sure it sucks that the PC didn't get the demo at the same time as the 360, but geez, it's just a few days difference - I'm not gonna QQ about it. especially since I have it preloaded on steam, so I'll be playing the actual game before the xbox people even leave the house to go to the store, pick up the game, pay with that archaic paper money, and bring home a nice plastic box to throw away or clutter the house, and a nice physical disc to keep track of and avoid scratching <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
QuaunautThe longest seven days in history...Join Date: 2003-03-21Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<!--quoteo(post=1644492:date=Aug 18 2007, 11:21 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ Aug 18 2007, 11:21 PM) [snapback]1644492[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> sure it sucks that the PC didn't get the demo at the same time as the 360, but geez, it's just a few days difference - I'm not gonna QQ about it. especially since I have it preloaded on steam, so I'll be playing the actual game before the xbox people even leave the house to go to the store, pick up the game, pay with that archaic paper money, and bring home a nice plastic box to throw away or clutter the house, and a nice physical disc to keep track of and avoid scratching <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
(I like digital delivery) <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> <img src="http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/08/TRUbioshock.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" /> <a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/lucky-######s-get-bioshock-early-289530.php" target="_blank">http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/lucky-ba...arly-289530.php</a> pwnt
It's hardly "pwnt" if an insignificant percentage of people get the game before PC gamers becuase Toys R Us doesn't know what the heck they're doing. And Private_Coleman, I don't understand how you can think the PC is being ignored when there is no evidence to support this except some sort of conspiracy theory about the PC demo coming out after the 360 one not because it's more work but because they hate the platform.
Private_ColemanPhD in Video GamesJoin Date: 2002-11-07Member: 7510Members
<!--quoteo(post=1644510:date=Aug 19 2007, 06:01 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 19 2007, 06:01 AM) [snapback]1644510[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> It's hardly "pwnt" if an insignificant percentage of people get the game before PC gamers becuase Toys R Us doesn't know what the heck they're doing. And Private_Coleman, I don't understand how you can think the PC is being ignored when there is no evidence to support this except some sort of conspiracy theory about the PC demo coming out after the 360 one not because it's more work but because they hate the platform. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Calm down, I never said they HATE PCs. Also labelling it as a "conspiracy theory" is a stretch.
I'm just saying I just feel that due to certain factors it seems that PC users are getting a raw deal.
Regardless, there is no evidence that they aren't being ignored, so stop telling me how to feel, you feel bully.
But I haven't seen any evidence that PC gamers are getting a raw deal. That's why it's annoying when I take a good long look at a million different reasons that makes it look like PC gamers aren't getting the short end of the stick, and then someone makes a one sentence post that amounts to "I feel left out but I won't tell you why."
Private_ColemanPhD in Video GamesJoin Date: 2002-11-07Member: 7510Members
<!--quoteo(post=1644521:date=Aug 19 2007, 06:53 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 19 2007, 06:53 AM) [snapback]1644521[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> But I haven't seen any evidence that PC gamers are getting a raw deal. That's why it's annoying when I take a good long look at a million different reasons that makes it look like PC gamers aren't getting the short end of the stick, and then someone makes a one sentence post that amounts to "I feel left out but I won't tell you why." <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's just a feeling. Please explain all of your feelings to me.
I am merely expressing my opinion, I don't have to justify it.
Wooo look at <i>meeeee</i> my name is Coleman and I have <i>feeeeelings</i> that I can't <i>explaaaaiiiiin</i>. They come from my heart because it gets too <i>confuuuuusiiing</i> when I try to think instead of <i>feeeel</i>. All those other people try to think their way through the world, but they're stupid. True knowledge comes from the heart! Or the gut. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF3m3f9iMRc" target="_blank">Stephen Colbert knows how it goes</a>. The truth doesn't lie in the brain! It's in the <i>gut</i>. Who cares what's real? Don't talk to me about facts! Facts can mean anything! It's what you FEEL that matters!
Imo it's probably Microgash being overzealous (maybe even threatened) that their 360 Bioshock sales earnings will be shat on the second the PC version comes out. Not releasing a PC demo or delaying it will increase pre-orders on the 360, as people with XBoxes and PCs (or people who own PCs but live in a house with a 360) will see that the game looks good on an XBox and order it for that.
I'll no doubt be ordering it for Steam. But there's no chance of me doing that before I've checked out how well the demo runs on my PC. Getting a game as purportedly gorgeous as this and having to wait another month for the money to spend on hardware upgrades would kill me, and if I didn't wait and just played with sub-par <GFX/RAM/CPU power> I'd effectively be killing the game... and I don't think I could live with myself if I did that to such a thing of beauty. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Private_ColemanPhD in Video GamesJoin Date: 2002-11-07Member: 7510Members
<!--quoteo(post=1644523:date=Aug 19 2007, 07:04 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 19 2007, 07:04 AM) [snapback]1644523[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Wooo look at <i>meeeee</i> my name is Coleman and I have <i>feeeeelings</i> that I can't <i>explaaaaiiiiin</i>. They come from my heart because it gets too <i>confuuuuusiiing</i> when I try to think instead of <i>feeeel</i>. All those other people try to think their way through the world, but they're stupid. True knowledge comes from the heart! Or the gut. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF3m3f9iMRc" target="_blank">Stephen Colbert knows how it goes</a>. The truth doesn't lie in the brain! It's in the <i>gut</i>. Who cares what's real? Don't talk to me about facts! Facts can mean anything! It's what you FEEL that matters! <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I have never heard of this Stephen Colbert but I sure do not appreciate your sarcasm. You should learn to accept people's opinions instead of trying to force your own on everyone. Now if you're done, maybe we can return this thread to discussion about Bioshock. I'm going to go study so I'll leave that choice up to you.
<!--quoteo(post=1644523:date=Aug 19 2007, 10:04 PM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 19 2007, 10:04 PM) [snapback]1644523[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Wooo look at <i>meeeee</i> my name is Coleman and I have <i>feeeeelings</i> that I can't <i>explaaaaiiiiin</i>. They come from my heart because it gets too <i>confuuuuusiiing</i> when I try to think instead of <i>feeeel</i>. All those other people try to think their way through the world, but they're stupid. True knowledge comes from the heart! Or the gut. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF3m3f9iMRc" target="_blank">Stephen Colbert knows how it goes</a>. The truth doesn't lie in the brain! It's in the <i>gut</i>. Who cares what's real? Don't talk to me about facts! Facts can mean anything! It's what you FEEL that matters! <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Oh bravo, bravo. Sarcasm and slander is the failsafe for those that have no argument, face it, you're pushing your personal opinion on others for the sake of making your self feel "I'M RIGHT :| AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT"
Come on, grow up, yes demo's are sometimes released AFTER the game is released, that is true, but its blatantly obvious that a developer would focus on a platform more then others, thats freaking common sense. It's putting all your eggs in one basket, yes, but its also getting stuff over and done with in a swift manner rather then having to wait another 3 months for all the other platforms be up to par, which depending on how you look at it, would be considered being 'fair' for all kinds of gamers rather then just 'focusing' on one. It's all about marketing, and could be considered selfish by the developers/publishers. It depends on how you look at those sort of things, but its hardly worth arguing over such a stupid thing that is purely on personal opinion.
<!--quoteo(post=1644531:date=Aug 19 2007, 05:46 AM:name=Daza4)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Daza4 @ Aug 19 2007, 05:46 AM) [snapback]1644531[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Oh bravo, bravo. Sarcasm and slander is the failsafe for those that have no argument, face it, you're pushing your personal opinion on others for the sake of making your self feel "I'M RIGHT :| AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT"
Come on, grow up, yes demo's are sometimes released AFTER the game is released, that is true, but its blatantly obvious that a developer would focus on a platform more then others, thats freaking common sense. It's putting all your eggs in one basket, yes, but its also getting stuff over and done with in a swift manner rather then having to wait another 3 months for all the other platforms be up to par, which depending on how you look at it, would be considered being 'fair' for all kinds of gamers rather then just 'focusing' on one. It's all about marketing, and could be considered selfish by the developers/publishers. It depends on how you look at those sort of things, but its hardly worth arguing over such a stupid thing that is purely on personal opinion. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sarcasm and slander are pretty much the only option when you earlier pitted overwhelming evidence against vague feelings and it didn't work out. I'm not even saying he's wrong; I'm just asking why he feels the way he does. And he doesn't even know. He just has this thing in his head. He doesn't know where it came from, or why it's there, but he's trusting it despite evidence to the contrary.
I know developers often focus on one platform or another, but there are so many (and I mean MANY) reasons to believe that the PC is in no way an inferior platform when it comes to Bioshock. As if the repeated asssurances and track record of the developers aren't enough, there are statements from multiple reviewers and evidence right there in what we know of the game that indicate this is every bit as much as PC game as it is a console game. Considering the subject matter and the gameplay style, in fact, it's far more traditionally PC than it is console.
Private_ColemanPhD in Video GamesJoin Date: 2002-11-07Member: 7510Members
<!--quoteo(post=1644532:date=Aug 19 2007, 08:00 AM:name=TychoCelchuuu)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TychoCelchuuu @ Aug 19 2007, 08:00 AM) [snapback]1644532[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Sarcasm and slander are pretty much the only option when you earlier pitted overwhelming evidence against vague feelings and it didn't work out. I'm not even saying he's wrong; I'm just asking why he feels the way he does. And he doesn't even know. He just has this thing in his head. He doesn't know where it came from, or why it's there, but he's trusting it despite evidence to the contrary.
I know developers often focus on one platform or another, but there are so many (and I mean MANY) reasons to believe that the PC is in no way an inferior platform when it comes to Bioshock. As if the repeated asssurances and track record of the developers aren't enough, there are statements from multiple reviewers and evidence right there in what we know of the game that indicate this is every bit as much as PC game as it is a console game. Considering the subject matter and the gameplay style, in fact, it's far more traditionally PC than it is console. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh dear. This has turned into quite a mess.
Sorry to inform you tychu but I do have my reasons but I thought they were well documented and did not need to repeat them. There is just as much "evidence" either way and views on this is a matter of personal opinion. As we have both stated our opinions I see no further reason to discuss the matter. I have no more to say on the subject and really do hope that you let this go, because now I'm going to bed since I have a test tomorrow. I never meant to make you feel upset.
If the PC gamers are indeed getting the raw deal (and with my 360 on repair, I wish I had a PC demo too), but you have to think about this from a business standpoint. Bioshock is poised to be a blockbuster on the 360, so they've marketed it as such. Think about it, how many PC screenshots, and in game movies on the PC have you seen? Not many. They've marketed this as a 360 console exclusive, and that's where the money will be. I'm actually impressed they've taken the steps to "deconsolify" the PC version, especially offering digital distribution as well as physical copies. But 2K knew that the 360 was where the real money is, and I think Bioshock will actually be a system seller, so I don't blame them for concentrating on getting the Live demo out.
<u><b>Evidence that Bioshock is a console-centric game and that any concern for PC gamers has fallen by the wayside</b></u>: <ul><li>It was developed at all for the 360 <blockquote>Mitigating/Additional Info: Even traditionally PC games, like Enemy Territory: Quake Wars or HL2: Orange Box, or newcomers that would generally default to the PC, like World in Conflict or Universe at War, are also coming out concurrently on consoles due to the growing market for games and the money available there. Nobody, of course, would accuse any of these games of being anything but PC games to their very core.</blockquote></li><li>There has been a big marketing push for the 360 version of the game <blockquote>Right next to the XBOX Logo is the Games For Windows logo, which is of course for the PC, the only other platform Bioshock comes out on. They also plaster the nVidia and X-Fi logos all over Bioshock promotional material, and since the 360 has an ATi card inside I think we can safely assume this is meant to appeal to PC gamers. (Or at least it's meant to acknowledge the platform. I doubt anyone likes those logos.)</blockquote></li><li>Bioshock is often demoed (demo-ed?) on consoles <blockquote>This too is becoming the norm for any multiplatform game, either because consoles sell more so they want to make a bigger push for them, or because a console is a thousand times easier to carry around, set up, and control when you want to demo a game compared to a PC. Witness games like Call of Duty 4, which is demoed on all platforms, and Fallout 3, which is generally demoed on the 360.</blockquote></li><li>The developers (Ken Levine, actually, hybrid spokesman and developer robot) said that it was a "shooter first" <blockquote>This could definitely fit someone's idea of console-centric marketing, but it would also be hard to argue that shooters are the territory of the 360 versus the PC, when you look at stuff like Half-Life 2, Battlefield 2, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, etc. Either way this is probably just an effort to keep from scaring off people who play Halo and stuff; PC gamers aren't turned off by the adventure/SS2-esque elements as much as console gamers might be.</blockquote></li><li>The 360 demo came out before the PC demo <blockquote>There are many different ways to say it, but a PC demo is harder to make than a console demo, and holding back the XBOX demo just to make PC gamers feel all warm inside would be six ways to silly. They're working very hard, and overtime, to get the PC demo out as soon as humanly possible, or at least as soon as humanly possible without using that weird drug from that one episode of Eureka, which has nasty side effects, although it doesn't turn your arms in to beehives so there's that.</blockquote></li><li>Coleman has a feeling <blockquote><i>It's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)</i>.</blockquote></li><li>MedHead's also got a feeling <blockquote><i>I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)</i>.</blockquote></li></ul>
<u><b>Evidence that Bioshock is indeed catering to PC gamers as much as or more than the console players</b></u>: <ul><li>PC-centric modifications have been made to the PC version <blockquote>Considering even triple-A titles like Oblivion feel compelled to pretend that a PC runs at a screen resolution that is the same as a console, this is nice, albeit sad that it's not more common.</blockquote></li><li>Gameplay elements and options traditionally considered PC-centric are present, like turning off the highlight on quest items <blockquote>It's possible that this is not a concession to PC gamers but rather to incredibly discerning fans who nevertheless still game on consoles instead of the PC and would not be wooed to buy it on the PC. This, however, seems unlikely.</blockquote></li><li>The genre (System Shock, basically) is traditionally a genre beloved by PC gamers and ignored by development companies <blockquote>Bioshock got turned down by a whole heap of publishers before it was picked up. Irrational had previously decided to shelve projects like this for more commercially successful stuff like SWAT 4, and they could have done it again, but they kept pushing for what amounts to System Shock 3, something that is near and dear to PC gamers but that will leave your average console gamer wondering why he hasn't heard of System Shock 1 or 2.</blockquote></li><li>What was once Irrational Games (which is/was what was once Looking Glass) has been a mostly PC-centric studio and has made some well-like PC games that weren't available on consoles at all <blockquote>I don't have anything to add to that but I've added notes to the rest of these.</blockquote></li><li>It was developed at all for the PC <blockquote>Admit it, the big money's in consoles. Halo doesn't even bother to release for PC until the next sequel's close enough to taste, and even then Microsoft pulls silly stuff like "lol Vista." Irrational (oops, 2k) could have just said "whatever, let's save a chunk of cash and let some other company port it to PC." Prey did the opposite with the 360 but these days it's getting more common to do the former.</blockquote></li><li>It's being released on the same day for both systems <blockquote>Duhr huhr huhr.</blockquote></li><li>It's on Steam on the same day it's being released, which I think is more or less novel for a gigantic title like this that is not Valve-developed <blockquote>Toys R Us shenanigans notwithstanding, this makes it easier to buy the PC version than the console version. I've seen a few people decide to go with Steam and cancel their 360 preorders. I can't imagine someone at 2k Games making this call if the idea was to short PC gamers every chance they got.</blockquote></li><li>Reviews of the PC game note the very good job the developers did to make the PC game a PC game and not a console port <blockquote>As I mentioned before, if you look at stuff like Oblivion, you can make a very high profile title and still get away with treating the PC like crap. Bioshock appears not to have done this at all, and has even gone to extra lengths to accomodate PC gamers.</blockquote></li><li>Tycho's got a feeling <blockquote><i>I closed my eyes and I slipped away</i></blockquote></li></ul> <!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->*Song lyrics courtesy Boston - "More than a feeling." Snacks furnished by Amazon.com's new Amazon Fresh service. Had to pay for 'em, though.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Tycho Reports, You Decide! I'm Fair and Balanced! I own the Wall Street Journal now!
I'll add a quote from "Elizabeth" who is some sort of Bioshock dev:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A BioShock PC Demo IS coming. We tried as hard as humanly possible to get it out to you guys simultaneously with the 360 demo, but we needed to make sure that it was perfect -- that all drivers were ready, and that the game looked great on a huge variety of computers.
Currently, the PC demo in its final stages of testing and approval. We are pushing to get it out to you as soon as possible. It will be out during the month of August, and everyone is working at full capacity to deliver it to you before the game hits store shelves on August 21st. I will also let you know as soon as I have an exact date for the demo's release, so please stay tuned.
I cannot express enough how sorry I am for the wait. Thank you for understanding and your patience. Just remember -- only eight days left till you get your hands on the full game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you want the logical answer, tycho (imo - emphasis on that) is right. Straight up, it just takes longer to make the PC demo, and it's release date is representative of that fact, not that they "dislike" PC gamers which would be a completely irresponsible stance for any game developer to make anyway.
but, like anything, logic doesn't dictate all feelings (see the matrix where neo chooses trinity over impossible odds) so in others' opinions (emphasis on that) PC gamers are being ignored.
<a href="http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/home.html" target="_blank">Bioshock demo at 7PM EST tomorrow</a>. That's, uh, 16:00 PST and different times in Australia, etc. So yeah. Good news! Although I'm just waiting to play the full thing, no point in riling myself up before I can play any more. They say to make sure you have the super-absolute latest drivers for your vidya card, because apparently that matters. Go figure; updated drivers for a brand new game. What crazy stuff will they think of next?!
FYI (and because I'm sure a few people will take some glee in seeing you informed on a topic, and because I like playing devil's advocate from time to time) it's <i>demo'd</i>, not "demoed" or "demo-ed". This is because 'demo' is short for 'demonstration' (as I'm sure you know) and instead of saying 'demonstrated' you can simply shorten it but you must signify which part of the word has been omitted with an apostrophe (as you do with "can't", for example).
---
Back on topic, yay for PC demo on Monday, nay for queueing for a Fileplanet download server.
(and before you say anything, Tycho, yes I do mean 'yay' as in exclamation and not 'yea' as in affirmation <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />)
I think the Fileplanet thing is just a way for people to get first in line for the download or something weird like that. If it actually let you download before other people they'd say it in more obvious terms instead of calling it queueing or whatever they called it.
While this whole shouting match is silly and ridiculous, I can't help but sympathise with Tycho's frustration (even though he, just like the ones he's shouting at / being shouted at, is being silly). Feelings are not truth, and admitting that they're irrational doesn't <i>elevate</i> them to a higher level of knowledge that transcends truth and falsehood.
In general, I am quite receptive to the argument that the PC as a gaming platform is increasingly being marginalised by consoles. However, to cite <i>Bioshock</i>, of all games, as an example of this is akin to trying to prove that the average life-span of humans is less than one hundred years by means of a centenarian - even though your thesis may be true, your example stands in opposition to it.
<!--quoteo(post=1644616:date=Aug 19 2007, 06:28 PM:name=Crispy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Crispy @ Aug 19 2007, 06:28 PM) [snapback]1644616[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> FYI (and because I'm sure a few people will take some glee in seeing you informed on a topic, and because I like playing devil's advocate from time to time) it's <i>demo'd</i>, not "demoed" or "demo-ed". This is because 'demo' is short for 'demonstration' (as I'm sure you know) and instead of saying 'demonstrated' you can simply shorten it but you must signify which part of the word has been omitted with an apostrophe (as you do with "can't", for example). <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Good point, but I would argue that 'demo' has achieved independence from 'demonstrate.' I consider the two words to have slightly different shades of meaning. Take the verb forms, for example: "demo the game" suggests, at least to me, a more unstructured, isolated experience; "demonstrate the game" suggests a structured presentation to a group of people. I make similar distinctions for the nouns. Also, I would not treat 'demo' as a contraction and add apostrophes to its forms for two reasons: 1) Many commonly used words in English are very clearly contractions but are not punctuated as such (phone, fridge); and 2) There are no words in English for which you would add an apostrophe solely for the past tense, as is the case in "demo'd."
M-w.com and dictionary.com are silent on the issues. I did indeed see many non-authorities who use 'demo'd,' not just for 'demonstrated,' but for 'demolished' as well. I am merely playing devil's advocate to the devil's advocate, and having a fun time doing so.
Back on topic...
When Bioshock gets released, I would like to hear some experiences people have. Look at my avatar. I am a System Shock fan. If BS captures the feel of SS2, the I will definitely need to pick up this one... in a few years if I have a computer beefy enough to run it.
I'd say demo has broken free when you talk about the actual program, but when it comes to PR guys showing it off, I agree with Crispy that it's just short for demonstration. Wasn't quite thinking about it, since you're also sort of right. It's very close to becoming its own word.
Apparently FileShack Mercury members also get the special demo mojo that the Fileplanet people get, whatever the heck that is. I wish they'd make it clear.
If it comes out over Steam (who knows) that'll probably be the fastest way to get it, depending on your Steam connection speeds. Mine are crazy fast but plenty of peope seem to chug along quite slowly with it.
Alcapwn"War is the science of destruction" - John AbbotJoin Date: 2003-06-21Member: 17590Members
<!--quoteo(post=1644524:date=Aug 19 2007, 08:11 AM:name=Crispy)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Crispy @ Aug 19 2007, 08:11 AM) [snapback]1644524[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Imo it's probably Microgash being overzealous (maybe even threatened) that their 360 Bioshock sales earnings will be shat on the second the PC version comes out. Not releasing a PC demo or delaying it will increase pre-orders on the 360, as people with XBoxes and PCs (or people who own PCs but live in a house with a 360) will see that the game looks good on an XBox and order it for that.
I'll no doubt be ordering it for Steam. But there's no chance of me doing that before I've checked out how well the demo runs on my PC. Getting a game as purportedly gorgeous as this and having to wait another month for the money to spend on hardware upgrades would kill me, and if I didn't wait and just played with sub-par <GFX/RAM/CPU power> I'd effectively be killing the game... and I don't think I could live with myself if I did that to such a thing of beauty. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" /> <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why do people always make up these crazy conspriacies?
What if the 360 demo was just done first? Oh, but that cant be! Micro<insert insult here>soft must be up to something! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
<!--quoteo(post=1644635:date=Aug 20 2007, 01:36 AM:name=Shzar)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Shzar @ Aug 20 2007, 01:36 AM) [snapback]1644635[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Good point, but I would argue that 'demo' has achieved independence from 'demonstrate.' I consider the two words to have slightly different shades of meaning. Take the verb forms, for example: "demo the game" suggests, at least to me, a more unstructured, isolated experience; "demonstrate the game" suggests a structured presentation to a group of people. I make similar distinctions for the nouns.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I agree with the nouns having come to mean different things, but I still think the verbs are almost identical in most cases. If someone "demoed a game" at E3, for example, they would no doubt be presenting it in person, and the same with presenting a music demo to a publisher. On the other hand making a demo available on Steam I don't think would or should be described as 'demoing', in the same way sending a music demo in via the post is not 'demoing' a product, it's submitting a demonstration/making it widely available.
As far as the nouns go, it's clear that demo still keeps the original sense, but has inherited additional and more specific meaning. In general terms the Bioshock demo is still a demonstration, however it is a demonstration requiring no live presenter.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also, I would not treat 'demo' as a contraction and add apostrophes to its forms for two reasons: 1) Many commonly used words in English are very clearly contractions but are not punctuated as such (phone, fridge); and 2) There are no words in English for which you would add an apostrophe solely for the past tense, as is the case in "demo'd."
M-w.com and dictionary.com are silent on the issues. I did indeed see many non-authorities who use 'demo'd,' not just for 'demonstrated,' but for 'demolished' as well. I am merely playing devil's advocate to the devil's advocate, and having a fun time doing so.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->The apostrophe rule exists, but it is only really used for words that are not accepted abbreviated verb forms, which no longer applies to demo by the looks of things. It would still be used if you wanted to invent a new contraction for a one-off journalism piece, e.g. "he got paedo'd" (excuse the unsavoury example).
My assumption was that demo as a verb had not reached acceptance. Since it has, it would -as Tycho believed- take the same verb forms as 'veto' and 'photo', resulting in "demoed/demoing". However, the noun forms differ slightly. Veto becomes 'vetoer' since it is not an abbreviation, while 'photoer' reverts to 'photographer'. It is unclear if 'demoer' would be more or less acceptable than 'demonstrator'. I would argue that 'demoer' would be the preferred noun form if only to distinguish it from other more common types of 'demonstrators' (e.g. political). Also, in the plural again there is confusion. Veto becomes 'vetoes' in the plural, but photo is always written as 'photos'. I think this is, again, to do with the latter's origins as an abbreviation, probably developing from "photographs" to "photo's" to "photos" (once accepted as an independant noun). Following this example I think it's safe to assume that 'demos' is the correct plural (as well as being the 3rd person singular for the verb form).
As for fridge and phone, in some older books those words were written apostrophes (for instance, 'phone appears in <i>The Great Gatsby</i> IIRC). Since their abbreviated forms have now become the preferred forms for speech and even non-formal styles of professional writing, the rule no longer applies; they have become new words in their own right.
This <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=-o" target="_blank">link</a> makes for short but interesting reading.
P.S. Can a mod split this thread? I left my comment in here instead of PMing as I had technically given misinformation on this point.
Comments
We already had that with Oblivion.
(I like digital delivery)
sure it sucks that the PC didn't get the demo at the same time as the 360, but geez, it's just a few days difference - I'm not gonna QQ about it. especially since I have it preloaded on steam, so I'll be playing the actual game before the xbox people even leave the house to go to the store, pick up the game, pay with that archaic paper money, and bring home a nice plastic box to throw away or clutter the house, and a nice physical disc to keep track of and avoid scratching <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
(I like digital delivery)
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<img src="http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/08/TRUbioshock.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
<a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/lucky-######s-get-bioshock-early-289530.php" target="_blank">http://kotaku.com/gaming/xbox-360/lucky-ba...arly-289530.php</a>
pwnt
It's hardly "pwnt" if an insignificant percentage of people get the game before PC gamers becuase Toys R Us doesn't know what the heck they're doing. And Private_Coleman, I don't understand how you can think the PC is being ignored when there is no evidence to support this except some sort of conspiracy theory about the PC demo coming out after the 360 one not because it's more work but because they hate the platform.
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Calm down, I never said they HATE PCs. Also labelling it as a "conspiracy theory" is a stretch.
I'm just saying I just feel that due to certain factors it seems that PC users are getting a raw deal.
Regardless, there is no evidence that they aren't being ignored, so stop telling me how to feel, you feel bully.
But I haven't seen any evidence that PC gamers are getting a raw deal. That's why it's annoying when I take a good long look at a million different reasons that makes it look like PC gamers aren't getting the short end of the stick, and then someone makes a one sentence post that amounts to "I feel left out but I won't tell you why."
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It's just a feeling. Please explain all of your feelings to me.
I am merely expressing my opinion, I don't have to justify it.
I'll no doubt be ordering it for Steam. But there's no chance of me doing that before I've checked out how well the demo runs on my PC. Getting a game as purportedly gorgeous as this and having to wait another month for the money to spend on hardware upgrades would kill me, and if I didn't wait and just played with sub-par <GFX/RAM/CPU power> I'd effectively be killing the game... and I don't think I could live with myself if I did that to such a thing of beauty. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Wooo look at <i>meeeee</i> my name is Coleman and I have <i>feeeeelings</i> that I can't <i>explaaaaiiiiin</i>. They come from my heart because it gets too <i>confuuuuusiiing</i> when I try to think instead of <i>feeeel</i>. All those other people try to think their way through the world, but they're stupid. True knowledge comes from the heart! Or the gut. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF3m3f9iMRc" target="_blank">Stephen Colbert knows how it goes</a>. The truth doesn't lie in the brain! It's in the <i>gut</i>. Who cares what's real? Don't talk to me about facts! Facts can mean anything! It's what you FEEL that matters!
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I have never heard of this Stephen Colbert but I sure do not appreciate your sarcasm. You should learn to accept people's opinions instead of trying to force your own on everyone. Now if you're done, maybe we can return this thread to discussion about Bioshock. I'm going to go study so I'll leave that choice up to you.
Wooo look at <i>meeeee</i> my name is Coleman and I have <i>feeeeelings</i> that I can't <i>explaaaaiiiiin</i>. They come from my heart because it gets too <i>confuuuuusiiing</i> when I try to think instead of <i>feeeel</i>. All those other people try to think their way through the world, but they're stupid. True knowledge comes from the heart! Or the gut. <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF3m3f9iMRc" target="_blank">Stephen Colbert knows how it goes</a>. The truth doesn't lie in the brain! It's in the <i>gut</i>. Who cares what's real? Don't talk to me about facts! Facts can mean anything! It's what you FEEL that matters!
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Oh bravo, bravo. Sarcasm and slander is the failsafe for those that have no argument, face it, you're pushing your personal opinion on others for the sake of making your self feel "I'M RIGHT :| AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT"
Come on, grow up, yes demo's are sometimes released AFTER the game is released, that is true, but its blatantly obvious that a developer would focus on a platform more then others, thats freaking common sense. It's putting all your eggs in one basket, yes, but its also getting stuff over and done with in a swift manner rather then having to wait another 3 months for all the other platforms be up to par, which depending on how you look at it, would be considered being 'fair' for all kinds of gamers rather then just 'focusing' on one. It's all about marketing, and could be considered selfish by the developers/publishers. It depends on how you look at those sort of things, but its hardly worth arguing over such a stupid thing that is purely on personal opinion.
Oh bravo, bravo. Sarcasm and slander is the failsafe for those that have no argument, face it, you're pushing your personal opinion on others for the sake of making your self feel "I'M RIGHT :| AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT"
Come on, grow up, yes demo's are sometimes released AFTER the game is released, that is true, but its blatantly obvious that a developer would focus on a platform more then others, thats freaking common sense. It's putting all your eggs in one basket, yes, but its also getting stuff over and done with in a swift manner rather then having to wait another 3 months for all the other platforms be up to par, which depending on how you look at it, would be considered being 'fair' for all kinds of gamers rather then just 'focusing' on one. It's all about marketing, and could be considered selfish by the developers/publishers. It depends on how you look at those sort of things, but its hardly worth arguing over such a stupid thing that is purely on personal opinion.
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Sarcasm and slander are pretty much the only option when you earlier pitted overwhelming evidence against vague feelings and it didn't work out. I'm not even saying he's wrong; I'm just asking why he feels the way he does. And he doesn't even know. He just has this thing in his head. He doesn't know where it came from, or why it's there, but he's trusting it despite evidence to the contrary.
I know developers often focus on one platform or another, but there are so many (and I mean MANY) reasons to believe that the PC is in no way an inferior platform when it comes to Bioshock. As if the repeated asssurances and track record of the developers aren't enough, there are statements from multiple reviewers and evidence right there in what we know of the game that indicate this is every bit as much as PC game as it is a console game. Considering the subject matter and the gameplay style, in fact, it's far more traditionally PC than it is console.
Sarcasm and slander are pretty much the only option when you earlier pitted overwhelming evidence against vague feelings and it didn't work out. I'm not even saying he's wrong; I'm just asking why he feels the way he does. And he doesn't even know. He just has this thing in his head. He doesn't know where it came from, or why it's there, but he's trusting it despite evidence to the contrary.
I know developers often focus on one platform or another, but there are so many (and I mean MANY) reasons to believe that the PC is in no way an inferior platform when it comes to Bioshock. As if the repeated asssurances and track record of the developers aren't enough, there are statements from multiple reviewers and evidence right there in what we know of the game that indicate this is every bit as much as PC game as it is a console game. Considering the subject matter and the gameplay style, in fact, it's far more traditionally PC than it is console.
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Oh dear. This has turned into quite a mess.
Sorry to inform you tychu but I do have my reasons but I thought they were well documented and did not need to repeat them. There is just as much "evidence" either way and views on this is a matter of personal opinion. As we have both stated our opinions I see no further reason to discuss the matter. I have no more to say on the subject and really do hope that you let this go, because now I'm going to bed since I have a test tomorrow. I never meant to make you feel upset.
<u><b>Evidence that Bioshock is a console-centric game and that any concern for PC gamers has fallen by the wayside</b></u>:
<ul><li>It was developed at all for the 360
<blockquote>Mitigating/Additional Info: Even traditionally PC games, like Enemy Territory: Quake Wars or HL2: Orange Box, or newcomers that would generally default to the PC, like World in Conflict or Universe at War, are also coming out concurrently on consoles due to the growing market for games and the money available there. Nobody, of course, would accuse any of these games of being anything but PC games to their very core.</blockquote></li><li>There has been a big marketing push for the 360 version of the game
<blockquote>Right next to the XBOX Logo is the Games For Windows logo, which is of course for the PC, the only other platform Bioshock comes out on. They also plaster the nVidia and X-Fi logos all over Bioshock promotional material, and since the 360 has an ATi card inside I think we can safely assume this is meant to appeal to PC gamers. (Or at least it's meant to acknowledge the platform. I doubt anyone likes those logos.)</blockquote></li><li>Bioshock is often demoed (demo-ed?) on consoles
<blockquote>This too is becoming the norm for any multiplatform game, either because consoles sell more so they want to make a bigger push for them, or because a console is a thousand times easier to carry around, set up, and control when you want to demo a game compared to a PC. Witness games like Call of Duty 4, which is demoed on all platforms, and Fallout 3, which is generally demoed on the 360.</blockquote></li><li>The developers (Ken Levine, actually, hybrid spokesman and developer robot) said that it was a "shooter first"
<blockquote>This could definitely fit someone's idea of console-centric marketing, but it would also be hard to argue that shooters are the territory of the 360 versus the PC, when you look at stuff like Half-Life 2, Battlefield 2, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, etc. Either way this is probably just an effort to keep from scaring off people who play Halo and stuff; PC gamers aren't turned off by the adventure/SS2-esque elements as much as console gamers might be.</blockquote></li><li>The 360 demo came out before the PC demo
<blockquote>There are many different ways to say it, but a PC demo is harder to make than a console demo, and holding back the XBOX demo just to make PC gamers feel all warm inside would be six ways to silly. They're working very hard, and overtime, to get the PC demo out as soon as humanly possible, or at least as soon as humanly possible without using that weird drug from that one episode of Eureka, which has nasty side effects, although it doesn't turn your arms in to beehives so there's that.</blockquote></li><li>Coleman has a feeling
<blockquote><i>It's more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)</i>.</blockquote></li><li>MedHead's also got a feeling
<blockquote><i>I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)</i>.</blockquote></li></ul>
<u><b>Evidence that Bioshock is indeed catering to PC gamers as much as or more than the console players</b></u>:
<ul><li>PC-centric modifications have been made to the PC version
<blockquote>Considering even triple-A titles like Oblivion feel compelled to pretend that a PC runs at a screen resolution that is the same as a console, this is nice, albeit sad that it's not more common.</blockquote></li><li>Gameplay elements and options traditionally considered PC-centric are present, like turning off the highlight on quest items
<blockquote>It's possible that this is not a concession to PC gamers but rather to incredibly discerning fans who nevertheless still game on consoles instead of the PC and would not be wooed to buy it on the PC. This, however, seems unlikely.</blockquote></li><li>The genre (System Shock, basically) is traditionally a genre beloved by PC gamers and ignored by development companies
<blockquote>Bioshock got turned down by a whole heap of publishers before it was picked up. Irrational had previously decided to shelve projects like this for more commercially successful stuff like SWAT 4, and they could have done it again, but they kept pushing for what amounts to System Shock 3, something that is near and dear to PC gamers but that will leave your average console gamer wondering why he hasn't heard of System Shock 1 or 2.</blockquote></li><li>What was once Irrational Games (which is/was what was once Looking Glass) has been a mostly PC-centric studio and has made some well-like PC games that weren't available on consoles at all
<blockquote>I don't have anything to add to that but I've added notes to the rest of these.</blockquote></li><li>It was developed at all for the PC
<blockquote>Admit it, the big money's in consoles. Halo doesn't even bother to release for PC until the next sequel's close enough to taste, and even then Microsoft pulls silly stuff like "lol Vista." Irrational (oops, 2k) could have just said "whatever, let's save a chunk of cash and let some other company port it to PC." Prey did the opposite with the 360 but these days it's getting more common to do the former.</blockquote></li><li>It's being released on the same day for both systems
<blockquote>Duhr huhr huhr.</blockquote></li><li>It's on Steam on the same day it's being released, which I think is more or less novel for a gigantic title like this that is not Valve-developed
<blockquote>Toys R Us shenanigans notwithstanding, this makes it easier to buy the PC version than the console version. I've seen a few people decide to go with Steam and cancel their 360 preorders. I can't imagine someone at 2k Games making this call if the idea was to short PC gamers every chance they got.</blockquote></li><li>Reviews of the PC game note the very good job the developers did to make the PC game a PC game and not a console port
<blockquote>As I mentioned before, if you look at stuff like Oblivion, you can make a very high profile title and still get away with treating the PC like crap. Bioshock appears not to have done this at all, and has even gone to extra lengths to accomodate PC gamers.</blockquote></li><li>Tycho's got a feeling
<blockquote><i>I closed my eyes and I slipped away</i></blockquote></li></ul>
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->*Song lyrics courtesy Boston - "More than a feeling." Snacks furnished by Amazon.com's new Amazon Fresh service. Had to pay for 'em, though.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Tycho Reports, You Decide! I'm Fair and Balanced! I own the Wall Street Journal now!
I'll add a quote from "Elizabeth" who is some sort of Bioshock dev:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A BioShock PC Demo IS coming. We tried as hard as humanly possible to get it out to you guys simultaneously with the 360 demo, but we needed to make sure that it was perfect -- that all drivers were ready, and that the game looked great on a huge variety of computers.
Currently, the PC demo in its final stages of testing and approval. We are pushing to get it out to you as soon as possible. It will be out during the month of August, and everyone is working at full capacity to deliver it to you before the game hits store shelves on August 21st. I will also let you know as soon as I have an exact date for the demo's release, so please stay tuned.
I cannot express enough how sorry I am for the wait. Thank you for understanding and your patience. Just remember -- only eight days left till you get your hands on the full game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's on The Cult of Rapture page.
If you want the logical answer, tycho (imo - emphasis on that) is right. Straight up, it just takes longer to make the PC demo, and it's release date is representative of that fact, not that they "dislike" PC gamers which would be a completely irresponsible stance for any game developer to make anyway.
but, like anything, logic doesn't dictate all feelings (see the matrix where neo chooses trinity over impossible odds) so in others' opinions (emphasis on that) PC gamers are being ignored.
no one said it had to make sense.
---
Back on topic, yay for PC demo on Monday, nay for queueing for a Fileplanet download server.
(and before you say anything, Tycho, yes I do mean 'yay' as in exclamation and not 'yea' as in affirmation <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />)
In general, I am quite receptive to the argument that the PC as a gaming platform is increasingly being marginalised by consoles. However, to cite <i>Bioshock</i>, of all games, as an example of this is akin to trying to prove that the average life-span of humans is less than one hundred years by means of a centenarian - even though your thesis may be true, your example stands in opposition to it.
FYI (and because I'm sure a few people will take some glee in seeing you informed on a topic, and because I like playing devil's advocate from time to time) it's <i>demo'd</i>, not "demoed" or "demo-ed". This is because 'demo' is short for 'demonstration' (as I'm sure you know) and instead of saying 'demonstrated' you can simply shorten it but you must signify which part of the word has been omitted with an apostrophe (as you do with "can't", for example).
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Good point, but I would argue that 'demo' has achieved independence from 'demonstrate.' I consider the two words to have slightly different shades of meaning. Take the verb forms, for example: "demo the game" suggests, at least to me, a more unstructured, isolated experience; "demonstrate the game" suggests a structured presentation to a group of people. I make similar distinctions for the nouns. Also, I would not treat 'demo' as a contraction and add apostrophes to its forms for two reasons: 1) Many commonly used words in English are very clearly contractions but are not punctuated as such (phone, fridge); and 2) There are no words in English for which you would add an apostrophe solely for the past tense, as is the case in "demo'd."
M-w.com and dictionary.com are silent on the issues. I did indeed see many non-authorities who use 'demo'd,' not just for 'demonstrated,' but for 'demolished' as well. I am merely playing devil's advocate to the devil's advocate, and having a fun time doing so.
Back on topic...
When Bioshock gets released, I would like to hear some experiences people have. Look at my avatar. I am a System Shock fan. If BS captures the feel of SS2, the I will definitely need to pick up this one... in a few years if I have a computer beefy enough to run it.
Apparently FileShack Mercury members also get the special demo mojo that the Fileplanet people get, whatever the heck that is. I wish they'd make it clear.
Imo it's probably Microgash being overzealous (maybe even threatened) that their 360 Bioshock sales earnings will be shat on the second the PC version comes out. Not releasing a PC demo or delaying it will increase pre-orders on the 360, as people with XBoxes and PCs (or people who own PCs but live in a house with a 360) will see that the game looks good on an XBox and order it for that.
I'll no doubt be ordering it for Steam. But there's no chance of me doing that before I've checked out how well the demo runs on my PC. Getting a game as purportedly gorgeous as this and having to wait another month for the money to spend on hardware upgrades would kill me, and if I didn't wait and just played with sub-par <GFX/RAM/CPU power> I'd effectively be killing the game... and I don't think I could live with myself if I did that to such a thing of beauty. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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Why do people always make up these crazy conspriacies?
What if the 360 demo was just done first? Oh, but that cant be! Micro<insert insult here>soft must be up to something! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
PC version I mean.
Good point, but I would argue that 'demo' has achieved independence from 'demonstrate.' I consider the two words to have slightly different shades of meaning. Take the verb forms, for example: "demo the game" suggests, at least to me, a more unstructured, isolated experience; "demonstrate the game" suggests a structured presentation to a group of people. I make similar distinctions for the nouns.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->I agree with the nouns having come to mean different things, but I still think the verbs are almost identical in most cases. If someone "demoed a game" at E3, for example, they would no doubt be presenting it in person, and the same with presenting a music demo to a publisher. On the other hand making a demo available on Steam I don't think would or should be described as 'demoing', in the same way sending a music demo in via the post is not 'demoing' a product, it's submitting a demonstration/making it widely available.
As far as the nouns go, it's clear that demo still keeps the original sense, but has inherited additional and more specific meaning. In general terms the Bioshock demo is still a demonstration, however it is a demonstration requiring no live presenter.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Also, I would not treat 'demo' as a contraction and add apostrophes to its forms for two reasons: 1) Many commonly used words in English are very clearly contractions but are not punctuated as such (phone, fridge); and 2) There are no words in English for which you would add an apostrophe solely for the past tense, as is the case in "demo'd."
M-w.com and dictionary.com are silent on the issues. I did indeed see many non-authorities who use 'demo'd,' not just for 'demonstrated,' but for 'demolished' as well. I am merely playing devil's advocate to the devil's advocate, and having a fun time doing so.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->The apostrophe rule exists, but it is only really used for words that are not accepted abbreviated verb forms, which no longer applies to demo by the looks of things. It would still be used if you wanted to invent a new contraction for a one-off journalism piece, e.g. "he got paedo'd" (excuse the unsavoury example).
My assumption was that demo as a verb had not reached acceptance. Since it has, it would -as Tycho believed- take the same verb forms as 'veto' and 'photo', resulting in "demoed/demoing". However, the noun forms differ slightly. Veto becomes 'vetoer' since it is not an abbreviation, while 'photoer' reverts to 'photographer'. It is unclear if 'demoer' would be more or less acceptable than 'demonstrator'. I would argue that 'demoer' would be the preferred noun form if only to distinguish it from other more common types of 'demonstrators' (e.g. political). Also, in the plural again there is confusion. Veto becomes 'vetoes' in the plural, but photo is always written as 'photos'. I think this is, again, to do with the latter's origins as an abbreviation, probably developing from "photographs" to "photo's" to "photos" (once accepted as an independant noun). Following this example I think it's safe to assume that 'demos' is the correct plural (as well as being the 3rd person singular for the verb form).
As for fridge and phone, in some older books those words were written apostrophes (for instance, 'phone appears in <i>The Great Gatsby</i> IIRC). Since their abbreviated forms have now become the preferred forms for speech and even non-formal styles of professional writing, the rule no longer applies; they have become new words in their own right.
This <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=-o" target="_blank">link</a> makes for short but interesting reading.
P.S. Can a mod split this thread? I left my comment in here instead of PMing as I had technically given misinformation on this point.