News Epic Games Store

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If we expect people to come in and take our bitching without complaint, I think the very least we can do is be adult enough to accept positive/neutral talk about the store here too without attacking other forum members. That thread title doesn't lean one way or another, neither should discussion.
Sure. And I think we are adult enough (most of the times) not to attack other users about something as trivial as video games.

But, this thread has 240 pages, and basically people come here to post about the free games, or about deals, or whatever, and have a back history of 200+ pages with negative comments about the store. Because, again, this thread was created not as a community thread, but as a news post (that somewhere along the line turned into the go place for new exclusivity announcements, and all the feedback that followed).

I think a thread that users can follow just for the deals, new game announcements, free games, and for actual users to interact, would probably be more positive for EGS users.

I mean, personally, I'm not an EGS user, and don't have much interest in the store, but I follow the Steam thread, and if every time I had a notification, and opened the thread, all I saw were people complaining about Valve, or arguing with each other about something, I would not find it a very enticing prospect.

Again, this is just a suggestion.
But, I think people should have a place to just check updates, and have positive interactions, and frankly, for EGS users, I don't think this thread isn't it.
 

gabbo

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Sure. And I think we are adult enough (most of the times) not to attack other users about something as trivial as video games.

But, this thread has 240 pages, and basically people come here to post about the free games, or about deals, or whatever, and have a back history of 200+ pages with negative comments about the store. Because, again, this thread was created not as a community thread, but as a news post (that somewhere along the line turned into the go place for new exclusivity announcements, and all the feedback that followed).

I think a thread that users can follow just for the deals, new game announcements, free games, ..., would probably be more positive to EGS users.

I mean, personally, I'm not an EGS user, and don't have much interest in the store, but I follow the Steam thread, and if every time I had a notification, and opened the thread, and all I saw were people complaining about Valve, or arguing with each other about something, I would not find it a very enticing prospect.

Again, this is just a suggestion.
But, I think people should have a place to just check updates, and have positive interactions, and frankly, for EGS users, I don't think this thread isn't it.
I didn't realize the thread was so long (200ppp makes it 60 pages right now). We could always close this thread and create a new one in its place that tries to accommodate both outlooks on the store? Start fresh? 2020 has seen weirder things
 

Deleted member 113

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I didn't realize the thread was so long (200ppp makes it 60 pages right now). We could always close this thread and create a new one in its place that tries to accommodate both outlooks on the store? Start fresh? 2020 has seen weirder things
That's another alternative. ;)

I do think we need a fresh start, in terms of EGS discussion.
2020 has been bad enough, I don't think people need anything else getting them nervous or upset.

Again, don't get me wrong: I refuse to use the EGS, not even for the free games, for the reasons I frequently explained.
But, any negativity I have is with Epic, and its boss, not with fellow EGS users, and frequently I do see users excited about having some free games, or nice deals, and wanting to share them with fellow users, only to be met with negative feedback.

This year has seen people losing their jobs, losing part of their income, and having all sorts of worries. Getting free games, or getting to buy games affordably is naturally positive for many people, so I hope people will be more understanding with each other about this. :cat-heart-blob:
 
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C-Dub

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So no more Epic coupons?
The ones from the last sale haven't expired yet, so they're probably expecting people will use those.

Plus I'm not sure CDPR will be happy if Epic starts handing out coupons that can be used against Cyberpunk 2077 next month, so I'm not expecting more Epic coupons until a sale for a few more months.
 
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Arc

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So no more Epic coupons?
Outside of the Rocket League promotion, Epic only does the coupons during their big sales every ~6 months or so. They will probably have the coupon during their holiday sale. A more interesting question is if Epic will have unlimited coupons again or limit it to one per customer. They're already taking a bath for every coupon redeemed.

The ones from the last sale haven't expired yet, so they're probably expecting people will use those.

Plus I'm not sure CDPR will be happy if Epic starts handing out coupons that can be used against Cyberpunk 2077 next month, so I'm not expecting more Epic coupons until a sale for a few more months.
If Epic does coupons again, I completely expect Cyberpunk to be excluded. CDPR would probably not be happy about their GOG version being undercut (especially after they did a price adjustment to exclude The Witcher 3 from being eligible for a coupon).
 

Wok

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I don't know what I could buy if they provided more coupons though. There are not many of the remaining exclusive games which are actually good.

Maybe Bugsnax, but it is not released yet and it is the kind of game which is hard to judge before the release.

Ditto with Kena: Kena: Bridge of Spirits - The Story

I think the first exclusive games (Hades, Satisfactory, Griftlands, Manifold Garden, etc.) looked more promising. These days, I cannot think of an EGS game which I would want, except for Shenmue 3 (because it is Shenmue, although it is allegedly very bad and dated).
 
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Arsene

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Plus I'm not sure CDPR will be happy if Epic starts handing out coupons that can be used against Cyberpunk 2077 next month, so I'm not expecting more Epic coupons until a sale for a few more months.
When The Witcher 3 came to EGS it had a launch discount and people could use the coupon to bring it down to like $5 and CDPR lowered the games price by 1 cent so people wouldn't be able to do that. The game is 5 years old. They're definitely gonna want to avoid letting people use coupons on Cyberpunk.

People jack off CDPR as oh so pro consumer and loving of their player base but that price change on TW3 was scummy as shit.
 

Wok

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It happens as well on Humble store with CDPR's games: no 20% discount for Choice subscribers. Instead 10% go to charity.

I wonder what the trick will be to prevent Epic's barebone system from applying Epic's MEGA coupons to Cyberpunk 2077 during the next sales.

 

gabbo

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When The Witcher 3 came to EGS it had a launch discount and people could use the coupon to bring it down to like $5 and CDPR lowered the games price by 1 cent so people wouldn't be able to do that. The game is 5 years old. They're definitely gonna want to avoid letting people use coupons on Cyberpunk.

People jack off CDPR as oh so pro consumer and loving of their player base but that price change on TW3 was scummy as shit.
If I recall, publishers/devs were not made aware of how the sale discount was being implemented during that first sale before hand. CDPR may be shitty, but if they don't want to have their game included in a sale or in a special section of sale, it's not up to the storefront to go ahead and do it anyway
 
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Arsene

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If I recall, publishers/devs were not made aware of how the sale discount was being implemented during that first sale before hand. CDPR may be shitty, but if they don't want to have their game included in a sale or in a special section of sale, it's not up to the storefront to go ahead and do it anyway
This was a few months ago. They put The Witcher up on the store half way through the sale in question. The Cyberpunk fiasco where they werent told and pulled it from the store was over a year prior.

I don’t blame them for pulling Cyberpunk during that sale back in 2019. Epic didn’t warn them and obviously they weren’t happy with their game being devalued a year and a half prior to launch, But they decided the pricing and discount of the witcher, they knew they were launching during a sale, (Epic even promoted it) they knew about the coupons and how they worked, and they decided to drop the price by 1 cent so it wouldnt be usable with coupons.
 

Deleted member 113

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So we're considering EGS "just another storefront" now?
"We" aren't considering anything. I speak for myself, not anyone else.

But Geoforce, please do re-read what I wrote.

I've been very vocal since the start about what I think of the EGS, and I continue to refuse to use it, no matter what.
I actually had an Epic Account (from the alpha of their last Unreal Tournament game that never was), and requested it closed and deleted when this all happened, I refunded my contributions to the crowdfunding campaigns of Phoenix Point, and Shenmue III (and I'm a huge fan of the series), and cancelled and refunded my pre-order of Rune 2, so no, for me nothing changed about what I think of the store. You're not the only one who boycotts it, and dislikes it.

But, I do think it's incredibly stupid that when someone comes along, and posts "hey, x game is currently free on the EGS", or "they have a 10€/$ coupon, that makes x game cost next to nothing", there's frequently replies antagonizing the store, and worse of all, the people who posted that piece of information, and I think that needs to change.

So yeah, my post was to ask people not to be a dick to other users who do are interested in the store, and are entitled to discuss it, or their deals/free games, without someone being obnoxious about it. If you aren't interested in something, just ignore it, let others enjoy what they want, no one is forcing people to use the store against their will.

Basically, your post just solidifies my opinion that there needs to be two posts about the EGS: a community post for people to discuss it without any "drama", and this one for people to vent about their policies and exclusives.

You know, I was not even subscribed to this thread any more, because the discussion always ends up like this: with people antagonizing others. Plus, I don't even use the store, so I don't like to waste time discussing something I dislike, there are far more interesting things to do.
 

Ge0force

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"We" aren't considering anything. I speak for myself, not anyone else.

But Geoforce, please do re-read what I wrote.

I've been very vocal since the start about what I think of the EGS, and I continue to refuse to use it, no matter what.
I actually had an Epic Account (from the alpha of their last Unreal Tournament game that never was), and requested it closed and deleted when this all happened, I refunded my contributions to the crowdfunding campaigns of Phoenix Point, and Shenmue III (and I'm a huge fan of the series), and cancelled and refunded my pre-order of Rune 2, so no, for me nothing changed about what I think of the store. You're not the only one who boycotts it, and dislikes it.

But, I do think it's incredibly stupid that when someone comes along, and posts "hey, x game is currently free on the EGS", or "they have a 10€/$ coupon, that makes x game cost next to nothing", there's frequently replies antagonizing the store, and worse of all, the people who posted that piece of information, and I think that needs to change.

So yeah, my post was to ask people not to be a dick to other users who do are interested in the store, and are entitled to discuss it, or their deals/free games, without someone being obnoxious about it. If you aren't interested in something, just ignore it, let others enjoy what they want, no one of forcing people to use the store against their will.

Basically, your post just solidifies my opinion that there's need to be two posts about the EGS: a community post for people to discuss it without any "drama", and this one for people to vent about their policies and exclusives.

You know, I was not even subscribed to this thread any more, because the discussion always end up like this: with people antagonizing others. Plus, I don't even use the store, so I don't like to waste time discussing something I dislike, there are far more interesting things to do.
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my comment. I do see your point, and I do agree that antagonizing anyone using or liking EGS is absolutely not done.

But I'm not sure we need a separate thread where we pretend that EGS is "just another storefront" and where we aren't allow to talk about the short-term and long-term consequences of Epic's actions. While I can imagine that it's annoying for some people to read complaints about Epic's money hatting, the money hatting IS still an issue; it IS still happening and it seems Epic has no intentions to change their strategy in the near future.

Again, antagonizing other people shouldn't happen in any way. If you ever feel I'm doing this, please PM me and I'll alter/remove my post because that's NEVER my intention. But when something happens that people dislike, people should always be allowed to comment about it. We don't need a "censored" thread about this matter.

Don't get me wrong: I'm definitely not saying that only negative stuff about EGS can be discussed here. Feel free to make a separate thread about Epic freebies or other EGS-specific events. And there already are threads about EGS exclusive games as well.
 

C-Dub

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I feel like making a separate thread to isolate certain discussions about EGS from other discussions about EGS would be a failure. That feels like something done on the other site because the moderators won't deal with persistent low-key trolling in communities.

If someone's making this place an unpleasant place to post, we have the 'Warn user' and 'Report post' buttons.

If the conduct of a user is acceptable, but the contents of a thread is still winding you up, I'd advise putting the thread on your ignore list.

Siloing positive EGS talk with negative EGS talk does everyone a disservice. We are all capable of having a mature and nuanced discussion about Epic's impact on the PC gaming landscape.

If Epic does coupons again, I completely expect Cyberpunk to be excluded. CDPR would probably not be happy about their GOG version being undercut (especially after they did a price adjustment to exclude The Witcher 3 from being eligible for a coupon).
Excluding games or publishers from coupons is a slippery slope, however. If they let CDPR exclude their games, everyone's going to be asking for an exclusion, and the coupons become worthless.

This is especially true when certain deals sites now factor in the coupons in their historical lowest price, meaning an Epic coupon could have a negative impact on people's purchases in the future. For example, if a developer never drops their game below 50% discount, but the deals sites show an Epic coupon took it to 65% off - that could affect sales of the game during future sales as the deals sites will forever say this is not the best discount the game has had.

I also think it's fair to say most developers and publishers do not like the Epic coupon but put up with it for reasons.
 

Deleted member 113

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But I'm not sure we need a separate thread where we pretend that EGS is "just another storefront" and where we aren't allow to talk about the short-term and long-term consequences of Epic's actions. While I can imagine that it's annoying for some people to read complaints about Epic's money hatting, the money hatting IS still an issue; it IS still happening and it seems Epic has no intentions to change their strategy in the near future.
That's the thing: the consequences are a thing that bothers you and me (and others), but doesn't bother some people. And we should respect it. It's their option.
Why do they need to be "taught" or reminded of that every single time? Aren't people entitled to have their fun, without someone coming out every single time and talk down to them about claiming a free game, or being excited about buying a game for next to nothing (again, especially in a year where a lot of people lost their incomes, or part of it, due to the current pandemic)?

I frankly think it's a bit patronizing of you to say something like "it's annoying to some people, but it's still an issue, so I'll keep doing it".
Is anyone in here unaware of their exclusivity deals by now? I don't think so. Why do we need to make people feel bad about using the store? Who are people to tell others what to do with their money?

So yeah, I do think people should be allowed to discuss the store, without having others antagonize them, or their choices.

Heck, I'm as anti-EGS as it gets, and every time I ask for some tolerance, or respect, with people who think positively about the store, I get antagonizing posts as well (this really isn't the first time I said something similar, and the reactions are always the same).

Making two separate echo chambers who circlejerk each other in their own thread is not the answer.
What is then?
Like I mentioned, I just made a suggestion, because I don't think it's right to have other users feeling like they are unwelcome, or that they can't discuss something (in this case the EGS), because people will antagonize them.
 
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Kyougar

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That's the thing: the consequences are a thing that bothers you and me (and others), but doesn't bother some people. And we should respect it. It's their option.
Why do they need to be "taught" or reminded of that every single time? Aren't people entitled to have their fun, without someone coming out every single time and talk down to them about claiming a free game, or being excited about buying a game for next to nothing (again, especially in a year where a lot of people lost their incomes, or part of it, due to the current pandemic)?

I frankly think it's a bit patronizing of you to say something like "it's annoying to some people, but it's still an issue, so I'll keep doing it".
Is anyone in here unaware of their exclusivity deals by now? I don't think so. Why do we need to make people feel bad about using the store? Who are people to tell others what to do with their money?

So yeah, I do think people should be allowed to discuss the store, without having others antagonize them, or their choices.

Heck, I'm as anti-EGS as it gets, and every time I ask for some tolerance, or respect, with people who think positively about the store, I get antagonizing posts as well (this really isn't the first time I said something similar, and the reactions are always the same).



What is then?
Like I mentioned, I just made a suggestion, because I don't think it's right to have other users feeling like they are unwelcome, or that they can't discuss something (in this case the EGS), because people will antagonize them.

The solution is to engage with other users and try to argue your point. The other Forum is such a hellhole because of all the echo chambers were dissenting opinions are not allowed and you can only praise a product. Or when product/company/single person of company has the seal of disapproval, only pissing on the company/person is allowed.
 

Ge0force

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That's the thing: the consequences are a thing that bothers you and me (and others), but doesn't bother some people. And we should respect it. It's their option.
Agreed. But it DOES bother other people, so their opinion should be respected as well. This is a forum, it's designed to discuss things. There wouldn't be any discussions if we made separate threads for pro and con about every subject. :)

For me, both positive and negative discussions about EGS are fine in this thread. But we should all support and respect each other to prevent antagonistic behavior. We're all gamers after all.
 

Phoenix RISING

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I still need to beat the first Darkest Dungeon. I never got past the 2nd floor. Instant stress and high damage for everyone. The final stretch of the game is designed to be unfair. And that's not fun.

Personally, I don't mind buying a former EGS exclusive, or the developer's next release, as shit's tough for many developers and Epic's deal can be too good to refuse.

It's fucked up that you can make more money not selling your game to people than you can actually selling it, but that's just capitalism for you. I worked for a big retail company before my current job and I know for a fact that, at least when I was there, the company would literally pay producers to destroy their food rather than let a rival store have it. It was honestly better for the producers, and cheaper for the company, to buy exclusivity on the food and then waste it rather than try to sell it in stores. And while that is tangible goods and I personally find food waste morally reprehensible (and why my position at the company became increasingly more untenable), I feel like it's still fucked up that a developer can make more profits from not selling games than they can by selling them. But that's what happens when a very rich company starts throwing its influence around - markets and market value gets distorted.

But regardless, as I have said many-a-time: for every Epic exclusive, there are plenty of great games available on other stores. If you want to promote more competition on the PC platform, buy a game on GOG - they have a really excellent selection these days.

As I sit in my desk at a major grocery distribution center while reading your post, I can confirm.

The amount of food that we destroy on a weekly basis is shameful. Some of it is food safety, but we could also sort out that food to feed the hungry if the higher-ups paid the labor to do so.
 

bobnowhere

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I still need to beat the first Darkest Dungeon. I never got past the 2nd floor. Instant stress and high damage for everyone. The final stretch of the game is designed to be unfair. And that's not fun.
I've played more than 60 hours of DD1 and never gotten near the end, the idea of the game has always been more interesting than the reality.
 

fantomena

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With the amount of exclusives that EGS has lost the past few months, like 7 or something just this week and the lack of upcoming exclusives, EGS for me is "just there". It exists, but that's all.
 
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Myradeer

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Catching up on this thread, pretty surprised to see some people think this forum was created due to Epic Store controversy. It did cause more people to come here, as some people realized their opinion on PC differed significantly from those of the moderators, but MetaCouncil had been created way before Epic Store had even been a thing as an experiment on site without centralized moderators.

I mean one just have to look at page 1 of this thread; this thread wasn't even created out of anti-Epic sentiment, instead a simple news about the annoucement, and atmosphere had been mostly skepticisim and indifference rather than outright hostility.
 
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gabbo

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So on the off chance we did want a new thread to both show our ire for the store and discuss games and deals in a new, less unwieldy space, I actually spent more time than I should putting together a draft }OT}, but wouldn't want to post it without enough consensus that it's needed. Consider it, like EGS itself, a work in progress as design is not my forte.
 
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ISee

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Would it be fine to create a "positivity only OT" for a game that 90% of us do not enjoy and where discussing the enjoyment some people have for it becomes difficult? Because every bit of positivity gets constantly challenged?
I think it would.

On the other side, I'm having doubts about the need for a "safe spaces" to exist. Isn't a forum meant to encourage a discussion, which is the process of exchanging ideas, especially when they are controversial? Isn't everything else, in the end, a social bubble with constant circle jerking (aka Reddit)?

But maybe that's how some people view this thread because the negative voices have turned into a deafening crescendo?

Hard to tell for me, because I'm clearly standing on one side. But in the end, there is a quite simple argument to be made here:
This is a free, unmoderated forum: If somebody feels the need or desire to create a "positivity only EGS thread", please go for it.

The thread will either die or be accepted.
 

fantomena

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I don't see the point of another EGS thread, people can both whine/make fun of EGS and Epic here and post stuff regarding the store and games here.

But this is a very liberal forum in many ways so Im not gonna stop anyone in creating a new EGS thread.
 

AHA-Lambda

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I'll add my 2 cents on this.
If another thread did happen it'd be almost certainly be pretty small as the majority of the forum is understandably against EGS.

Personally, I don't like EGS either but I'm not as diehard against it as others.
But I do on the fair occasion use it, as I've gone past the point of what I personally see as cutting off my nose to spite my face for something that just isn't going away.

All that said I still barely talk about my use of EGS or the games I play on it cos I'm not going to post about it in here as this thread is exclusively a critique thread at this point for all intents and purposes. It is very very easy for people to say keep all EGS talk to this thread when most forum users here will never use the service and will only use this thread to critique it. For a lack of a better way of phrasing it, it's not pleasant to be posting "hey I'm enjoying this thing" when everyone else is talking about how shit everything is.

But on the main PC gaming thread my EGS posts there then get drowned every time by either commentary on EGS itself or others saying that such talk should be relegated away from that same main thread to here - which I don't agree with as the main thread talks extensively about other non Steam PC platforms regularly.
 
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ISee

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the forum is not unmoderated, you're a mod just like I am, we just never had much reason to start banning people like bigger forums do.
Oh No, no, no.
You never want me to have moderation privileges. It should be taken away from me.


I know, I meant that there isn't a single person or a group of insiders dictating rules.
But on the main PC gaming thread my EGS posts then get drowned every time by either commentary on EGS itself or others saying that such talk should be relegated away from that same main thread to here - which I don't agree with as the main thread talks extensively about other non Steam PC platforms regularly.
Agree. I see your point here.
The thread you are taking about doesn't even talk about gaming for 25% of the time.
 

Deku

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Trying to change the topic here a bit

I know that Griftlands on EGS will give you a Steam copy. Is there any other game that also gives you a steam copy too?
 

gabbo

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Would it be fine to create a "positivity only OT" for a game that 90% of us do not enjoy and where discussing the enjoyment some people have for it becomes difficult? Because every bit of positivity gets constantly challenged?
I think it would.

On the other side, I'm having doubts about the need for a "safe spaces" to exist. Isn't a forum meant to encourage a discussion, which is the process of exchanging ideas, especially when they are controversial? Isn't everything else, in the end, a social bubble with constant circle jerking (aka Reddit)?

But maybe that's how some people view this thread because the negative voices have turned into a deafening crescendo?

Hard to tell for me, because I'm clearly standing on one side. But in the end, there is a quite simple argument to be made here:
This is a free, unmoderated forum: If somebody feels the need or desire to create a "positivity only EGS thread", please go for it.

The thread will either die or be accepted.
I don't see the point of another EGS thread, people can both whine/make fun of EGS and Epic here and post stuff regarding the store and games here.

But this is a very liberal forum in many ways so Im not gonna stop anyone in creating a new EGS thread.
My idea wasn't for a positive only thread, just to simply close this one and start a fresh one. We can always move this to the archive and consider it OT1, since it was only created for the announcement, not as an EGS OT
 
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C-Dub

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I'm not sure what rebooting this thread accomplishes. Either we create a separate thread for non-critical discussion of the EGS or we just... continue using this one?

But I still feel that having to silo discussion like that would not be good. I think we're all mature enough to have a nuanced discussion on the EGS, even if the overwhelming opinion is negative.
 

fantomena

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All good by me, was just floating it out there. council motion voted down :D
Everyone should put their ideas out for the forum so we can discuss what we can do better. :)

Noone should be afraid to write their ideas and thoughts about this forum, otherwise this forum will just become a circlejerk where people are afraid of writing their thoughts which will make this forum to never progress.

I find it important that MC is an open minded forum, open to new ideas and being critical too.