I’ve always been a ‘pc gamer’, complaining about consoles splitting the market, and locking great games behind exclusivity deals… but age and lack of time slowly softened me to the point where I would consider owning a console. So I my stand for years was “I won’t pay for one, but I wouldn’t object getting one as a present”
That day arrived and my wife got me a PS4 I was very excited about getting some of those very nice looking PS4 exclusives games, so I did some online shopping and this is the first thing that I got…
Well look at that. I was thinking of getting Detroit but I might hold off for a bit then, got a cheap used copy of Uncharted 4, pretty fun for what it is.
I don’t get why there’s so much animosity towards EPIC… Besides the fact that they didn’t play nice with Metro Exodus, is there anything else? They are offering a better cut for devs and they’re challenging Steam monopoly… what am I missing?
Last time I’ve checked they required a client to get the games and they don’t list if games are DRM-free or what kind of DRM they are using.
If I would want this *beep* I’d could just use Steam.
On itch.io developers get even better cuts if they choose to. And they seem a lot more neutral than a store closely related to Epic Games.
Also I don’t like exclusives (unless they are timed reasonable).
Incidentally, what is Epic’s stance on reviews? Steam has decided to discount reviews of the product on Steam if it mentions matters affecting playability like DRM and bugs by extremely dishonestly calling it “review bombing”.
Steam :: Steam News :: User Reviews Revisited
Q: I care about some things that I worry other players don’t, like DRM or EULA changes. Review bombs have been about them in the past. Do you consider them unrelated or off-topic?
A: We had long debates about these two, and others like them. They’re technically not a part of the game, but they are an issue for some players. In the end, we’ve decided to define them as off-topic review bombs. Our reasoning is that the “general” Steam player doesn’t care as much about them, so the Review Score is more accurate if it doesn’t contain them. In addition, we believe that players who do care about topics like DRM are often willing to dig a little deeper into games before purchasing - which is why we still keep all the reviews within the review bombs. It only takes a minute to dig into those reviews to see if the issue is something you care about.
Epic might have a major chance to win some gamer goodwill here.
You mean to run the games? The ones I have (the ones that are giving away) run fine without having to launch their client.
Yes, the game was advertised on Steam as upcoming and it got pulled out from Steam. I don’t know if there’s a time limit to the exclusivity.
I’m not trying to defend EPIC, however the way business is done in video games is not going away anytime soon so at least breaking the monopoly of Steam is good for the consumer imo
I think the main problem is that most players really don’t care so they are actually calculating a more accurate score this way.
No, to get and install the game, e.g. there are no offline installers (that’s what I heard at least).
I hope it’s timed only. In the end every good game should be on GOG or some other story I deem acceptable. But not every developer/publisher thinks their games are good
Both “good” and “acceptable” are very subjective terms.
I’d say, everyone is free to make use of as many stores they want to and avoid the ones they don’t like. Both from a developer as from a player’s perspective.
I “don’t care” about Steam DRM in the sense that it actually works as advertised. Note how I said Steam DRM. Whether any additional DRM works or prevents you from playing the game is another matter. See this review bomb on GTA IV related to Windows Live DRM, for example: Steam Community :: Dafox :: Games
If I install yesterday’s Denuvo DRM update to Devil May Cry 5 on my computer, the game may no longer start. Which is why the game is currently receiving some “review bombs,” although I suppose overall it’s not problematic enough to qualify as an actual “review bomb” when the numbers are relatively small.
The simple fact is that the DRM update broke the game for some, and those people are complaining about it. Even people who theoretically care probably hardly even notice a DRM change or update when it Just Works™. Which is why Steam’s stance as currently written is claptrap. It only becomes a “review bomb” when the problem affects large numbers of people.
In my case it’s relatively easy to measure: DRM-free or bust.
What do you like about Steam DRM? That you like being controlled? Or that is can be easily cracked?
A lot of people probably don’t know they are using DRM controlled games.
But you know it, and you are OK with it. I think you are part of the problem that we have something like Denuvo, it’s because of people that don’t care about DRM. Until it is too late and malware like Denuvo actually affects your gaming.
If Steam DRM is OK for so many people then of course they will try pushing DRM further and further.
But for the record… I absolutely loath Steam for having the slowest and instable launcher ever; not even sure if any of that is related to doing the DRM. (How hard can it be to put a small machine-unique key on my PC for each game? I should really look this offline mode)
@Nor_Treblig Notice the sarcastic scare quotes around “don’t care”… But I am indeed okay with low-tier Humble Bundle rental value. I would’ve never considered “buying” DMC5 for more than about € 10 a few years down the line unless it were on GOG. What, should I have acquired a different GPU than the one I wanted just because it came without a couple of Steam keys?
I’d say it’s directly related because on GOG it’s completely irrelevant how slow and unstable GOG Galaxy may or may not be. Only the game’s slowness and instability matters.
Indeed. Whatever mojo they’re doing in the background, I don’t really care (right now). But I do expect when I double click an icon, the game starts. Like in a few seconds. Not a steam installer popup that takes forever to connect and update (itself, not the 20 to 30 year old game, obviously).
I went in and clicked the “go offline” which is presented as an option with a lot of warnings, but if you don’t have an internet connection or you’re playing a game that doesn’t need updates to run and is single player, go ahead. Yep, fits the bill perfectly. Not sure how it translates to steam cloudsaves and stinkin’ badges and other virtual collectibles… apart from the savegames, I don’t care.
Gog galaxy is awful slow too, but at least you don’t have to use that to install or buy games on GOG.
I was very excited about getting some of those very nice looking PS4 exclusives games, so I did some online shopping and this is the first thing that I got…
That’s why we all upgraded from our C64… to play MI!
