Poll: EA Origin PC Client and Others

[gorfias]

Saw some hate for Origin in other forums here. Not sure why.
There is a bit to like in this Client. I had some games inconveniently on disc that are EA and when the client "saw" it, it allowed me to just make it disc-less.
So, for that reason, I like it. I don't recall if it has a default FPS counter but I can use FRAPS if it doesn't. And now and again, it gives me a free game.

I like like Origin better than Uplay. (Got that too). Not as much as Steam.

Too much fail at GoG so I haven't re-installed it since my new build.

What clients are you using? Pros and Cons?

 

[CritialGaming]

Origin was terrible when it first came out. So it got a lot of hate from that. It has improved since then and isn't so much of an issue.

But it is EA and fuck them. So there is that.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I can't launch certain Origin games on my PC.

I have a hunch as to why and fix it, but until I confirm it, Origin sucks.

And I don't know what Bethesda's Client or Discord's store or Epic Games store is like so that is a mystery to me.

 

[Saelune]

Ubisoft didn't stop selling games on Steam when they made Uplay. You can use Uplay on all devices. Origin is why the Mass Effect, Dead Space and Dragon Age series, among others are left unfinished on Steam.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Maybe it's because things like this can happen: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/96e9j5/ea_deleted_my_origin_account_and_ea_help_is/

There were also a few instances where EA would delete some of the games from your library. It's a pretty bad service.

 

[CritialGaming]

Ubisoft didn't stop selling games on Steam when they made Uplay. You can use Uplay on all devices. Origin is why the Mass Effect, Dead Space and Dragon Age series, among others are left unfinished on Steam.

And Metro now. Lol. Stupid Epic store.

 

[gorfias]

Maybe it's because things like this can happen: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/96e9j5/ea_deleted_my_origin_account_and_ea_help_is/

There were also a few instances where EA would delete some of the games from your library. It's a pretty bad service.

Maybe a little off topic but I bought Battlefield Hardline from Gold. $4.50. I could have gotten it from Playstation for $5 but nooooo, I had to go and save .50. Went to play one day and it said put the disc in to play. I bought it digitally. Called Microsoft and they said that sku no longer exists and has disappeared from my purchase history. Swell.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Maybe it's because things like this can happen: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/96e9j5/ea_deleted_my_origin_account_and_ea_help_is/

There were also a few instances where EA would delete some of the games from your library. It's a pretty bad service.

Maybe a little off topic but I bought Battlefield Hardline from Gold. $4.50. I could have gotten it from Playstation for $5 but nooooo, I had to go and save .50. Went to play one day and it said put the disc in to play. I bought it digitally. Called Microsoft and they said that sku no longer exists and has disappeared from my purchase history. Swell.

Not to take it further off topic, but that?s exactly why I?m not as big a fan of digital purchases as many of you. Call me old fashioned, but the convenience of digital is far outweighed by the myriad ways in which we can be suddenly reminded that we don?t necessarily own the games we buy. I always said, as long as I?ve a functioning console and the disc in hand, I can play any game I ever purchased, whereas digital is dependent upon some faceless entity not losing my records of purchase and/or even being in existence a decade or two from now if I want to play my older games

Point in case: my girlfriend had Verizon cable for years, and a few years ago, they were bought by Frontier on the promise that it was little more than a change in name insofar as its customers and services went. Well, she?d spent the preceding years buying movies on the On Demand service offered by Verizon, had over 100 of them at an average of $20 apiece; it was a couple MONTHS and several calls to Frontier?s customer service before they ?found? and ?reinstated? her entire library of purchases. She was pissed enough to try and find a different cable provider, and I had the thankless job of talking her off that ledge and reminding her that if she leaves Frontier, she loses ALL of her movies PERMANENTLY. So what did she ?buy? really? For basically the same cost of physical DVDs/Blu-rays, the digital convenience bought her a set of handcuffs and imprisoned her as a ?valued customer.? Sooner or later, she?ll tire of it, likely rationalize that she doesn?t watch the majority of those movies anymore, and part ways with Frontier taking the loss, but the fact remains that the loss will have been entirely unnecessary had she just bought physical copies?

 

[jademunky]

Origin was bad when I first installed it. Right now, so awful that I cannot even run games on it anymore.

I tried replaying Dragon Age: Inquisition the other week (I was bored, don't judge me too harshly) and could not get it to play. Steam and GoG work just fine but EA needs to die.

I won't even play a game if it means I have to install Uplay.

 

[gorfias]

Not to take it further off topic, but that?s exactly why I?m not as big a fan of digital purchases as many of you. Call me old fashioned, but the convenience of digital is far outweighed by the myriad ways in which we can be suddenly reminded that we don?t necessarily own the games we buy. I always said, as long as I?ve a functioning console and the disc in hand, I can play any game I ever purchased, whereas digital is dependent upon some faceless entity not losing my records of purchase and/or even being in existence a decade or two from now if I want to play my older games

Point in case: my girlfriend had Verizon cable for years, and a few years ago, they were bought by Frontier on the promise that it was little more than a change in name insofar as its customers and services went. Well, she?d spent the preceding years buying movies on the On Demand service offered by Verizon, had over 100 of them at an average of $20 apiece; it was a couple MONTHS and several calls to Frontier?s customer service before they ?found? and ?reinstated? her entire library of purchases. She was pissed enough to try and find a different cable provider, and I had the thankless job of talking her off that ledge and reminding her that if she leaves Frontier, she loses ALL of her movies PERMANENTLY. So what did she ?buy? really? For basically the same cost of physical DVDs/Blu-rays, the digital convenience bought her a set of handcuffs and imprisoned her as a ?valued customer.? Sooner or later, she?ll tire of it, likely rationalize that she doesn?t watch the majority of those movies anymore, and part ways with Frontier taking the loss, but the fact remains that the loss will have been entirely unnecessary had she just bought physical copies?

Years ago I read an article with the line, "resistance is futile. The Cloud will assimilate you." BS I thought. Putting my private records in the ether. Today, at least at work, I have everything in the cloud. I can access it anywhere. They got me. The next big thing is media/software as a service. All those years of collecting LPs, 8 tracks, cassettes and then CDs and then acquiring songs for Itune and now we have Spotify. We own nothing. But for $120 a year, I have 5 accounts on a service that I have trouble stumping, played from any of my smart speakers.

They got me. Damn it.

 

[Squilookle]

I see Origin and Uplay as both generally shite. Forcing me to log in again and update the launcher every time I use it, to play an older game that doesn't require updates, is unacceptable. At least Steam confines updates to the games themselves.

As for GOG- you can get the games without needing to have the GOG client at all. That's kinda the whole point. Also why it's the best.

 

[gorfias]

I see Origin and Uplay as both generally shite. Forcing me to log in again and update the launcher every time I use it, to play an older game that doesn't require updates, is unacceptable. At least Steam confines updates to the games themselves.

As for GOG- you can get the games without needing to have the GOG client at all. That's kinda the whole point. Also why it's the best.

I will have to check GoG again. That is a nice feature to not have to use the client.

I know what you mean about these "updates". My wife uses ITunes and it drives me nuts. She asks me to add music to it and the client "updates" taking an extremely long time and I know I'm doing more uploading of my information to them than vice versa.

 

[votemarvel]

Ubisoft didn't stop selling games on Steam when they made Uplay. You can use Uplay on all devices. Origin is why the Mass Effect, Dead Space and Dragon Age series, among others are left unfinished on Steam.

The thing with Ubisoft games is that you still need Uplay installed to play their titles even if you buy them from Steam. They then saw people were happy with Uplay and now the Division 2 has left Steam behind and is on the Epic Store and Uplay, and it doesn't seem to have hurt sales in the slightest. EA just made the choice to make the break in the final entry of a trilogy instead of the second game of a series.

Like most PC gamers I have an extensive Steam library but unlike most PC gamers, at least those I know, I'm happy to buy games from outside of Steam. One of the strengths of PC is how I can buy games from multiple places, I genuinely don't understand how some people can be so beholden to Steam that they actively refuse to buy from another store. Forgive me but having the mindset of 'Steam or no sale' is the same as a console fanboy mindset.

Edit: I have nothing but praise for EA support. I got my account stolen but after contacting support they froze the account so no-one could access it. They then asked for details to prove I was the person who owned the account and inside half a day they had the account back in my control. It is honestly the best customer service experience I've ever had.

 

[Saelune]

Ubisoft didn't stop selling games on Steam when they made Uplay. You can use Uplay on all devices. Origin is why the Mass Effect, Dead Space and Dragon Age series, among others are left unfinished on Steam.

The thing with Ubisoft games is that you still need Uplay installed to play their titles even if you buy them from Steam. They then saw people were happy with Uplay and now the Division 2 has left Steam behind and is on the Epic Store and Uplay, and it doesn't seem to have hurt sales in the slightest. EA just made the choice to make the break in the final entry of a trilogy instead of the second game of a series.

Like most PC gamers I have an extensive Steam library but unlike most PC gamers, at least those I know, I'm happy to buy games from outside of Steam. One of the strengths of PC is how I can buy games from multiple places, I genuinely don't understand how some people can be so beholden to Steam that they actively refuse to buy from another store. Forgive me but having the mindset of 'Steam or no sale' is the same as a console fanboy mindset.

Edit: I have nothing but praise for EA support. I got my account stolen but after contacting support they froze the account so no-one could access it. They then asked for details to prove I was the person who owned the account and inside half a day they had the account back in my control. It is honestly the best customer service experience I've ever had.

People want to pretend Steam is the worst, but the truth is, they are the best. Steam is better than Origin, and it is way better than the Epic Game store. Steam on a technical level is also way better than GoG, and it is only cause GoG has pro-consumer policies that they deserve more credit.

If people want Steam to have healthy competition, they should support healthy competitors. So far, GoG is the only one.

 

[votemarvel]

Most people don't pretend Steam is the worst though. They are so beholden to our Lord Gaben that they actively refuse to shop elsewhere. They consider Steam not only the best option but the only option.

As to the alternative clients. I genuinely don't see what is so bad about them. Sure they aren't as feature rich as the Steam client but if I want to take advantage of those features I just add the game to Steam. Origin, Uplay, GoG Galaxy, they all do what they need to.

Plus let's not kid ourselves that Valve are any 'healthier' than EA or Ubisoft. They actively fought to not give refunds, even taking it to court. They do nothing to stop people changing release dates on their games to bump them back to the top or the flood of asset flips and downright broken games. Hell EA release older games on GoG as an alternative, I don't see any Valve titles on there.

I know it sounds as if I dislike Steam, I genuinely don't, I just don't understand why people refuse to look to other places for their games when Valve give them a way to add those games to Steam.

 

[Mad World]

Forgive me but having the mindset of 'Steam or no sale' is the same as a console fanboy mindset.

It's not the same. For example, Epic Games is coming in last minute and taking games away that were initially planned for Steam, GOG, etc. Metro Exodus, for example, was simply a matter of greed. You can tell that is is because it was a last-minute decision. A good game would be available on ALL digital platforms. I can absolutely see why some people don't want to buy games on multiple platforms; ease of access (from one platform), superior features of one's current platform, and greed on the part of publishers changing their mind last minute are all very legitimate reasons with respect to why someone would not want to buy a game that's on another digital distributor.

However, if someone wants to actually make a better digital platform without obtaining titles via greed, I'm all for it. I'm by no means a Steam fanboy; I think that Gabe is kind of a **** for not giving us our promised/deserved Half-Life 3, and for taking a huge cut of game sales on Steam. However, going about it the way that some are (Epic Games, for example) is just plain wrong.

 

[Squilookle]

Forgive me but having the mindset of 'Steam or no sale' is the same as a console fanboy mindset.

It's not the same. For example, Epic Games is coming in last minute and taking games away that were initially planned for Steam, GOG, etc. Metro Exodus, for example, was simply a matter of greed. You can tell that is is because it was a last-minute decision. A good game would be available on ALL digital platforms. I can absolutely see why some people don't want to buy games on multiple platforms; ease of access (from one platform), superior features of one's current platform, and greed on the part of publishers changing their mind last minute are all very legitimate reasons with respect to why someone would not want to buy a game that's on another digital distributor.

However, if someone wants to actually make a better digital platform without obtaining titles via greed, I'm all for it. I'm by no means a Steam fanboy; I think that Gabe is kind of a **** for not giving us our promised/deserved Half-Life 3, and for taking a huge cut of game sales on Steam. However, going about it the way that some are (Epic Games, for example) is just plain wrong.

Let's be real though- to make a competitor to Steam and be anything less than ruthlessly aggressive, is already admitting defeat to steam. Epic's probably found the only way possible to really shake it up, such is the iron grip Steam holds over game distribution at the moment.

 

[sXeth]

My sole experience with Origin was when I bought DA:Origins, from a store, in a physical box. And the game somehow couldn't be played without Origin doing... something. And I created the id with Origins, and the game still just refused to work. So yeah. Still have the Origin account, signed in with it to claim my friend's referral invite for the Anthem demo and all that, but I've never touched it since.


GOG presumably has stuff, but eh, I played most of those classics I have much interest in back whenever, and it'll take awhile to potentially get into ones I haven't. I also 100% don't trust "OH these definitely work on modern systems" line, because I've again, played most of those games, including the insanity required to get some of them running, even from box collections that were also supposedly reworked for modern systems.



While I don't use Steam much, as I'm not a big fan of the digital idea in the first place. I've never really had major issues with it. The complete edition of Neverwinter Nights 2 on my PC at the time was the main exception, with the Steam copy being weirdly unable to maintain performance on literally the same machine I could run my actual copy of the base game perfectly well on.

 

[Tayh]

DRM-free all the way.
ME3 being one notable exception.
Must admit I'm getting a bit of schadenfreude from all the steam fanboys/girls complaining about epic/origin/uplay having exclusives, though.

 

[Worgen]

The only one I like on my pc besides Steam is GOG. I really don't like the other ones, I know Ubisoft games are on Steam but uplay annoys me enough that I don't buy Ubisoft games. I actually might have ended up with origin on my machine, I was really excited for battlefield 3, but the need for origin combined with having to launch matches through a web browser was just enough for me to cancel my preorder.