"I refuse to install multiple game clients!"

[TelHybrid]

I'm confused by some of the posts I see on the escapist. Don't take this as a criticism, but just confusion.

I keep seeing people claiming they refuse to install more than one game download client. Why?

I'm not talking about not wanting to use a service because you perceive it as a bad service. I'm talking about the people simply refusing to use more than one service.

Is it brand loyalty? If so... sorry but that's pretty dumb. Every business just wants money, that's a fact.

Is it that you're worried about multiple game clients slowing your PC down? Little secret... you don't have to have them all running at the same time.

I've got Steam, Origin, uPlay, and even GMG's Capsule. I don't see the big problem.

EDIT: I reiterate to people talking about their computers being slowed down, you don't have to run them all at the same time, and you certainly don't have to have any of them run on startup.

 

[Zhukov]

Eh, I don't outright refuse to. I have Steam, Origin and Uplay installed. I also use GMG and occasionally GOG.

It is kind of annoying though. I'd rather just have one rather than juggling multiple programs, accounts and passwords.

Oh, and Uplay is just a worthless piece of shit. Damn thing has prevented me from playing my games multiple times now. I had to crack my legally purchased copy of AC3 just to make it work.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

The problem for me and my friends is when you need to install several layers of stuff to play games. Biggest offender was GTA4, I think, with Steam, GFWL and Rockstar club (or whatever it's called), all layered over each other and all necessary, making playing the game quite obnoxious.

As for download clients, well, I resent Steam for being necessary for a lot of games (I'd rather go DRM free like GoG), so I wasn't too happy at having to use Origin, too. Nothing to do with brand loyalty.

 

[Genocidicles]

It's mainly because I'm against game clients as a whole. I shouldn't need some bullshit program telling me whether or not I'm allowed to play a game or not... But because of the prevalence of games requiring this bullshit, I've had to make an exception for Steam.

So it's bad enough I already have to have some of this crap on my computer, so I'm not having any more.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Cause its dumb. Why would I want to bloat my computer with software I don't want nor need? And maybe you haven't run into a problem but some of us are using older computers and want them to last and the less crap the better. Besides, that means you have 3 different accounts holding your personal information and any one of them could get hacked. And as others have said, the problem is that it creates layers of programs running at the same time and its a pain in the ass. I want to open Blood Dragon through Steam which then opens up into Uplay even though Steam serves the same purpose

It's mainly because I'm against game clients as a whole. I shouldn't need some bullshit program telling me whether or not I'm allowed to play a game or not... But because of the prevalence of games requiring this bullshit, I've had to make an exception for Steam.

So it's bad enough I already have to have some of this crap on my computer, so I'm not having any more.

Also this^. Drm clients in general are bullshit. It doesn't matter how much drm they put on a product, someone will crack it and all publishers need to do is make it so your average joe can't copy games and instead they give us this kind of crap. At least Steam gives me some kind of value but if I could choose (and lets face it, pc gamers can't) I would pay more for games that didn't need any kind of client. If only there was some kind of way I could get and play games without any sort of client or drm whatsoever...

 

[Lilani]

I have nothing against it, I just don't do it. There are plenty of games I haven't bought on Steam, and I don't need another outlet for money, especially since I'm about to start playing Final Fantasy XIV.

 

[5ilver]

If I wanted to install pointless software to bloat my PC, I could do that without Steam/Origin/Uplay's help.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Eh, I don't outright refuse to. I have Steam, Origin and Uplay installed. I also use GMG and occasionally GOG.

It is kind of annoying though. I'd rather just have one rather than juggling multiple programs, accounts and passwords.

Oh, and Uplay is just a worthless piece of shit. Damn thing has prevented me from playing my games multiple times now. I had to crack my legally purchased copy of AC3 just to make it work.

Yep. I don't mind origin, steam gog etc but uPlay is just a complete piece of shit.

 

[lacktheknack]

Presumably it's for the same reason I had such a hard time picking out a music organizer: Because I have weird brain-patterns that affect every decision I make on a computer.

Or they're afraid of software bloat. One or the other.

 

[The_Echo]

I don't outright refuse. If I need another client for a game I really want, then I'll just deal with it. I mean, shit, I've bought entire platforms for a single game. So a new client is no big deal.

But why do some people refuse? Because it's more convenient to just have one.

 

[Jadak]

I don't 'refuse' to do it, but I am strongly opposed to it. Simply because I don't like having games scattered all over the place when I'd much rather have one service to manage my library.

Plus, it feels very cluttered to me having multiple variations of programs for the same damn thing, feels like I'm making a mess of my computer. Not to mention the pain in the ass of having to track down which game goes with which service and reinstalling the numerous appropriate providers should start fresh on a computer, which I do fairly regularly.

 

[The Madman]

It's just annoying is all, having to start up some insipid pointless piece of software every time I want to play a game just because the publishers want me to prove I really bought their game. And when you've got to start up a different one for seemingly every damned game, which half the time seem to need to update before letting me play my game, it's just downright frustrating.

Frankly if I had my way we'd do away with them all entirely. But then if I had my way this would also be a very different world we'd be living in.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I just find it annoying and unnecessary to be honest. I buy all my games retail, so I don't see why I need to use these little tools to play them. Alas, some games require it, so I just have to go along with it. Fortunately, the only non-Steam required game I have is Mass Effect 3, so I can just uninstall Origin after I've finished it and not bother with it for long. That's some respite.

But yeah, as a retail buyer, it just seems unnecessary to me.

 

[JemothSkarii]

My answer has basically been the same as most others; even though most of my games are registered on Steam I still have games requiring GFWL and UPlay. More of them will bloat the hell out of my computer and I don't want that. My other reason which some people would call childish is I have a personal boycott against EA. I haven't agreed with their business practices for a while and they haven't made any games I've had an interest in. Only EA games I've gotten in the last few years were in that Origin bundle, and even then I only got the Steam ones for a dollar and said dollar went to charity.

 

[loc978]

Yet another goddamn account to keep track of, this time for naught but a single publisher's games? No thanks. I tolerate Steam because it's been adopted by a very large collection of publishers (and a big ol' indie scene). I didn't really want it in the first place, and we certainly don't need another like it (not that a single-publisher only platform is actually akin to it anymore). I'm actually glad it's run by a house that doesn't put out many games, that really works in their favor for keeping the platform diverse. Any major publishing house attempting the same thing is just a giant plug for all of their own games... so yeah, fuck that.

Not that my boycott is absolute... I recently uninstalled uPlay again. Really wish it didn't exist.

 

[Rack]

Turns on PC for half an hour of gaming.

Steam needs to update.
Origin needs to update.
Capsule needs to update.
Uplay needs to update.
You need a new version of Flash Player.
Windows needs to upddate.
You need new drivers for your GPU.

Uplay has lost your account security information, you need to think up a new password and sign up for it.

Well, that's that idea down the drain.

 

[SSJBlastoise]

Turns on PC for half an hour of gaming.

Steam needs to update.
Origin needs to update.
Capsule needs to update.
Uplay needs to update.
You need a new version of Flash Player.
Windows needs to upddate.
You need new drivers for your GPU.

Uplay has lost your account security information, you need to think up a new password and sign up for it.

Well, that's that idea down the drain.

Quick question; why are you opening every client if you just want to play for 30 mins? 30 mins implies just the one game and if you only have 30 mins you'd have a fairly good idea of what you can play so wouldn't you just open the one client? Seems kind of pointless if you are going to complain about something taking too much time when you are forcing yourself to go through more steps than needed which is going to take more time anyway.

OT:I don't really get the complaining either. It's not as if the clients are huge and take up loads of space. I just keep steam open at all times because it has 99% of my games on it and if I need to use Origin I'll open it.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

This thread makes me happy that I don't use any of these things. Though if I did I would only use Steam.

 

[SSJBlastoise]

because of the magic of autostart...

That would be a reasonable point if it was mandatory. Every client gives you the option to turn off auto start so there is absolutely no reason to complain about it.

 

[Vrach]

It is kind of annoying though. I'd rather just have one rather than juggling multiple programs, accounts and passwords.

Well if you'd have been happy with one username/pass to rule them all, just use the same one? That just leaves you with multiple programs, and seeing as you can just click the game shortcut and not worry about them...