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Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

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Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#191

Post by sph »

spullara wrote: post #186
eatsyourtacos wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Steam- * Just works * It's simple * Cloud saves all of my games (with a few exceptions when the game developer doesn't enable it for whatever reason, this has only been for a few games so I'm not sure why) * Family sharing - this is HUGE for me. I can't re-buy every single game for my kids, so the fact that they can just play a game I purchased on their own account when I'm not online is an insane life saver. * Steam…

Wow, this is basically a description of the Apple App Store.

The App Store is not even close to the convenience and features of Steam.

Awful search, awful review system, confusing interface and.. that's it? I don't see how the app store even compares.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#192

Post by totoglazer »

vultour wrote: post #145
cuteboy19 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows store is really bad. The UI, the UX, the lag, the jank, all designed to spoil your day

I can't think of a single non-developer application by Microsoft which isn't absolute garbage. Skype (after the Microsoft "upgrade"), Teams, Windows Store, the Xbox apps... It's incredible that they are unable to produce a properly working application for their own operating system.

Office?

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#193

Post by PragmaticPulp »

eatsyourtacos wrote: post #174
BbzzbB wrote: post #114

Is there a technical reason why Steam is a such a force in the space? People, myself certainly included, often criticize Apple for taking 30% of developer revenue for merely existing in it's walled garden. Right or wrong, they control the ecosystem, so their ability to monopolize and heavily tax the App Store is unsurprising, they're exercising their pricing power as much as they possibly can. But how is it that on P…

Steam- * Just works * It's simple * Cloud saves all of my games (with a few exceptions when the game developer doesn't enable it for whatever reason, this has only been for a few games so I'm not sure why) * Family sharing - this is HUGE for me. I can't re-buy every single game for my kids, so the fact that they can just play a game I purchased on their own account when I'm not online is an insane life saver. * Steam…

> * Just works

I don't game very often, but the way Steam "just works" can't be understated enough.

It's not perfect. I've run into weird bugs occasionally, though they were likely the fault of a specific game.

However, it's miles ahead of other game launchers I've dealt with. I'm a casual gamer, so if I end up fighting the game launcher and update mechanism for more than a few minutes, I'm just going to give up and do something else. Steam has come as close as I've seen to streamlining that experience for me.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#194

Post by zamadatix »

BbzzbB wrote: post #114

Is there a technical reason why Steam is a such a force in the space? People, myself certainly included, often criticize Apple for taking 30% of developer revenue for merely existing in it's walled garden. Right or wrong, they control the ecosystem, so their ability to monopolize and heavily tax the App Store is unsurprising, they're exercising their pricing power as much as they possibly can. But how is it that on P…

It's not Apple charging 30% itself that is problematic it's that no other option is allowed and they then force things like 30% cuts or policies of what apps are allowed with that. Other launchers/stores (or none at all) on PC succeed but that doesn't mean there can't be a popular option that still takes a 30% cut. A most popular option also does not mean that option has sole discretion on what is allowed to be installed on PCs, just what is allowed on that store.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#196

Post by arka2147483647 »

munk-a wrote: post #165
arka2147483647 wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My opinion: - Steam was first, and because of that; - They have all the features (both for users, and gamedevs) - They have all the Games - They have all the Users In particular, in the Gamedev side, Steam is not a Storefront, they are a platform, much like say, Xbox Live or PSN. For example Steam provides: - Friends - Leaderboard - Chat (Text and Voice) - Multiplayer/Network api, which handles routing and NAT punch…

I think you're underselling things a fair amount. Steam was first - but lots of first to market products under invest in R&D and end up playing catch-up feature wise... Valve has consistently shown they're willing to experiment with new feature and do-dads to make sure their platform remains competitive. Given all the revenue they draw out of Steam I think that's only fair - but a lot of companies in their position w…

I am not underselling them at all, or mean my comment that way. However, as the first entry, they have had the longest time to refine all the aspects of their offering. The core of which i think is Users, Games, and API.

Indeed, the prevelance of Steam API is such that competing game markets have to make their own replacement Steam.dll, so that the gamedevs dont have to change anything.

Also Valve was a game company first, and i believe developed the first of these technologies for Half-life 2.

- Valve used Half-life 2 to bootsrap Steam (HL2 install disc came with steam)

- Use Steam to provide online services to HL2

- Then the users of HL2 become Steam users (or the sosial network of Steam, as we say today)

- Expose API to other game companies, which brings more Games, and Users

- Add features and keep ahead of competition

- Alot of the features also come from the fact that Valve develops games, and makes the features for themself first, and then exposes them to everybody through Steam API

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#197

Post by 1_player »

Aeolun wrote: post #180
kzrdude wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of the reason is that Steam is pretty utilitarian, not selfish. Valve is actually pretty much a force for good and haven't tried to use any very dark patterns to make more money. Steam is nice and its developers care to make a program that works well.

> haven't tried to use any very dark patterns to make more money They don’t really have to. They’re still private right? What are they going to do with even more money?

They don't need dark patterns, they're already making a boatload of money indeed. If the trend continues, that means more paid consultants working on open source Linux desktop libraries [1]. Win-win in my book.

It actually feels good that the 30% cut Steam takes out of my purchases partly goes to improve my Linux desktop experience. Better for me as a user than if they were taking a smaller cut and focusing on Windows only.

1: Valve has been sponsoring work on Wine, Wayland, KDE, mesa gfx drivers, dxvk, and others.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#198

Post by zuminator »

dartharva wrote: post #138
BbzzbB wrote: post #114

Is there a technical reason why Steam is a such a force in the space? People, myself certainly included, often criticize Apple for taking 30% of developer revenue for merely existing in it's walled garden. Right or wrong, they control the ecosystem, so their ability to monopolize and heavily tax the App Store is unsurprising, they're exercising their pricing power as much as they possibly can. But how is it that on P…

I have always wondered the same thing; Microsoft is one of the very few companies that is capable enough to resist Valve's dominance. I think all it boiled down to was that in this case Microsoft, by some miracle, actually managed to catch an accurate picture of the wants and needs of their consumers and realised backing down on their Xbox store can easily drive them away. They saw how the general trend of game launc…

It's great that Microsoft can see the effectiveness of Steam. Now if only they would apply Valve's philosophies to Windows. Steam won and continues to win because it adds features that people want, and removes anti-features that people don't want. That second part is key.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#199

Post by Strom »

camdenlock wrote: post #171

First reaction: oh cool. Later: … oh NO. If Microsoft is anchoring one of its largest gaming properties to Steam, then what are their eventual intentions for Steam & Valve? :(

Valve is not a public company and Gabe Newell seems pretty happy with Valve. I can't really see him wanting an exit.

Re: Sunsetting the Bethesda.net launcher and migrating to Steam

#200

Post by bathtub365 »

LudwigNagasena wrote: post #161
ivraatiems wrote: post #52

Thank goodness. Bethesda's launcher was uniquely awful in a number of unpleasant ways. Slow, prone to crashes, bad user communication, not suitable for use on small monitors. The worst of the launcher apps I have used - and there are so many! I remember when it was in vogue for every game maker to build their own launcher or even full Steam clone - when EA pulled all its new games from Steam to get people to use Orig…

It's kind of weird how the same companies that can squeeze all possible computational abilities and use every tick that exists to force a computer to show amazing graphics with complex logic behind can't make a simple GUI. Well, even Steam nowadays is kind of a wrapper for a browser.

The people with the skills and desire to work on games are working on games. Even within the games themselves, the front end is often an afterthought.
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