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Latest Comments by Appelsin
GameMode performance tool from Feral Interactive version 1.7 is out now
23 July 2022 at 1:28 pm UTC Likes: 9

Quoting: peta77But still nice to know they didn't abandon Linux (desktop) completely.

To be honest, I think it would be more accurate (and fair to Feral) to say that Linux desktop sorta abandoned them, not the other way around :/

Denuvo announced Denuvo SecureDLC to protect DLC
5 July 2022 at 7:56 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: scaine
Quoting: AppelsinThat’s a common misconception
That's exactly what I meant by "fear of piracy". I think you're pointing out the difference between early release piracy and long-term piracy? I think?

But it's all piracy and there have been quite a few studies (or at least polls) like the one covered here, that show that the people who pirate games wouldn't (or can't) actually buy the game anyway, so it's all bullshit. Indeed that particular study suggests that piracy increases sales - an outcome unique to the gaming industry.

All DRM does is piss off paying customers and spread misery amongst the people who can't or won't buy the game anyway.

Ah, okay, when you wrote that they bought the snake oil, I took it as meaning that they believed all the shit from DRM companies that this would forever prevent priacy, which would net them several billions of billions of extra sales and money.
But yeah, my point was that the only piracy they actually "need" to quell is the first week or so, and that's why they include it, but even so they know that it doesn't actually do anything worthwhile. With the game easily available on PC storefronts, console storefronts, physical stores, the vast majority won't (or just arent technically skilled) to faff around with downloading from torrent sites, applying the cracks and workarounds for online features (if the get access to online at all).


Quoteindeed that particular study suggests that piracy increases sales - an outcome unique to the gaming industry.

Not unique, actually. Remember how the people who made the Game of Thrones TV-series said that piracy was actually a real boon for the series popularity? People who had no access to a streaming service showing it (which was many, due to all this license bullshit from ages past), would pirate it, and thus made it reach ever further, which in turn made it more popular/hyped, which further turned into people subscribing/paying to see it.


EDIT:
To be honest, I don't think it's even about piracy at all at this point. It's about having control over the games. When even singleplayer games have "always online requirements", you know that they just want to be able to pull the plug whenever they like. You don't buy the games, you lease them. They now have the means to reach into your computer and decide if you get to play the game you "bought" today, and they cream their pants just thinking about the power they now wield :)

Denuvo announced Denuvo SecureDLC to protect DLC
4 July 2022 at 8:01 pm UTC Likes: 3

Quoting: scaine
Quoting: PublicNuisanceI refuse to buy games with Denuvo on principle even if they work with Linux. This will be no different.

Yup, any game that uses any Denuvo product is dead to me.

Publishers don't care - they're buying the snake oil out of "fear of piracy", so losing a few sales to people like me won't bother them, but I like the irony that Denuvo market their shit "product" on the basis that it protects sales, and I'm living proof that the opposite is true.

That’s a common misconception, I think. Publishers know very well that DRM doesn’t mean shit. People that buy the games, buy the games. Those who don’t, won’t, and the crack will be ready quite soon after launch. Ubisoft famously said so themselves, years ago.

The main function now is to secure those early days sales numbers.
Crackers often lag behind a bit (days, maybe a week), and by that time the publishers have already secured the sales that matters. The first week is the only thing they care about, as that’s when the majority of sales are made, and that sales figure is the metric for success for failure (e.g. CoD Black Ops 2 (I think) that sold “only” 500 million copies the first week was deemed a flop). DRM is actually now just a stalling tactic. One which will likely haunt that game forever, and make running it a nightmare. But publishers don’t care. The Devs might, but the publishers don’t.

Microsoft chucks GNOME $10,000 from their FOSS Fund
20 June 2022 at 8:24 pm UTC Likes: 5

Quoting: elgatilWow, that's a low amount. Besides being at most a rounding error for microsoft, it wont pay a GNOME developer for even half a year.

I know, right? Not to be a negative parade Rainer, it’s great that they give go FLOSS project, but they’re not exactly splurging. For a company like MS, it’s not even the pocket change’s pocket change.
It’s like when people hail e.g. Bill Gates or Jeff Besos for giving a million dollars to some really worthwhile cause. But in reality, it’s about as generous as if I were to give 5 kroner (about 0.5 EUR) to some charity. Actually, it’s not even that. They likely earned thrice that amount in the span of time it took to press the “send” button for the donation 😄

This Steam Deck Durability Test had me watching in horror
19 May 2022 at 7:42 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: GuestDestroying something in high demand that most people won't get until 2023 "just because" is both wasteful and entitled, especially as they had two Decks.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

Welcome to the world economy.

Looks like the Steam Deck will get Refresh Rate Switching
19 April 2022 at 8:08 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: Spl-it
Quoting: mahagrFor me 30 FPS in a Steam Deck bothers me a lot less than I thought. That and 800p resolution. I would never play anything under ~55 FPS in a large screen, but in a small screen I hardly notice the low frame rate.

That said, I do not play any FPS nor multi-player, so...

This. I hate playing anything under 60 fps on my main system with a 34" ultra wide screen, but 30fps on the Deck is actually fine for games like Red Dead Redemption 2 for me. It doesn't feel laggy at all.

I think this has a bit to do with expectations and what you “feel you ought to get” out the system on which you’re playing, performance wise. E.g. on my Switch I’m “ok” with even “simple” games (e.g. currently playing Link’s Awakening) having severe frame dips, while on my PC I’m annoyed at sub-50 dips (recently played all Arkham games) even though I play both systems on the same TV.

Ubisoft Connect on Steam Deck guide with SD Card access
31 March 2022 at 11:05 am UTC

Quoting: slaapliedjeUbisoft needs to just get over themselves like EA have, and release the newer Assassin's Creed games on Steam...

Funny thing is, they only recently stopped releasing on Steam. E.g. assassins creed odyssey is on steam, but not Valhalla.

Either way, both of them should get over themselves and release the games *properly* on steam, I.e. game sans stupid EA/UC client. Buuuuuut the clients are probably for our benefit, to enhance the game experience, if I’m not mistaken 🙄

Microsoft announce Xbox Cloud Gaming for Steam Deck with Edge (Beta)
18 March 2022 at 9:54 pm UTC Likes: 3

Microsoft is getting creative in trying to get people to use Edge, I see 😄

Anyway, good move on their part, nice to see companies are eager to rub elbows with the Deck. Now, if they’d stop farting around with DirectX😉

CD Projekt RED 'working closely with Valve' as The Witcher 3 is Steam Deck Verified
15 March 2022 at 12:28 pm UTC

Quoting: melkemindAfter all, a lot of the people who make the propaganda are just regular people too, not cunning masterminds who brainwash the masses.

Don’t sell propaganda short. The people that *actually* make up the propaganda (the ones who comes up with it and oversee it) are (in the modern era) often very competent psychologist of some kind or another. In older times, the propagandists were often very eloquent and charismatic people. In the west, this psychology of influencing people and/or the masses has been leveraged to create the field consumer physiology, in order to get people to buy shit they didn’t need.

Just look at the resources nazi Germany put into their propaganda machine, or how the Russian government invested in their cyber-misinformation program, or the western (especially US) companies invested heavily in consumer psychology and propaganda to further their economic interests at the expense of the legitimate interests of the people (e.g. the idea that privatization is the cure for everything).

It’s “regular people” in the same sense that it’s “regular people” who designed and built the Curiosity rover.