I can’t seem to find that one comment explaining the issue with them…

But for the sake of promoting conversation on Lemmy, what’s the issue with Epic, and why should I go for Steam or GoG?

Note: Piracy is not an answer. I understand why, and do agree to a certain extent… But sometimes, the happiness gained by playing something from a legitimate source is far greater 🥹… coming from someone who could never ever afford to purchase games, nor could my parents… Hence I’ve always played bootleg, or pirated games.

TL;DR

What’s wrong?

  • Their launcher has a terrible UI AND UX.
  • They make exclusive deals with studios to prevent other platforms from getting games. (Someone mentioned that Steam did the same thing in their infancy. Also, I have another question; why is it ok for Sony and Microsoft to make exclusive games for their consoles but not ok for these PC platforms to do so?)
  • They have been invested in by a Chinese company, Tencent. (Someone mentioned that it isn’t that big of a deal, but idk.)
  • They are actively anti-linux for some reason.
    • Brawler YukonEnglish
      50·
      10 months ago

      I don’t remember but I heard it’s like an aggregator of some sort too, right?

      GOG the store is just that - a store. They only sell games that have no DRM at all, which means a couple of things. One, they almost never get AAA games at release (the exception being games developed/published by CD Projekt, as CDP owns GOG), and two, there’s a high likelihood that GOG will offer game versions that are out of sync with or missing features from the same game sold on other platforms (for example, if a game uses Steamworks for its multiplayer, many devs will just strip out multiplayer altogether for the GOG version rather than patching something new and store-agnostic in).

      What you’re thinking of with the aggregator is GOG Galaxy, which is their (completely un-required) launcher software. Unlike Steam and EGS, GOG’s DRM-free nature means you can just buy games on their site, download the installers directly, and go on about your business. Downloading games, starting games, etc., is all just done manually. If you want a dedicated launcher software similar to the Steam and EGS clients, that’s what GOG Galaxy is for. And as a value-add, they implemented aggregator features where you can have it pull in your library from Steam, EGS, EA/Origin, Ubisoft, etc., and just view and launch everything from the one spot. I’ve generally found Playnite to be a little better at being a one-stop launcher, though everyone’s mileage will vary of course.

      • SaltySalamander
        20·
        10 months ago

        They only sell games that have no DRM at all

        This isn’t really true anymore.

      • CybersteelEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        What installer? You mean like apps?

      • ElPussyKangarooOPEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        Playnite looks interesting.

        Does it have support for linking Backloggd accounts or similar such platforms?

      • Carighan MaconarEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        Yeah after using both Playnite is better but GOG works a bit better as a ready made experience tbh. Both are great!

    • B0NK3RSEnglish
      30·
      10 months ago

      GOG Galaxy let’s you combine most of your game library in to one but it has it’s issues. GOG, Epic and Microsoft Store all work great but the other clients aren’t officially supported.

      • ElPussyKangarooOPEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        Epic doesn’t have the game time sync, but that’s an Epic issue I believe.

      • B0NK3RSEnglish
        20·
        10 months ago

        This is to be expected and don’t let it turn you off using Galaxy. Once set up you can automatically launch (and close) the game and client from here without seeing the other apps.

        It does work with Steam, Ubisoft etc but the login will expire every week and need reconnecting.

        • ElPussyKangarooOPEnglish
          10·
          10 months ago

          Oh yeah. No, absolutely not… I logged in…

          I installed one game, uninstalled another.

          Waiting to get time to play using GoG soon.

          Also, do we know if there’s any integration with services like IGDB?

      • Carighan MaconarEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        It’s the only way they can ensure it works, I suppose. They might need to control specific cookies and reported supposed clients depending on plugins, and so a packaged in-app browser for the login is easiest. Playnite does the same thing.

    • mateomauiEnglish
      10·
      10 months ago10 months ago

      Playnite is a better free option for a library manager and the steam integration doesn’t break constantly.

      https://playnite.link/