors is its developed infrastructure and a huge number of side services. There is also social network, and a workshop where you can sell your mods, and built-in functionality, like the ability to take screenshots or maintain voice communication with friends, and achievement systems, and wish lists, and sending gifts, and cloud saving, and automatic updates, and even the ability to hide annoying projects out of sight. Yes, of course, none of this will surprise anyone, but in terms of quantity and quality of functionality, Valve’s product is a leader. Moreover, new ideas appear to them, as a rule, before anyone else.
It’s nice that you can return any purchase, the main thing is that you don’t have time to play for more than two hours, and no more than two weeks have passed since the purchase. A good review system will also help protect the player’s wallet. Any player can write his own small review of the game, and you will see the overall rating (which, as a rule, is quite objective), comments in his own language, find out how many hours a friend has played before leaving a review, and the most useful opinions will definitely be at the top . Not exactly a universal assessment tool, but sometimes it really helps.
The security system can also be praised: for example, having Steam Guard enabled allows you to save your account even if an attacker has found out your username and password. Yes, your precious collection can still be stolen (from time to time, scammers find vulnerabilities in the system or deceive inexperienced users), but Valve is much more active than others in fighting thieves, so the likelihood of disaster is lower than on most sites.
And in general, the stability of the service is commendable, although, of course, it was not without its problems. Thus, regional restrictions raise many questions when, due to political reasons, in some places the store and the entire library of games may become unavailable. Or some games purchased in Russia will not be able to be launched somewhere in the USA, for example, because the price tags there are fundamentally different. You can also find fault with the licensing agreement, according to which all purchased games are formally leased to you and do not belong to the user. And unfair bans happen quite often.
Other disadvantages of the site follow from its advantages: recently it has become too large. When will the game selection system be replaced? Steam Greenlight came Steam Direct, thanks to which you can put anything on display at any time for $100, the store is filled with thousands of disgusting games. Some of them can be done in 15 minutes, others are impossible to play.
All this, of course, seems like a trifle - if you don’t want it, don’t buy it. But in the huge stream of thrash it’s hard to find good games. And they are there. And for the indie industry, such a turn, when any project can be lost among the garbage, turned into a real tragedy.
Another disadvantage is that technical support is not the most responsive. When there are more than 120 million users, it is really difficult to respond to them all on time. Although sometimes the thought arises that Steam employees are not even trying (we hope that this is not the case).
Origin
For a while, Steam seemed like a serious competitor. Origin which belongs to the company Electronic Arts . Fortunately or unfortunately, a full-fledged confrontation did not happen: besides EA itself, other publishers and developers did not reach out to Origin, and the service itself for a long time (and even now!) suffered from technical problems.
However, this did not prevent the platform application from becoming firmly established on many computers. Firstly, due to the fact that most EA games are tied to it, and this is Battlefield, And Crysis, And Star Wars:Battlefront, and so on. Secondly, the “electronics” came up with one very pleasant initiative: giving away games for free. So, from time to time they give their users such projects as Battlefield 3 or Jade Empire, and other classics. And they do this on a regular basis, which is why many people already have quite an impressive collection of donated projects.
In due time, it was a generous distribution Battlefield 3 attracted almost the majority of service users.
It’s also nice that many EA games are given to play for free for a while - purely to try and understand whether you want to buy them or not. Moreover, the deadlines sometimes turn out to be impressive.
Another plus of the service is the library. Origin Access . Its essence is simple: for a fixed amount per month, subscribers get unlimited access to a whole set of projects, like Titanfall 2 And Battlefield 1.
All this, however, fades somewhat when you think about how inferior Origin is to Steam. Firstly, the library of EA games is very limited, the price tags are sometimes pleasing with their democratic value, but more often they are unpleasantly surprising, and most importantly, the lack of functionality familiar to the Valve site and not the most convenient application. There is not very high-quality search work, the lack of a normal recommendation system, and not the most comfortable interface. Yes, EA is trying, solving problems and adding new features, but it is not doing it very efficiently. For example, he is receiving some already familiar details only now. Moreover, the support service is also not always pleased with its efficiency.
Another big disadvantage of Origin was and remains the technical implementation of the service. Recently, it has begun to work much better, but there are still annoying problems such as long loading times, problems with authorization, and unstable server operation. More than once there have been problems with the security of the service, which is confirmed by a significant number of “hijacked” accounts. Origin has also been accused of spying on players more than once. Although it is not entirely clear how justified.
In your games Ubisoft pays a lot of attention to cybersecurity topics. That's why it's especially funny that of all major games They have the biggest problems with this security.
By the way, you can also reprimand for technical flaws Uplay — site of Ubisoft, another major publisher. Their version has even more shortcomings: upon returning to the service, you can unexpectedly discover that someone has already managed to play the copy of the game you recently purchased and even upload their saves to your cloud, and technical support takes several days to respond to requests. What is especially unpleasant is that for some reason Ubisoft is forced to link even those purchased in Steam games to its service, which delays the launch of the project.
Although they also have advantages. So, for example, from time to time they give away games like Watch_Dogs, and they also have an interesting “progress” system, where for loyalty to the service and points earned for various actions you can buy cosmetic additives for games. It’s a small thing, but sometimes it’s nice.
Xbox Live
However, this all applies to computer owners. If you are the happy owner of a console Xbox, then your choice is limited. Or rather, there is only one option - Xbox Live. Over the years, part of the audience has established this platform as something bad due to the not-so-intuitive interface and long-standing problems with the ill-fated Games for Windows . However, in fact, Xbox Live there is also something to love.
Firstly, this is a recent practice of releasing some games according to the scheme Xbox Play Anywhere, which allows you to buy one digital a copy of the game that can be launched on Windows 10, and on Xbox consoles One. Versions of games do not always work equally well, and the price tag still bites, but the idea is very nice. As well as the opportunity to purchase and launch many of classic games c Xbox 360 on new console. Set-top box and service from Sony Unfortunately, it cannot boast of this - you can also appreciate the classics there, but on a much more modest scale.
Not all Xbox 360 games run perfectly on the new console. But the developers “fix” them: the same Halo: Reach, which was almost unplayable for a long time, was gradually brought back to normal.
Another pleasant idea, which was previously, however, perceived negatively, is a subscription to Xbox Live Gold . Thanks to it, console owners, firstly, gain access to the online functions of games, and secondly, they add four new projects to their collection every month (though not forever: they are only available while the subscription is valid). And not of the worst quality: in November, for example, among them were Tales from the Borderlands And Trackmania Turbo. Among other things, service subscribers receive weekly exclusive discounts of up to 70%, days free game and other goodies, like team voice chat. Although the store is doing well with sales: they regularly organize generous promotions.
There was also a place on Xbox for an analogue of Origin Access - E.A.Access, which also, for a fee, provides a subscription to many games from the publisher of the same name, from the comedy Battlefield:BadCompany before MassEffect or DeadSpace. And this is not counting the solid sports line, which has always been in high demand on the Microsoft platform.
However, another subscription looks even more interesting, the name of which is Xbox Game Pass. Its essence is that for 599 rubles per month you get full access to a library of more than a hundred games. Which, as with EA Access, seems like a fair deal. An undeniable advantage of Game Pass is that the players’ collection is replenished with the most diverse games (including from third-party developers), from DiRT Rally And Mad Max before Halo 5. Moreover, there are in the selection as adapted for Xbox One games with Xbox 360, I think BioShock or first Mass Effect, as well as new generation exclusives. So far, however, the line cannot be called “killer” at all, but they promise to update the list, and for the first time there are more than enough games.
This is especially true if you recently bought a console or are just about to do so. For an affordable price, subscribers can immediately receive almost all exclusives, including the series GearsofWar, fifth Halo, SunsetOverdrive and a significant number of multi-platform projects to boot. This, at a minimum, will allow you to start getting acquainted with the console on a positive note and hold out without suffering until you have your own collection of purchased games. Well, or just save a lot if you are interested in some games from the list, but don’t have the money for them — After all, “rental” costs much less than the regular version of the game, and in this time you can go through almost anything. So, considering that the first month costs only 30 rubles, it’s definitely worth a try.
The only downside to Xbox Live is that it still has the same interface, which sometimes seems cumbersome and not particularly intuitive. Although in fairness it must be said that Microsoft is gradually moving in the right direction: over the past couple of years, using their services has become much more convenient.
PlayStation Network
And this is, in a sense, a competitor to Xbox Live, although they do not compete directly - the platforms are different. In fact, PSN- almost the same store, only without backward compatibility (although some games with PS One And PS2 are still present) and subscriptions to libraries with games. However, this is redeemed by regular generous discounts and convenience (although not in everything!).
The only thing I want to find fault with is the speed of downloading games: sometimes it drops to completely indecent values. And many residents of the CIS have problems accessing the store, especially in the case of a dynamic IP address. You have to either live without PSN for some time, or fork out for a “white” IP address.
A significant advantage of the platform for a long time was free multiplayer and subscription PlayStation Plus, which offered an impressive selection of AAA games every month. Alas, with the advent PS4 the situation has worsened: now all network functions of games began to be distributed by subscription, and decent games appear less frequently in monthly packs. Although surprises still happen, like the fifth Metal Gear Solid. Moreover, for several platforms at once: projects are distributed both for PS4 and for outdated ones PS3 And PS Vita.
Another potential ace in the hole is a cloud service PlayStation Now . So far it only works in a few countries, but it provides significant advantages: for example, with a subscription you can remotely play a huge number of excellent exclusives for the PlayStation 3. The service is available not only on PS4, but also on personal computers. Technically, there is still work to be done on it, but incredible prospects are opening up for Sony.
GOG.com
But Polish GOG.com from CD Project— probably one of the most humane services in our selection. Initially, the concept seemed simple: old DRM-free games for $5 or $10. And the collection of projects for any connoisseur of the classics on GOG.com was impressive: from Planescape: Torment to any The Bard's Tale. And all this without any security systems, unnecessary applications, etc.
Gradually the store grew, and next to the classics there were such giants as the new Divinity: Original Sin 2 , For example. But this does not make the service itself worse: it is still simple, does not require unnecessary applications (although they exist, like a download manager or a client GOG Galaxy) or fiddling with DRM, allows you to download game distributions to your computer and handle them as you please (they are not tied to GOG.com, the number of downloads is not limited, etc.), and the price tags remain very affordable.
Many games also support third-party patches, which sometimes come bundled with them, and even offer unofficial translations, like the beloved “Fargus” localizations and other joys of retro fans. In general, everything to ensure that old games run on new ones operating systems as often as possible. And this distinguishes the service from Steam, where “oldies” may not launch at all.
Separately, we note the humane attitude of the Poles towards their consumers: there is responsive technical support, and the opportunity to return a game that has not started within thirty days, and regional prices, and a bunch of bonus materials that are given complete with projects, and even the ability to activate some projects purchased on Steam and Here. Well, so as not to spend money several times. They also regularly give away great games completely free: recently they gave it away for free Oxenfree and remaster Grim Fandango.
But the disadvantages of GOG are its size: there are a lot of classics, but there are not enough truly relevant games, compared to Steam. In addition, some will miss the extensive functionality that Valve’s product has. Although the store is growing and developing, and while Steam Direct is slowly killing the indie PC segment, the Poles may well fill an empty niche. Another thing is that they are not particularly striving for this: for them, Steam is not a direct competitor, but rather just a much richer neighbor, which GOG.com is trying to complement.
Humble Bundle
We have come to the most generous and sweet point of our program. Humble Bundle- also a store that sells, however, Steam keys, but at more reasonable prices. Or rather, how... The store itself does not have regional price tags, so individual games there will cost significantly more than on larger sites. But there is one “but” around which Humble is built. These are the so-called “bundles”.
Initially, the project was conceived as an experiment, during which several games were given away for literally pennies. Moreover, according to the “pay as much as you want” scheme. So, for any amount that you enter yourself from the keyboard (starting price: $1), you can sometimes grab several interesting projects at once, and if you pay a little more (let’s say $6), you can grab several more larger games. For example, a whole set from SEGA, which may include Valkyria Chronicles, both Company of Heroes, several parts of the series Total War and the first two chapters Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
At the same time, what’s nice is that by specifying the amount, you can manually determine which money will go to project developers and which will go to charity. A small thing, but a very pleasant one: over the entire period of its existence, Humble Bundle has donated more than one hundred million dollars to charitable organizations (for example, Child’s Play and the Red Cross).
Another interesting initiative is subscription Humble Monthly, designed like Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus, only the keys and the games themselves remain with you even after the agreement expires. And more projects are distributed: from seven to twelve per month.
The price tag for Russian players for this happiness is, however, impressive: from 12 dollars for a month to 119 for the whole year. But the total cost of distributed games naturally exceeds these expenses, and 5% of monthly revenue traditionally goes to charity. Although some people will obviously be upset that all the games in the sets are essentially a surprise, so there may be some Rise of the Tomb Raider or Resident Evil 5 , and something much smaller.
Actually, this is where our analysis ends. We tried to describe as objectively as possible what various sites offer, and most importantly, to find in them services and initiatives that are pleasant for ordinary players. And I want to believe that this turned out to be useful to you. Well, if not, tell us about your thoughts and experiences using different platforms in the comments. Who knows, maybe your expert opinion will help another player choose their favorite way to thank the developers for their work.
