Games for Windows FAIL

[Casimir_Effect]

Had no problem downloading and installing this game. I was kinda pissed having to go agree to new T&C at first, but after that everything happened smoothly. Browser downloaded, installed the game and has since been deleted.
10p game, no problems. The site's gone back to crap now, but the offers they had were decent for a while. If only I hadn't already owned every game on offer apart from Batman, which I don't care about.

 

[Agiel7]

You haven't even scratched the surface of how bad GFWL is, Shamus. For us players who regularly play the multiplayer for Dawn of War 2, it's an abomination of the highest order.

The world's worst and most exploitable matchmaking system, bugs and imbalances that go unfixed for as long as months because of Microsoft certification, and an inexcusably clunky interface mars an RTS experience that I feel is superior to Starcraft 2. Thank god Relic has moved on to Steamworks for the next expand-alone (and an Eldar campaign, hoo-ray!).

What's the problem with the match making system? (Has avoided DoW2's multiplayer for many other reasons.)

Also, remember everyone, GFWL started off as a pay service. Microsoft actually wanted you paying them 15 bucks a month for the privilege of being screwed this badly.

Expect to be exposed to Microsoft's completely broken TrueSkill system, where you will be on a regular basis pitted against players who are completely new to the game or are professional Starcraft player-levels of good. And unless you have a team partner you regularly play with, don't bother playing any 2v2 or 3v3.

 

[crazypsyko666]

I think MS is actively trying to sabotage the PC market. If they can convince everyone (or the average consumer, at least) that PC gaming is horrible and hard, they can make people switch to Xbox and make more money off 'em! ...Or so I presume the suits must be thinking.

Which makes no sense at all. They lose money on the consoles, unlike PCs, where they make a profit just by selling the OS. With the Xbox, they need to recoup their losses with sales of games. PC games have already upped their price to $60 for apparently no other reason than the many 'fuck you!'s we've been getting lately (including a lack of support, shitty ports, poor optimization, delayed releases [AC Brotherhood release pushed to Q1 2011, Red Dead Redemption possibly never coming to PC], and countless other bullshit that was never a problem in 2004.) What is it with game developers these days? Why does Microsoft insist on XBOX exclusives? Is it so hard for them to support their other platform? Why not give PCs Kinect support? Why charge us SIXTY dollars for an xbox controller? I can't wait for the Chrome OS to come around and sweep me away from the muck and bullshit that is Microsoft.

P.S., Here's your chance, Sony! Make me love you!

 

[Cryo84R]

It's the OS!

 

[spookydom]

Same kind of thing hapened to me. Got as far as entering my credit card and it wouldn't accept it. It's a mastercard from a major company and never had any problems before. Tried to contact customer service and it wen't something like this.

Customer service rep - There is no problem with your credit card.
Me - Brilliant, thats what I told you.
Rep - Thank you for contacting us, please let us know if you require further assistance.
Me- Yes, why can't I buy the game I am trying to order.
Rep - It must be something to do with your credit card, please use another form of payment.
Me - Are you retarded?
Rep - Pardon?
Me - What other forms of payment do you accept?
Rep- Any major credit or debit card.
Me - *the sounds of me repeatedly banging my head against a wall until I can't see.
Will not be using gfwl again.But hey, there is a Steam sale at the moment, everybody wins

 

[Woodsey]

They don't care about it; half of MS don't even know the fucking thing exists.

On a PCG UK podcast a few months back they were talking about it, and how one of them had been to some thing about MS concerning Windows 7, and when they got on to how it's better for gaming the guy who was talking hadn't even heard of GfWL when asked if it would be integrated better!

 

[Voodoomancer]

GfWL is seriously the shittiest piece of programming Ive ever come across, including some viruses.

I just got Dawn of War II on sale on steam. Whoohoo. After patiently wating for 3-4 hours for the game to download, I launch it, ready for action.

Then windows live happens.

Now, after half an hour, 3 different password reset pages and lots of teeth gnashing, I'm reduced to forum raging. I already have a windows live account, but the ingame login wouldn't accept the password. The windows live site is no help, neither is the ingame "forgotten password" link, and from experience I dread having to possibly go to Microsoft customer support, that dreadful heap of bull dung. AARRGH!

And this is on steam. Why the fuck put your game on steam if you're going to cram shit like GfWL in there with it?

End result: I cannot play the game I Just PAID MONEY FOR, because a group of retards is to lazy to do any quality control on a fucking program. FUCK.

/rage

-

P.S: this sums up my view of Games for Windows Live pretty nicely:​

 

[fullbleed]

This is just as bad as my experience was. I can't believe they can't get the simplest fucking things right, like having the terms and conditions on the same fucking page, hell even the same fucking website... and not requiring you to log in with your GFWL account just to tick a box.

I've haven't played it yet, the GFW Marketplace program wont work, it only error reports. Frankly the effort and the cost of electricity required to get it working isn't worth the fucking 10 pence I spent. I'd have been better off with a packet of Space Raiders.

 

[A Pious Cultist]

13) One Microsoft rep suggests closing GFWL, and letting the game download "in the background." Wait, so when I close GFWL it's still running? It's not visible in the system tray, or on the taskbar, but it's there in the background eating CPU and bandwidth? Do I need to explain why this is a horrible setup and disrespectful of the end user?

Reminds me of Windows Media Player, except that horrid pile of shit not only runs in the background but CANNOT be ended. If you end the process it just restarts without your permission automatically.

Not entirely true, Start > Run > "regedit", go to the processes list and you can disable Windows Media Player and a bunch of other useless shiz for running.

 

[RelexCryo]

1)Newer use anything other than Steam on PC.
2)NEVER believe Microsoft and try avoiding their products.
Most sane people learned that long ago.

^This. ALthough I will note that I found it impossible to get Quake 3 Arena working on Steam, generally it has been flawless. While Microsoft's games for windows live has been generally crap in my experience.

 

[Hungry Donner]

I tried to get the FO3 DLC through GFWL. The first one gave me a lot of trouble and I eventually gave up - when the second came out I was able to figure out that I hadn't confirmed something and I was able to download both of them.

The third DLC was fine, but I was never able to get number four and five through them.

Add in the fact that it's one of the least intuitive pieces of software - the in-game launcher wouldn't give me the option to purchase the DLCs and it was constantly giving me advice as if I was an XBox user.


I avoided steam for years because I didn't like what I was hearing when it launched; I tried it recently and it's been a breeze. Hopefully some day GFWL will be just as nice but it certainly isn't worth dealing with at the moment.

 

[Voodoomancer]

GFWL worked perfectly for me for this. I had trouble with freezing when the new Client first updated but I quickly found out that I needed .net framework 4.

When a program "working perfectly" involves that program freezing up, you know you seriously need to rethink your business model.

 

[The Blue Mongoose]

Thank you so, so, SO much for this article. It's gotten to the point where I will not buy a game if it has GFWL. It's honestly never worked for me the way it should.

 

[Ih8pkmn]

Damn. I'm glad I'm a steam user; A dropped connection once in a while is nothing compared to this buggy mess.

 

[brunothepig]

GFWL is a horrible service. I've tried to avoid it, still had the occasional experience.
Latest was this.
My friend has Fallout 3. We played for a while, got pretty far in our respective saves, until one day, he signed into GFWL (I think he downloaded it so he could install another game or something). He figured why not. I fired up Fallout 3, the saves were gone... I checked the program files, still there, right there in the saves folder where they were meant to be, where they have always been. I restarted Fallout 3, still nothing. I quit GFWL. I started Fallout 3. There they were.
We don't use GFWL. And from the sounds of things, it may have been a good thing I didn't get AOE3, much as I love that game.

 

[Burnhardt]

I've only ever used GFWL for Batman Arkham Asylum, Dawn of War 2, Fallout 3 and its DLC, and GTAIV.

I never really had any problems with the marketplace. Maybe I just got lucky.

Hated the fact that I had to log in to play the DLC in Fallout 3.

delayed releases [AC Brotherhood release pushed to Q1 2011, Red Dead Redemption possibly never coming to PC]

Personally I's take a delayed release over a shitty port any day.

What is it with game developers these days?

Two reasons in my opinion.

HD graphics, because it seems thats what all console owners (to me anyway) care about first, and multi-player.

Since the release of the current generation of consoles the PC is no longer an exclusive power in online gaming, we can only really boast MMORPG's as consoles pretty much get everything we do in online functionality.

Consoles are the better market for games now especially for online multiplayer games where the average users seem perfectly happy to pay for the game, their internet service, a subscription to to play online and best of all for every map and content pack that gets released.

PC gamers, although will pay for the first two (and third for a MMORPG), have traditionally with the modding community and in some cases the developers, got alot of extra maps ands playmodes free.

Why does Microsoft insist on XBOX exclusives? Why not give PCs Kinect support?

The same with all exclusives and the motion controls. To sell the console.

 

[fyrh56]

At least you got to buying the game. Once I gone through all the ToS crap, it shoved a page saying the product was not available in my region.

Aw...

 

[Double A]

1)Newer use anything other than Steam on PC.
2)NEVER believe Microsoft and try avoiding their products.
Most sane people learned that long ago.

What if I want a hard copy? I know that games you buy on Steam are tied to your account, not your computer, but I just don't like not physically owning something.