Point of preorder?

For me it's the peace of mind that it's paid for and it will be a much smoother transition while downloading. All I would need to do is open Origin and it'll start downloading at 10 pm. Plus there are a lot of things that require my financial focus beforehand so it's nice to know it's already paid for.

The digital age was a godsend for big game studios.
Not only do they sell at the same price (or more) as physical copies even without the previous cost of packaging/shipping, they also keep the old habit of preordering alive, which used to be to ensure you had a game when copies were limited, and now just means get money in advance.
And they don't even have to bother waiting for a finished, polished game, they can give whatever and patch what's broken.

I pre-ordered the other day when I bought a SP, it asked if I wanted to add Cats & Dogs at the same time, so I just went ahead and did it. Gives me something to look forward to. I know there is no extra benefit to doing it, but I know all I have to do on release date is download as soon as it's available. I'm in Spain, so it will be after midnight when that happens, but that's ok, I am usually simming at that hour. I am a night owl!

I pre-order the things that are right up my alley hoping that some number-cruncher will take a look and decide to do more of this kind.

"Woww, look at all those pre-orders ! Plan more, do more"

As much as we over-analyze stuff there must be someone on the other end doing the same thing, lol :p

Also, I know I will get it straight away so it is nice to download early. This is the only game I am playing now until the next Dragon Age game comes, whenever that is, so I feel like I can splurge a bit.

For me, I pre-order when I have the money, so I don't have to worry come release date. I got an email quite recently giving me a receipt, since EA had taken the funds. I'm good to go.

"Writin_Reg;c-16144295" wrote:
That's not true - at least for EA anyway - as they do not take or get YOUR money until the game is available for you to download. Now I cannot say the same thing for stores you may choose to buy from or even your bank that may put a hold on that amount of money as a pending hold - but EA gets nothing until you start downloading the game on release time or in the case of buying a physical game -then when it is shipped - that is the law. So if your bank or card holder is taking your money beforehand - then you need to talk with them and find out why unless that is a law in your country if you are not from the USA - then it might be a law where you live - but regardless - EA still does not get it until the download date or shipping date.

Thanks for the info. But in my country you pay when you (pre-)order. I don't know if they really receive your money before the release (Why shouldn't they?). But you still got a valid contract with them a long time before the ordered goods will be delivered and so, your money is already "reserved" for them.

My point is that there is no real bonus for pre-ordering in this case as there are no special incentives connected with it (e.g. early access, better price). You only obligate yourself to pay for something you will receive much later in the future without knowing about its quality.

"littlemisstorm;c-16143995" wrote:
In most pre orders they don't actually take any money until the game is sent.

Hmm. Pretty sure I was charged on the day I preordered.

I don't think they can run out of copies but sometimes the Origin Store can have issues (maintenance, crashing, etc.) so I guess if you pre-order you won't be affected by that since it's just in your library waiting to be downloaded. As long as you still have an Internet connection of course :)

delete

"OEII1001;c-15973479" wrote:

"Gabe_oz;c-15973424" wrote:

"OEII1001;c-15973382" wrote:
Unless you are getting a special bonus, discount or the ability to pre-install there is never a benefit to pre-ordering.

I do it because if you use a VPN and connect to a server in Hong Kong you can play the pack a day early.

You probably shouldn't announce that openly, especially with EA's staff running around.

It was discussed a lot on these forums by several members around the time of City Living's release. As far as I know, EA doesn't care as long as you don't use it to attempt to purchase something at a cheaper price.