Multiple Game Clients

[Knight of Virtuosity]

Can I install from Steam, GOG, Epic, XBOX and such at the same time? Or will it conflict?

[ReBoot]

Well, if you're STARTING different games simultanously, they will complete for ressources and each of them will like like a geriatric snail. Apart from that, why should it not be possible? The PC is an open platform (despite Apple seeing things differently, but they don't produce what I'd call general-purpose PCs anyway).

[Bee🐝]

You can run everything - shouldn't be a problem. Even if it's the same game the clients should plonk everything down in a separate directory (Edit: it might not be a good idea to point two different clients to the same base install directory). Most of us use different storefronts and clients.

Except obviously with things like MMO's which are server-based - then the client install doesn't matter.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Bee:

You can run everything - shouldn't be a problem. Even if it's the same game the clients will plonk everything down in a separate directory.

The game files, yes. But everything else, so configurations & saves, that the game decides where it goes. Meaning different installs from the same game will have the same settings/saves.

[Bee🐝]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by Bee:

You can run everything - shouldn't be a problem. Even if it's the same game the clients will plonk everything down in a separate directory.

The game files, yes. But everything else, so configurations & saves, that the game decides where it's put. Meaning different installs from the same game will have the same settings/saves.

Good point. OP will have to cross that bridge when they get to it.

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by Bee:

You can run everything - shouldn't be a problem. Even if it's the same game the clients will plonk everything down in a separate directory.

The game files, yes. But everything else, so configurations & saves, that the game decides where it goes. Meaning different installs from the same game will have the same settings/saves.

That's not always true. I know that for Fallout Shelter the Steam, Bethesda, and Microsoft Store versions of the game all store their saves in different locations. There was also a game I had on Steam and also got a free copy from Epic. When I installed and ran it, it couldn't find the saves from the Steam version.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

The game files, yes. But everything else, so configurations & saves, that the game decides where it goes. Meaning different installs from the same game will have the same settings/saves.

That's not always true. I know that for Fallout Shelter the Steam, Bethesda, and Microsoft Store versions of the game all store their saves in different locations. There was also a game I had on Steam and also got a free copy from Epic. When I installed and ran it, it couldn't find the saves from the Steam version.

Right, those mobile-first games generally tend to use platform services, rather than OS services (with the term "platform" being kinda between a rock and a hard place here, but I think you get my point). The save file location for Quantum Break (which used to be a Store-only game) actually does something similar, it uses the high-level platform service to store saves when bought on the Windows Store, but uses a more traditional save location (so using low-level OS services) when bought from Steam. ... and uses Steam services when running on Linux (which makes sense as it's not a native Linux game). Interesting, if all Store-first games behave that way or whether some other games, which FIRST came out on Win32 (so using low-level OS services) and then ported to the Store (so using high-level platform services) behave similarly. On the other hand, I doubt such a game exists.

[Knight of Virtuosity]

What I meant was simultaneously. So GOG, Steam, Epic, XBOX the same time, in one timeframe. Could it occur that the diferrent installations will conflict because of the same drive getting written? I have an NVME 500GB 970 EVO SSD

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Carefree Cognitive Coolness:

What I meant was simultaneously. So GOG, Steam, Epic, XBOX the same time, in one timeframe. Could it occur that the diferrent installations will conflict because of the same drive getting written? I have an NVME 500GB 970 EVO SSD

Let me put it this way: if NVMe storage is good enough for servers (where concurrent access from dozens if not thousands of clients is the rule rather than exception), it is good enough for downloading games from several launcherrs at once. And that's completely disregarding downloads being slower than even an HDD...

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

That's not always true. I know that for Fallout Shelter the Steam, Bethesda, and Microsoft Store versions of the game all store their saves in different locations. There was also a game I had on Steam and also got a free copy from Epic. When I installed and ran it, it couldn't find the saves from the Steam version.

Right, those mobile-first games generally tend to use platform services, rather than OS services (with the term "platform" being kinda between a rock and a hard place here, but I think you get my point). The save file location for Quantum Break (which used to be a Store-only game) actually does something similar, it uses the high-level platform service to store saves when bought on the Windows Store, but uses a more traditional save location (so using low-level OS services) when bought from Steam. ... and uses Steam services when running on Linux (which makes sense as it's not a native Linux game). Interesting, if all Store-first games behave that way or whether some other games, which FIRST came out on Win32 (so using low-level OS services) and then ported to the Store (so using high-level platform services) behave similarly. On the other hand, I doubt such a game exists.

With the Windows version of Fallout Shelter, all saves are local. The Steam saves are in the Appdata folder, while the Bethesda ones are in the "My Games" folder. I don't know where the MS version stores its saves, but I know that the Fallout Shelter Save Editor was programmed to deal with each of the three versions three vaults all being located in different folders.

The other one I know of is Torchlight 2. My Steam version shows an existing character while the Epic version shows no existing characters.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

The other one I know of is Torchlight 2. My Steam version shows an existing character while the Epic version shows no existing characters.

That's a curious case. It's certainly not a mobile-first/Store-first game and according to PCGamingWiki, there's a disambugation by OS but not by launchers.
Are those two version of the game the same version? Wouldn't be the first time of the EGS lagging behind in terms of updates...

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

The other one I know of is Torchlight 2. My Steam version shows an existing character while the Epic version shows no existing characters.

That's a curious case. It's certainly not a mobile-first/Store-first game and according to PCGamingWiki, there's a disambugation by OS but not by launchers.
Are those two version of the game the same version? Wouldn't be the first time of the EGS lagging behind in terms of updates...

I just created a character in the Epic version and it saved it in the folder that the Steam version puts it's save folder.
Epic save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save
Steam save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save\[long number]

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

That's a curious case. It's certainly not a mobile-first/Store-first game and according to PCGamingWiki, there's a disambugation by OS but not by launchers.
Are those two version of the game the same version? Wouldn't be the first time of the EGS lagging behind in terms of updates...

I just created a character in the Epic version and it saved it in the folder that the Steam version puts it's save folder.
Epic save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save
Steam save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save\[long number]

Cool, thanks for the info! Looks like Runic took additional steps to disambugate saves based on Steam account, but didn't for the EGS. Now I personally think those additional steps are a pointless waste of time, but just today, I've seen a thread from someone insisting on sharing their account with their brother, making this disambugation helpful at least on the surface level...

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

I just created a character in the Epic version and it saved it in the folder that the Steam version puts it's save folder.
Epic save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save
Steam save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save\[long number]

Cool, thanks for the info! Looks like Runic took additional steps to disambugate saves based on Steam account, but didn't for the EGS. Now I personally think those additional steps are a pointless waste of time, but just today, I've seen a thread from someone insisting on sharing their account with their brother, making this disambugation helpful at least on the surface level...

This is why each person needs their own user account on the machine. Then at least each person could have separate saves even if they were using the same Steam/Epic/whatever game as they almost always put the save in the user folder for whoever is logged in.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Cool, thanks for the info! Looks like Runic took additional steps to disambugate saves based on Steam account, but didn't for the EGS. Now I personally think those additional steps are a pointless waste of time, but just today, I've seen a thread from someone insisting on sharing their account with their brother, making this disambugation helpful at least on the surface level...

This is why each person needs their own user account on the machine. Then at least each person could have separate saves even if they were using the same Steam/Epic/whatever game as they almost always put the save in the user folder for whoever is logged in.

I very much agree!

Each person should have separate accounts. Game saves spilling over or not is an important topic, but then there's email spilling over, browser cache & cookies spilling over and, of course, cheats from younger siblings/odler siblings/parents/pets/whatever-excuse-is-hot-on-the-VAC-forum-ATM spilling over. Although I am inclined to believe siblings and cousins being true stories. Speaking of a true story, a separate non-administrative account protects from malware spilling over as well.

I am being strict myself here. When my GF plays Beat Saber on my PC, she uses her own account to run her Steam account on. I got an own account on her PC too, in case I need something, i.e. administrate that thing. And when a friend comes over for catsitting, they get an own account too. I mean, it's not like accounts were expensive; unless it's actually used to download heaps upon heaps of stuff, an account takes a couple megabytes. Which, for gamers, may just as well be effectively nothing.

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by JPMcMillen:

I just created a character in the Epic version and it saved it in the folder that the Steam version puts it's save folder.
Epic save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save
Steam save: Documents\My Games\runic games\torchlight 2\save\[long number]

Cool, thanks for the info! Looks like Runic took additional steps to disambugate saves based on Steam account, but didn't for the EGS. Now I personally think those additional steps are a pointless waste of time, but just today, I've seen a thread from someone insisting on sharing their account with their brother, making this disambugation helpful at least on the surface level...

I finally had time to check and the Steam save folder with a long number for a name is actually you steamID64 (Dec). So at least if different Steam user accounts are playing on the same computer and system user account, it would actually keep those saves separate from each other.