Steam, GFWL, Origin? Does honestly matter?

[Qel]

Apologies, I wasn't aware that you could run SWTOR WITHOUT Origin.. That makes me want SWTOR even more!

Well I think the most it will do from say a boxed copy is prompt you to install Origin as you install the game, but it is certainly not needed. All login, updates etc are handled by a seperate launcher as with WoW. I don't know the exact situation if you buy from Origin itself but can't see how it would be different because as I said, you put the key into the swtor site and can download the client there should you so wish.

 

[Evilsod]

But we PC users can chat to people in other ways without needing to sign into live.

You mean Steam? The system that tends to be used to launch these 'fabulous' GFWL games to help overcome some of its flaws?

You aren't making a very good case.

 

[Liampope]

Except when it doesn't of course. Eg on release of a new popular game when the servers can't handle the capacity, and you can't unlock the game straight away, or on busy periods when you can't even download things due to servers being overloaded..

I just switch to the Ukraine server! Never let me down - always see 1MB/s + however choked the UK server seems to be after a major release.

 

[Witcher1979]

You mean Steam? The system that tends to be used to launch these 'fabulous' GFWL games to help overcome some of its flaws?

You aren't making a very good case.

Not really trying to make a case, as I don't mind updates etc. You don't have to use steam either, I take it these are real friends so we have more then one way to chat online. Most people now have 2+ screens right? Well all my friends are on MSN so I can see them chatting to me on my second screen, so I can just alt tab out to reply (you have to hit a button to chat on gwfl as well) then game again still seeing chat windows on my second screen. So offline profile will fix the issue for people who hate updates, MSN or whatever client you like to chat to friends with in second screen. Xbox users can sign into MSN as well.

PC we always have ways around stuff. This is just one example of how I would do it if I hated updates. Have a chat room set up with mics then any friend can just login to chat to you, many many ways around this. We even have apps that can sit on the desktop which will sign into live and allow you to chat as normal without even using GFWL. Well on linux you can anyway, I am sure it was ported to windows as well. Even showed what games people were playing.

 

[orderoftheflame]

Steam is the most matured service by quite a way.

If I can get a good price for a game, I really don't care which service I use. At the moment though, Steam is the only one I launch at computer start up though.

 

[Evilsod]

Not really trying to make a case, as I don't mind updates etc. You don't have to use steam either, I take it these are real friends so we have more then one way to chat online. Most people now have 2+ screens right? Well all my friends are on MSN so I can see them chatting to me on my second screen, so I can just alt tab out to reply (you have to hit a button to chat on gwfl as well) then game again still seeing chat windows on my second screen. So offline profile will fix the issue for people who hate updates, MSN or whatever client you like to chat to friends with in second screen. Xbox users can sign into MSN as well.

PC we always have ways around stuff. This is just one example of how I would do it if I hated updates. Have a chat room set up with mics then any friend can just login to chat to you, many many ways around this. We even have apps that can sit on the desktop which will sign into live and allow you to chat as normal without even using GFWL. Well on linux you can anyway, I am sure it was ported to windows as well. Even showed what games people were playing.

I highly doubt 2+ screens is anything more than the minority. GFWL is simply not functional at all. Its horribly designed and tacked on to games and only ever seems to get in the way of playing.

So far all you've offered up is 'put it offline mode and pretend it doesn't exist' and 'get an app that blocks GFWL'. Its not exactly selling the system when people only ever think of ways to avoid it. No-one actually wants to use it. Origin is years behind the game and I'd rather not have my games affiliated with a system belonging to EA and GFWL is just ignored.

 

[neoglow]

Steam, all day, every day.

I didnt used to care where I got my games from but in the past year or so I have found that now I have a nice stable rig and a massive HDD to fill with my games, I found steam did many things. 1, it let me buy and download games, it also auto updates the games too 2, it has a user interface that lists all my games like a library, 3, steam sell lots of games, old and new so not only can I buy latest releases, I can also buy old games from yesteryear.

And they are all stored, managed and accessable from one place. Thats why I like steam.

Origin will never compete as its EA exclusive so their store/library is small.

GFWL is just utter M$ cack. One day - god willing - GFWL will be disbanded and lobbed into hell.

 

[Pighardia]

Personally i have very rarely had a problem with Steam, lots of problems with Origin which are always compounded by the truly awful customer service, and GFWL is absolutely horrendous, it has ruined quite a few games for me.

 

[ThomasTheTankEngine]

Imagine walking into a shop and all the windows are broken, the assistant tries to steal your wallet out of your pocket, there are several small fires in the back of the store made out of piles of old games... some of which have tramps cooking food on them.

The whole place smells of slurry, and has faeces smeared on the walls. When you ask to see the manager he comes out and hits you round the face with a baseball bat and accuses you of stealing all their stock.

The shop then closes with you still inside, trapping you for 3 days until somebody re-opens it on monday morning.

That's what GFWL would be like if it was a physical store.

 

[Limenote]

people prefer steam because it is by far the best of the bunch, its nice to have a consistent library of games and easier to talk with your friends. Especially with the crazy sales they have there is almost no reason to use another service unless you are forced to (battlefield 3)

 

[Witcher1979]

I highly doubt 2+ screens is anything more than the minority. GFWL is simply not functional at all. Its horribly designed and tacked on to games and only ever seems to get in the way of playing.

So far all you've offered up is 'put it offline mode and pretend it doesn't exist' and 'get an app that blocks GFWL'. Its not exactly selling the system when people only ever think of ways to avoid it. No-one actually wants to use it. Origin is years behind the game and I'd rather not have my games affiliated with a system belonging to EA and GFWL is just ignored.

I am sorry but you seem to have gone on the "Attack" not sure why, maybe you think I own GFWL?

I have offered easy ways to get around going online and updating. I have no problem with GFWL/Steam or origin. Easy way around this if you really don't want to play in offline mode is do not buy the games. Maybe they will hear you. If you would prefer to play in online mode and update and then moan about it all the time then fine. Or you could go offline mode and not update, you can play the game and chat on a different client and still moan.

End of the day which ever option suits you best as the end result ie moaning is still the same

All I was offering in my posts was a way around it, not once did I say this is the best way or I love GFWL so stfu, if you look back you will see they were only options. I don't defend GFWL or says it is the best thing since sliced bread, even though I do like it.

Also not everyone has GFWL problems as I have had none at all, you forget only people with problems post about it, people who it just works for don't tend to make threads saying "GFWL problems, working 100%"

Have a good day

 

[PermaBanned]

Never heard of GWFL? But i wouldn't go near Origin after hearing about the sort of things they've tried to get away with in the license and the horror stories of dealing with their support.

Other than Steam i do use Desura, but it's mainly for Indie games and i mainly use it because it has far better Linux support than Steam.

 

[Evilsod]

I am sorry but you seem to have gone on the "Attack" not sure why, maybe you think I own GFWL?

I have offered easy ways to get around going online and updating. I have no problem with GFWL/Steam or origin. Easy way around this if you really don't want to play in offline mode is do not buy the games. Maybe they will hear you. If you would prefer to play in online mode and update and then moan about it all the time then fine. Or you could go offline mode and not update, you can play the game and chat on a different client and still moan.

End of the day which ever option suits you best as the end result ie moaning is still the same

All I was offering in my posts was a way around it, not once did I say this is the best way or I love GFWL so stfu, if you look back you will see they were only options. I don't defend GWFL or says it is the best thing since sliced bread, even though I do like it.

Also not everyone has GFWL problems as I have had none at all, you forget only people with problems post about it, people who it just works for don't tend to make threads saying "GWFL problems, working 100%"

Have a good day

Wow someone is very touchy today

You've been offering up ways of avoiding GFWL, not ways to make the most of its flaws, but outright avoiding the system. That does not a great system make. The only solutions to the GFWL problem of its atrocious design is to avoid it entirely, whether you like it or not you'd have to be completely ignorant to think it does not have a huge amount of room for improvement that MS have no interest in using. Steam has been constantly improving itself since it began. Origin, even if I don't want to use it, has been making an effort so it can compete. Meanwhile MS barely do anything to GFWL and who can forget all those stories about games not being available online in your region so the service actively blocks you unless you say you're living in another country? Does that sound like a system anyone would want to use willingly over another?

 

[Witcher1979]

Would they even try to improve it though? as it is I mean. I don't know much about Windows 8 but I thought the whole sytem was being improved for that (the whole GFWL thing), integrated or whatever they are doing with it.

 

[neoglow]

Imagine walking into a shop and all the windows are broken, the assistant tries to steal your wallet out of your pocket, there are several small fires in the back of the store made out of piles of old games... some of which have tramps cooking food on them.

The whole place smells of slurry, and has faeces smeared on the walls. When you ask to see the manager he comes out and hits you round the face with a baseball bat and accuses you of stealing all their stock.

The shop then closes with you still inside, trapping you for 3 days until somebody re-opens it on monday morning.

That's what GFWL would be like if it was a physical store.

LMAO.

Imagine Steam, Origin and GFWL to be like social networking sites.

Facebook is king - Steam.

Others like WAYN are just not as good - Origin.

As for GFWL, it dosent deserve a comparison as its so cack.

 

[Space Monkey]

Imagine walking into a shop and all the windows are broken, the assistant tries to steal your wallet out of your pocket, there are several small fires in the back of the store made out of piles of old games... some of which have tramps cooking food on them.

The whole place smells of slurry, and has faeces smeared on the walls. When you ask to see the manager he comes out and hits you round the face with a baseball bat and accuses you of stealing all their stock.

The shop then closes with you still inside, trapping you for 3 days until somebody re-opens it on monday morning.

That's what GFWL would be like if it was a physical store.

So do you like it or not, can't really tell?

 

[hairyfeet]

Why do people have issues playing games across different clients?

Just a matter of convenience

I've had steam for 8 years or so, theres probably a lot of folks that have had it longer than that. Its just nice having a single piece of software to manage your digital purchases.

I like how the client has gradually evolved to include more features (security/steam cloud/community/friends etc) down the years.

I hate Electronic Arts on gaming grounds
The origin client itself seems fine though, theres a couple things they need to improve apon with it but aside from the deepscan in background thing I don't have a problem using it for BF3. Not bought any other titles which depend on the platform.

GFWL is as useful as a condom with a hole in it

I believe the issue people will have (not right now) is most of the big name developers are mimicing origin now and making their own platform/digital stores for their products, so if you for example have a colourful gaming pallette obviously it will become frustrating trying to manage your favourite games/genres over half a dozen different program/websites (per platform if you game over both a pc and console)

p.s. Happy Holidays / New year

 

[MeMeMeMe]

The OP mentioned digital distribution sites.
Obviously Steam is king. Others mentioned include GFWL. Both of these have one thing in common: they have their own client. Steam's works well, GFWL's is a royal pain. (I can't comment on Origin as I haven't used it.)

There is another class of digitial distribution sites that I'd put in preference below steam, but way above GFWL, and I'm mentioning them to give the OP extra options. Places like Direct2Drive.co.uk, getgames, greenmangaming, gog.com, and a few others. These are places to buy games, download them, install them, activate them once, and then forget about DRM. No client to manage, just play your game and forget about them.

 

[British_Lad]

I use all 3 download services and have never had a problem with any and have used GFWL since the vista launch games Halo 2 and Shadowrun and they still work now on windows 7 fine.