Quoting: hardpenguinI think it is also unfair to keep repeating how not having access to the game files is a drawback. What about the upsides of this solution? There is no download and installation time, you can seamlessly switch between devices without stopping the gaming session and you do not have to own a gaming PC or a gaming console that is capable of running the game. And one more for us, Linux fans - you do not have to deal with the Windows 10 bullshit :)

But... it is a drawback, and not even a necessary one to have those benefits. Stadia is basically Steam Link, except Google provides their own host hardware and arbitrarily denies the option to run the games yourself. Stadia could be a regular ol' game store with streaming as an extra feature, and if anything Google would save money because anyone playing locally wouldn't be using their hardware or network infrastructure. The only way disallowing local execution makes sense is with a Netflix-style buffet subscription, but that's not what this is.

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Quoting: KuJoIn context it looks a bit different.

How? The analogy is still absurd. He's still arguing in favor of trying to wrangle a monster into granting you some scraps of freedom in favor of simply using an OS that is inherently free. The "fight for the freedoms we have" bit seems to indicate just how much he takes Windows for granted, and a catastrophic incomprehension of the value of FOSS. I don't see how what he said could be interpreted as anything other than dismissive and ignorant.

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Quoting: callcifer

Quoting: liamdaweYou're misinterpreting my intentions. I did not deliberately try to stir anything up, stop acting like I am. It is interesting and on-point that Epic Games acquired them. Not long after, we now find this out. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to say they're related, in fact I still think it's quite possible hence me mentioning it.

If you honestly, truly believe that this conspiracy theory is not only possible, but probable, then I've seriously misjudged you. Oh well...

Just a few posts ago you were pointing out that the Epic Store not being on Linux was more likely a logistical business decision rather than a malicious one. Why, then, is the suggestion that they made a similar business decision about EAC a farfetched "conspiracy theory"?

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Has anyone 'shopped Sweeney's face onto Locutus like that old Microsoft meme yet?

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Quoting: AnanaceI imagine that their "100% reliable NAT traversal" is just them hosting a series of TURN servers on their impressive infrastructure.
Since it also provides DDoS protection, and hiding of IP addresses, that would make a whole lot of sense actually.

It would also easily explain why the service in question would be limited to Steam's services.

For the people who are less aware, TURN servers are basically just echo nodes, to which you and the other part both connect and which then just echo the traffic between your connections. This is a 100% reliable way to bypass every single NAT, as it is just like any other connection to a server, which then facilitates peer-to-peer data transfer through it.

That's what it sounds like:
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/GameNetworkingSockets#why-do-i-see-steam-everywhere [External Link]
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/GameNetworkingSockets#nat-piercing-icestunturn [External Link]
It also sounds like they're planning to let you use the same API as the steamworks version, but with your own servers in the future. Until then, it doesn't sound to me like anything prevents you from rolling your own solution.

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Quoting: iiari

Quoting: BotonoskiI don't think I actually have many nostalgic memories attached to any of those things really.

Having lived and gamed in that era and played those games, I have nice memories, but no nostalgia for them at all. I find this whole pixel art and retro gaming phenomenon completely baffling. I spent that era wishing we had the graphics, services, and gameplay that we now enjoy today. So, I guess I'm living for the gaming momemt...

I really dislike how many 3D games look these days. Harsh lighting and shadows, annoying post-processing effects, environmental detail devolving into visual noise that's hard to parse. Earlier 3D games were primitive, but a lot easier on the eyes imo.

Dusk I feel used its retro aesthetic a bit as a crutch (which I can forgive from a small indie dev), but with Ion Maiden and it looks like with Wrath, too, I think 3D Realms has struck an excellent balance between old-school aesthetic and fidelity. It's said that art is as much about what you leave out as what you put in, and with games like these I feel like artists are actually free to do that - picking and choosing which details are important and which are not - whereas old games were limited by technology, and modern AAA games are blindly obsessed with similar visions of cinematic photorealism.

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Quoting: Alm888Who cares about yet another Windows game not running on Linux? As if it is the only one…

By now we are basically swimming in good native games, so why bother spending your time on some Windows title which developers don't even care about Linux?

What hero shooters are there with native Linux support?

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Quoting: Whitewolfe80

Quoting: tim241YAY, the only thing left for them to do is get it on GOG, then I'll buy it! :)

Might be in for a wait bc the windows version isnt on gog

Their Post Release Roadmap [External Link] lists "DRM Free versions" right at the top on the same line as Mac/Linux, so maybe it won't actually be too long?

Been looking forward to this. Glad to see the Linux version only a couple months after Windows. :)

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Quoting: TobyGornowGeez... I never said Valve asked or paid for exclusive, they worked as a mandatory gateway for consumer without needing to pay a dime for it thanks to their quasi-monopolistic position, and Yakuza was just a prime example that I bought on Humble. If I have to register my game on this platform, only this platform, and I don't have a choice about it if I want to play it, it become an exclusive for this platform in my books, Valve paying for it or not, am I right ?

IMO nor Epic nor Steam is the culprit here, Deep Silver is the filthy prostitute, is that clear ? But you can't blame Epic to take action in order to get a slice of the pie, it's just simple business, they are paying to get a product the others don't have in order to get more customers, again & again & again you are right 100% about the disgusting move but it's business 101. Valve didn't have to pay or ask for exclusives in their store, they were coming by themselves (hence Yakuza 0 example), Tencent is just cranking up the heat and it's just fair game, if valve wants exclusive they will NOW have to pay for it.

Please, I beg you, stop saying Valve is nice or nicer than Epic it hurts. They are crooks with their 30% cut, Quasi-monopolistic positon for years, they killed physical distribution with more than aggressive pricing, Steam can be considered as a DRM locking down pc gaming to their platform, and let's wait and see if source 2 Engine games will be distributed outside Steam, announcement has been made 2 years ago when they were still undisputed. Unreal Engine is free to use too don't know about their distribution politics tho.

Let's time decide if Steam is a lesser evil than Epic. And again I'm on your side, I hate exclusives, I was pissed when I learned that Bloodborne was not coming to PC. :wink:

There's a difference between a developer independently choosing to release exclusively on the platform with the largest customer base, and being paid for exclusivity. One is a regrettable but legitimate logistical decision, the other is an active effort to harm the customer for a cheap buck.

Yes, it's bad that Deep Silver sold out their own customers for bribe money, but Epic is also bad for offering the bribe, something you seem unwilling to condemn them for. They're BOTH at fault here.

You also seem to begrudge Valve just because they're large. But they got to that point on their own merits, by building up a quality service, not bribery. Stronger competition would be good to keep Valve from getting complacent, but it should be by offering a legitimately better service, not by dragging the market through the mud.

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Strategies for competing with Steam:

• GoG is DRM-free.


• Humble gives to charity.


• Itch is open-ended.


• Epic takes hostages.

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