Community MetaSteam | August 2020 - Come Fly With Me

[Durante]

The irony of seeing so many closed-platform apologists suddenly angry at a closed-platform for doing what all closed-platforms do.

While I have no love for all the bullshit closed-platforms get away with at the expense of its users, Epic Games just wants to be able to win on any hardware-platform by throwing down more money. Their 88/12 revenue cut is just the disingenuous bullshit they use to appear to be on the right side.

Fuck Apple. Fuck Epic Games.

The Epic-Apple-Google thing is just great in all sorts of ways. At best we get a (very unlikely but still possible) court decision against walled gardens which will fundamentally shake up the industry (imagine Steam being able to set up shop on Playstation hardware and sell games), at worst we get Epic getting slapped around and losing a big chunk of its revenue, in any case we are guaranteed months or years of entertainment and Epic spending tons of cash and attention on this issue which might make them pull back from moneyhatting. So yeah, it's win-win for us. Go Tim!

Yeah, that's pretty much how I see it.
I can imagine far worse things than Epic and Apple tearing into each other. That's just quality entertainment.

That said, I feel like in practice the only outcome will be Apple (and Google) ignoring Epic's tantrum, Epic losing out on revenue on those platforms (which is still nice), and eventually crawling back.

 

[Tizoc]

The Epic-Apple-Google thing is just great in all sorts of ways. At best we get a (very unlikely but still possible) court decision against walled gardens which will fundamentally shake up the industry (imagine Steam being able to set up shop on Playstation hardware and sell games), at worst we get Epic getting slapped around and losing a big chunk of its revenue, in any case we are guaranteed months or years of entertainment and Epic spending tons of cash and attention on this issue which might make them pull back from moneyhatting. So yeah, it's win-win for us. Go Tim!

In other words

 

[Mor]

My only take in this matter is that I don't care about what happens with those big corporations, let them fight and that's it BUT I fucking swear using 1984 as a vehicle to your PR movement and using your players as an army is fucking disgusting, like ARE YOU FOR REAL? 1984? IT'S ABOUT TOTALITARIANISM AND FASCISM, DON'T FUCKING JOKE ABOUT THAT and the worst thing is that the way you are using it for a very young population makes it feel like it's not a real product but a marketing campaign, how many of those kids will know or even understand the 1984 reference and what does it mean?

Seriously, both companies are fucking disgusting, Apple is sooooo protective that it's dumb and Epic is doing all the PR 101 but in the most disgusting way.

Seriously, I don't care about their fight cause' I won't get a benefit in the long term but using something like 1984 for marketing purposes in the same way apple did back in the day against the "tyranny of MS" is fucking disgusting.

That's it, that's my today's poison, no more bad feelings, no longer angry

 

[Wok]

Is there a way to see if a game supports "complete your bundle" somehow?


It is also 67% on steam as well.

You have my attention there! I prefer to spend some Steam Wallet than pull money out of my bank account via Paypal.

On a side note, I wish I had sold my Dragon Claw Hook before Valve introduced new market restrictions (which annoy gambling websites) and promised to release a Persona for Pudge (which is incompatible with the DC Hook). So far, I have not technically lost anything as I bought the DC Hook when it was cheap a long time ago, but I am so disgusted that I lost the opportunity to sell it for 800 € rather than its current value of 240 €. My gem shenanigans do not cover this amount of money.

Steam Community Market :: Listings for Dragonclaw Hook

Buy and sell Dota 2 items on the Steam Community Market for Steam Wallet funds.

steamcommunity.com

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

 

[curi0usBystander]

My only take in this matter is that I don't care about what happens with those big corporations, let them fight and that's it BUT I fucking swear using 1984 as a vehicle to your PR movement and using your players as an army is fucking disgusting, like ARE YOU FOR REAL? 1984? IT'S ABOUT TOTALITARIANISM AND FASCISM, DON'T FUCKING JOKE ABOUT THAT and the worst thing is that the way you are using it for a very young population makes it feel like it's not a real product but a marketing campaign, how many of those kids will know or even understand the 1984 reference and what does it mean?

Seriously, both companies are fucking disgusting, Apple is sooooo protective that it's dumb and Epic is doing all the PR 101 but in the most disgusting way.

Welcome to our dystopian (corporate) future.

 

[Mor]

Welcome to our dystopian (corporate) future.

we getting the wrong aspects of the cyberpunk future, WHERE ARE THE MECHS? THE AUGMENTATIONS? THE HOLOGRAMS?

 

[prudis]

t it could potentially affect a lot more than apple devices. android devices and potentially consoles could be affected as they all have very similar restrictions and fees in their stores.

nope Timmy wont go after consoles

unless he finds a way to do it and still paint himself as a saviour

 

[curi0usBystander]

nope Timmy wont go after consoles

unless he finds a way to do it and still paint himself as a saviour

What's the difference between this an Apple, tho ?
It's true that Apple sells their phones for insane prices, but I don't see much of a difference.

 

[Deku]

nope Timmy wont go after consoles

unless he finds a way to do it and still paint himself as a saviour

Uhm, doesn't apple also build hardware? Like the iPhone?

 

[kafiend]

Its always pleasing to note that Valve makes all the things that make the Steam Store great at absolutely no cost at all and that as a company its not supposed to generate profit because reasons.

 

[Mivey]

Its always pleasing to note that Valve makes all the things that make the Steam Store great at absolutely no cost at all and that as a company its not supposed to generate profit because reasons.

I mean, if Steam was as "functional" as the Epic Game Store launcher was, then I'd actually agree with them. No one who makes shoddy spyware should get to make a profit on it.

 

[texhnolyze]

I wish I can "just write" another Steam. I'd be a billionaire in a year.

Worry not, I won't resort to paid exclusives.

 

[ISee]

I managed to get a avangers beta key. Might as well try it out later.
Don't forget to activate the High Resolution Texture Pack DLC

 

[fantomena]

I received a key yesterday from Intel for Avengers beta. PM me if you want it.

 

[ZKenir]

What's the difference between this an Apple, tho ?
It's true that Apple sells their phones for insane prices, but I don't see much of a difference.

The difference between Apple and Sony/MS/Nintendo is irrelevant because the real reason is that Apple is a better target right now and targeting MS/Sony/Nintendo would be bad.
They haven't acted against Epic yet, it would be stupid to attack them now, if Epic wins over Apple eventually going after consoles might be an idea depending on whether platform holders are willing to play ball or not. At the moment getting booted off their stores as well would be a problem for Tim and a problem for the platform holders too.

Saying you do something for a bigger cause always looks better than "I do it for money", if Tim could achieve what he wants by leaving Apple alone he would do it.

 

[Kyougar]

the app is still working (i don't believe apple can actually turn it off as it all runs on epic's end) but it is removed from the store, which means it cannot get any software updates and no new downloads of the app can be made. anyone who had it previously still has access to redownload for now.

It is a free app, could they also ban redownloading?
Yes, you bought skins etc. on the store, but it is provided by Epic. So Epic has to ensure that you have access to those. Either by sideloading on Android or... dunno on Apple, Epic could refund all of it though :>
Is crossprogression a thing? If they have access to those skins on console or PC, apple and Google could argue that the skins are not tied to their ecosystem.

 

[Tomasety]

 

[Ge0force]

Jason Schreier blocked me on Twitter after I pointed out the flaws in his nonsense Tweets about EGS. What a cunt.

 

[Wok]

How has the argument about Apple/Google transformed into one about Valve?

 

[Kyougar]

So seeing this dumb "dispute" between Apple and Epic, I'm all

 

[Mivey]

Jason Schreier blocked me on Twitter after I pointed out the flaws in his nonsense Tweets about EGS. What a cunt.

Poor Bloomberg journalist just couldn't stand your toxic, entitled gamer speech

 

[fantomena]

Cracktorio has left early access.

 

[texhnolyze]

How has the argument about Apple/Google transformed into one about Valve?

It's basically about the 30% cut, after all, that's their main message in this crusade..

Valve is still their primary target, they're probably still busy looking for any loophole so that they can attack Valve again.

 

[Tomasety]

How has the argument about Apple/Google transformed into one about Valve?

I guess its because the 30% cut. Some indie devs have voiced over their opinion before the Epic-Apple-Google thing. I think Garry's point is solid and probably more a self reflection to think about what would be PC gaming today and most devs if Valve (Steam Store) wasn't a thing.

It's true that PC gaming was in a really bad situation many years ago. Fortunately it's not the case anymore.

Edit. Got beaten by texhnolyze

 

[Li Kao]

Jason Schreier blocked me on Twitter after I pointed out the flaws in his nonsense Tweets about EGS. What a cunt.

Schreier is a piece of shit. Unfortunate that because he is one of the only journos willing to do, uh, journalism, he has become some sort of god in some circles.
Well, gotta try to separate the art from the artist, I guess.

 

[Wok]

.

If we put aside that I don't understand why Garry finds it relevant to write about Valve today, all his arguments are quite bad. Speaking from an exceptionally privileged position, justifying a perpetual rent for doing good once, accepting the terms once means you should not try to negotiate details of the terms a decade after, providing two options (either make Gmod or Minecraft) as if this experience was any relevant to 99.99% of devs.

It's basically about the 30% cut, after all, that's their main message in this crusade..

Valve is still their primary target, they're probably still busy looking for any loophole so that they can attack Valve again.

I don't think so. Epic did not try to do to Valve what they are doing to Apple/Google. Epic's strategy to attack Valve has been exclusives.

I guess its because the 30% cut. Some indie devs have voiced over their opinion before the Epic-Apple-Google thing. I think Garry's point is solid and probably more a self reflection to think about what would be PC gaming today and most devs if Valve (Steam Store) wasn't a thing.

It's true that PC gaming was in a really bad situation many years ago. Fortunately it's not the case anymore.

Valve has had a major role, but I don't find Garry's tweets relevant.
And I don't agree that the issue with Epic/Valve would be similar to the one with Epic/Apple/Google.

 

[Arsene]

Yeah it shouldn’t come as a shock that Garry doesn’t mind the cut. The base for Garry’s mod is literally 95% assets made by Valve.

 

[kio]

Valve is still their primary target, they're probably still busy looking for any loophole so that they can attack Valve again.

I have my doubts. It seems with these recent events they are admitting defeat in the PC space, at least for now, and are targeting other ecosystems. Of course the overall goal remains the same, make epic a monopolistic entity.

 

[curi0usBystander]

Poor Bloomberg journalist just couldn't stand your toxic, entitled gamer speech

I keep forgetting that he said "Billionaires shouldn't exist" (which he might have a point) and then went to work for one of the richest mans in the world

I don't think so. Epic did not try to do to Valve what they are doing to Apple/Google. Epic's strategy to attack Valve has been exclusives.

I mean even If he wanted he couldn't do that (at least on iOS), and at the end of the day it's a different situation (Apple has full control of their ecosystem, which is a bad thing in itself).

 

[sanhora]

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for PC - Patch 1.01 is now available

Our team has been working on a patch that addresses several issues with Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition for PC, which is available to download now.

We’re very grateful for all the reports and posts from our players so far! Some issues still need more investigation and testing, so our team is hard at work on the next patch which will go live next week.
If you are experiencing issues, please continue to send us your crash reports; additionally, you can go here[UWSL] [/UWSL]to report any other problems you might encounter.

Although we are not able to get back to every report, we sincerely appreciate the continued support from our community. We care deeply about creating an enjoyable experience for everyone playing Horizon Zero Dawn, and we will continue to work on further enhancements based on your feedback.

Please find below some of the Known Issues we are continuing to investigate, as well as the patch notes describing the fixes that are now introduced with patch 1.01.

-Guerrilla


KNOWN ISSUES

In addition to the issues [UWSL]identified previously[/UWSL], we’re working on a number of high-priority issues:

• Some players are experiencing startup crashes. Patch 1.01 fixes a few, but not all, of these crashes.
• Some players are experiencing GPU-related hangs during gameplay. The improved diagnostic data collection added in Patch 1.01 is aimed at making it easier to track these down.
• Some players are experiencing graphical settings issues, such as Anisotropic Filtering not working, 4K not displaying correctly, or HDR not working correctly.
• Some players are experiencing performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations.
• We're aware of and continue to investigate all issues [UWSL]in this list on Reddit[/UWSL] as well. Thank you to u/EvilMonkeySlayer for compiling this for us.

PATCH NOTES
Crash/Hang Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where the game would crash if the SteamUI didn’t initialize properly on startup.

Functionality Issue Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where Concentration and other slowdown mechanics wouldn’t work for everyone.
• Fixed an issue where Windows/Steam profile names containing special characters would prevent some players from saving the game. We are still investigating other saved game issues as well.
• Fixed an issue where Windows/Steam profile names containing special characters would prevent some players from saving screenshots in Photo Mode.

Other Fixes:

• Added improved diagnostic data collection when submitting a crash report.
• Fixed several backend issues.
• Fixed a video corruption issue for specific hardware. We’re continuing to look at other hardware configurations as well.

 

[Swenhir]

The Epic-Apple-Google thing is just great in all sorts of ways. At best we get a (very unlikely but still possible) court decision against walled gardens which will fundamentally shake up the industry (imagine Steam being able to set up shop on Playstation hardware and sell games), at worst we get Epic getting slapped around and losing a big chunk of its revenue, in any case we are guaranteed months or years of entertainment and Epic spending tons of cash and attention on this issue which might make them pull back from moneyhatting. So yeah, it's win-win for us. Go Tim!

The Google lawsuit in particular came out of nowhere and shows how disingenuous they are. It's not about Walled Gardens this time. It's just about them wanting to utilize a platform and its userbase without paying a dime.

It echoes the way Epic behaves on PC, wanting all the market without having to offer value for it.

 

[Mivey]

I keep forgetting that he said "Billionaires shouldn't exist" (which he might have a point) and then went to work for one of the richest mans in the world

Maybe he meant "Billionaires shouldn't exist, unless they hire me and trickle their hot wealth down my face"

 

[beep boop]

If we put aside that I don't understand why Garry finds it relevant to write about Valve today, all his arguments are quite bad. Speaking from an exceptionally privileged position, justifying a perpetual rent for doing good once, accepting the terms once means you should not try to negotiate details of the terms a decade after, providing two options (either make Gmod or Minecraft) as if this experience was any relevant to 99.99% of devs.

[UWSL]Valve has had a major role, but I don't find Garry's tweets relevant. And I don't agree that the issue with Epic/Valve would be similar to the one with Epic/Apple/Google.[/UWSL]

If anything, platform cuts should be like progressive taxes not the other way around as it is now. Make more, pay back more into the system. Start at 10%, all the way up to the classic 30%.

And yeah, I agree that Epic’s case has nothing to do with Apple 30% cut. They just don’t want to be paying Apple and Google anything at all, like on Windows vis-a-vis Microsoft or software sales on MacOS.

 

[Swenhir]

nope Timmy wont go after consoles

unless he finds a way to do it and still paint himself as a saviour

Recapping the logical failings here :

• Absolute lack of morality and intellectual honesty. He attributes right and wrong not based on facts (consoles are walled gardens) but on unrelated facts : cost of production.
• Schroedinger's platform. Negating the existence of Steam's extensive functionalities, features and service while trying to appropriate them without having to pay for it.

I give those tweets a moneyhat out of ten.

 

[Durante]

I mean, the whole Apple thing where you own a computer you can't install arbitrary software on is bullshit and should be regulated.

The Google case is more easily dismissed. People can install arbitrary packages, and Epic actually used that, they just weren't happy with the market reach they got that way. Boohoo.

 

[Kvik]

By the way. Where is the everyday life thread?

Or something along those lines since I would like to know where I can go and talk about everyday life and just what people grew up with and stuff like that.

Try this one.

|OT| - Post comething completely irrelevant!

Couldn't figure put where to post this so I made my own thread. Feel free to post whatever you'd like in this thread. Anywho, I've been slowly but surely redoing the front room of my house: ripping out the carpets, painting the walls pink, plastering over any cracks, and I found this nice...

metacouncil.com

(although it's more like a random musings about stuff thread).

 

[Durante]

In news about actual games: a first look at the UI for the Steam release of Dwarf Fortress:

Dwarf Fortress - ⚒️ New UI Art! ⚒️ - Steam News

A look at the improved interface for Dwarf Fortress - scrolling, filters, and so many cats.

store.steampowered.com

Nice.

 

[Tizoc]

Jason Schreier blocked me on Twitter after I pointed out the flaws in his nonsense Tweets about EGS. What a cunt.

He is only good for leaks and for highlighting bs game companies do.

 

[Alexandros]

What's the difference between this an Apple, tho ?
It's true that Apple sells their phones for insane prices, but I don't see much of a difference.

There isn't any difference. In fact the situation in consoles is worse because selling your product below cost can be thought of as predatory pricing.

 

[Durante]

There isn't any difference. In fact the situation in consoles is worse because selling your product below cost can be thought of as predatory pricing.

I think one could make at least the start of an argument by claiming that smartphones are (i) general purpose devices and (ii) necessary for public life to some extent these days, while consoles are neither of those things, and therefore smartphones need to be more regulated.

But if you do make that argument I'd say that then they clearly are a utility and the basic level of service should be state-run.

 

[prudis]

updated the threads for two recenetl full launches

|OT| - Parkasaurus - overall good day, but the t-rex ate my child | realistic update released

https://www.parkasaurusgame.com/ Parkasaurus is a dinosaur tycoon management simulation where you take care of your dinosaurs by constructing well-designed exhibits, researching specialized technologies, and maximizing profits to expand into the ultimate dinosaur theme park. Do you favor...

metacouncil.com

|OT| - Factorio - I used to have a wife. Now I have a factory | v1.0 available now

Factorio Factorio is a game in which you build and maintain factories. You will be mining resources, researching technologies, building infrastructure, automating production and fighting enemies. In the beginning you will find yourself chopping trees, mining ores and crafting mechanical arms...

metacouncil.com

 

[texhnolyze]

The beta server for Avengers just went live.

 

[Cordelia]

Everyone talked about how 30% is evil but always conveniently left out consoles

Anyway tried Avengers for a bit and I want to puke. Something wrong with the camera that make it very shaky.

 

[texhnolyze]

I imagine the Iron Man won't be that popular on consoles. The controls are janky and not very controller friendly. You need to hold L2 for aiming then hold R2 to charge, then release it to shoot. Now imagine doing all that in the middle of fire from all directions.

 

[Wok]

I wish there existed a way to see the discount provided by Humble Choice in the Humble Store. As far as I know, it is up to 20%, and it depends on games.

 

[LEANIJA]

I wish there existed a way to see the discount provided by Humble Choice in the Humble Store. As far as I know, it is up to 20%, and it depends on games.

isnt that aways displayed? it shows for me at least.

And then in the Shopping cart, you can select "manage my rewards" to determine the split between extra money for charity / extra discount, up to 20%

 

[Swenhir]

If we put aside that I don't understand why Garry finds it relevant to write about Valve today, all his arguments are quite bad. Speaking from an exceptionally privileged position, justifying a perpetual rent for doing good once, accepting the terms once means you should not try to negotiate details of the terms a decade after, providing two options (either make Gmod or Minecraft) as if this experience was any relevant to 99.99% of devs.

If I can interject here, I think you are quite right about Garry's argument. I would just temper it with the fact that Steam provides value over time, not simply once. The cut they take is justified in principle based on the services and market they provide, though the amount is another matter.

 

[Deku]

I wish there existed a way to see the discount provided by Humble Choice in the Humble Store. As far as I know, it is up to 20%, and it depends on games.

In speaking of subscriber discounts, Capcom seems to decreased the discount from 20% to 10%.
Square Enix was the other publisher that has max 10% discount.
Kinda sucks that Capcom decreased it

 

[Stone Ocean]

George Orwell must be rolling in his grave so hard he achieved the golden spiral and is about to drill his way back up.