Video Game News and Miscellany

AshburnerX

AshburnerX

GasBandit said:
I know what I just posted in the games-on-sale thread, but fuck Epic and bringing yet more console-exclusive-mentality to the PC.

https://www.pcgamer.com/some-epic-store-games-are-pushing-back-or-scrapping-steam-releases/

I was looking forward to Satisfactory. It basically looked like Factorio as drawn by Subnautica. But I guess Epic convinced their devs that they like hats made of money because now it's disappeared from Steam and is going to be an Epic Store exclusive.

I knew this was a fucking slippery slope. Look, I already have an always-on-game-launcher-and-store, it's called Steam, and I resent having to install another one. I don't even have battle.net anymore (and I hated installing it in the first place).

I'm not going to have Steam AND Battlenet AND Origin AND Uplay AND GoG Galaxy and oh fucking look now Discord is trying to be a game store too.

Faaaagh. This almost had to go in a rant thread.
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This isn't Epic Games fault; this is 100% Steam's fault. They charged devs too much of a cut and provided them with NO SERVICE beyond listing them on the store front. As a result, indie games got devoured in a tide of crap because Steam refused to curate it's own god damn store. Worse, big name devs only stayed on the service by sheer innertia; it used to be the only game in town but now it has competitors, one of which owns the hottest fucking thing in gaming right now. Who would you rather associate with? Steam and it's mountain of shit that's never going to be managed properly or fucking Fortnite, a game so hot that no one can touch it? This is an easy fucking decision.

I'm attached to my library too and hate what I have to do to play games exclusive to other services, but FUCK... Epic Games isn't responsible for this shit. STEAM is and Gabe Newell needs to got off his fucking ass and do something about it.
 
Dei

Dei

Competition is fine. If both stores offer the same things I'm fine with it. If everything starts becoming platform exclusive I will flip some tables.
 
Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

While I hate the rise of other game stores and always-on clients, if they can prompt Valve to actually DO SOMETHING with steam, it'll be worth it.

In the meantime, I don't want to play anything from epic/activision/EA/Ubisoft anyway, since they're almost all certainly loot-box stuffed microtransaction simulators.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Ravenpoe said:
loot-box stuffed microtransaction simulators.
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You've now given me the idea for a "loot box simulator" mobile game, wherein you earn X number of loot boxes/hr and absolutely can't buy additional loot boxes at all BUT you can spend actual IRL money to improve the odds of getting good stuff, or for upgraded special effects when opening the loot boxes.

So thanks for that.

--Patrick
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
I already hate that I have to use steam. I take it as a necessary evil. Maybe if Epic can wrench enough market share away from steam to break up some anticompetitive practices, some good will come of it.

MindDetective said:
So we only need Walmart and no other retailers? Let's get rid of all the other middle men! After all, Walmart gets exclusives as well. They are literally the result of competition to get feet in the door.
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The metaphor breaks down because, to shop at walmart, I don't have to sequester off a portion of my engine's power and my trunk's space as being ONLY for going to walmart. Though I'm sure the Waltons would love if it they could figure out a way to make that happen.

But hey, here's to a new resurgence in software piracy!
 
Cheesy1

Cheesy1

PatrThom said:
You've now given me the idea for a "loot box simulator" mobile game, wherein you earn X number of loot boxes/hr and absolutely can't buy additional loot boxes at all BUT you can spend actual IRL money to improve the odds of getting good stuff, or for upgraded special effects when opening the loot boxes.

So thanks for that.

--Patrick
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Except for the "spend actual IRL money" part, someone already did it:
 
MindDetective

MindDetective

GasBandit said:
I already hate that I have to use steam. I take it as a necessary evil. Maybe if Epic can wrench enough market share away from steam to break up some anticompetitive practices, some good will come of it.


The metaphor breaks down because, to shop at walmart, I don't have to sequester off a portion of my engine's power and my trunk's space as being ONLY for going to walmart. Though I'm sure the Waltons would love if it they could figure out a way to make that happen.

But hey, here's to a new resurgence in software piracy!
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Of course it isn't perfect as a metaphor (what metaphor is?) Metaphors are meant to illustrate similarities. In this case, how competition affects the marketplace in the same way for in person and online storefronts. Your need for hard drive space and CPU time don't really dismantle that illustrative relationship.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

@Squidleybits and any other Monster Hunter World people.

Geralt of Rivia free content coming early 2019.

Full expansion, Iceborne, coming autumn 2019. It looks like a new landmass, probably new monsters. Don't know about G rank, but I might go back to playing then, just to see.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Vermintide 2's "Back to Ubersreik" DLC has dropped, and I've bought it. Turns out it has not one but THREE levels from Vermintide 1 in it: Horn of Magnus, Engines of War, and Gardens of Morr. (Aww, no Wheat and Chaff? heh heh heh)



Anyway, that's what I'll be doing for a few days I think. Well, that and KF2, naturally.

They've changed how the DLC works, though. Previously when you hit quick play, you stood a fairly good chance of joining a game playing a DLC mission even if you didn't own the DLC. That's changed - now, you can't do that. You can still join a friend (me) who owns the DLC and not have to pay for it yourself, but the difference is you have to join his keep (my lobby) specifically, instead of just hitting quick play to join someone randomly. So, you still don't have to buy the DLC to play the levels with me.
 
Frank

Frank

They'll come to Steam if the platform doesn't take off (and it shouldn't, it's a feature bare pile of garbage).

I saw some very interesting takes on the Epic store on ResetEra by some indie devs that were lengthy and indepth. Gonna go see if I can find them.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Frank said:
(and it shouldn't, it's a feature bare pile of garbage)
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I'd be interested to read what those indie devs said... Epic seems like it could be a serious thorn in Steam's Side, given its more generous revenue split and the way it is publicizing its free game giveaways.

This whole exclusives bullshit got started by Activision, Ubisoft, and EA (just try playing Overwatch, Far Cry, or Battlefield without Battlenet, Uplay, or Origin). But really, what ISN'T ultimately their fault in PC gaming?

Well, I guess we can't blame Valve's inability to count to 3 on them.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Thing is, I don't mind Steam getting some proper competition. They need a serious overhaul. I miss when they were a fantastic source for new indie developers. And I LIKE having my games all in one convenient spot rather than half a dozen different programs. I keep forgetting I have games on GoG, uPlay, and Origin. uPlay and Origin for games I got free through giveaways, like the Assassin's Creed series. If my 600 games on Steam were split across over half a dozen platforms, I'd never remember which one has which.

So, I much prefer having just Steam. Plus, I like the communal aspect and chatting with friends on it. Or checking their wishlists for games I got through a bundle that I don't want or already have.

But ever since Valve opened the flootgates, the amount of crap is overwhelming and it's become difficult to find the GOOD kind of indie games that put Steam in the map.

I get why some devs are doing this, but I wish they'd at least release on Steam, too, to give us the choice.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

ThatNickGuy said:
I'm totally using this term.
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Bah mis-corrected myself, it was supposed to be “Humblbought” and deleted the wrong stuff in my sneak-it-in-while-working haste.
But yes, I hope that “Humblbought” gets honored by LSSU someday, too.

EDIT: ...and then autocorrect decided to fix my correction of my deliberate misspelling! ARRGH.

—Patrick
 
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GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Frank said:
Here's that article I promised hours ago but instead went and spent 400 dollars at Costco.

http://gamasutra.com/blogs/DavidGal..._Its_Current_State_is_Not_Good_for_Anyone.php
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Good points that guy makes.

And as I alluded earlier, Epic Store "exclusives" are probably what will get me back into software piracy, some 8 years after Steam got me to stop entirely via steam sales, reasonable price points, and convenience of use. SatisFactory was probably a guaranteed buy for me on steam, but now it looks like a guaranteed torrent.
 
Frank

Frank

Don't misconstrue peasant with hermit.

I'm a gaming hermit. My dream is to sit in a 4000 dollar ultra-ergonomic office chair, with my 7000 dollar PC hooked up to the biggest nonsense 4K TV monitor where I use it to play nothing but single player games all by myself.

ALL THE BETTER if it's a tiny basement office, as deep underground as possible.
 
Frank

Frank

I will say that if Discord can force Valve to improve Steam, then great.

Also, I'd rather Discord be number 2 than any company owned by fucking Tencent.
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

Frank said:
Don't misconstrue peasant with hermit.

I'm a gaming hermit. My dream is to sit in a 4000 dollar ultra-ergonomic office chair, with my 7000 dollar PC hooked up to the biggest nonsense 4K TV monitor where I use it to play nothing but single player games all by myself.

ALL THE BETTER if it's a tiny basement office, as deep underground as possible.
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This is also my dream, except I want one of them scorpion gaming chairs.

 
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