Greed has ruined gaming.

[Sqrly]

#1 Single player games "requiring" an internet connection!


I have nothing against DRM. I have the money to buy your game. I do however refuse to give up my privacy because developers are too lazy to create effective DRM that doesn't rely on the cloud or collect data for resale.

I won't buy an AAA game anymore until it is cracked so I can play a version of the software I paid you for without relinquishing my privacy.

#2 Microtransactions!

I used to love online gaming. I started with the original TFC then played WoW, Rift, Final Fantasy, EVE, and Wildstar until "Micro♥♥♥♥ingtransactions" turned it all into "Pay to Win".

What's the point of grinding for the newest game items, which is what all those games are based on, when the spoiled, self entitled, little brat next to you just tossed thier parents CC at the game and got it all before you could even find the entrance to the new game content?

#3

Data Collection, Data Collection, Data Collection!

This is googles fault. They made billions just collecting data about you and selling it. Now everyone wants a peice of that pie :(

If developers would just make games good enough to generate enough profit on thier own, instead of using all these oth


FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

[my new friend]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

Greed has ruined gaming.

I disagree.

[Brian9824]

Except even CDPR had planned to have microtransactions in their game, but had to abort it and the MP of CP after the trainwreck of the launch

[ShelLuser]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#1 Single player games "requiring" an internet connection!

Errr... isn't that more of a Steam issue? I mean, you bought the game on Steam, and this is a virtual online store, which also uses the Net to authenticate you and verify your licenses.

Seems to me as if this problem is self-implied.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#2 Microtransactions!

Solution: don't buy those games and let "nature" take its course.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

Data Collection, Data Collection, Data Collection!

<yawn>

Do you even know what that is or actually implies? Buzzwords is all I'm hearing. Did you know that as soon as you play a game someone over at Valve can theoretically look this up?

Reason I'm asking.... friend of mine was also complaining about this issue as a general problem with modern society. He also loved his iPhone. So we compared his shiny new iPhone with my "crude" Windows Phone (as said: 'tis been a while).

Low and behold... I had to opt-in for anyting intrusive while he had to opt-out, he even discovered many issues during that session.

Most people vent about "data collection" but have no idea what it actually implies.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it.

But... isn't that also fueled by some greed?

I mean, one could argue that "greed" is what got us GTA5 because R* games wanted more than GTA4 and despite me appreciating the story of 4 more than 5 you don't hear me complaining with 2k+ hours into that game (and that's only counting Steam ;)).

Greed is also what gets us Madden '23 in August and each to their own: I'm actually looking forward to that!

One can argue that Madden is actually guilty of some of your mentioned issues, micro transactions, phoning home, etc. Yah, never bothered me. I focus on having fun!

[Yzal]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

*Laughs in CyberJunk 2077*

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#1 Single player games "requiring" an internet connection!


I have nothing against DRM. I have the money to buy your game. I do however refuse to give up my privacy because developers are too lazy to create effective DRM that doesn't rely on the cloud or collect data for resale.

Oh they can but trust me you wouldn't like it.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#3

Data Collection, Data Collection, Data Collection!

This is googles fault. They made billions just collecting data about you and selling it. Now everyone wants a peice of that pie :(

Google didn't start it. All of them were doing it back in the day.
Also the data games collect only goes as far as their own games.
Things like how long you play, where you seem to get stuck, what enemies tend to kill you the most, what qyuests you completed, what quests you started but didn't, what quests you didn't accept, etc.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

Maybe if you jstopped just looking at the AAA space you'd see some of them.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

I do miss the days of DRM free gaming.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#1 Single player games "requiring" an internet connection!


I have nothing against DRM. I have the money to buy your game. I do however refuse to give up my privacy because developers are too lazy to create effective DRM that doesn't rely on the cloud or collect data for resale.

I won't buy an AAA game anymore until it is cracked so I can play a version of the software I paid you for without relinquishing my privacy.

DRM been a thing for decades, the problem is devs, and publisher wants DRM in their game. There is reasons why they do it, but for single player games it seem pointless, but they mostly do it to try protect their sales window where they don't care what happens after certain period of time, that how some publishers think.

So if flat out don't want any DRM in games, research first before buying, thee Gog that stands against DRM, and there are some DRM free games on Steam, and Epic. Normally hear about DRM on game via Steam when see yellow small banner on the right side of the store game page telling you about the DRM it is, that may point out of the game being always online, or not. Or can ask in the community about it.

There is a Steam wiki page for DRM free games, but not always updated.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#2 Microtransactions!

I used to love online gaming. I started with the original TFC then played WoW, Rift, Final Fantasy, EVE, and Wildstar until "Micro♥♥♥♥ingtransactions" turned it all into "Pay to Win".

What's the point of grinding for the newest game items, which is what all those games are based on, when the spoiled, self entitled, little brat next to you just tossed thier parents CC at the game and got it all before you could even find the entrance to the new game content?

This won't go away, as long people want to buy things, it not going anywhere. Also not all games have it bad, but some do abuse it, and make things worse for the game, while some just for show, and doesn't matter really. Give or take, have good games, and bad games.

Originally posted by Sqrly:

#3

Data Collection, Data Collection, Data Collection!

This is googles fault. They made billions just collecting data about you and selling it. Now everyone wants a peice of that pie :(

If developers would just make games good enough to generate enough profit on thier own, instead of using all these oth


FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

Everyone gonna collect data no matter what, your ISP, your browser, your OS, games you play, doesn't matter.

You can't block all data collection when you want to use the internet, as you have to provide info when buying things online, to getting access to services.

[unca.alby]

Originally posted by Start_Running:

Google didn't start it. All of them were doing it back in the day.

Maybe so, but Google raised the bar and made it into a Science.

Back in the day, they were all amateurs. Google turned it Pro.

[Enigmatic]

Switch to Nintendo all the physical games you buy work without internet.
Format all your windows drives and join the Gnu/Linux Hurd.
Get a good old nokia and sell your ♥♥♥♥♥♥ smart phone to someone who doesn't mind their info being sold.

CD Projekt Red is Polish company.

[Enigmatic]

Originally posted by Wraith:

Sorry to ruin your mood but as long as you use devices with internet connection, you have no complete privacy.

Hi,
please see Coreboot project.

Originally posted by Lazy Dog:

Originally posted by Sqrly:

FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

*Laughs in CyberJunk 2077*

86 on meta critic isn't half bad

[Start_Running]

86 Is a pretty middling score by Metacritic standards.


OP. DRM has been around for literally almost as long as Gaming. Whether it's suicide chips in arcade boards, chips programmed to self destruct in arcade boards, copy protection that has you use a decoder wheeel or a bit of info from a manual,.

Heck for some games the media it came on was the DRM. SOme developers used some proprietary formatting on the disks they distroed their game with. Basically allowed them tio squeeze on a few extra killobytes while at the same time making it impossible to copy.

For a while CDs themselves were their own copy protection since again there was no way to copy the data. Since rewriteables didn't come until much later. WHich ais about thetime we started seeing things like securom and what not.

[No skill only Tiktok]

Use GOG, you can play all games there offline

[feytharn]

Originally posted by xAlphaStarOmegax:

I do miss the days of DRM free gaming.

Yeah, I miss the 80s gaming. Having to answer obscure questions about American pop culture to be allowed to play an Adventure I bought in a German store was so fun, or trying to figure out a code for starting the game when your 'code wheel' was misprinted or reading a code printed in bright yellow on white background so it could not be copied! Life as a gamer was so good before DRM!

[Had Matter]

Originally posted by xAlphaStarOmegax:

I do miss the days of DRM free gaming.

Oh the golden age of gaming that destroyed countless companies and existences and defined the gaming market as it is now.

[nullable]

Originally posted by Sqrly:

FFS! Just make software that's good enough to turn a profit and be happy with it. CD Projekt Red can do it, so can everyone else IF they focus on making a good game instead of focusing on making money.

Oh sweet summer child. Games are for profit enterprises. People are trying to make a living by making games. Some game companies are publicly traded which puts more pressure on them to monetize everything, they're basically legally required to do everything they can to make money for shareholders.

If there's an opportunity to make more money you're terribly naive to think that industry-wide no one is going to take advantage of those options.

This isn't greed. This is just what success looks like. When gaming became mainstream, and started generating billions in revenue it stopped just being some hobby industry where developers made the game and managed every aspect of the business. The industry matures. You get all sorts of people with all sorts of expertise. And some of them are going to ask, how can we make more money?

Expansion packs, then DLC, micro-transactions, DRM, digital distributing, remakes, remasters. there's a hundred different ways to package and sell content to maximize revenue. The only way that doesn't happen is if gaming is so niche it never grows up, there's no money involved, and only the people that love it bother.

You're really kidding yourself into thinking there's any universe where a multi-billion dollar industry isn't looking at how to make money.