The Glade 4.0

So I decided I wanted the game "Carcassonne" for my Xbox. I had downloaded the trial and enjoyed it, forgot about it for a while, then went back to Xbox online to check it's cost.

It showed as costing 400 MPs. I didn't feel like spending more than I needed so I purchased exactly 400 points for $4.99. I went to the download button online to purchase it and add it to my queue and it kept telling me that something went wrong with the purchase and to try again later. I tried about 10 more times, each time with the same error. The "Price" of this game maintained at 400 points which I had in my account every time I tried it. Suddenly, on a final try, the "price" had magically jumped from 400 to 800 points.

Ok, this is strange enough on it's own. An Xbox live arcade game that has been around for about 3 years suddenly changing in price on the day I decided to purchase it. But it gets stranger...

So, my other option for my 400 points was 3v3 NHL arcade which I promptly added to my queue for the noted 400 points. Checked my Xbox last night and the DL completed with no problems.

I check my XBL points this morning and I have 200 points left over. Upon checking the cost of the 3v3 NHL Arcade, its price has suddenly decreased from 400 to 200, thus leaving me with 200 left over.

WTF? On the day I decide to DL content, Microsoft goes and changes the pricing of the exact items I want to thoroughly confuse me?

Does this happen much? Or am I just a victim of circumstance? *nyuk nyuk nyuk*

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Never had anything like that happen to me during my purchases.

I do wish Microsoft would drop the stupid points/dollar conversion, though. Why the **** doesn't 400 pts cost $4? Why do we have to use (packaged) points at all, instead of just paying per transaction? Frustrating.

Fosters more purchases. You've already purchased non-refundable credit, may as well spend them...oh, look, that costs more points than I have...guess I need to buy another pack...

@Farsky

Sure, I can understand their motive to foster more purchase, but how in hell did it happen to be a price change on a 3 year old game on the very day I decided to download it.

Do prices change based on the number of hits it gets, because I did browse back and forth a bit before the purchase.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

Oh, sorry...was replying to Lenas' frustration with the point-pack system.

They're **** with your head.

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+1

I wish aquamod was here to tell us about his latest shower excapades.

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Update: Related, but not really.

I am growing to hate XBL more and more lately. I wanted to play AC: Brotherhood online last night. I tried for about 15 minutes to join a session. No luck. I decided to play Red Dead in a public free roam and do a few gang hideouts for some XP. Tried for 5-10 minuted, finally got into a session, set a waypoint, attempted to fast travel and was disconnected. Few more tries, couldn't connect.

Decided on NHL 10 online. Found an open team game, started play, about period and a half in, game locked up and I had to hard reset the Xbox. A few more attempts at joining a game that crapped out in the setup phase and I FINALLY got into a stable game and played about 2-3 before going to bed.

Is this par for the course on XBL? This is intolerable, I have precious little time to actually get to play games anymore and when I do, I spend about a half hour trying to connect to a session. I want to play AC: Brotherhood online and after realizing that I have wasted time trying to find a session, I just give up and play something else.

Being relatively new to XBL, I don't know if this is normal, or if it is somehow on my end. I almost wish I hadn't bothered joining if this is the case.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

I haven't had any issues with XBL yet... knock on wood. I mostly use it for Netflix and Call of Duty though so the game/application choice may have something to do with it.

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Out of curiosity, does online hockey set up teams of just one person per position? So like a 5 on 5 (not counting goalies)?

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The Dude abides.

Online, you can play "VS mode" which is 1 on 1 where each person controls a whole team using the normal "tag" control method.

Additionally, you can play online team mode where a session is opened and will wait for up to 12 players. First you decide on which side you will play and when the quota is filled or the 2 minute timer expires it moves on to position selection. Each player then can select from LW, RW, C, LD, RD, G, or Any. This locks you to that position and any leftover positions are controlled via "tag" mode by the team captain.

Handled pretty well IMO. The downside of playing with random public players is usually everyone wants to be a hero and there isn't much team coordination. Everyone wants to charge upice to be open for a breakaway as soon as the puck is turned over in the defensive zone.

Still lots of fun, though.

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.