I meant that steam was similar to itunes in that it dominates its particular media sector in digial distribution.omicron1 said:
Itunes is the big music digital distributor,
and Steam is the big digital game distributor.
Games for Windows FAIL
- Thread starter Shamus Young
- Start date
Itunes is the big music digital distributor,
and Steam is the big digital game distributor.
When I tried to buy AOE 3 off GFWL, I had to do all the annoying updating stuff for my Xbox account, even though I dont own an Xbox. Then it told me that GFWL is not supported in my region. This is the internet Microsoft, that shouldnt matter.
Oh God. I had "almost" the very same experience. Yeah, it's been 4 o 5 months since the last time I used an Xbox with my gamertag connected to Xbox LIVE.
When I saw this, I said "wow, only 40 points?" (I still have 80 points in my account). I went through the exact same hassle. I clicked the new terms on the Xbox site and then, for the very simple reason that I don't live in the US and I live in Mexico (kinda wierd, because Canada, US and Mexico shares the same territory for Microsoft, or so I thought) and when I clicked checkout, the page wouldn't let me buy it. Why?, because it's still not available in my territory... I thought it was a simple matter of changing the language to US English, so it could take me to the US GFWL site, but even then it no longer features any way or form to change the language.
Way to go Microsoft, this is the new "pc support" you're giving?, better give up, because it seems that other companies that doesn't even have full knowdelage and money of the very same company that created my operating system has way much much better platforms than yours.
I spit on you.
When I saw this, I said "wow, only 40 points?" (I still have 80 points in my account). I went through the exact same hassle. I clicked the new terms on the Xbox site and then, for the very simple reason that I don't live in the US and I live in Mexico (kinda wierd, because Canada, US and Mexico shares the same territory for Microsoft, or so I thought) and when I clicked checkout, the page wouldn't let me buy it. Why?, because it's still not available in my territory... I thought it was a simple matter of changing the language to US English, so it could take me to the US GFWL site, but even then it no longer features any way or form to change the language.
Way to go Microsoft, this is the new "pc support" you're giving?, better give up, because it seems that other companies that doesn't even have full knowdelage and money of the very same company that created my operating system has way much much better platforms than yours.
I spit on you.
My downloader crashed three times. Had to restart every time too, took 9 hours to install.
I laughed when I had my CD key too, even though I actually had it. It asks for it, and it's right next to it. And you can't copypaste. The damn system can authenticate this crap itself!
I laughed when I had my CD key too, even though I actually had it. It asks for it, and it's right next to it. And you can't copypaste. The damn system can authenticate this crap itself!
Bought AOE3 the same way and same intentions.
Downloaded. I played. I enjoyed.
I'm now able to shove my digitally overdrooled copy of AOE3 in every of the unfortunate gamers' face, that didn't have the same experience, buying from GFWL.
Guess you shoul've stuck with Steam ;p
[sub][sub]...SUCKER[/sub][/sub]
Downloaded. I played. I enjoyed.
I'm now able to shove my digitally overdrooled copy of AOE3 in every of the unfortunate gamers' face, that didn't have the same experience, buying from GFWL.
Guess you shoul've stuck with Steam ;p
[sub][sub]...SUCKER[/sub][/sub]
Wonder if this kind of GFWL tomfoolery is the same reason my friend can't get Halo 2 to work.
Either way, I don't use it and the reasons for me ever using it are seeming more and more... Well, I don't think I had a reason to start with. So are the reasons for me using it going into negatives?
Either way, I don't use it and the reasons for me ever using it are seeming more and more... Well, I don't think I had a reason to start with. So are the reasons for me using it going into negatives?
See, if the sale had been on Steam, I would've been like, "Whoa, ten cents?! Gimme gimme NAU!" and slammed the purchase button like it was a witness against the Mob and I was an enforcer, and probably ten minutes later (relatively slow download speed here) I'd have been up to my eyeballs in Age of Empires. But when I saw "Games for Windows Live", I just sort of shook my head, said "Not worth ten cents for the hassle" and went on with my life.
GfWL is a pile of failham on failbread on top of a failplate with... a side of... failjuice... yeah, I'm running out of steam [small](see what I did there?)[/small] with this metaphor, but anyway. It is a shining example of how Microsoft is absolutely, utterly unable to GET OUT OF ITS OWN WAY. It is so mired in legacy systems and design incoherency that it cannot do the simplest things right (like, as someone said above, install the correct version of Microsoft .NET to ensure that the program works). Why should I wrestle with that when there are several cleaner, more dependable and more user-friendly platforms out there?
By the time GfWL gets to where Steam is now, Steam will have advanced to a wireless neural interface with optical overlay that lets you mind-chat with every form of life in the universe.
GfWL is a pile of failham on failbread on top of a failplate with... a side of... failjuice... yeah, I'm running out of steam [small](see what I did there?)[/small] with this metaphor, but anyway. It is a shining example of how Microsoft is absolutely, utterly unable to GET OUT OF ITS OWN WAY. It is so mired in legacy systems and design incoherency that it cannot do the simplest things right (like, as someone said above, install the correct version of Microsoft .NET to ensure that the program works). Why should I wrestle with that when there are several cleaner, more dependable and more user-friendly platforms out there?
By the time GfWL gets to where Steam is now, Steam will have advanced to a wireless neural interface with optical overlay that lets you mind-chat with every form of life in the universe.
I'm under the impression GfWL loves me because it starts almost as fast as Google Chrome, has never crashed, or had any bugs. In terms of resources, more than Steam, but it runs better than Steam. The only problems I have with it is the moderate selection of games, and not enough features.
This sounds oddly familiar. I recently installed Windows 7 and have a fresh install (wonderful nerdy feeling) and I refuse to put that digital barf called GFWL on my hard drive. I've had way too many problems with it in the past. When I saw the Age of Empires III for 10 cents deal, I almost caved, but then when I read about the CD keys running out, I chuckled.
Also, Damn you GFWL, damn you for turning myself and my friends off of Dawn of War II, and wasting a perfectly good game.
Also, Damn you GFWL, damn you for turning myself and my friends off of Dawn of War II, and wasting a perfectly good game.
Games for Windows Live has ALWAYS been poorly made, it took me 3 Days to get the download to work for Fallout 3 expansion packs. The page would often blink out from existence and wouldn't be there.
And all these people are going on how you shouldn't put all your cards with steam and how they're a monster. They have a service and it WORKS and it WORKS well that's why people like it.
And all these people are going on how you shouldn't put all your cards with steam and how they're a monster. They have a service and it WORKS and it WORKS well that's why people like it.
Wow, they didn't even bother to change the installer for the downloadable version? That's fucking insane. That's something I'd expect in the demo of a bad Doom clone from the mid nineties, not from a game released by one of the major players in the game industries through their own service.
Someone mentioned that they need to work off a physical copy, but even if that's the case they should make the copy either figure out it isn't physical, or say the instructions for both cases. Digital distribution is the new thing here, this is like a driver instructor spending hours telling you how to adjust your car seat and then when you're done he just says, 'well now drive. Just drive. Come on, get to it.'
[ring ring]
SNAKE
THE CODE IS IN THE BACK OF THE CD CASE
Someone mentioned that they need to work off a physical copy, but even if that's the case they should make the copy either figure out it isn't physical, or say the instructions for both cases. Digital distribution is the new thing here, this is like a driver instructor spending hours telling you how to adjust your car seat and then when you're done he just says, 'well now drive. Just drive. Come on, get to it.'
[ring ring]
SNAKE
THE CODE IS IN THE BACK OF THE CD CASE
I didn't experience any problems with the exception of them running out of keys... I clicked add to cart, signed in, agreed to the TOS on the site and bought the game. GFWL installed seamlessly, and so did Age of Empires, again with the exception of them running out of keys. That was the morning after the sale, and when I got back home I had a key.
Sure having to type a key in isn't the greatest, but GFWL is a start. Sure it doesn't really compare with Steam, but seriously it isn't a steaming pile of shit like you say, at least for my computer (a stock pre-built piece of shit Acer.)
Sure having to type a key in isn't the greatest, but GFWL is a start. Sure it doesn't really compare with Steam, but seriously it isn't a steaming pile of shit like you say, at least for my computer (a stock pre-built piece of shit Acer.)
Yep, getting started on GFWL was a three day nightmare of tech support and head-desking for me.
But it was worth it, if only for me effortlessly getting that ten-cent sale... a year after the nightmare. (Which did nothing else for me... at all. Except achievements. Really bad achievements.)
But it was worth it, if only for me effortlessly getting that ten-cent sale... a year after the nightmare. (Which did nothing else for me... at all. Except achievements. Really bad achievements.)
I did get the key a day later. You should have installed GFWL, bought the game, installed it where you normally put your games, then uninstalled GFWL.Diligent said: