December 15th 2009 11:59 pm PT

Thanks for the update Major.

Everyone should check out the free copy of Tinker that is available now for download as Major suggested. If you experience any issues downloading it though, please ensure you are on the use Microsoft Points tab instead of credit card before purchasing.

Enjoy!

Yay thanks for this!

Downloading Now.

Cool. I’ll check this out, though FYI, your ‘Download the Games for Windows client here’ line has no link in it.

Sweet! Any excuse for more GS =D Thanks

Nice! However, Games for Windows – LIVE for DiRT 2 I keep having problems earning achievements in it. I earn an achievement but it does not show up in my list? I can keep earning it but still not showing for days.

Back on topic…it’s good to have a free game and with achievements.

Time to start tinkering!

Do these games suffer from the dreaded limited number of installations that plagues all Games for Windows games?

downloading now

Oh thats just what i need today. Awesome!

What happens if I want to download the game to both my desktop and laptop? Is it possible?

Thanks Major! Its a v cool game.

Cool.

@Absyrtus

Make sure you are connected to Live. I had that problem with Batman: Arkham Asylum and just now with Tinker. Xbox.com wasn’t showing I got any Tinker achievements. I went back into Tinker, hit the “home” button and there was a button to connect to Live. So, I wasn’t logged in for the achievements to register with Xbox Live. I connected and now my achievements show up on Xbox.com.

Awesome!
Excited about this. Downloading Tinker now

why do I get logged out of my xbox live when trying to use the pc ver at the same time? That is a joke… they are 2 different mediums why are you only able to use one at a time? Steam FTW…

rogXue: Microsoft probably don’t want multiple people using the same account to get achievements.

Hey Major, you linked to a press release about this GFWL on Demand thing. In there it said World of Goo would be available at launch. I’m assuming it launched today, but I don’t see World of Goo.

Also wondering what happened to the GFWL versions of World of Goo and OSMOS that the press release last week said would be available today. http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/community/newsarticles/pages/gamesondemandcomingsoon.aspx

This game is awesome. Um… how do I do S1L7 without getting trapped by the ice blocks? I use the magnet and laser them but can’t see how to clear a path to the exit.

i keep getting an error has occured try again later. anyone else getting this?

I can’t seem to download Tinker. I get the following message on confirming the download on the screen that shows how many MS Points are left. This is the message.

“Sorry
An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.”

Any ideas?

Getting: Sorry
An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.

Anyone else getting this error?

Ditto on the error for downloading Tinker. Actually looks like an interesting game though

thank you downloaded and installed but how do i launch the game ?

I am getting the same error….An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.

I am getting the error as well….

I am also having issues downloading Major.

”
Sorry

An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.
“

keep getting the error… any ideas?

For some reason i can never download anything from a Microsoft website. I always get a Page Not Available message or an Incorrect Address message.

too bad…

Sorry
An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.

ok I just noticed liek 5 people saying they got error.. HELOOOO!?!?! anyone out there to answer us or are we screwed and have to remove this shit

We’re guinea pigs.. telling lots of people to download something all at once fails again.. surprised?

@VanIslePimp.

That is what I am looking into for Tinker.

Downloaded the game to my desktop PC and also working on getting it on my laptop so I can continue playing when away from home. I will read over the license agreement and check online to see if I can obtain more details as DRM restrictions can be different with different Games for Windows games like any other PC title.

I did find a post from GFWLMod that states the game should be free indefinitely, so there may not be much to be concerned about.

URL: http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/9319.aspx

everyone who can not purchase and download successfully: http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/p/9338/86389.aspx

Getting the same error message.

Yeah, I can’t download the game either. I get this error “Sorry
An error has occurred during the transaction. Please try again later.”

If you are getting an error, try again later. The team is aware of the issue and investigating. 

For those of you getting an error. Did you see my first post? I probably did not have clear enough suggestions. My bad.

Please try doing the below steps and then if it still does not download for you, please post over in the Games for Windows Games on Demand forum.

Here are the steps to take to download Tinker:

1. Download the Games for Windows LIVE client from the LIVE area of http://www.gamesforwindows.com.
2. After installation of the client, log into the GFWL client in a manner similar to logging into Windows Messenger.
3. Once you see the box art for Tinker on the GFWL Marketplace, click on it to get to the marketplace section for the game.
4. Click on big blue Download button under where it says FREE.
5. The system will then give you a Confirm Purchase page where you should be on a section that says Use Credit Card.
6. On this page, select the Use Microsoft Points tab instead.
7. Then click on the Confirm Purchase button.
8. If successful, you should see a Congratulations! This item has been purchased and added to your Download Queue.

If the above steps do not work for you, then please visit the support forum for Games for Windows’ Games on Demand service at http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/50.aspx and most important follow the instructions in the pinned thread here http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/9156.aspx. Please be sure to include details such as your Windows operating system version and if you have installed all the available updates for Windows.

Thanks for the update Major. I think we may have found a workaround though that I posted just a second ago. If this is not necessary, please let me know. Don’t want to add to the confusion.

To people getting the error did you try siwtching from credit card to Microsoft points as the payment method like the very first comment said to? Not sure why it matters what payment option you pick for something free but that method does indeed work to download it.

Nevermind Lucky commented on that already while I was slowly typing =P

I’m also getting the transaction error :/ Help anyone?

Buying with MS points fails again and again.. must be us. Let me read step #4 one more time

4. Click on big blue Download button under where it says FREE.

I do not even have an option for CC. Its all on MS points. Oh well, maybe its a demand thing.

“To people getting the error did you try siwtching from credit card to Microsoft points as the payment method like the very first comment said to?”

How do you do that? I don’t see the options listed in those steps. I am only presented with the ability to download with points. A credit card option is not presented to me.

Maybe they removed the credit card option since it was giving people problems but sounds like the problems must have spread to the Microsoft points option too. I downloaded it not long after the update went Live so maybe more demand since then has caused more issues or something.

Thanks for the update Major, it could just be a demand thing since probably a lot of people are trying to download stuff.

I can get it to star downloading but when it gets to about 90% it stops and starts over again from 0%. Its been doing this for like 20 minutes.

Funny thing is, how many of us really want to play the game as such, or are we all hanging out waiting to pointwhore with this title instead?

I’m in. It’s downloading. Let’s see if it finishes.

Now I am getting this error, Sorry. This offer is not valid in your region, or has expired.

I guess it’s only for Americans

Game has downloaded, and has installed. Looks like it’s fixed. Or at least I found a small hole in the problems to get it down.

What an awesome little game! Finally got me to download GFWL too!

Guys try again. I am aware it is working for me.

Make sure you end the process in task manager and any related processes!

Is this the same Tinker that came with Windows Vista (maybe just Ultimate?)?

Why does the Games for Windows client only install on the “C” drive? Where is a custom option to install it to another drive?

Thanks for Tinker.

This is pretty awesome!
Thank you *bows*

@Lucky 13 X
Thanks for your workaround, worked perfect! Thanks to you also Major!

Took me a lot of trouble but I finally got this game working and able to play will signed in online (though I got the first achievement while offline hopefully that doesn’t matter at this point. Also I’ve been trying to sign into this site all day but it didn’t work until I click join and returned to the homepage >_< Addicting game too I like it. Free achievements!

Awesome

GFW “games on demand” service? So now we can pay too much for pc games as well as 360 games? AWESOME!!!!!1!!1!!!oneone!11!

Alien Breed Evolution Episode 1 and Puzzlegeddon are out.
But I’ve noticed that the price was 800 MSP in the schedule and once again it’s 1200 MSP on the release day

http://majornelson.com/archive/2009/12/10/happy-holiday-deals-and-upcoming-schedule.aspx

TINKER Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Haven’t played it since my Vista days and it’s live for windows enabled Holy smokes

@DavidGX. Look up the price amounts online for the titles. Games on Demand service is comparable, at or below the cost of these PC games at retail(I’m not including those establishments who have sales or clearances, as those do not count).

Any likely hood of a Games for OSX? I’d be a happy little bunny.

@Utako. Then don’t buy it to see if the team clarifies it as a unfortunate miscommunication on Major’s part, or incorrect pricing on the Marketplace.

I doubt it’s the latter though.

All downloaded and installed correctly.

Oooh it’s like a cooler version of WLM.

Thanks to the XBL and GFW teams.

Hmm Fallout 3 is £34.99 on GFW yet buying the GOTY edition from Amazon(.co.uk) is £14.39…
Ha.

What the heck I lost my progress from last night!

Nevermind I got it!!

works fine today, it wasn’t user error after all

Before I will bite on any download I need to know are

1. Live limited activation gone.
2. DRM used.
3. Revoke tools built into live client.

@Vinnie PT: Are you actually uninstalling and installing games so often that you actually have to ask that? Go whine somewhere else.

Um no link for the list of games. Please can we see that.

Also the reason for the error when purchasing anything for free with a credit card is because the credit card companies do not like a purchase of $0.00 because it needs to be at least $0.01 for that to go through. So The idea of not showing the option to pay with a card is a good one for any game that is free.

Never thought I’d be earing achievemnts for Tinker. xD

@Lucky 13 X – I have downloaded Tinker just fine, but I can’t install it. Once I press the button, nothing happens – no error messages, no disk activity, no nothing. I’m on a Win7 box (x64, Swedish edition) with a valid license. Any suggestions?

I LOVE Games for Windows – Live! I think every PC game should be GFW Live capable. It is what will save the PC game industry. I only buy GFW Live PC games now.

For those getting the error, I think yu must not be signed in to the console, thats what happened to me unless it has been resolved…didn’t bother reading all posts

I might start to buy Games for Windows since its free to play on Live on PC

Tinker is a fantastically fun little game with nice graphics…. and free, with achievements! What an awesome idea.. if you had done this sooner, the ridiculous gamer backlash against GFWL might have been dramatically lessened, and more publishers might have taken it up. Oh well, better late then never! I have been an evangelist for GFWL on every gamer forum I’m on. I continue despite the silly scorn I attract.

dont be hatin on macs

So any word on what happened to World of Goo and Osmos yet? Yesterday I figured they might have been delayed one day to start an XBLA type thing of games like that on Wednesdays. But still missing in action when the press release last week said they were launch games for this service.

You need to work on your localisations. German Umlauts are shown as a little box. Just saying

@Lucky 13 X Never mind – I solved the problem by removing Tinker and download it a second time (after which it installed like it should have in the first place). Thanks anyway .

Well, there isnt exactly many games on this considering how long its been running.

@Lucky 13 X

“at or below” no no no, “at” is too much. These are digital products, is the concept of digital distribution so difficult for microsoft to grasp? I sure as hell hope not.

That plus the fast that most games on demand games for the 360 are “at or above” retail price is just retarded.

If you are getting the following error codes 800763EC & 2147023143 you need to start the “Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)” AKA “SharedAccess”. Which is kind of annoying.

everytime i download and install Games For Windows,i sign in and it takes me back to the download screen(currently on the second of 4 in the progress bar…the 4 being create gamertag,download software,launch software and get games)…i have done all that already,but it keeps going back to that….its telling me to download games for windows while i am actually signed into games for windows

anyone got any ideas?

Thank you!

pfft….i clicked on the games for windows logo,and got to the Tinker download page,i click on download tinker and then it takes me back to that download progress bar thing,but right at the beginning asking me to create a gamertag
-
its asking me to create a gamertag while metallicorphan is signed into games for windows
-
-
WTF IS GOING ON?????

I keep trying to download it, but the download keeps restarting when it about 5MB gets downloaded.

@ Perixon. I am glad you were able to work things out.

For anyone else still experiencing issues with Games for Windows, please visit the following forum for tips and help on Games on Demand from the fantastic Games for Windows community. Feel free to explore the rest of the forum for tips and details on other happenings in the GFWL community.

Games on Demand: http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/50.aspx

Cool, nice update

I bought Viva Pinata, but it doesn’t install on my windows 7 machine. WTF.

They know me well, I’ve had no interest in GFW:Live as Steam rules supreme on PC, but the chance of some extra gamerscore – I’M IN!

Can I just add that Tinker runs fine on my Samsung N140 Windows 7 netbook ( 1.6ghz Atom CPU, 1gb ram ), so where these system requirements you state for this game come from I don’t know..!?

OS: Windows XP® , Windows Vista®
Processor: 3.0GHz Intel® or 3.0GHz AMD
RAM: 1GB
Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 or ATI Radeon™ X1600
Hard Drive Space: 9GB

I found a bug: Using the controller, press the Guide button to bring up the menu. The button presses still register with the game along with the guide.

TINKER is fun, i like it
But there is an annoying bug, because when someone sends me an invite for a game and i push POS1 to see the facts, the mouse arrow in TINKER is gone or invisible.
Only restarting the game helps!?
Greets, Connor

I hope they offer Shadowrun, so we can get a few more people playing. After all this time that game is still fun and addictive.

“I found a bug: Using the controller, press the Guide button to bring up the menu. The button presses still register with the game along with the guide.”

I also found that issue. I also say the prices are too high on nearly everything (I can get RE5 for $14 or less now). Where is Osmos or World of Goo?

ah no mac compactly?

Set 07 Level 19 has a major bug, the par energy is -1, which is impossible to get anyway. But, beating the Time, Energy and Pick-ups requirements doesn’t make it Conqured, making the “Conquore Everything” achievement currently impossible to achieve.

Any word on a patch for this glitch?

tinker is awesome! i would have paid good money for it! thanks!

Grr, Tinker’s a glitchy mess. The achievement for completing 81 levels popped but I didn’t get it, and it kept popping after redoing the level.

So I close and restart the game and BAM, progress gone. What the heck, MS?
Added to that the already-mentioned glitches.