LockerK
3504
…which is a weird thing to call out as a plus for Epic, because Steam has the same policy.
On Steam, DRM is set in stone: you buy a game, and you need to have Steam open to run it.
This simply isn’t true.
I thought Deadline was asking about games he already has installed. Of course if Steam/Valve disappear he won’t be able to play games he didn’t install yet.
Gaming Journalism.
stusser
3506
Yeah but that’s wrong too. Steam also allows devs to pick their own DRM, you don’t have to use steamworks.
KevinC
3507
It is pertinent, because the question asked by @Deadline was “What happens if Valve disappeared?”. That particular discussion was related to that question, not the article.
stusser
3508
Ahh, thanks. I missed that connection.
Interesting that Steam has more DRM than Epic’s store; Steam must not only be online to download and install, but also to launch the game initially.
KevinC
3510
No worries man, this thread moves so damn fast it’s impossible to keep everything straight. :)
Absolutely true. One of the first things I do when I buy a game from Steam is check and see if it will run without the Steam client. A lot of games do.
CraigM
3513
(Edited due to missing a small point)
Steam needs to be online to download and install a game? No shit Sherlock! It would be rather hard to download and install a game from an online store without being online. I rather dare say that you would need to be online with the EGS to download and install a game.
KevinC
3514
I think he’s saying that you must be online the first time you try to launch a Steam game, after you’ve downloaded it and that the EGS doesn’t have that requirement. I don’t really see how it’s functionally any different though, since as you point out you always have to be online to download anyway.
I wasn’t really aware of that, but that’s because the first thing I usually do when downloading a game is to start it. Can’t ever remembering downloading a game and then archiving it away for months or years or anything.
CraigM
3515
Ah fair point. I missed that nuance.
But that’s like the pickiest of nits, and calling that any form of DRM strikes me as unreasonable. Like if that is the entire reference for ‘Steam is DRM while EGS is DRM free’, then that is not a meaningful item.
Honestly, I download games and then never launch them all the time. Or at least don’t launch them for a long time after I originally downloaded them.
KevinC
3517
I’m assuming when you go to start the game, the pizza guy always shows up?
Glad you got it. If I hadn’t read otherwise, I would assume I could launch a non-online Steam game after installing it, but I now understand that’s not true.
Your tone was surprisingly harsh, ala “no shit Sherlock”, glad you were able to read and acknowledge the point.
fdsaion
3520
Online to for first launch is specific to Steamworks DRM and its relationship to offline mode.
Other DRM schemes can do their own schtick.
Source? I see no reference to online-for-first-launch being specific to Steamworks DRM, but would appreciate confirmation otherwise.
That catches me off guard sometimes. Before a trip, I load my cheap labtop with a few games, but since I’m busy packing, I don’t get a chance to launch them before I go.
AFAIK Rimworld via Steam runs fine offline, after initial download. Steam is simply the downloader, no DRM.
Unclear how EGS is any different except they don’t have any DRM standard.
I just tested it. Downloaded a game called VVVVV, shut down steam, ran the game from exe, game launches and works normally, steam not needed at all for anything other than the download. Any developer can make a game that way on Steam if they want to. Witcher 3 is also DRM-free there, for example.
nope, up to developer
