Windows 10's Store Locks 'Call of Duty' Purchasers Into Windows-10-Only Battles (vice.com) 174
An anonymous reader writes:
Two Call of Duty games have been remastered for Windows 10, but if you buy them through the Windows 10 Store there's a problem. "Windows 10 Store players will be isolated from other PC versions of the game," reports the Windows Central site, noting a statement from Microsoft which implies that the decision was made by Activision.
"For unknown reasons, Windows 10 Store customers are segregated from customers who bought the game from Steam, which is by far the most popular platform on PC," reports Motherboard. "Call of Duty fans who made the unfortunate of mistake of giving Microsoft their cash are left sitting in lonely multiplayer lobbies waiting for games that'll never start."
Motherboard reports that at least one player successfully requested a refund, calling the situation "another black eye for a digital storefront that PC gamers already avoid like the plague."
"For unknown reasons, Windows 10 Store customers are segregated from customers who bought the game from Steam, which is by far the most popular platform on PC," reports Motherboard. "Call of Duty fans who made the unfortunate of mistake of giving Microsoft their cash are left sitting in lonely multiplayer lobbies waiting for games that'll never start."
Motherboard reports that at least one player successfully requested a refund, calling the situation "another black eye for a digital storefront that PC gamers already avoid like the plague."
Windows 10 (Score:2, Insightful)
Can go FUCK itself.
Re:Windows 10 (Score:5, Insightful)
This is not Windows 10's fault. The game dev and/or publisher is responsible for this.
Re:Windows 10 (Score:5, Informative)
There's a ton of ways this could've been fixed, but there's no reason to blame Microsoft here. The fact that Steam has such a hegemony on PC gaming is not good, and that's just one example of why.
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This is not Windows 10's fault. The game dev and/or publisher is responsible for this.
Eh? How is it NOT Windows 10's (Microsoft's) fault? They are the ones who enabled the behaviour to begin with! Sure, we can hate Activision for "taking advantage" of what was offered but what did you expect a publishing company to do? They would kill themselves directly if they thought it would give a penny extra profit... never realizing that they just killed themselves.
Oddly, I am reminded of the situation of the woman wearing provocative clothing and walking down dark alleys... It is clear that the rapis
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This is not Windows 10's fault. The game dev and/or publisher is responsible for this.
I am sure Microsoft was all broken up about it.
Re:Windows 10 (Score:5, Informative)
yes you can turn it off through a simple switch in control panel
This has been repeatedly disproven; unless you're using Enterprise, you cannot fully disable the telemetry.
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Annnd... Can you be *sure* that once you turn OFF the spy-ware, that MS won't push out an "update" that silently turns it back on? Or how can you even be sure those cutesy-tootsy toggleswitches actually *DO* anything? I used/supported MS products for close to 20 years as a syadmin, but when I retired in 2010, I decided I was *done* with MS. After seeing what a turd Windows 10 is, and how MS took a page out of the malware writers playbook on how to forcefeed Windows 10 onto as many computers as they could, m
Fishing expedition for app and driver lists (Score:3)
Even at the most basic telemetry level in Windows 10 home or Pro, Microsoft still sees a list of all applications and device drivers installed on a machine, as well as the IMEI of the aircard if one is installed. This information can be used to incriminate a user if a prosecutor or civil plaintiff gets a judge to approve a subpoena for it. If you want, I can describe more specific hypothetical cases that could arise.
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On slashdot everything is Windows 10's fault. Obamacare is actually just a rebranded Windows10care, [...]
You mean both Hitlary and Drumpf are related to Windows 10? You americans are truly fucked...
It's about time. (Score:4, Funny)
The people that continue to support Microsoft's grip on gaming are finally getting what they are supporting: quarantine.
There is only one word needed (Score:2, Insightful)
Suckers
windows store locks out mods and other stuff that (Score:5, Informative)
windows store locks out mods and other stuff that you get with non sandboxed steam and gog games.
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http://www.howtogeek.com/24301... [howtogeek.com]
encrypting game files for DRM is one thing but Steam workshop is really good.
I hope gamers continue to avoid Windows Store (Score:3)
In general it's better for power to be distributed among several companies instead of having a few have a lot of power. When software companies do we all know they'll try to lock you into their ecosystems. So in this case I prefer Steam has the majority of gamers into their store instead of Microsoft.
They already have a lot of power over games with Windows and Xbox and if they were to get more they'd only get worse.
Also I must admit I'm mad at Microsoft for what they've turned Windows into
i believe this is on dev more (Score:2)
Stories like these. (Score:5, Insightful)
Stories like these just makes me depressed and realizing that we have a world worse than what's depicted in Max Headroom.
I think that both Aldous Huxley and George Orwell underestimated what we would come to.
LOL. Click bait is click bait. (Score:3, Informative)
Nothing from MSFT or UWP, technically or licensing wise prevents cross platform.
This was a decision by Activision.
Re:LOL. Click bait is click bait. (Score:4, Insightful)
THIS.
Windows Store isn't somehow magically preventing the game from talking to players on other platforms. This was a conscious decision by Activision to do this. Why? I have no idea, but let's simply skewer Microsoft over Activision's choice and not ask them why this was done.
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This was a conscious decision by Activision to do this. Why? I have no idea, but let's simply skewer Microsoft over Activision's choice and not ask them why this was done.
No. Nobody gets a free ride on this one. We skewer them both: Microsoft for making a platform that is incompatible and Activision for choosing a customer hostile solution.
This is Microsoft (Score:2)
Sounds a lot like what they're doing to Minecraft. You can play the Windows 10 version, but then can't play with anyone else.
What can I say? (Score:2)
Once again, Windows 10 users get what they deserve.
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... is to get all of our games on all platforms.
The developers simply need to allow for this to happen.
There's nothing stopping developers from doing this now. The a couple of reasons it doesn't happen though. One is because multiple large developers all want their own ecosystem for digital downloads. That in itself is good since it helps with the cost of the games in the end, and in most cases leads to significant discounts. See the 20% off or more on titles from places like Greenmangaming, Gamersgate or Gamesrepublic vs say Steam, Origin or Ubi's thingy. Now getting all games on all platforms? More
Re:What we need (Score:5, Interesting)
Getting all games on all platforms is not feasible, no.
But why the flying hell can't the SAME GAME on PS4, XB1, Windows Store and Steam just ... just play TOGETHER?
FF14 has managed to do it, although I'm told Sony really didn't like the idea - but they have PS3, PS4 and PC players on the same servers. They then have OTHER problems if you want to, say, migrate your standalone PC account to Steam, but that's a whole other can of worms.
Re:What we need (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's take Overwatch, for example. PS4 and XBOX gamers, using a game controller, are at a significant disadvantage as compared to mouse/keyboard. For instance, Torbjiorn got a nerf on consoles, but not on PC, because people can track and aim more quickly on PC, negating his advantage there. So you may not want to matchmaker those people together, as the PC gamers will, on average, own the console gamers.
But for Windows Store and Steam not getting matched together? Yeah, that's insanity.
That is because of VAC anti cheat I guess (Score:2)
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I don't believe you.
The reality is on consoles, even with people using a m/k on a console. The people using controllers? Developers have to add extra gimmicks to get them onto the same playing field. Whether it's a bump in life, less damage dealt to them, aim assist, larger hitboxes, doesn't matter. There's dozens of articles on it from different people who work on the industry. This is probably one of the most famous [techspot.com] though. To put it simply, no matter the advantage given to a person playing on a console. They got their
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That was always the theory but Shadowrun supported Xbox 360 / PC cross-play and on the 360 I never found myself particularly disadvantaged against PC players, if there was a gulf it certainly never showed up in the end of game scoreboards - you'd have expected PC players to, on average, position higher than Xbox gamers, but it never really happened. The spread was always pretty even.
The biggest problem as I see it for cross-play in general is cheating - people on PS4 wouldn't be happy if for example the Xbo
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Games with PC versions still don't support KB&M on consoles.
The controller users just won't have it.
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Games with PC versions still don't support KB&M on consoles.
The controller users just won't have it.
Had the first Max Payne on both console (son) and PC. The console was unplayable while the PC an FPS delight.
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The problem is the standard setup: Console + TV set + couch in front of the TV, maybe a coffee table, too low to operate a mouse and keyboard comfortably; PC + desk with keyboard and mouse.
The fact the device can be plugged in and supported by the hardware doesn't help if using it requires entirely rearranging your 'entertainment center'.
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Because PC players would simply curbstomp console players all the time.
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Because, as was warned many years ago, M$ is on the path of turning a PC you buy and then buy windows anal probe 10 and install it on there into a XBone and you will be boned, paying double digit licence fees on top of the invasion of privacy for any software that runs on top of Windows (don't forget they can not un-install any software on you computer with each compulsory upgrade, you agreed to it). They are actively working towards blocking software and content that has not paid a windows licence fee, man
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Because it's been tried and PC gamers had a serious edge over console gamers. Think about it -- crappy console joysticks and various size TVs vs keyboards with lots of buttons, options, macros, and a mouse with multiple buttons -- not to mention the possible screen setups like multi-monitors.
For PVP, Starcraft console players would be smoked by PC players.
Also, the head's up display (HUD) is usually very different for console vs pc. And PC players have options for outside-game chat and voice programs that
Re:What we need (Score:5, Insightful)
And PC players have options for outside-game chat and voice programs that let teams coordinate or stealthily share info better.
When I was a kid that was called a TELEPHONE. I agree with the rest of what you said, but please don't make it sound like console players have exactly zero options for voice communication.
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Long distance cost money (Score:2)
When you were a kid, how often did your parents let you use premium phone services, such as long distance and three-way calling?
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On the Xbox One you can already Skype chat in the background and completely bypass game and party chat, the latter of which runs in isolation to games and does nothing to prevent covert information sharing anyway. Only game chat enforces limitations.
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How the hell is using a macro keyboard or painting a target circle on your monitor the same as cheating?
Turbo function controllers have existed for consoles for decades, and what's stopping you from putting a target circle on your TV?
It sounds to me like you just can't compete, and thus you resort to calling everyone else cheaters.
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Aside from the comedy of calling voice chat 'cheating', just because certain techniques are available doesn't mean that players use them.
In decades of online gaming I've seen very few actual cheats. I've admittedly seen a fair few people that were trying to cheat, but usually they end up being easy prey to the people that recognise that some form of automated play is occurring and exploit the weaknesses in the automation.
Nothing quite like tricking a World of Tanks bot into shooting its team mates, for inst
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Getting all games on all platforms is not feasible, no.
But why the flying hell can't the SAME GAME on PS4, XB1, Windows Store and Steam just ... just play TOGETHER?
FF14 has managed to do it, although I'm told Sony really didn't like the idea - but they have PS3, PS4 and PC players on the same servers. They then have OTHER problems if you want to, say, migrate your standalone PC account to Steam, but that's a whole other can of worms.
Well, aside from the input device inequality that others have mentioned. Keeping multiplayer games in sync requires the clients to be pretty deterministic. Not just deterministic, but in exactly the same way. It's bad enough between Windows, MacOS and Linux all on relatively similar x86-based hardware. Adding in a bunch of console OSes and hardware just makes it worse. Segregating the consoles is the simple way to simplify things.
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There were some experiments with connecting FPS games across platforms - XBox and PC players in the same matches.
The experiments ended very quickly. The PC gamer, using keyboard and mouse, would literally mop the floor the with console player, who had to use the controller for aiming.
There are some genres where cross-platform multiplayer is okay, but shooters like CoD are definitely out - it's impossible to balance the gameplay between platforms without silly solutions like forcing PC players to use control
Re:What we need (Score:4, Insightful)
One is because multiple large developers all want their own ecosystem for digital downloads. That in itself is good since it helps with the cost of the games in the end, and in most cases leads to significant discounts.
OK, your UID is too low to be an astroturf account, so, seriously, you're advocating a distribution monopoly as the key to low prices? Really?
See the 20% off or more on titles from places like Greenmangaming, Gamersgate or Gamesrepublic vs say Steam, Origin or Ubi's thingy
Wait, maybe you worded the first quote wrong or something? Origin is EA's "own ecosystem for digital downloads" and unsurprisingly isn't big on discounts. Steam OTOH is famous for "80% off" sales for older games. I have hundreds of Steam games, lots of them big-budget titles, but my average purchase price is well under $10.
Now getting all games on all platforms? More difficult, since developing for multiple platforms becomes expensive. Especially since consoles require a "buy-in" to develop on and for every patch they require you to pay for certification of said patch
Overlap between console peasant gaming and PC overlords isn't necessarily good for game quality, and mobile gaming is the same deal - three different worlds with three different ideals for good UI and good gameplay.
OTOH, making all "PC games" available for Windows, Mac, and Linux is certainly worthwhile. Smaller devs might not be able to afford to test everything thoroughly on three platforms and be wiling to stand behind it, but that's what value-added distributers like GOG could come in. GOG, for the old games they sell, does the work to make DOS and early Windows games work well on modern Windows (and they're starting to do that for Mac, but again for old games). There's certainly room for a Mac-specific GOG-like, that makes indie games run flawlessly on Mac for a larger cut. Ditto Linux. For an indie dev, that's still more money coming in than not being on that platform at all.
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OK, your UID is too low to be an astroturf account, so, seriously, you're advocating a distribution monopoly as the key to low prices? Really?
K, you're really not that stupid are you? If the definition of monopoly is more digital storefronts then there are owners of major US media corporations it's not a monopoly is it. That's not counting sites that sell keys that work on those storefronts.
Wait, maybe you worded the first quote wrong or something? Origin is EA's "own ecosystem for digital downloads" and unsurprisingly isn't big on discounts. Steam OTOH is famous for "80% off" sales for older games. I have hundreds of Steam games, lots of them big-budget titles, but my average purchase price is well under $10
Well, Origin offers discounts all the time. They also offer coupons -- something that Steam doesn't directly offer which will work with most titles. Rather steam "gifts" coupons which you can apply to a product. Steam is famous for that, so is GoG. And O
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It's only old games for which GOG does the value-added repackaging into DOSbox with settings that work on modern Windows. My point was that someone with more capital than an indie-dev could offer the same for Mac or Linux distribution, port the game for a larger cut (especially where there game was written in Unity or similar, and it's mostly a test/support cost rather than a deeper port effort).
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Greenmangaming, Gamersgate and Gamesrepublic sell Steam keys.
They also sell keys that work for Blizzard, Rockstar, Origin, Ubisoft's store, desura, and several others.
In many cases, developers will give you a key if you show that you have prior ownership. And the game is "locked" to a particular ecosystem. Say, only on the apple store and steam store. And you just bought a new apple system and want to get the copy on the apple store. Filing a tech support email works 99% of the time. Hell, I've got a steel collectors box of "Return to Castle Wolfenstin" and I se
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I predict the people here will say they should just get along, but that'd be asking direct competitors to get along when it comes to competing for customers.
Re: What we need (Score:5, Interesting)
No one will use UWP for serious 3D games - Angry Birds, sure. CoD, never.
We tried to make a cross-platform video streaming app with it and it took 6-8 months longer than expected (mostly due to Microsoft bugs and limitations, as you said) and in the end STILL didn't actually work properly on most "Windows 10" devices. We couldn't even get it to work properly on all Windows 10 Surface Pro tablets and PCs (let alone non-x86 tablets and phones). Made Android platform fragmentation seem simple in comparison.
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Yes, but sadly not the person to whom you're replying.
What's wrong with wanting to buy a form of entertainment and not be restricted to a specific device? MP3s don't need to be re-purchased to work on your iPod, your mobile phone, your PC, your in-home streaming speakers. A film in MP4 doesn't need to be re-purchased to work on your TV, your other TV, the TV in your kitchen, your tablet and your PC.
Why should games be locked to a single device? Why shouldn't a game that runs on multiple OSes be bought and r
Re:My Apologies (Score:5, Insightful)
If you paid for a PC game, and *DON'T* have a disc in your hand as a result, then you are just a plain old sucker. The app store model only works for smartphones, but PC owners DEMAND more. Tell these companies that you won't stand for crappy practices and limited availability. Tell them by not giving Microsoft's store ONE RED CENT!
I disagree. My use of Steam over the last 7? 8? years has been nothing but a pleasure.
The only downside I've ever had with Steam is that it lets me easily buy games from Sid Meiers, which for me are like a life-ruining crack addiction.
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Yes, trying to overcome the blatant cheating coded into his games does make life difficult.
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What cheating?
How can a game cheat? It does what it's programmed to do, that's not cheating, that's game design.
Dislike the design, but calling it cheating? Really?
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That would be anybody who has ever played any version of Civ on difficulty higher than Prince, i.e. about 95% of the /. readership...
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I disagree. My use of Steam over the last 7? 8? years has been nothing but a pleasure.
I believe that's an exception that proves the rule. A standalone game (not from Steam) that comes with a "here's your download code" or a "here's CD with a tiny binary that will attempt to download 100GB of the actual game when clicked" is unacceptable and should be illegal. It requires being online and it will stop working at some arbitrary point in the future (and that's besides issues of being able to resell a download code).
I guess we have to wait until Europe (or some other place with customer protect
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Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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You mean like that one game where the only thing on the DVD was an 8 MB Steam install file?
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While I agree with your conclusions, there is an important fact you ignore: PCs now have less than 50% of the internet market in general, and I suspect smartphones and other devices' share will only grow in future, considering the slowing sales of PC and the increasing penetration of alternate gaming platforms. MS doesn't seem to see a way to stem the flow from computers to other devices, so they are maximizing their profits for the short term.
MS has a habit of showing their hand -- remember when they sold
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there is an important fact you ignore: PCs now have less than 50% of the internet market in general, and I suspect smartphones and other devices' share will only grow in future, considering the slowing sales of PC and the increasing penetration of alternate gaming platforms. MS doesn't seem to see a way to stem the flow from computers to other devices, so they are maximizing their profits for the short term.
50% of a HUGE market which regularly has games at $49+, how many mobile games are people buying at that price? It's like Apple vs Android, there's more droid yet Apple nets 3/4 the profit. Microsoft can't figure out what it's doing - it's getting owned everywhere: lost it's ass with Windows Phone, Windows 10 is lackluster, their last bastions are Office and an attempt at the tablet market.
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Though Recore surprised me. I played on the PC while the kids were playing something else on the Xbox, and when they got off, I shutdown the PC and opened Recore on the Xbox, and was saved in the same s
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IE exists solely to download Chrome
Not happy with the amount of telemetry Windows 10 has by default? We've got an answer for you! Download Chrome and more than double your keylogging! Chrome: when privacy is for other people.
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PCs now have less than 50% of the internet market in general, and I suspect smartphones and other devices' share will only grow in future
Last I checked, most "smartphones and other devices" had only a flat sheet of glass and an accelerometer as their only input devices, and this setup was highly non-optimal for many game genres. Good luck playing a Mega Man-style game or a Metroidvania on a phone. Among devices with a web browser and a physical keyboard or gamepad, what's the usage share of PCs? And what's the share of "smartphones and other devices" with a USB or Bluetooth gamepad connected?
Re:My Apologies (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, how IS the 1990's? Because that's the last time you could reasonably work that way.
And I have to say, much as I dislike the concept, Steam has been flawless for 13+ years for me and I don't buy games any other way any more.
I do claim my games on all platforms (e.g. GOG Connect, Origin etc.) when they allow or I have extra keys from bundles, just to spread them out and give me a game if Steam should ever be down. But I have 1000+ games on Steam and I can't see me stopping absent serious problems.
By comparison, I've never even looked in the Windows Store, I just disable it on all machines (work ones that I manage, and personal) and all my Games For Windows Live games have been retired or stopped working properly. Same for GameSpy and others.
I realise the limitation and I'd love every game to be DRM-free but it's just not practical in this day and age. Steam is the best compromise there is, and it shows.
But the last time a disc touched my PC? Years ago. They're all sitting upstairs and I *re-bought* most of the games I was keeping the discs for on online downloads (like Steam or GOG) just for the convenience factor. I'm probably never going to put those boxed games anywhere ever again and a lot of them are hard to get working nowadays anyway.
So your sentiment is so misguided. Sure, ideally, it would work like that. But it doesn't. That's the simple fact of the matter. And you're 13 years too late to change that. Kids these days don't even understand the concept of a machine that's not on the Internet, programs that don't just download and install at the touch of a button, or things like serial keys. They literally were born AFTER that stuff was dead.
And good luck buying a laptop with a CD drive nowadays, or one with an OS that lets your old games run without you having to do anything.
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When was offline mode fixed? (Score:2)
Steam is one of the few that lets you play (almost) anything offline, when Steam is offline. I've tried on Origin and others, and if you were to come home to a fiber cut and have no Internet, you can't get online to "authorise" offline play. While Steam will let you restart in offline mode and play almost any offline game.
When Steam first came out years ago, it had that exact same problem of needing to be online in order to go offline. In which year did Valve fix that, so I can tell how many years the other PC paid download platforms are behind Steam?
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I realise the limitation and I'd love every game to be DRM-free but it's just not practical in this day and age.
Tell that to GOG, where all games are in fact DRM-free.
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And half the games on there are pre-1995.
I have dozens of games on GOG. And a thousand on Steam.
I'm not saying there's anything other than market-barriers to doing so, but that's historically proven to be a pipe-dream for anything other than your own products (Witcher, etc.) or old ones that nobody cares about any more because they aren't going to be pirated by the people who want them (most of the GOG catalogue).
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15 GB game on a 10 GB cap (Score:2)
Kids these days don't even understand the concept of a machine that's not on the Internet, programs that don't just download and install at the touch of a button, or things like serial keys.
But they do understand things like "running out of data for the month".
Re:My Apologies (Score:5, Informative)
If you paid for a PC game, and *DON'T* have a disc in your hand as a result, then you are just a plain old sucker.
Just because you have a disc doesn't mean you own anything, in fact you license the software and that's the way it has worked for decades. So if you think there's a difference between having the game on a physical disc or downloaded to your hard drive then you haven't been paying attention.
The app store model only works for smartphones, but PC owners DEMAND more.
No they don't, the runaway success of platforms like Steam PROVES that.
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There's no legal difference that I can see, but there's a significant functional difference.
Want to install that game from floppies on an old machine you built? Go for it. You have the software, you have the media, go go gadget disks!
Want to install that copy of $Game from $DeadPublisher, you have the license but the download server for the "installer" is offline and the publisher's new owner doesn't want you to play the old game, buy the new one this year instead? Tough!
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I still see no functional difference what so ever. Both options in your example are identical.
Publisher takes the servers offline?
Then no you can't download the software from them anymore.
If you have a copy of the downloaded software, you can't activate it because the servers are down, and it is useless.
If you have a copy of the software on disc, you can't activate it because the servers are down, and it is useless.
They look functionally the same to me so far.
In order to get either copy to work, you have t
Cap (Score:2)
Those disc games that do not require activation, or which allow telephone activation instead of Internet activation, can be installed offline. In addition, even those disc games that do require Internet activation install much more quickly on a slow or capped Internet connection than multi-gigabyte downloadable games because a patch is usually smaller than the entire game.
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Want to install that copy of $Game from $DeadPublisher, you have the license but the download server for the "installer" is offline and the publisher's new owner doesn't want you to play the old game, buy the new one this year instead? Tough!
And you have had your head in the sand and haven't noticed the prevalence of activation servers, 0-day patches and DLCs? That disc you have is next to worthless.
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Just because you have a disc doesn't mean you own anything, in fact you license the software and that's the way it has worked for decades.
No, no no. That is the paradigm that they want you to believe. I have never believed it for an instant. If I give you money to use something, *I* get to choose how I use it. This "licensing" bullshit is just that, bullshit. Nobody gets to dictate to me how I use something.
Does that mean that I break software that tries to enforce some sort of licensing scheme? Certainly. Do I care if it what I am doing is considered illegal? Not at all. Fuck everyone who thinks they can control me. I am free and independent
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No, no no. That is the paradigm that they want you to believe. I have never believed it for an instant.
Oh well because you never believed it I guess it mustn't be true then. If I give you money to use something, *I* get to choose how I use it.
This "licensing" bullshit is just that, bullshit.
Well it just isn't, regardless of what you say. Whether it is proprietary software or free software it isn't sold to you, it is licensed to you. I don't know why you fail to understand that, the concept isn't that difficult.
Does that mean that I break software that tries to enforce some sort of licensing scheme? Certainly.
And of course now they are just locking things down and making software "cloud based" so that you no longer even have the software. If you want to
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WTF is a disc and where does it go on my Macbook or my Dell or my HP?
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It's a 120 mm diameter sandwich of polycarbonate and aluminum that goes in the DVD reader attached to your device's USB port. A $40 DVD reader can prove cheaper than overage fees assessed by your ISP for exceeding your Internet access subscription's monthly data transfer allowance.
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Monthly data transfer allowance? DVDs? Are you guys stuck in the 90s or something?
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Monthly data transfer allowance? [...] Are you guys stuck in the 90s or something?
Many U.S. ISPs do in fact have pricing structures stuck in the 1990s, in particular satellite and cellular ISPs with their 10 GB/mo caps and $5 to $10 per GB overage fees.
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I know my post was 40% serious and 60% tears running down my face.
Worked for a AAA publisher over 10 years ... (Score:2)
If you paid for a PC game, and *DON'T* have a disc in your hand as a result, then you are just a plain old sucker
I worked at a famous AAA publisher for over 10 years. In the early days we joked that the only thing that had to work on the manufactured disc was the installer and patcher, not necessarily the game. Industry wide this joke eventually turned into reality to a large degree, day 1 patches are absolutely planned and necessary.
That said, I download the standalone patchers if available and back them up so that if in another 10 years I feel nostalgic about something I have a chance of installing and patching i
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First, to use the single-player, same-screen, or LAN portions of the game during a long Internet outage lasting months or more, such as military deployment. Second, to install a 15 GB game as a subscriber to cellular or satellite Internet with a 10 GB per month data allowance. Third, to use the single-player, same-screen, or LAN portions of the game after its publisher has gone out of business.
have to pay the fee to use the word olympics (Score:2)
You have to pay the fee to use the word olympics
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Speshual Olympusch for you then.
Re:have to pay the fee to use the word olympics (Score:4, Insightful)
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Ok, to damn many pie references, now I'm hungry. CYA, I'm off to find some food. (Followed by gaming)
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Wish I had mod points... This is the most concise description of the monster that is Microsoft I've ever seen... Theres a growing number of us out here that are NOT PUTTING UP WITH THIS CRAP... MS is gonna have a seriously tough time "embracing/extending/extinguishing" Linux.. Oh sure, they could buy the two "big" Linux companies, Redhat and Canonical, but thats just a small piece of what Linux actually *is* ... Somebody's gotta say it "FUCK YOU MICROSOFT!"
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Troll eh?
What do you call a piece of software, outside of your control, that performs actions on your system against your will, operates outside your control, modifies your system without permission, steals data, spews unwanted ads at you, etc?
Windows 10 is, BY DEFINITION, malware.
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I use windows 10 and don't have this problem.
Good for you. Can you, authoritatively, say the same for the millions of other Windows 10 users?
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