Community MetaSteam | March 2023 - You know, Wo Leon, we really are the last of March

[Paul]

I came to notice that CDPR quietly disappeared and left The Witcher 3 to its sorry state as well, 3 months after launch.

Last hotfix came out less than a month ago; I assume if CDP want to do what they outlined:

Currently investigated issues [last updated: 13.02.2023 - Patch 4.01]

Thank you for your support and feedback on the Next-Gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Following Patch 4.01, we wanted to take a moment to talk about some of the issues the team is currently working on and to give a better understanding of what’s ahead. We are working on patches for the...

forums.cdprojektred.com

I assume the work will take some time, because improving that hacked-in DX12 support on 8 years old version of the engine must be somewhat difficult. But I doubt they already gave up on it.

 

[dex3108]

 

[Dandy]

Tim Sweeney has a point about Steamworks. As much as I don't want anything Epic on my PC, there's no doubt that Epic Online Services provide something useful for customers. It's time for Valve to open Steamworks up.

Agreed. As much as I hate to admit that Sweeney is right about anything... he is right about this.

Edit: Of course, it is pretty hypocritical of him. Instead of "locking in" games with features like Valve, he locks them in by paying for exclusivity.

 

[dex3108]

Also

 

[Paul]

Allison also told me that they've seen publishers run timed Epic Store exclusives without any deal: They just want to take advantage of Epic's better revenue share for their launch sales before later releasing on Steam. That's why Rockstar put Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Epic Games Store a few weeks before Steam, Allison told me.

Doubt

 

[lashman]

 

[Aaron D.]

Hell yeah.

Been looking forward to MPT for a while now after touring the demo.

Logistics & Resource management via interdependent industries.

Clean & elegant presentation as found in Shapez.io and Mini Metro/Motorways.

 

[Stallion Free]

Alan Wake 2 will be exclusive for a "long time" - interesting that they can't say permanent. I will wait lol.

 

[curi0usBystander]

Also

Look I could tell you that big games always make people willing to create accounts (hype is a hell of a drug) but how much money did they burn to learn that. but then they say:

Also part of Epic's ongoing exclusivity strategy is its relatively new game publishing wing, which is funding the development of several upcoming games, including Alan Wake 2 from Remedy, a new game from Limbo developer Playdead, and a game from The Last Guardian studio genDesign.

Look, with the exception of Remedy (and that might be a stretch) I wouldn't really call the others big games

And if there were any doubt that these games would be Epic Games Store exclusives, let it be dispelled now. They will be exclusive for "a long time," Allison told me.

That's the part you don't say out loud.

Allison also told me that they've seen publishers run timed Epic Store exclusives without any deal: They just want to take advantage of Epic's better revenue share for their launch sales before later releasing on Steam. That's why Rockstar put Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Epic Games Store a few weeks before Steam, Allison told me.

For a rockstar game that sells like hotcakes (sure, it will not do GTA V numbers but it still is one of the best selling games ever) It could make sense but ... they have their own store so it sounds weird.


PS. I hate you, you made me open that link

 

[toxicitizen]

Alan Wake 2 will be exclusive for a "long time" - interesting that they can't say permanent. I will wait lol.

Might be long enough that you wouldn't necessarily call it a timed exclusive, though. Like, for example, let's say it's exclusive for the duration of the publishing agreement. If Epic have the publishing rights for, say, 10 years... That's virtually lifetime for a video game. By the time the contract runs out, the game would be ancient.

I haven't pirated a game in a loooong time but this is probably the one game that'll break that streak. I'm not buying it on the EGS but I'm not waiting another decade for Alan Wake 2 either lol.

 

[Mivey]

Might be long enough that you wouldn't necessarily call it a timed exclusive, though. Like, for example, let's say it's exclusive for the duration of the publishing agreement. If Epic have the publishing rights for, say, 10 years... That's virtually lifetime for a video game. By the time the contract runs out, the game would be ancient.

I haven't pirated a game in a loooong time but this is probably the one game that'll break that streak. I'm not buying it on the EGS but I'm not waiting another decade for Alan Wake 2 either lol.

I wanna support Remedy, and they will get the majority of my money, so I don't see the problem of buying from the EGS. I surely won't install their client, but luckily there are third party programs that allow you to install and run EGS games without needing to install Epics spyware crap.
I am just too old for piracy these days. I wanna spend money and press on buttons. No searching for torrents, hunting patches, etc.

 

[Ge0force]

I wanna support Remedy, and they will get the majority of my money,

That's not exactly true. 100% of your money will go to Epic, at least until AW2 revenue exceeds the cost of development and marketing. Chances that this will happen are small imo.

In other words: you will rather support Epic's efforts to lock games from independent studio's to their store, than supporting Remedy.

 

[Censored]

when you say that Epic thing you mean ElAmigos right?

just got Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana deluxe. It's 70% discount on Fanatical

 

[dex3108]

Whatever your previous experience with The Last of Us Part I, its PC release brings with it plenty of PC features to bring Joel and Ellie's tense and unforgettable journey to life. This version of The Last of Us Part I is optimized for PC with PC-centric quality-of-life enhancements. Part I will feature AMD FSR 2.2 support, Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution support*, VSync and frame rate cap options, and a host of features designed specifically for PC, including adjustable Texture Quality, Shadows, Reflections, Ambient Occlusion, and more.

The Last of Us Part I PC’s features and specs detailed

Naughty Dog offers a deeper look at The Last of Us Part I’s upcoming debut on PC.

blog.playstation.com

Is it me or Sony ports are kinda getting more and more basic?

 

[Mivey]

That's not exactly true. 100% of your money will go to Epic, at least until AW2 revenue exceeds the cost of development and marketing. Chances that this will happen are small imo.

In other words: you will rather support Epic's efforts to lock games from independent studio's to their store, than supporting Remedy.

That's a good point. Well, it still improves the chance that Epic might be willing to fund future games, so it still seems most consistent with what I want.

when you say that Epic thing you mean ElAmigos right?

I was talking about the Heroic launcher. First time I hear about Elamigos, but the more the merrier, I guess.

 

[bobnowhere]

Figment 2 out and it feels like a bundling price error. Since everyone claimed Figment 1, Figment 2 is 43% off at launch.

 

[Ge0force]

That's a good point. Well, it still improves the chance that Epic might be willing to fund future games, so it still seems most consistent with what I want.

I'm not exactly looking forward to more games from independent studio's being published by Epic, and thereby locked to EGS (and excluded from most keystores and bundels) for a long time.

 

[Li Kao]

That's Wo Long done. 45 hours and change. It's shorter than your usual Nioh and that's a good thing.
Had a good time, the game is not without quality, but there is no denying that there are several issues and that some aspects are even a downgrade compared to Nioh, which was surprising.

 

[ezodagrom]

You want more games from independent studio's published by Epic, and thereby locked to EGS (and excluded from most keystores and bundels) for a long time?

I think that it's more that he wants more studios to have the opportunity of having the safety net of being funded (even if the one doing that funding enforces restrictions).

Though, for me, Epic exclusivity deals, be it published by them or not, feels like the devs are just selling their games to Epic and not to the players, so I'm not gonna buy them until they release on Steam, no matter the game. I have more games than I can play anyway.

 

[Line]

Does the EGS even exist anymore?
Really feels like it went away, I never see anyone talking about it and we don't see "it's just a store" thoughts either.

It just... faded away.

 

[ezodagrom]

Does the EGS even exist anymore?
Really feels like it went away, I never see anyone talking about it and we don't see "it's just a store" thoughts either.

It just... faded away.

It still exists, but I wonder for how long, they allow NFT/blockchain "games" to be sold there now.

 

[Mivey]

I'm not exactly looking forward to more games from independent studio's being published by Epic, and thereby locked to EGS (and excluded from most keystores and bundels) for a long time.

I was talking about future Alan Wake games, should have made that clear. And I dont mind a deal with the proverbial (or literal) devil for that.

 

[inky]

Also

So much for the small indie friendly, expertly curated storefront lmao

EGS is even more irrelevant to the independent PC space today than when it launched.

 

[Parsnip]

If Alan Wake 2 turns out to be mid or worse that would certainly make the waiting for "a very long time" a lot easier. Though to be honest I'm not exactly the number #1 Alan Wake fan so I guess I'm not too upset about the whole thing in the end.

Didn't know Steam does this;

coolio

I think I recall this being a fairly recent addition. It replaces the "updates and news" shelf right?

 

[lashman]

 

[Derrick01]

This is a bad move. There is no salvaging this game you're just delaying the inevitable train wreck and what's worse is now you could end up placing it within spiderman 2's launch window which will give internet people the perfect opportunity to make comparison vids and gifs between a superhero game doing all the wrong things vs one that is (probably) doing them right.

The kids call that a self own I think.

 

[「Echo」]

Returnal bros you gotta let me know if the patch fixes the dang fatal error crashes!!

Between this and all data collecting now, I wonder if people will go back to Teamspeak? I know my hubby still maintains an old TS Server somehow.

I wonder if anybody is gonna try to challenge Discord on this stuff legally. But I also can't help but feel that the government has a vested interest in the collected data and stuff...

 

[lashman]

 

[Censored]

this AWESOME dlc got released today for Forspoken.

/s

 

[yuraya]

This is a bad move. There is no salvaging this game you're just delaying the inevitable train wreck and what's worse is now you could end up placing it within spiderman 2's launch window which will give internet people the perfect opportunity to make comparison vids and gifs between a superhero game doing all the wrong things vs one that is (probably) doing them right.

The kids call that a self own I think.

Fuck just release it and move on to the next big project. How can they drag this out for so long? The entire concept/trend of the game is from 2018-2020. Now this will probably release in 2024 lol. Because a small delay won't change significant gameplay mechanics at this point to satisfy fans. If they really want to make it something other than a basic shlooter they will need a year+ delay.

This one game is 8 years in the making. Remember the simpler times when they released 3 AAA Batman games in a span of 6 years? And an additional Origins spinoff came out in between those 6 years too. AAA dev is such a stupid mess in this industry today.

 

[Kyougar]

Between this and all data collecting now, I wonder if people will go back to Teamspeak? I know my hubby still maintains an old TS Server somehow.

I wonder if anybody is gonna try to challenge Discord on this stuff legally. But I also can't help but feel that the government has a vested interest in the collected data and stuff...

Only if it were a Chinese company.
Data collection is cool if its an American corporation.

 

[C-Dub]

Fuck just release it and move on to the next big project. How can they drag this out for so long? The entire concept/trend of the game is from 2018-2020. Now this will probably release in 2024 lol. Because a small delay won't change significant gameplay mechanics at this point to satisfy fans. If they really want to make it something other than a basic shlooter they will need a year+ delay.

This one game is 8 years in the making. Remember the simpler times when they released 3 AAA Batman games in a span of 6 years? And an additional Origins spinoff came out in between those 6 years too. AAA dev is such a stupid mess in this industry today.

Agreed. Unless they’re writing the whole game off and starting from scratch, why bother delaying?

Just poop it out and move on. And the lesson learned is make the game you want to make rather than chasing monetisation trends.

 

[kio]

So I finally decided not to get Last of Us, partly because I can wait for better deals (and me having a better PC) but mostly because this beauty is releasing the following week.


So screw shooting zombies, I'll be pew pew-ing some lazers in space

 

[Ascheroth]

Fuck just release it and move on to the next big project. How can they drag this out for so long? The entire concept/trend of the game is from 2018-2020. Now this will probably release in 2024 lol. Because a small delay won't change significant gameplay mechanics at this point to satisfy fans. If they really want to make it something other than a basic shlooter they will need a year+ delay.

This one game is 8 years in the making. Remember the simpler times when they released 3 AAA Batman games in a span of 6 years? And an additional Origins spinoff came out in between those 6 years too. AAA dev is such a stupid mess in this industry today.

Yeah, these long development times just do not work for this GAAS trend-chasing.
By the time your game is out, the trend is already over or the market is already saturated.
Either you pump something out really fast (i.e Fortnite after Battle Royale's blew up) or you try to predict the next trend and get that early-mover advantage (really difficult).

 

[Derrick01]

Fuck just release it and move on to the next big project. How can they drag this out for so long? The entire concept/trend of the game is from 2018-2020. Now this will probably release in 2024 lol. Because a small delay won't change significant gameplay mechanics at this point to satisfy fans. If they really want to make it something other than a basic shlooter they will need a year+ delay.

This one game is 8 years in the making. Remember the simpler times when they released 3 AAA Batman games in a span of 6 years? And an additional Origins spinoff came out in between those 6 years too. AAA dev is such a stupid mess in this industry today.

There's definitely an issue with sunk cost fallacy in this industry. After all the high profile live service disasters you'd think these WB execs could see what literally everyone is seeing with this game and just take the L instead of delaying it and increasing the budget even more. They can never help themselves though, these gaming execs are like drug addicts thinking that their game is gonna be the one that hits the gold mine.

There is value in knowing when to count your losses and walk away. I get that this game was in the works for so long that the stuff it has that makes everyone angry now was more in vogue 3-4 years ago and they can't just cancel the game but delaying it sends the message to everyone that they still don't really truly understand the point everyone is trying to tell them lol. 3-6 extra months of polishing is not going to change the foundation of the game. It's not going to remove the loot system, it's not going to make all the characters stop playing like spiderman with guns, it's not going to change the mission structure of the game away from "shoot all the purple stuff". Just release it and walk away WB.

 

[ExistentialThought]

Getting delisted:

Novastella Island - Bankruptcy Notice & Statement - Steam News

Hey guys, we're sorry to have to tell you this. Due to the devastating effects of the incident that we caused on September 30th, 2022, the development studio has gone bankrupt and we're unable to continue the development of "Novastella Island" and "DancingSim"; the development of the subsequent...

store.steampowered.com

It literally just came out in January, but is tied to a developer that folks are pretty upset with. Sucks since the game is still in Early Access to boot.

Also getting delisted by the same dev/pub and also just released in January and is still in Early Access:


Mirror 2: Project X is having all development suspended:

Long story short, Mirror 2 was review bombed for not having any adult content since folks felt like it being a sequel to a pretty popular adult game, it should have adult content. It was a bit unclear if it would or would not have adult content when it first launched in EA, but the devs also never said it would, folks mostly assumed. Devs eventually offered outside of Steam refunds to appease folks, but that only led to more controversy added to the mix. Situation is all around a bit of a cluster.

 

[manchego obfuscator]

Looks OK, but I didn't care much at all for Pendulo's last game (Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo). Hopefully, this one is less boring

This is a bad move. There is no salvaging this game you're just delaying the inevitable train wreck and what's worse is now you could end up placing it within spiderman 2's launch window which will give internet people the perfect opportunity to make comparison vids and gifs between a superhero game doing all the wrong things vs one that is (probably) doing them right.

The kids call that a self own I think.

Maybe WB just thinks it'll sell better in whatever release window it ends up in (not saying they're correct about that, just that they might think so). but yeah, if it's actually being delayed in response to State of Play backlash, then it's pointless; that backlash is due to fundamental design decisions that were presumably made very early in development, not anything that can be addressed in another 3-6 months of development

 

[Durante]

Between this and all data collecting now, I wonder if people will go back to Teamspeak? I know my hubby still maintains an old TS Server somehow.

I don't know why you would go with TS when Mumble exists
(I still use Mumble for all online coop I do -- which admittedly is just with 4 other people or so)

 

[Stone Ocean]

Mirror 2: Project X is having all development suspended:

Long story short, Mirror 2 was review bombed for not having any adult content since folks felt like it being a sequel to a pretty popular adult game, it should have adult content. It was a bit unclear if it would or would not have adult content when it first launched in EA, but the devs also never said it would, folks mostly assumed. Devs eventually offered outside of Steam refunds to appease folks, but that only led to more controversy added to the mix. Situation is all around a bit of a cluster.

I honestly can't wrap my head around making a sequel to a porn game and not having porn in it lol

 

[Durante]

Long story short, Mirror 2 was review bombed for not having any adult content since folks felt like it being a sequel to a pretty popular adult game, it should have adult content. It was a bit unclear if it would or would not have adult content when it first launched in EA, but the devs also never said it would, folks mostly assumed. Devs eventually offered outside of Steam refunds to appease folks, but that only led to more controversy added to the mix. Situation is all around a bit of a cluster.

I still don't understand how this developed into such a big deal. It's a €2 game. Frequently €1.

 

[fantomena]

I honestly can't wrap my head around making a sequel to a porn game and not having porn in it lol

Spider-Man 2: but you play as Peter Parker when he is not Spider-Man

 

[lashman]

 

[Ganado]

edit: BRUH

 

[Madventure]

 

[Knurek]

I honestly can't wrap my head around making a sequel to a porn game and not having porn in it lol

Fate/Grand Order says hi.

 

[Ganado]

grr

 

[lashman]

 

[xxr]

weeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[lashman]

 

[Ganado]

Finished RE4 demo, quick thoughts:
Great demo, loved everything.
The only negative is that the FOV when playing in ultrawide is ass and the rather high recoil makes is hard to aim tbh. Already got it pre-ordered so it didn't sell me on it, but I will def play it again, didn't have time to kill Dr Salvador, those ganados just keeps on spawning!
100% certain this is GOTG.