# The War Z is back up on Steam. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 26, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473 "2013-02-26T22:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/1 "2013-02-26T22:33:42Z")
Couldn’t find a previous thread on this game - initially just thought to be a [shameless cash-in](http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/dayz-creator-attacks-undead-clone-the-warz-as-lazy-unnecessary/) of the hugely popular Day Z mod for ARMA 2, then infamous in gamer circles as a game Steam actually pulled from the marketplace after huge complaints about false advertising (e.g. maps and player numbers - giving it a 23/100 MetaScore rating). Up on Steam’s news feed right now; > [@Steam](#): > > The War Z is now available for purchase on Steam. Valve and Hammerpoint Interactive collaborated to address community feedback, update the Steam store page, and make the title available for purchase worldwide. In addition, a patch has been released to update existing customers. As such, the special refund offering extended for The War Z Steam customers who previously purchased the title has concluded. Given the Dope’s love with all things zombie, I thought I’d give a \*big \*caveat emptor about this one. [On the developers.](http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-war-z/1226980p1.html) [On complaints about the game itself.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtKAm3nzg6I) Have you got the game and been burnt, or pleasantly surprised? What do you think about the stink surrounding it - have Steam and Hammerpoint redeemed themselves in this re-release or is it still one to avoid? ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/2 "2013-02-27T14:47:25Z")
While I have no real interest in the game, even if I did, I’d give it a pass based on what I consider essentially unethical behavior on the part of the developers. If everyone laps this up after they say “Oh, we’re sorry, we fixed it.” then there’s no disincentive for this kind of behavior in the future. As far as I am concerned, the ‘gamer’ community is WAY too forgiving, and will froth and rage on forums and then say “take my money!” in spite of all their complaints, which basically leads developers to think “It doesn’t really matter what we do, because they buy this stuff anyway.” ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/3 "2013-02-27T15:32:53Z")
Well, Steam said the removal was only temporary. I don’t think should be the sole arbiter of what kinds of games are “fun”. So in terms of Steam’s involvement, I’m fine with them taking ti down to make sure the description on the store page was accurate, and then putting it back up again, even if the game sucks. Will people still buy it? Even with a rating of what, like 2.5? Probably. But not many. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/4 "2013-02-27T15:36:09Z")
I agree with Kinthalis - Steam is a store. It’s not their business to say “This game is bad, so we’re not going to sell it.” Now that the game (apparently?) matches it’s description, it’s fair for them to put it back up. It’s our responsibility as consumers not to buy it if we have issues with it or the developers behavior. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/5 "2013-02-27T15:59:10Z")
See, I disagree. Part of Steam’s responsibliity is to make sure the developers of the games it offeres are honest. This developer was not only dishonest but was okay with dishonesty. He didn’t even try to pretend it was a mistake. That’s a flagrant violation, and should at least be punished by keeping that particular game out of the store. Steam has no responsibility to disallow a bad game, but they do have a responsibility to enforce their own rules in a way that will make me trust them. Right now, they have not. We need a bigger punishment to assure me this won’t happen again. Restitution for those who were duped is insufficient, as a punishment must leave you worse off than when you started. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/6 "2013-02-27T17:19:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > See, I disagree. Part of Steam’s responsibliity is to make sure the developers of the games it offeres are honest. This developer was not only dishonest but was okay with dishonesty. He didn’t even try to pretend it was a mistake. That’s a flagrant violation, and should at least be punished by keeping that particular game out of the store. > > Steam has no responsibility to disallow a bad game, but they do have a responsibility to enforce their own rules in a way that will make me trust them. Right now, they have not. We need a bigger punishment to assure me this won’t happen again. Restitution for those who were duped is insufficient, as a punishment must leave you worse off than when you started. But they DID rectify the problem. They took down the game and forced the developer to specify features that were actually present in the game. If they outright ban them, that might scare smaller developers, a lot of them are doing the whole -release a beta for cheap to have the money to keep working on the game- thing. They might be afraid that a slip up, or simply a partial feature or a feature that break in an update might cause Steam to ban them from the store. The decision clears things up for consumers, without scaring the developers. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/7 "2013-02-27T17:26:43Z")
Stay away from this. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/8 "2013-02-27T17:54:45Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > It’s our responsibility as consumers not to buy it if we have issues with it or the developers behavior. Indeed, since it was put back on the marketplace the [original](http://pcmedia.gamespy.com/pc/image/article/122/1226980/warz1_1355886416.jpg) product description has been revised, so as far as Steam is concerned things are hunky and dare I say it dorey also. However, someone unfamiliar with its past and making a purchase is in my view lacking some vital info on it. When I first saw it I expected a polished DayZ running in a different engine - at least that’s the impression I got from the Steam page. And we haven’t mentioned the other business model - [cash for bullets!](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BribingYourWayToVictory) And not in the usual DLC model (purchase more skins/weapons/quests etc) either, but expendables. PC Gamer examines it; > [@](#): > > But wait: it gets worse. The War Z’s marketplace sells the same bullets you can find in-game, and they’re only buyable with real money. How much does virtual ammo cost? Well, a 30-round STANAG magazine is about $0.32. A 10-round .22 mag is $1.24—more than $0.12 per shot. Five rounds for the .50 caliber anti-materiel sniper rifle will set you back a ludicrous $3.60. > > That’s as expensive as it gets, probably because any further irresponsible mark-up would rival the cost of actual ammo. I usually shrug off claims that a game is “pay to win” as wild overstatements, but selling bullets—a legitimate form of power—is such a positively stupid, egregious thing. It sells out the very theme of the game. In firefights, it detracts from the mindset of needing to be hyperconscious of your ammo consumption, or the feeling that you’re fighting an enemy who’s similarly underequipped. I like scarcity in apocalyptic shooters; saving your precious flamethrower ammo in Fallout 3 until a boss fight made that encounter so much more meaningful. I can’t believe the extent that Hammerpoint is willing to put a price on that feeling. [http://www.pcgamer.com/review/the-war-z-review/2/](http://www.pcgamer.com/review/the-war-z-review/2/) ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/9 "2013-02-27T19:44:17Z")
I have to wonder what the developer was thinking. I mean take the time to make a decent game and build decent mechanics, and the Pc community will likely take to it. Even if it’s a small, comfortable niche. This isn’t console development where it’s a million copies or broke. I would be embarrassed to put something like that out there. Even if they actually put ou something good in the future… who’s going to take them seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/10 "2013-02-27T20:56:11Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I have to wonder what the developer was thinking. > > I mean take the time to make a decent game and build decent mechanics, and the Pc community will likely take to it. Even if it’s a small, comfortable niche. > > This isn’t console development where it’s a million copies or broke. Doesn’t mean some people won’t be SATISFIED with a “small, comfortable niche” and want to milk a product for every dollar they think they can get out of it. Developing for the PC doesn’t make you clever or good businessmen. Clearly, they think they’re going to make more money this way. Time will tell whether they are right. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/11 "2013-02-27T21:06:24Z")
It’s worth noting that Sergey Titov, the producer of this game, is also the man responsible for[the infamously broken Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rigs:_Over_the_Road_Racing) It would appear he used the same “Release the game in a broken and unplayable state and hope that the sales from people stupid enough to buy it give us enough cash to fix it later” approach he took then. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/12 "2013-02-27T21:20:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s worth noting that Sergey Titov, the producer of this game, is also the man responsible for[the infamously broken Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rigs:_Over_the_Road_Racing) > > It would appear he used the same “Release the game in a broken and unplayable state and hope that the sales from people stupid enough to buy it give us enough cash to fix it later” approach he took then. Oh crap, no way! Same guy? I think that’s the lowest scored game on Gamespot. They trot it out as a joke every once in a while on the podcast. Lol. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/13 "2013-02-27T21:43:41Z")
That GameSpy interview is hilarious. It’s like Dan Aykroyd’s Irwin Mainway character in the voice of Yakov Smirnoff. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/14 "2013-02-28T01:30:19Z")
Does it still have the 4 hour wait between respawns? (It’s OK there was an in-game purchase that resuced the timer!) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-war-z-is-back-up-on-steam/651473/15 "2013-02-28T20:42:24Z")
YOU’RE WINNER! lol:D No. I won’t be purchasing The War Z. I can only play one zombie game at a time and I’m already emotionally vested in the DayZ mod and forthcomming standalone version (provided it doesn’t ship in a two-pack with Duke Nukem Forever). Ironically, I feel like the DayZ mod would be a pretty crappy game if it were sold as a finished product as-is. It’s buggy. Extremely hacker prone. There isn’t much to actually “do” besides wander vast tracks of wilderness and hamlets full of sealed up buildings. It’s vastly imbalanced with some players equipped with ghillie suits and .50 cal anti-material rifles that can take out an unsuspecting player armed only with an ax a half mile away. The “zombies” are more like drunken hobos that run in wierd evasive patterns (since they are repurposed soldiers from ArmA). The community is full of jerks who mostly hack, kill or otherwise grief other players. And yet it’s surprisingly addictive.