Epic doesn’t play nice with Linux, and lemmy is a Linux-centric place - that’s nearly all of the hate. I find Linux to be a pain in the ass because everything else I use, and am of my games, are Windiws native. I click the install button and never have to worry about which version of proton will work. It’s the second worst thing about my Steamdeck (the first is, of course, that atrocious keyboard).
You will be able to tell how rabid the Linux continent is here by the number of down votes I get for saying that windows is simply a better gaming platform and Epics nose-thumbing at Linux causes me exactly zero worries because I play on the OS these games were made for.
My main issue is that Tim Sweeny has repeatedly shown that he really doesn’t know that he’s taking about when it comes to Linux and how it works. Like if you’re gonna diss something at least have valid reasons. Windows is a better gaming platform right now, but that’s only because companies like epic refuse to pay any service to it. Hopefully that changes soon.
This has nothing to do with Linux. Gamers in general, the cast majority being in Windows, hate EGS. It makes contracts for exclusivity, the launcher is apparently atrocious and there’s an almost inherent bias against any launcher/storefront that isn’t Steam. You’ll find those three reasons in just about any conversation about EGS.
And, to actually address your Linux theory, all I have to do is to open Heroic, sign in if I haven’t already, download the game and run it through Proton, in exactly the same way I do on Steam. Epic’s hate for Linux isn’t really that much of a problem.
No. Gamers in general aren’t on gaming discussion platforms to see the minority complaining about the things that bothers them, the vast majority of gamers are playing games wherever they are.
What do gaming forums have to do with it? Anecdotally I know plenty of people who would never be on a gaming forum who also hate EGS. I mean it's no secret the store hemorrhages money, there must be some reason for that. The UI is slow and the feature set is basically non-existent, it's pretty obvious spending 5 minutes with it that it really doesn't have anything to offer over Steam.
The opinions shared in gaming media and on gaming social media doesn’t matter to the vast majority of gamers that doesn’t look at them. Fortnite is one of the biggest video games success story ever, these players don’t care about the opinion of a minority that’s mad that a company is trying to break the Steam monopoly.
The opinions shared in gaming media and on gaming social media doesn’t matter to the vast majority of gamers that doesn’t look at them
It's self-evident to anyone that uses it that the software is severely lacking, they don't need social media to form their opinions.
Fortnite is one of the biggest video games success story ever
About 80% of Fortnite players are on console, and it's not like those playing on PC have much of a choice in the matter. Fortnite's success doesn't magically make EGS not shit, but it does imply...
Steam has a monopoly blah blah
...that Steam doesn't have a monopoly. Fortnite, Minecraft, ROBLOX, League, Valorant, WoW, Genshin Impact, Crossfire, Freefire, DNF, Ragnarok Online, Sudden Attack, FIFA Online? All of these are not on Steam and most of these games have playercounts that completely dwarf anything on Steam. Remember the top PC gaming market by users is Asia and Steam has a very limited presence there. Shit, League of Legends alone has a higher MAU than all of Steam (132m to 152m). How can you have a monopoly and not even beat one singular game in MAU?
Steam as a game store has a monopoly, just like Google as a search engine has a monopoly, other options exist but their reach is small enough that Valve and Alphabet can decide what happens with the market.
“They have a very limited presence in Asia”… Yeah, just like Google, we’re not talking about Asia.
EGS is perfectly fine and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks it’s Steam that’s bloated and has a load of useless stuff that’s only there to monetize whales (cards, tradeable items…)
Of course we are talking about Asia, lmao. Why would we just arbitrarily leave them out, because it makes your argument look bad? Their money is just as green as any other place. And considering the multitude of extremely profitable Asian PC gaming platforms, no: Steam as a game store does not have a monopoly. Not even close. They are not even the market leader! The Riot launcher is also a PC gaming store/platform, and has higher MAU than Steam. Just calling Steam a monoply over and over again doesn't just magically make it true.
Well then no monopolies exist if we look on a global scale for everything, thank you for fixing all of the world’s market!
You only have a single option for an internet provider where you live? Well they don’t have a monopoly because in the next town over they have another option!
I just don't use Epic myself but do use Gog and Steam (with the ultra shitty EA launcher and Ubisoft Connect bundled with some of my games) and Playnite has changed everything unifying it all into that single launcher.
Full screen mode in Playnite works fine on my HTPC and as a launcher it does consolidate all of them into one place easily. Worth trying if you use multiple stores.
As for why I'm not using Epic, the whole paying for exclusivity with third parties really didn't appeal to me at all.
If the free offerings from Epic do appeal to you, or if they do better deals on localised currencies (especially if you do struggle to pay for things), don't worry about using their services. I wouldn't want you to deny yourself some entertainment just because other people have issues with them as a business.
My first purchase when I’m earning enough to spend on entertainment will be a good device. The second will be games that I can either physically keep or digitally store on physical drives.
Gog is the main place for that, since their principal stance is DRM-free downloadable installers. They have a launcher too, but it’s optional and only meant as convenience. Itch.io does DRM-free too, but they’re often more about very indie and often experimental games. They have a few all-time indie classics though.
Steam technically doesn’t require the games to implement DRM, so a part of their library is DRM-free once you’ve passed the installation process (they don’t need steam to be running). This is on a case-by-case basis though. Lots of Steam games use steamworks (Steam’s very own DRM) and a lot more use third party DRMs (and even require external launchers like Ubisoft’s or EA’s).
For years I have been a bit pissed at Steam for opening themselves to all and every shitty fake game/quick buck asset flip there is out there, refusing to do any kind of curation. Instead they opted for letting the almighty Algorithm do that for them. I doesn’t work, their store is a discoverability catastrophe full of shit.
That said, I still buy from them in some cases, and these cases are mostly down to one point : the workshop, the integrated mod and user content interface. It’s for a handful of games that profit a lot from it, but it’s undenyingly convenient.
What I often do if it’s a possibility is buying directly from the developer, which often includes a Steam key. That’s what I did for Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress (through Itch.io). It gives you everything Steam has to offer for the game and usually a DRM-free version too. Only “down point” is that your Steam review doesn’t count for the game’s Steam score when you have activated it from an external key. I don’t care much for that.
In the end at that point you’ve noticed I talked about a lot of different platforms and launchers, and it’s not even all of them. Like the previous poster, I can’t recommend Playnite enough. It’s a meta launcher that makes all of your libraries united in the same place, with a lot of options. You still require all the platforms installed, but you’re not using them directly most of the time.
I’ve got Steam, Gog, Humble, Ubisoft, EA, Amazon, Xbox, Itch.io and yeah, even Epic through it (though I only use EGS to get the free games, I don’t plan on buying anything from there).
Seconding this masterpiece, the first Megaman Legends is hard to play nowadays since you need to stop to aim, but 2 introduced lock-on so it’s much more agile and dynamic, still great, replayed it last year.
It was a long time ago I played it, so I’m not sure how well it has aged.
But I recommend Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. It’s a platformer where boomerangs are your weapon. Over time you unlock different kinds of boomerangs with different perks (like fire boomerangs or exploding boomerangs). I remember it being quite fun at the time.
You’re free to pronounce it however you want, but considering it’s named after a famous mythological character, you may get funny looks as if you referred to similar mythological characters as “Jod”, “Hey-zeus”, “Bud-hah”, or “Hurk-yoolz”.
The rest of the soundtrack is great too, It was my favorite gacha I played, probably because it was the least exploitative gacha I’ve ever played. Sadly, it wasn’t doing too well and shut down in 2020 as development for Final Fantasy VII Remake was ramping up, and they need all hands on deck in Business Division 1.
Lately I’ve been playing Spark the Electric Jester 3, Freedom Planet 2, Sonic Superstars, Vampire Survivors, and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. I think all of these are on sale!
I’m a platformer gal, especially fast-paced Sonicy ones, so Spark the Electric Jester, Freedom Planet, and of course Sonic Superstars are right up my alley. Sonic Superstars really isn’t a $60 game but I’d say it’s $36 sale price is all right. Freedom Planet 2 absolutely nails fluid 2D level design with insane levels of polish. And Spark 3 may be one of the finest 3D platformers ever made, with a tight control system and a incredibly high skill ceiling.
Vampire Survivors, however, is not a platformer. It’s a bite-sized RPG where your control of your character is exclusively directional and what upgrades to their skillset they get. It is incredibly addictive and while each session can last a maximum(ish) of 30 minutes I find myself wanting just one more try all the time. If you’re not sure about it, the mobile version is free with ads, but it’s really best played on PC.
And I don’t think I have words for FFVIIR. Say what you want about Square Enix (such as “fuck those guys”), they make a solid JRPG, and this enhanced remake of the first… like, quarter of the first disc of Final Fantasy VII? is excellently done and takes enough liberties with the storyline to feel fresh without feeling so different that it’s unrecognizable. (and the fact that they took liberties is actually a story point in and of itself but I’ll just leave it at that)
If you liked vampire survivors and retro graphics you might want to check out Halls of Torment. It looks like old school Diablo but it’s a vampire survivors like game.
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