Hi,

A couple of questions for which I didn't find answers in the FAQ:

-I don't much like Steam, but I hate GFWL more than anything else. Do we only have the choice between these 2? (& when is that trend gonna end? a PC isn't a console for a reason)
GFWL rarely works here, and that means that anything that's bound to GFWL, I can only play it those rare times GFWL allows me to.

NOW, while I normally avoid GFWL-related stuff, I did buy Fallout 3 (without reading first), through steam, and was surprised that it didn't actually -require- GFWL to run (unlike other games [screw you Street Fighter 4]), which is cool (but of course Fallout 3 isn't online)
Can Brink run without GFWL?

-are Steam & GFWL communities playing against each other? If not, which one has the most players?

-not so important, but would the stuff unlocked during the Steam free WE work in another version of the game?


Thanks

1. I don't know what "GFWL" is (Nevermind, just looked it up and I had never heard that acronym before), but you do have a few options... you could try OnLive (if they're still available) or you could just buy it for a console. It isn't a trend going away anytime soon, I guarantee it... PCs are QUICKLY losing their reason to NOT become standardized-platforms (i.e. a console). Developers as a whole are moving to consoles due to the ease of programming... And it's because they KNOW what they have to work with and can optimize based on the technology and knowledge they have. Sooooo... you'll have to learn to deal. Also, why hate Steam?

2. Yyyyou shouldn't need both of them together to play any games. As far as I know, you don't need "GfWL" to play it on Steam. AS FAR AS I KNOW.

3. They're technically competitors, but Steam (well Valve really) doesn't really fight with anyone. haha! And Steam LIKELY has more players. It's generally more popular.

4. I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean Windows Live versus Steam? Or downloaded through different programs..? Either way - NO.

how is it ease of programming to have to support Steam, GFWL (& Onlive as you wrote, but I don't believe in that system at all), instead of.. well nothing in the past?
It's nothing about programming, it's business, Steam & GFWL are game stores that you have to be in bed with in this new era of digital distribution.

I don't hate steam as much as GFWL, I just don't want it on the system I work with, & I don't like having to wait for it to connect, bear the crashes, etc, just to play games that aren't even online.
In the past you would just install a game & play it, you didn't have to register crap, there were no DRM messing with your system.. Was there anything wrong in the way Wolf & Quake Wars were doing it?




I wish that was true, but GTAIV & SFIV.. they require -both- Steam & GFWL even to run offline. That blows, isn't any logical, but it's true.




so the servers are really not shared between Steam & GFWL, actually splitting the playerbase?

That isn't what I'm talking about... If you fully read what I posted (regarding streamlined and optimized hardware in consoles versus the ever-customizable PC) you would have understood that. Nor was I in support of the PC, I said Consoles are easier to program for. The fact that PCs not only use an infinite number of customizable options, and fact that they use many different "platforms" to run games, make them a terror to develop by comparison.
Please, next time, read fully what is said.



That's [censored] and I have no idea why that would be...



Yes, which is no different than a game being run on either PS3 or 360...
Though, I think it's safe to say within the next few generations we'll have a Sony/Microsoft console that'll dominate the market. I'm not just pulling this out of my ass, it's been in talks for years now and every generation brings us closer.

of course they are, but I don't understand the link with my question, I wasn't even talking of consoles (you don't wanna get me started on consoles.. and yes I've owned a xbox)





I really wasn't expecting that.
Isn't the problem of this game that it hasn't taken off, that the community is too small? If it's split in 2 on the same platform on top of that..
So now I start to understand why there is a so big gap between the price on steam ($60) & the lowest price in shops (you can get it for like, $10), if the playerbase also depends on the version you pick. Afterall it has no value if you're playing alone.

I launched Quake Wars again the other day, I found like.. 2 servers with many players, that's pretty sad as it was a pretty good game IMHO, much more advanced than Brink in fact.




all I know is that the day there won't be games for PC anymore, I will stop playing
(& I will never touch a stinking gamepad again)

It wasn't a direct response but rather a PART of my response to something you said. You asked something along the lines of "is this going to be a trend that continues"? So I offered my thoughts. That's it.
Feel free to rant about consoles. I've heard all the straight B.S. and minimal benefits to playing PC over consoles a million times over. I still can't figure out where PC players get their sense of superiority. I'm not saying you act that way, just tossing that out there.



See, as I said, I'm not certain about the PC hosts or anything. Most people I know play on Steam, I don't know if Windows Live is separate or not. Purely an observational opinion.
And the communities are small because the game had a rough release, not the other way around. The first release sales were phenomenal, but they had a lot of returns due to technical issues.