Game News Phoenix Point now an Epic Store Exkloosive

[razvedchiki]

lol steamtards.

 

[JarlFrank]

I love how the Epic Store defenders still resort to calling the critics steamtards when clearly it has gone beyond Epic vs Steam.

This game was supposed to come out on Steam and GoG, not Steam only.

Now it's Epic only.

Available on 2 stores
vs
Available on 1 store

Do the maths, I know you can do it. Use a calculator if you must.

 

[cvv]

I love how the Epic Store defenders still resort to calling the critics steamtards when clearly it has gone beyond Epic vs Steam.

What's your take on a game like Ashen? An Epic exclusive that was never promised being anywhere else? R u ok with exclusives like that?

 

[Cross]

I love how the Epic Store defenders still resort to calling the critics steamtards when clearly it has gone beyond Epic vs Steam.

What's your take on a game like Ashen? An Epic exclusive that was never promised being anywhere else? R u ok with exclusives like that?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/649950/Ashen/

 

[karoliner]

Meanwhile: https://www.metacouncil.com/threads/epic-game-store-spyware-tracking-and-you.766/

Ah, the benefits of "competition".

I just now got the time to read the thread is pretty funny.

Here's my findings on this topic, I also posted to ResetEra.

But I tried to replicate those and found out that Epic Games Launcher on start up searches for Steam install
and proceeds to get list of files in your Steam Cloud (this includes mostly game saves for every user that has logged in on your PC)

Steam Cloud is stored under userdata\[account id]\ if you wanna check

It will also create encrypted copy of config\localconfig.vdf.
This file contains your steam friends, their name history (groups you're part of, are considered "friends").

It seems friends might be used for friends suggestions, but I don't even use that feature and it collects more than that.

While it's called "localhistory" it is synced from cloud

It will read, encrypt and then write copy to: C:\ProgramData\Epic\SocialBackup\RANDOM HEX CODE_STEAM ACCOUNT ID.bak
It will also keep historical entries there.

As for contents of file:

Example of friends entry:

Play history, will contain last playtime

300 = Day of Defeat

Code:
"300"
{
"LastPlayed" "1384125348"
}
(1384125348 is unix timestamp near end of 2013). Apparently I have played this then.

To replicate these findings you can use Microsofts Process Explorer:

Process Explorer - Windows Sysinternals

Find out what files, registry keys and other objects processes have open, which DLLs they have loaded, and more.
docs.microsoft.com

It's recommended to add filter: "ProcessName is EpicGamesLauncher.exe" otherwise there will be tons of crap. Also you can set Drop Filtered events to save on memory.

First step is finding out where Steam is:

Then it will enumerate everything in Steam Cloud.

It doesn't seem to read anything, but just names of all your saves of games

Then it will read localconfig.vdf

after it's done:

42834588 = steam account id

76561197960265728 + account id = steam id = 76561198003100316 (this is my account)

Also the Steam friends thing is complete bull. I purposefully have zero friends on my Steam profile and therefore would never have linked Epic and Steam for "friends" purposes. It's doing this all on its own.

 

[HansDampf]

Selling HL2 exclusively on Steam was a shitty move back then. I refused to install Steam until 2007 when the Orange Box came out. And then it took another 3 years until I bought the first non-Valve game on Steam. They've turned it into a pretty good, customer-friendly service, though it's still DRM. I prefer to buy games on GOG, where I can download and archive installers like I actually own the games. In my ideal world every store would be DRM-free like GOG and not require me to install a client.
The Epic Store is a big step in the wrong direction, away from that ideal (yet another client, no user reviews, bribe tactics, Chinese conspiracy, etc.). Defending Epic with "Yeah, but STEAM DID IT TOO!!!1" is idotic. You'd also be okay with future upcoming competitors to use similar tactics? I want more GOGs, not more Epics.

 

[JarlFrank]

I love how the Epic Store defenders still resort to calling the critics steamtards when clearly it has gone beyond Epic vs Steam.

What's your take on a game like Ashen? An Epic exclusive that was never promised being anywhere else? R u ok with exclusives like that?

I still don't like them. The more platforms a game is released on, the better. That includes Steam and GoG as the two most important, but the best case scenario is also a DRM-free physical copy you can install directly from the DVD (sadly this almost never happens anymore), itch.io if it's a smaller indie game, Discord store now that it exists (even though I'll likely never use it), etc.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

There is literally not a single game on Steam that is contractually bound to be exclusive there.

There wasn't a single Playstation 1 game that was contractually banned from competition until Xbox came around. Amazing coincidences eyn't they?

10/10 gaming history and a brilliant analysis of what actually happened

 

[cvv]

There is literally not a single game on Steam that is contractually bound to be exclusive there.

There wasn't a single Playstation 1 game that was contractually banned from competition until Xbox came around. Amazing coincidences eyn't they?

10/10 gaming history and a brilliant analysis of what actually happened

Classic lamignat post.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

Now that Playstation vs Xbox is essentially over, or over the hill. The fight is now on pc, its a brand new "console" war, this might be good honestly,
I would not care if China spies on my porn. But I am still not using epic for now.

Maybe steam will get out their asses, gibe more bucks to devs or even, I shudder, make videogames again.

 

[eXalted]

Here's a pipedream: One is plenty enough. Combine them all under one universal client so that each "sub-client" and game is available to the customer under one single log in, and let the companies compete within that system as much as they fucking want.

I think there is one. It's called The Internet.

 

[Van-d-all]

You know what's a great example of "competition" in the retailer world?

GOG.

Isn't codex supposed to be in pitchfork mode towards GOG over ditching Grimoire though?

How the wheel turns full circle:

2019: "GAEM IS NOT ON STEAM!!!! REEEEEEEE!!!!!!! BOYCOTT, KILL THE DEVS, PIRATE THE SHIT!!!!!"

2004: "GAEM IS ON STEAM!!!!!!!! REEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! BOYCOTT, KILL THE DEVS, PIRATE THE SHIT!!!!"

Almost as if social perception towards digital media changed in those short 15 years...

 

[cvv]

Almost as if social perception towards digital media changed in those short 15 years...

Exactly. So don't worry, in 10 years Codex will get properly stockholm-syndromed by Epic too and will defend Sweeney just as furiously as it does Gaben today.

 

[ArchAngel]

Now that Playstation vs Xbox is essentially over, or over the hill. The fight is now on pc, its a brand new "console" war, this might be good honestly,
I would not care if China spies on my porn. But I am still not using epic for now.

Maybe steam will get out their asses, gibe more bucks to devs or even, I shudder, make videogames again.

They are still making videogames, just not the ones that interest you.

 

[cosmicray]

Isn't codex supposed to be in pitchfork mode towards GOG over ditching Grimoire though?

Wouldn't that be overly stupid even for Codex?

 

[Metro]

Exactly. So don't worry, in 10 years Codex will get properly stockholm-syndromed by Epic too and will defend Sweeney just as furiously as it does Gaben today.

Pretty sure no one (sane) here defends Gabe. And no one is in favor of Steam exclusives. In fact, in recent years you've had a lot of releases being on Steam and GOG simultaneously.

Epic exclusivity is a step backwards. Honestly, your only argument in this debate seems to be 'lol it makes Steam users mad' without any thought as to the actual purported benefit it has... *spoilers* ... the only benefit is to developers.

 

[cvv]

Honestly, your only argument in this debate seems to be 'lol it makes Steam users mad'

Well at least you're honest I was kindda worried you'd strawman the shit out of my argument.

 

[jewboy]

I don't see how this is worse than the DRMed steam platform, but yeah the people who were expecting a release on GOG should take back their gold and wait for a DRM free release. Just play a pirated version until that happens. Then you can reward them when they finally do the right thing. The problem is not abandoning Steam. Steam sucks and should be abandoned and steampunks should be executed humanely with pentobarbital. The problem is the switch from no-DRM to DRM. That should prompt a switch from purchase to download-for-free. Bits are just information and information wants so badlly to be freed. Just let it go.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I don't see how this is worse than the DRMed steam platform

Indeed, if only we could possess skills that would allow us to come up with something. Like basic reading. Or basic thinking.

 

[Fred]

I don't like Epic store simply because it's shilled non stop by the gaming press. "Steam is oppressive with all its freedom and consumer friendliness, and they let games I don't like be sold without political censorship, and that's a bad thing" is what they say. They even have forums, so basically they're nazis.
When the ennemies of the people shill something, it's not hard to know it's bad for you (no, it's not a quote from a certain president, I didn't wait for him to notice).
So well, I'll skip or pirate this one.

 

[hpstg]

The platform wars are far from over. It's just Microsoft entering a good guy phase because they lost the last platform war.

 

[Fenix]

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - this is a monster Fornite gave birth to.

Just play a pirated version until

Untell release and play piarated version further.

 

[Guy de Incognito]

Forgive my ignorance, but (unrelated to the entire platform wars thing) why does anyone care about any other XCom spiritual successors when Xenonauts exists?

 

[Fenix]

They had HORRIBRU fonts, I couldn't play with it, eyes were popping up from eyesockets.

 

[ArchAngel]

Forgive my ignorance, but (unrelated to the entire platform wars thing) why does anyone care about any other XCom spiritual successors when Xenonauts exists?

Because Xenonauts is an average game. I played it for one playthrough and went back to Open Xcom and Long War.