RedEye9 wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 18:01:

Sepharo wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 17:33:
I lost my internet yesterday for a few hours and all THREE of the games I tried to play on Epic's launcher wouldn't work in offline mode.
These games had offline modes, they were supposed to work offline, and apparently do on Steam... but did not on Epic.

I don't know if this pertains to you but I do know with both Epic and Steam that you need to enable offline mode when you are online.
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/0E18-319B-E34B-B2C8
Step One
How to setup Offline Mode
Please follow the instructions below to successfully configure Offline Mode on your PC:
1. Start Steam online


How do I run games in Offline Mode using the Epic Games Launcher?
Epic Games Launcher Offline mode is an opt-in experience and will need to be enabled while you have an active connection.

Yeah it was enabled prior. Just for some reason whatever needs to be passed to the games to get them to recognize they're in offline mode wasn't working... not sure if it was Epic's fault or the games.
Kingdom Come Deliverance actually threw an Epic specific licensing error... and I found other forum posts scattered about the internet that have been complaining about it for years... everyone was just shit out of luck, no workaround.

Sepharo wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 17:33:
I lost my internet yesterday for a few hours and all THREE of the games I tried to play on Epic's launcher wouldn't work in offline mode.
These games had offline modes, they were supposed to work offline, and apparently do on Steam... but did not on Epic.

I don't know if this pertains to you but I do know with both Epic and Steam that you need to enable offline mode when you are online.
https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/0E18-319B-E34B-B2C8
Step One
How to setup Offline Mode
Please follow the instructions below to successfully configure Offline Mode on your PC:
1. Start Steam online


How do I run games in Offline Mode using the Epic Games Launcher?
Epic Games Launcher Offline mode is an opt-in experience and will need to be enabled while you have an active connection.

I lost my internet yesterday for a few hours and all THREE of the games I tried to play on Epic's launcher wouldn't work in offline mode.
These games had offline modes, they were supposed to work offline, and apparently do on Steam... but did not on Epic.

yonder wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 09:50:
You do not need an account to *PLAY* a game you purchased from GOG.

Comparison to Steam is very apt. You need a Steam account to play any purchased gam on Steam.

GOG was less so. Probably my frustration showing with how they push you towards GOG Galaxy. You open a purchased game in the library and what is the biggest button you see? Download GOG Galaxy.

But yeah, I agree, GOG comparison was more of my frustration showing. But I definitely do not agree that the Steam comparison is irrelevant. People forget Steam is DRM first and foremost. If it was just a storefront I could play purchased games without ever launching Steam.

yonder wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 09:53:

MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 02:22:
What the hell is the point of this? How much money could they possibly project they will make with the PSN accounts, vs having this for sale in more countries?

I am sure there is some internal study somewhere in Sonyland that explains these sort of decisions.

The point is to steer people towards buying a Playstation. That is the point of 100% of Sony's gaming decisions.

It's planting that playstation seed in their brains. One day, they'll say "hrmm... I already have an account, might as well" If 10% of people who play TLOU2 on PC end up getting a PS5/PS6, it'll be worth it.

Same reason they wait 5-10 years to make PC ports and why those PC ports are usually pretty crappy. "If you want to play the real version, you have to play it on Playstation."

Every
Single
Decision

Obviously.

So what would you rather as a gamer?

They stop releasing first-party titles on PC?

Instead you have to buy a $500 console just to play one game you might be interested in?

Seems like making a PSN account is the better option... unless you're living in a fantasy world.

Or they could just go back to not giving a shit about the PC, cause why not?

yonder wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 09:53:
Same reason they wait 5-10 years to make PC ports and why those PC ports are usually pretty crappy. "If you want to play the real version, you have to play it on Playstation."

I will note they've made a big push towards PC ports and faster ports over the past few years, largely because they finally noticed how much money they were leaving on the table and promised investors big returns on these ports. And they've pulled in a pile of money doing so. And a number have been high quality.
Such as Horizon Zero Dawn.
So hopefully that represents starting a shift in that area of their traditional strategy

This comment was edited on Jan 10, 2025, 10:46.

MoreLuckThanSkill wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 02:22:
What the hell is the point of this? How much money could they possibly project they will make with the PSN accounts, vs having this for sale in more countries?

I am sure there is some internal study somewhere in Sonyland that explains these sort of decisions.

The point is to steer people towards buying a Playstation. That is the point of 100% of Sony's gaming decisions.

It's planting that playstation seed in their brains. One day, they'll say "hrmm... I already have an account, might as well" If 10% of people who play TLOU2 on PC end up getting a PS5/PS6, it'll be worth it.

Same reason they wait 5-10 years to make PC ports and why those PC ports are usually pretty crappy. "If you want to play the real version, you have to play it on Playstation."

Every
Single
Decision

Sony makes in videogames is based on selling that hardware. They'd HAPPILY lose 10 ten game sales if they get 1 hardware sale.

Zerg wrote on Jan 10, 2025, 03:12:
Don't see a problem with that.

If I don't like it, I won't buy it. Simple as. Complaining about it on the internet won't do shit, as we've seen with Helldivers 2.

Like 99% of games you buy these days on PC have a neat little note on them saying "A free Steam account is required" and yet nobody cares. And if I want to buy from anywhere else, guess what? A free GOG account is required, a free Ubisoft account is required, I could go on all day.

The comparison to Steam was irrelevant enough, but listing GOG proves you apparently have absolutely no clue what you're talking about... or how to argue whatever point it is you're trying to make.

You need an account to *BUY* a game from GOG. You need an account to buy anything from virtually anywhere on the internet. No sane person would complain about that.

You do not need an account to *PLAY* a game you purchased from GOG.

It's like buying an mp3 from somewhere and being able to play it wherever you like vs having to use iTunes to play the AAC file, to use an old example.

The difference is, Steam is managing my games, taking my money, giving me huge added value with the whole Steam environment.

Sony just wants to suck off my data.

Having a PSN account does absolutely nothing for me - it's all for Sony.

Personally, until they change this, HellDivers2 was the last Sony game I'll purchase.
Vote with your wallet!

Don't see a problem with that.

If I don't like it, I won't buy it. Simple as. Complaining about it on the internet won't do shit, as we've seen with Helldivers 2.

Like 99% of games you buy these days on PC have a neat little note on them saying "A free Steam account is required" and yet nobody cares. And if I want to buy from anywhere else, guess what? A free GOG account is required, a free Ubisoft account is required, I could go on all day.

What the hell is the point of this? How much money could they possibly project they will make with the PSN accounts, vs having this for sale in more countries?

I am sure there is some internal study somewhere in Sonyland that explains these sort of decisions.

Yarrr