Crossplay on PC

[Deathstreak]

How in the world does this game not allow you to play with friends who have the X-Box Game Pass for PC version?! Two copies of the same game, on the same platform have what, two separate sets of servers for co-op games?! I bought this specifically to play with friends only to now find it is apparently impossible. Ridiculous! Please fix this already.

[Vault Traveler]

First of all use search function.

Second, there are no servers its P2P with different network api, Steam uses Steamworks and Microsoft XIN.

So either you force Steam users to make all who want to play a xbox account or your friends have to buy a steam version.

Another way is you play the windows store version and manually transfer your steam savefile to windows store version: https://www.reddit.com/r/DeepRockGalactic/comments/e7hptr/how_to_transfer_your_steam_save_to_windows_10_and/

[Chibbity]

It's not feasible from a technical standpoint, as explained above.

The two different services use different back ends for matchmaking, friends lists, etc... Those back ends are not compatible. The Steam version uses Steam's back end of course, and the Windows store/Xbox version use Microsoft's.

Like many games, DRG is a P2P game so it relies on those back ends for most of it's online capabilities.

[PhellAsleep]

I wonder if it's possible to mod one to use the other's api?

[Deathstreak]

I'm not used to needing to check beforehand whether something is 'platform locked' on PC. Up until very recently, going back decades, it didn't matter what the origin of a PC game was. Physical retail copy, digital copy bought on any number of online stores or platforms, didn't matter. All were compatible with each other. This is literally the first game I've ever purchased and then discovered was locked this way. Other games I've purchased that were on both Steam and X-Box Game Pass for PC had no problem playing together. If Halo can do it, even without a dedicated server browser, why can't Deep Rock Galactic?

[Deathstreak]

Originally posted by Chibbity:

It's not feasible from a technical standpoint, as explained above.

The two different services use different back ends for matchmaking, friends lists, etc... Those back ends are not compatible. The Steam version uses Steam's back end of course, and the Windows store/Xbox version use Microsoft's.

Like many games, DRG is a P2P game so it relies on those back ends for most of it's online capabilities.

Then why can games like Halo MCC handle matchmaking between Steam and XGP versions without any issues?

[Chibbity]

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

If Halo can do it, even without a dedicated server browser, why can't Deep Rock Galactic?

Because Halo uses Miscrosoft's back end just like the Windows store version of DRG, and it makes you make or login to an Xbox live account for exactly that reason.

It doesn't use Steam's back end for it's matchmaking, servers, and what not.

Microsoft owns Halo. You can buy it on the Steam store front sure, but that's just a formality.

[Vault Traveler]

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

I'm not used to needing to check beforehand whether something is 'platform locked' on PC. Up until very recently, going back decades, it didn't matter what the origin of a PC game was. Physical retail copy, digital copy bought on any number of online stores or platforms, didn't matter. All were compatible with each other. This is literally the first game I've ever purchased and then discovered was locked this way. Other games I've purchased that were on both Steam and X-Box Game Pass for PC had no problem playing together. If Halo can do it, even without a dedicated server browser, why can't Deep Rock Galactic?

Halo requires you to login with your xbox account, its from Microsoft.
DRG does not require a xbox account and does not belong to microsoft.

Steam Version does not promote Crossplay. Look at the steamshop page.

Dont blame this game for Microsoft doing their own thing and make restrictions to their costumers, thats why gamepass and windows store is a trap.

[Vault Traveler]

Originally posted by PhellAsleep:

I wonder if it's possible to mod one to use the other's api?

No Microsoft is EXTREMLY strict with their connection to xbox, even Sony is more open. You want crossplay with Windows Store and Xbox? Microsoft forces Developer to use THEIR backend. They force you as Steam, GoG, Epic, etc. Users to pay with your Data for using "their" crossplay.

Did you all think Microsoft does this because they love you as a gamer? No you pay with your data. (by making xbox accounts)

[Deathstreak]

Originally posted by Chibbity:

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

If Halo can do it, even without a dedicated server browser, why can't Deep Rock Galactic?

Because Halo uses Miscrosoft's back end just like the Windows store version of DRG, and it makes you make or login to an Xbox live account for exactly that reason.

It doesn't use Steam's back end for it's matchmaking, servers, and what not.

Microsoft owns Halo. You can buy it on the Steam store front sure, but that's just a formality.

Yeah, and? So just enable that option for any and all games between the platforms that use peer to peer connectivity, then.

[Chibbity]

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

Yeah, and? So just enable that option for any and all games between the platforms that use peer to peer connectivity, then.

That would presumably require a business deal with Microsoft, prolly involving the exchange of money or profits; if it's even feasible. (It would also potentially require everyone who buys DRG to have or create an Xbox live account.)

I can assure you though that the dev's don't want the player base split and have expressed interest in combining them if something on that front ever changes. It's just not likely it ever will.

There are good reasons for things being the way they are, everyone wasn't standing around waiting for you to come barging in to point it out, if you get what I mean? No offense.

[Deathstreak]

Originally posted by Vault Traveler:

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

I'm not used to needing to check beforehand whether something is 'platform locked' on PC. Up until very recently, going back decades, it didn't matter what the origin of a PC game was. Physical retail copy, digital copy bought on any number of online stores or platforms, didn't matter. All were compatible with each other. This is literally the first game I've ever purchased and then discovered was locked this way. Other games I've purchased that were on both Steam and X-Box Game Pass for PC had no problem playing together. If Halo can do it, even without a dedicated server browser, why can't Deep Rock Galactic?

Halo requires you to login with your xbox account, its from Microsoft.
DRG does not require a xbox account and does not belong to microsoft.

Steam Version does not promote Crossplay. Look at the steamshop page.

Dont blame this game for Microsoft doing their own thing and make restrictions to their costumers, thats why gamepass and windows store is a trap.

So add optional support for Microsoft accounts, then. There's all kinds of ways to do matchmaking in multiplayer games, so the lack of a crossplay icon on the store page means nothing to me, since I would need to already know it is a P2P only game tied to storefront ecosystems, which I obviously didn't before purchasing it. Again, this whole experience is new for me, so I didn't think I needed to do a deep dive, and hadn't had any trouble with playing games between storefronts before, because again, that's never, ever been a thing in the decades I've been playing PC games. While yes, this is ultimately an issue with how Microsoft is utilizing their API with a focus towards shared console and PC library ecosystems, it isn't an insurmountable one on the part of the game devs. Nor is it an expected one, since every Microsoft account game I've ever played on PC has played fine with other versions. And it should be made abundantly clear on the store page it won't play nice with other PC versions. I shouldn't need to do a deep research dive and head to the community page to suss out it isn't compatible. According to you from now on I should check every single multiplayer game on the Steam store I want to buy for a crossplay logo, and if there isn't one, do a bunch of research to find out whether it has dedicated servers, or uses a Microsoft account, or has it's on servers, or whatever. My mistake was an understandable one.

[Deathstreak]

Originally posted by Chibbity:

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

Yeah, and? So just enable that option for any and all games between the platforms that use peer to peer connectivity, then.

That would presumably require a business deal with Microsoft, prolly involving the exchange of money or profits; if it's even feasible. (It would also potentially require everyone who buys DRG to have or create an Xbox live account.)

I can assure you though that the dev's don't want the player base split and have expressed interest in combining them if something on that front ever changes. It's just not likely it ever will.

There are good reasons for things being the way they are, everyone wasn't standing around waiting for you to come barging in to point it out, if you get what I mean? No offense.

Would it? The Game pass version is already using those servers. I understand why say, a Playstation version might not have crossplay, since PSN is a competing interface that's hostile to crossplay for the most part, but if using a Microsoft account is all that's required, they should implement it. There's were previously a bunch of games on steam that used it anyway, and others currently do, like Halo MCC. This is the first I've ever encountered this sort of thing, and I've been gaming on PC for decades, but everyone replaying seems to think this is normal, obvious, and expected. Well, not to me.

[Vault Traveler]

You simply dont want to understand. It was your fault, steam does not promote crossplay, you bought it regardless now you complain.

Your fault.

[R.-]

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

This is the first I've ever encountered this sort of thing

What if it's not? You look rather experienced in ignoring explanations.

Now you are, again, given the chance to learn something. Congrats?

[Chibbity]

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

According to you from now on I should check every single multiplayer game on the Steam store I want to buy for a crossplay logo, and if there isn't one, do a bunch of research to find out whether it has dedicated servers, or uses a Microsoft account, or has it's on servers, or whatever. My mistake was an understandable one.

"Caveat Emptor" Let the buyer beware. The purchaser alone is responsible for ensuring the suitability of goods. However, a warning on the Steam store page similar to the one on the Windows store page wouldn't go amiss.

Originally posted by Deathstreak:

Would it? The Game pass version is already using those servers. I understand why say, a Playstation version might not have crossplay, since PSN is a competing interface that's hostile to crossplay for the most part, but if using a Microsoft account is all that's required, they should implement it.

They are basically two different versions of the game. They are coded differently to one another in certain respects. It's not quite that simple.


All that aside, myself and many others wouldn't want crossplay with the Microsoft versions anyways because they are always at least several weeks behind in patches, and all us Steam users (The larger userbase mind you) would have to wait as well for Microsoft to certify said patches.

Ultimately the number of people affected by this are pretty small. Most people tend to have all their friends on one side of the fence or the other. I do feel bad for you, but not bad enough that I want all my updates delayed.