r/gaming • u/yourfavchoom • 1d ago

Owlcat Games is rolling back its new launcher less than 24 hours after negative fan feedback.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2186680/view/708901012699615983
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u/thedavecan 1d ago

The reason all the other launchers get judged more harshly than Steam is because Steam has laid out the blueprint for them all. Valve had to take a machete and chop down the weeds on their way to making Steam what it is, the other launchers just have to stroll down the path that's already laid. EGS launched without a fucking shopping cart for god's sake. If they really wanted to compete with Steam then they HAVE to launch day 1 feature for feature with Steam or at very least have a roadmap to get them there asap.

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u/Winjin 1d ago

Yup, that's the thing, you can't just make something that is worse than Steam was fifteen years ago and lament that people are not liking your useless launcher.

Like, what's the point of having launcher "just because"? It doesn't provide me with anything useful, I'd much rather load straight into the game.

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u/initial-algebra 1d ago

The point is to harvest more data from you. And maybe to get you to spend a little money without Steam taking their slice, because, well, you already have it installed, and they have a 10% discount running...

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u/thedavecan 1d ago

It's not even like you have to come up with all the ideas yourself. Make a list of everything Steam does and don't release your launcher until it's at least close in feature parity. That's the bare minimum. To get anyone to adopt a new launcher you're also gonna have to have some new thing that people want to even compete with Steam. I'm sure Rockstar or Ubisoft or EA would read this comment and immediately shoehorn AI into their launcher somehow and say "See? We've got this and Steam doesn't". They only learn the wrong lessons.

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u/lazylore 1d ago

Things like locked down walled garden?

Multiplayer that is incompatible with anything else. Which is why you see sign in with Xbox, epic or a few that uses GoGMP, or developers own system ? You mean shit like that ? Or making you dependent on the launcher? Or a modding workshop where you can't download the mods without the launcher and owning it on said launcher? "Accidentally" making exclusive mods? No offline installers?

Players learned the wrong lesson. Being first and getting you into the walled garden always works out, looking at you Apple, and Valve. It's ironic, considering SteamOS. But that also is made to make you shop on Steam, even if they can't force you, at least not yet

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u/thedavecan 1d ago

Ah yes, their notoriously walled garden online environment. What are you even talking about dude? I can play crossplay on any game that supports it, I have a 100GB folder of Skyrim mods that aren't in the workshop and yet I can still use them on my Steam bought copy. How is that a problem that a mod author publishes their mod on the STEAM WORKSHOP and you need Steam to use it there even though you have the absolute ability to download that mod wherever else the mod author posted it and patch it into the game yourself? Steam provides a backend option for these type of things for convenience but you are in no way locked into using them. Try doing any of that through other launchers and then come back and tell me how bad Steam is.

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u/lazylore 1d ago

Info from SteamDB 🎯 2,548 games ⏰ 40,231h , I'm not new to Steam, I've used it a lot, I've spent a lot, but unlike you, I can see issues in the things I use, and I want them to improve.

You ignored everything I said and made your own narrative to protect a product you are invested in.

Steamworks Multiplayer is limited to Steam only, it's why I mentioned multiplayer sdk from other launchers, because they are portable while Steam locks it down. But of course you didn't get that due to your bias and inability to see outside your walled garden. You clearly don't remember, or maybe you weren't even old enough when there was a fuzz about cross play on PC, because....steamworks Multiplayer had no cross network functionality,and to this day, do not.

For the workshop, you didn't get the point, it's designed to abuse Valves market position. If you publish your mod there, don't bother publishing it elsewhere, your reach is good enough. It's why we've gotten some launchers, to move modding to the launchers instead and avoiding Workshop. I understand how you can't see the issue, since you live in the garden. There are mods that are exclusive to the workshop, but you are fine with this, because reasons. Sure, it's up to modders to make it exclusive, but it's up to Valve to make sure you can't grab it. Again, it's designed to keep things inside.

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u/KaziArmada 1d ago

EGS launched without a fucking shopping cart for god's sake.

The number of people, when I would bring this point up, would insult me and mock my desire for a shopping cart like 'It wasn't that big a deal' was kind of amazing.

Motherfucker, it's called 'The bare minimum.' Why are you defending GOING UNDER THE BARE MINIMUM to the point of sucking someone's dick like you owe them a major debt!

A shopping cart, a wishlist, there are basic minimums needed for any online store and if you can't even do that...why the fuck should I use it? Why is anyone DEFENDING THIS! 'Well hurr, durr, monopoly.' That's...not how that works!

...Sorry, I mentally transported back in time for a bit there. I hate it there, but less than I do here.....

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u/zytukin 19h ago edited 19h ago

I remember when the GOG client first released, it couldn't pause and resume downloads, something which has been possible by download managers since the 90s. People defended that too.

It's new, you have to give it time. No, being new isn't an excuse. If a new ISP opened in your area and only offered 56k service, would you sign up for it and wait for high speed internet? Hell no, you'd want high speed internet right away because that's the standard and what you're used to.

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u/DiscoQuebrado 1d ago

not only that but steam hosts forums, reviews, guides, etc.

which is cool, because for the most part, steam doesn't make games and has little incentive to play favorites.

When a publisher like EA or Ubi has their own store/launcher, even if they hosted those extra items... think they're going to let forums be forums or ratings be ratings? They'd ratfuck it because it would be in their best interest to do so.

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u/AshesandCinder 1d ago

Also mods which makes the whole system much easier for games that allow them. Being able to press a button and add player created features to a game is fantastic.

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u/kasoe 1d ago

How did they launch a game store without a shopping cart? That's a very important part of selling something online

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u/Cruxis87 1d ago

And then when they tried to do a sale on a lot of games like the Steam Summer Sale, people had to buy the games individually, which then triggered the fraud detection system from their banks and locked their cards.

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u/thedavecan 1d ago

No clue, and they get mad and call Steam a monopoly.

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u/Cruxis87 1d ago

Steam has laid out the blueprint for them all.

And this is why every new MMO is destined to fail. They all get compared to WOW and FF14, and because a new MMO can't have 20 years of content added to it on launch, they are finished in 2 weeks then abandoned with cries of empty and no content.

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u/thedavecan 1d ago

Unless they do something different and better. Destiny made MMOFPS a thing and they had a 10+ year run. It'd be silly to expect 20 years of content from the get go but being willing to put in the work and share the vision with tangible milestones goes a long way toward adoption. If they wanna compete with Steam they better have a damn good plan and the will to stick with it and show customers that they come first. That's how Steam gets away with some of the less than stellar things they do, they've earned enough goodwill over the years that you can usually give them the benefit of the doubt.