Factorio Forums

Adding my own anecdotes about Factorio and piracy: I've shared my version with a few friends so they could try the game in multiplayer with me. So far, that's ended in two additional sales out of the two people I've done this with. Also got to try out how it works when both windows and mac clients run together, and that was flawless.

However, since I used my steam-code to add my game on steam, I'm running the newest version at all times, meaning that whenever the game updates, which is very often (yay!) they either have to buy the game or not play on the save any more.

zytukin wrote:Also keep in mind that some people who pirate a game later buy it if they enjoy it.

yer damn right. - - - - -

i've wasted way too many hundreds of dollars on games i didn't like over the years. so now my principle is that i don't pay money for a game until i've played it first to see if it's something i want. almost no exceptions.
i rarely bother looking for Demos or anything of the sort because they're usually heavily oudated, or missing much of the content of the game, making for me still having no real idea of what the game is about.

watching videos of people playing a game is basically useless for evaluating how much you like a game. for Factorio it kind've works due to the infrastructure and strategic nature - but for say, a Shooter, you can't get an idea of how it feels to play by watching a video. you have to play most games for yourself to get an idea of if you like the way it plays.

i have no qualms about having many illegal copies of games. because i also have many purchased games. the numbers on both sides of the fence are quite high.

as a Consumer, i feel completely within rights to do so. because in basically any other industry, you can (and generally do) try something before you purchase it. or atleast can return it in a similar vein of trying. you don't buy a car without taking a test drive first, and doing a lot of research. expecting people to just throw money at the air for games or any other Consumer medium is just ignorant.

and as a creator, i encourage people to do the same. because getting that one extra sale but getting a negative review or some sort of negative exposure to other prospective Customers does not help at all. the one bad sale isn't worth the likely dozens of other sales you won't make because of it.
we all know the story. if someone has a terrible Customer experience, they'll tell 100 people. if they have a good Customer experience, they'll tell 1-2 people.

So, even a google search will bring dozens of Valid but free factorio downloads, cracked and torrent( ). So i was wondering, has anyone ever pirated any games before. Also, i didn't know if this fitted any categories.

In the past I pirated much more than I do now, a combination of having more expendable money, games being better, and owning games through steam is just plain more convenient.
I'd have to say, the legality or morality of it means virtually nothing to me. If a game has annoying DRM that makes me put in a CD, I will crack it. If you make owning a game more convenient than pirating it, then I will buy it.
The automatic updates and stuff going smooth is a convenience. Having an illegal copy is somewhat annoying, just plain not worth dicking with anymore. The industry is much smarter about it than in the 90's as well, it's more rare for a game to cost $50 and show nothing for it.
And I feel that to an extent my time is worth more.. If the game entertains me for 20+ hours then it was a good buy. Games like this where I've spent hundreds of hours, no brainer. Good buy.
Also I've been picking up a lot less new titles lately, nearly all of them on referral or good review. I don't have the time to try a game that has a high chance of sucking.

Honestly most of what I pirate anymore are movies, and I still check to see if I can just watch it on Netflix first. And even that is more of a case of just wanting to see the dang movie when I want, not about saving a few bucks.

AutoMcD wrote:(...) owning games through steam (...)

Did you read Steam EULA.

I will admit, i pirated factorio, or myself did about a year ago and didnt have a way to unzip it. now i am saving up the money to buy a real copy, and donate the amount for another to make up for what i did.

drvelo wrote:So i was wondering, has anyone ever pirated any games before.

*raises hand*
I wont buy most games without playing them first. Really the only exceptions are fallout and elder scrolls.

So, yea, I've pirated.....a lot.
That's all I will say.

I have to say that I am against all types of pirating, whether you 'might buy it afterwards' or not. The only exception being if you can't buy it elsewhere.
Seriously people... this is what steam refunds are for! Pirating is ILLEGAL and you are doing something against the law! Even when there is a demo as well...

I'm just glad that the majority of Factorio players are honest and trustworthy

Jonathan88 wrote:I have to say that I am against all types of pirating, whether you 'might buy it afterwards' or not. The only exception being if you can't buy it elsewhere.
Seriously people... this is what steam refunds are for! Pirating is ILLEGAL and you are doing something against the law! Even when there is a demo as well...

I'm just glad that the majority of Factorio players are honest and trustworthy

Lets see, raise your hand if you have ever had major financial trouble, but wanted to chill out by playing games. I do it because i have little money, not old enough to get a job, but too old for an allowance. So pirating is what i do, and when i can by games, ill crack them to the bowl of the internet, so others can enjoy. Also, some people are in countries where you can't get those games, Pirating allows them to play their favorite games. But, i respect your option.

With steam sales is kind of hard to justify piracy these days, if you can't buy it just wait for the sale and get it with a discount.

m44v wrote:With steam sales is kind of hard to justify piracy these days, if you can't buy it just wait for the sale and get it with a discount.

There will be no sale for Factorio.
Also playing the game is not something that's due. Nothing grants the moral right to say "as I can't afford it, I pirate it". If one can't afford it, that's bad. but one could make use of the time one won't spend in the game looking for a job.

Koub wrote:

m44v wrote:With steam sales is kind of hard to justify piracy these days, if you can't buy it just wait for the sale and get it with a discount.

There will be no sale for Factorio.
Also playing the game is not something that's due. Nothing grants the moral right to say "as I can't afford it, I pirate it". If one can't afford it, that's bad. but one could make use of the time one won't spend in the game looking for a job.

Thank you indeed Koub for your cystal-clear statement.
That satisfies honest buyers of factorio.
I was recently hit with a intimidating mini-shitstorm by a pirate-understanding troll because I was speaking up on the same subject the same way like you.

Further conversation isn't gaining anything worthwhile. The information on the first few posts is sufficient.

Also admitting to pirating the game might not be the best idea, I might get pissed one day and who knows what would happen to your accounts.

Playing whack-a-mole with free online copies isn't worth our time, so we just beat the pirates by releasing good solid updates with the online features only available to those who purchased the game