Support NeoGAF

[exmachina64]

On the topic of the thread: Its obvious why they have their own client. They want a full cut and to build their own service. The more competition, in the long run, the better. Just watching this recent Steam sale you're starting to see reductions in the depth of discounts and shady shit like what Rockstar is pulling. How long til these are more common practices?

Developer (if self-published) or publishers choose the maximum discount they're willing to offer.

Having more clients hasn't produced more competition in terms of technical features. Having third-party digital retailers unassociated with publishers (GMG, Nuuvem) has resulted in more "competition" (lower prices).

Wrong wrong wrong. Mojang only sells on their site(and retail). Blizzard only sells on their site(and retail):
EA games are not exclusively sold on Origin. They are sold by every single major Digital Download retailer. Every single one of those retailers take a 30% cut.
Once again, the "want the full profits" is a bullshit argument.

Correct, EA is specifically targeting Valve.

 

[luxarific]

My biggest problem with Origin is the ridiculous pricing on their first party titles.

Yeah, but it's fairly easy to buy copies on Mexico Origin. I've purchased the deluxe versions of many EA-published and Ubisoft-published games on Mexico Origin since I can get them there for what converts to a good 30-40% off the pre-launch U.S. Origin cost for the standard version of these games. When you boot up the Origin client they're right there in your library, ready to be activated, in English. It's awesome.

 

[DOWN]

Just come out and say it "we want the profits".

That's fine, no problem with it, why lie?

For real. Nobody is as stupid as that PR.

 

[erawsd]

Steam isnt a platform in the way that all those other things are... its a storefront. You don't have to go out and drop hundreds of dollars on a new device, all it costs is the few seconds it'll take to download 50 MB's of data.

I think it would be nice if they did it but its not something I expect them to do and I totally understand why.

 

[CharmingCharlie]

Clicking my Origin icon instead of my Steam icon is rather difficult. As is manually entering those games into my Steam list so I can launch them from there.

If it was just a case of clicking an icon I would agree. This is my experience of Origin :-

1) Oh I fancy a game of Mass Effect 3 I will fire up Origin.
2) Oh look I have to update Origin, I will let it do that.
3) Ah the update is done that was qiuck.
4) WTF it has forgotten my login details.
5) What the hell were my login details again ? I know the password is something like "OriginsucksdonkeyballsfuckyouEA"
6) Ah fuck it I will play something on Steam

Every single time it plays out like that. To date I have nearly 1000 hours of gaming combined in ME 1 and 2. I have less than 40 hours in ME 3 and it wasn't just because of the ending.

Thankfully it has been very easy to "boycott" EA because they produce pretty much fuck all worth playing. At this point I don't care if they carry on with Origin or go back on Steam I am done with EA full stop.

 

[Saikyo]

Fine, at least EA make more features lke an inventory and gift systems, also more games and DLC sales (not gonna happen).

 

[Red Hood]

If it was just a case of clicking an icon I would agree. This is my experience of Origin :-

1) Oh I fancy a game of Mass Effect 3 I will fire up Origin.
2) Oh look I have to update Origin, I will let it do that.
3) Ah the update is done that was qiuck.
4) WTF it has forgotten my login details.
5) What the hell were my login details again ? I know the password is something like "OriginsucksdonkeyballsfuckyouEA"
6) Ah fuck it I will play something on Steam

Every single time it plays out like that. To date I have nearly 1000 hours of gaming combined in ME 1 and 2. I have less than 40 hours in ME 3 and it wasn't just because of the ending.

Thankfully it has been very easy to "boycott" EA because they produce pretty much fuck all worth playing. At this point I don't care if they carry on with Origin or go back on Steam I am done with EA full stop.

Either I haven't gotten an update in a few months or that is incorrect. I never have to re-enter my password, I keep being signed in, unless I accidental click "sign off" instead of "exit".

Fine, at least EA make more features lke an inventory and gift systems, also more games and DLC sales (not gonna happen).

I still haven't played all ME3 DLC, and I'll be damned if I pay the same price they were three years ago. They really need to discount those DLCs, heavily.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I don't really understand the point of the question. We all know why. They know why. It's like we just need them to come out and say it's about the money. Why? What does them saying it change?

 

[sprinkles]

I have 20-30 games on Origin but I never play any of them, the main reason being:

Steam:

Origin:

 

[Grief.exe]

Thankfully it has been very easy to "boycott" EA because they produce pretty much fuck all worth playing. At this point I don't care if they carry on with Origin or go back on Steam I am done with EA full stop.

I'm in the same boat. Battlefield 4 was it, after that game I am forever done with EA.

To be honest, I'm not even in their demographic anymore anyways.

 

[Waylon Drums]

Companies really don't know how appreciated an actual answer would be. Just say you don't wanna part with some of the profit and be done with it.

 

[BLunted]

I used to be an Origin hater, but then I got over it. It's actually nice to look at a storefront that isn't inundated by shitty indie and early access games.

 

[CharmingCharlie]

Either I haven't gotten an update in a few months or that is incorrect. I never have to re-enter my password, I keep being signed in, unless I accidental click "sign off" instead of "exit".

I am an infrequent user of Origin It could be months in between launches. I have very little on Origin that I want to play outside of Mass Effect 3 and whenever I want to play Mass Effect 3 it is usually to check out updates to the MEHEM mod. So because I rarely use Origin it means every time I start it up it wants to update and every time it updates it starts up again and has forgotten my login details

 

[King_Moc]

Origin is fine. I'm actually glad to give the developer all of the money rather than hand 30% over to a storefront that used a tiny sliver of bandwidth.

 

[Saikyo]

I used to be an Origin hater, but then I got over it. It's actually nice to look at a storefront that isn't inundated by shitty indie and early access games.

You can customize so Early Acess games dont appear on the front page.

Now Indies...

 

[bsp]

Origin is fine. I'm actually glad to give the developer all of the money rather than hand 30% over to a storefront that used a tiny sliver of bandwidth.

Unless the game is specifically developed by EA you are still not giving the workers all the money. They usually publish (DICE, BioWare, etc).

The 30% is not only for bandwidth but for getting access to the biggest storefront in the world.

 

[Red Hood]

I am an infrequent user of Origin It could be months in between launches. I have very little on Origin that I want to play outside of Mass Effect 3 and whenever I want to play Mass Effect 3 it is usually to check out updates to the MEHEM mod. So because I rarely use Origin it means every time I start it up it wants to update and every time it updates it starts up again and has forgotten my login details

But then that's hardly their fault then though... It's safe to assume it's for security reasons if you haven't logged into Origin for over half a year. Better yet, if you primarily use the Steam client and then one day decide to use the browser instead, Steam sends you an activation code that you have to enter (obviously for security reason). It literally happens multiple times a month to me, but I don't particularly mind, it's 30 seconds.

And I don't think it's fair you should blame them if you forget your own passwords. I'd suggest writing all your passwords down on a physical piece of paper and then keep it in the closet or something.

Origin has come a long way from what they used to be, and I consider it to be a great client at this time. Maybe not as great as Steam yet, but it's definitely making big leaps.

 

[BinaryPork2737]

I used to be an Origin hater, but then I got over it. It's actually nice to look at a storefront that isn't inundated by shitty indie and early access games.

A little off topic from the thread, but why do you feel that way about indie games and early access games? Some of them are good. Why dismiss all of them just because of some bad ones?

 

[wolfhowwl]

I used to be an Origin hater, but then I got over it. It's actually nice to look at a storefront that isn't inundated by shitty indie and early access games.

The absence of stuff like this on Origin is also a plus. No longer do I have to worry about missclicking and getting slapped in the face with some creepy anime/MLP/furry Steam profile.

It's a breath of fresh air really.

 

[jelly]

Wasn't the real beef with EA and Steam something like EA wanting to sell DLC within their own service and Valve wanting a cut of that DLC ?

I can't imagine Valve and EA would be agreeing on a cut from FIFA Ultimate team revenue for example.

The other thing I remember was consumer interaction, Origin is just that direct link for EA to reach consumers and empty those pockets. Steam gets in the way.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Honestly at this point I want Valve to just cut a deal with EA so that EA gets full profits for their games sold on Steam just to have them on a unified friends list / launch site that doesn't require extra programs. It doesn't really slow down my computer since it's such a tiny fraction of power but it's irritating clutter and the overlays don't play well together if you try to hack it all together.

 

[THRILLH0]

I'd be fine if they just came out and said they don't want to keep giving Valve their money.

But whatever. Tru gamerz stay mad because you don't want to click an orange icon.

 

[Devildoll]

Unless we get origin player data from those games, we dont really know if this is all bullshit or not.

 

[King Gilga]

Its fine if they don't want to, it just means I won't buy their games. The onlu origin games I have now are from humble bundles.

My friends are all in steam so sorry I don't want to have to deal with multi ple friend systems, battle net armnd steam are enough for me. And I'm not using a client my friends aren't on.

 

[Synth]

Wrong wrong wrong. Mojang only sells on their site(and retail). Blizzard only sells on their site(and retail):
EA games are not exclusively sold on Origin. They are sold by every single major Digital Download retailer. Every single one of those retailers take a 30% cut.
Once again, the "want the full profits" is a bullshit argument.

So, hey want the full profits of their DLC?

Considering this is the same company providing EA Access, it would make perfect sense.

If it was just a case of clicking an icon I would agree. This is my experience of Origin :-

1) Oh I fancy a game of Mass Effect 3 I will fire up Origin.
2) Oh look I have to update Origin, I will let it do that.
3) Ah the update is done that was qiuck.
4) WTF it has forgotten my login details.
5) What the hell were my login details again ? I know the password is something like "OriginsucksdonkeyballsfuckyouEA"
6) Ah fuck it I will play something on Steam

Every single time it plays out like that. To date I have nearly 1000 hours of gaming combined in ME 1 and 2. I have less than 40 hours in ME 3 and it wasn't just because of the ending.

Thankfully it has been very easy to "boycott" EA because they produce pretty much fuck all worth playing. At this point I don't care if they carry on with Origin or go back on Steam I am done with EA full stop.

I've had this exact sequence numerous times with Steam. Not due to updates though, but it failed to connect when it loads on Windows start up. It'll often whine that it can't connect, and then sometimes it'll ask for the credentials again when I try to reload it.

 

[CharmingCharlie]

But then that's hardly their fault then though... It's safe to assume it's for security reasons if you haven't logged into Origin for over half a year.

I think it is a bit of a stretch to call it a "security" feature when I start up Origin my login details are there but when I update the client it forgets the login details. I think a more reasonable explanation is that when you update the client it refreshes the program and forgets everything. But if you want to fool yourself into thinking it is a security feature then be my guest.

Better yet, if you primarily use the Steam client and then one day decide to use the browser instead, Steam sends you an activation code that you have to enter (obviously for security reason). It literally happens multiple times a month to me, but I don't particularly mind, it's 30 seconds.

I wouldn't know I have never had the need to use the internet browser. The steam client starts up when my PC starts up. So I have absolutely no need to use the browser to browse Steam. I am well aware of steams activation codes that IS a security measure and one I will not complain about.

And I don't think it's fair you should blame them if you forget your own passwords. I'd suggest writing all your passwords down on a physical piece of paper and then keep it in the closet or something.

I am not blaming them for me forgetting my passwords. I am blaming them for having a P.O.S client that forgets my passwords. I already record my account details and passwords for safe keeping. My point is that to use Origin (unless you are a frequent user) it isn't simply a case of "clicking an icon" as some like to portray it.

 

[Glitchesarecool]

Origin is a good platform, and I've had fantastic interactions with their customer service department (seriously, bar Amazon I've never had something go so smoothly).

Too bad it only sells EA games and never does sales.

 

[RP912]

I never had a problem with Origin. I actually prefer the service as an alternative to Steam.

 

[draetenth]

Fine with me as I never cared for EA games anyway so this saves me from impulse buys (though I did buy two EA humble bundles, but since I have so many games between GOG and Steam that I actually want to play - I doubt I will ever get to them.).

 

[RP912]

Origin is a good platform, and I've had fantastic interactions with their customer service department (seriously, bar Amazon I've never had something go so smoothly).

Too bad it only sells EA games and never does sales.

They sell other games as well, it's just not as much as Steam.

 

[M3d10n]

EA's problem with Steam it's not selling games. They need to pay a cut of their sales to the many other digital retailers that still their games to.

Their problem is that, at some point, EA wanted to sell DLC using their own backend and bypass Valve's 30% IAP cut and Valve said no.

 

[MUnited83]

Origin is fine. I'm actually glad to give the developer all of the money rather than hand 30% over to a storefront that used a tiny sliver of bandwidth.

You know that the developer is not seeing a cent of your money right?(depending on contract).

And it's not like having the game on Steam would magically make it impossible to buy the game directly from EA.
You do know that, right?

 

[Zimbardo]

i would think that EA must be missing out on a pretty good chunk of sales by not having their games on Steam nowadays.

wouldn't it be in their shareholders best interest to get their games on Steam?

 

[Ogimachi]

Its clearly in the customers benefit that games sold on steam also provide that DLC for sale on Steam and there is no way of interpreting that any differently.

There are plenty of avenues where you can buy DLC for steam titles where Valve never get a cut, but EA are literally the only publisher who seem to have a problem with not providing gimped versions of games on Steam.

It's really hard to side with EAs stance as a consumer.

"Clearly"? How so? If the game was bought on steam already, what's the difference between buying DLC there as well or through some in-game menu? The price will be the same and the game will be using the same DRM.

i would think that EA must be missing out on a pretty good chunk of sales by not having their games on Steam nowadays.

wouldn't it be in their shareholders best interest to get their games on Steam?

They can easily argue that it's bad for business to lose 30% on every piece of DLC to Valve. Would their games sell more copies on Steam? Probably.
Do they lose more money by not having these potential customers than their bigger cut on every copy sold through Origin? Nobody knows, but perhaps they had their own internal numbers and research to convince higher ups/investors.

 

[texhnolyze]

I have Origin installed on my PC, I don't hate it.
I play games on it once in a while.

 

[Skyzard]

The other frustrating thing about multiple clients / launchers is that it really interferes with a PC-on-TV, controller-based setup.

https://www.leapmotion.com

I'm considering it just cause. Although not 100% sure it's possible to use to control windows apps...wouldn't get it otherwise, I do see like music controls, I'm sure it'll be possible... I mean you could use anything and macro it too but that looks like a lot of fun ha.

Actually you can:

The pointing part in the gif might be from an app.
Not outrageous at €89.99. I need to watch some reviews.

 

[Gamezone]

They can stick to Origin, and I can keep ignoring their PC titles. How is that?

 

[RedSwirl]

Origin-exclusive games are pretty much the only reason to have Origin installed at all. Origin Game Time is pretty cool but I've only ever seen it done for EA's own games. Feature-wise it's still years behind Steam. That's its only problem really.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Short answer: No Profit Sharing

 

[Grief.exe]

People forget the ridiculous amount of money TOR brings in. Once it hit F2P it actually became somewhat of a juggernaut to everyone's surprise.

The interesting part is TOR came out of the gate strong due to marketing and the brand name, but really flopped due to the poor gameplay.

 

[duck_sauce]

As Steam continues its exponential growth EA (and Ubisoft and Rockstar and Bethesda) will eventually come to realize reality: eventually nothing will be able to compete with Steam without being severely disadvantaged.

..and we consider monopoly a good thing now? I get that it is conveniend to have one store front and a unified friend list, but do we really want for pc gaming to be valve gaming?

 

[mugurumakensei]

What Valve needs to do is let EA keep 100% of their published titles' revenue for both games and DLC in return for EA providing their expertise in customer service. When it comes to response time and customer service, EA's about a billion times better than Valve.

 

[Blizzard]

..and we consider monopoly a good thing now? I get that it is conveniend to have one store front and a unified friend list, but do we really want for pc gaming to be valve gaming?

The alternative we have now is that EA sells games on other digital storefronts (which also take cuts) but not Steam. Unless there's something I'm missing about that? That's targeting a competitor, rather than trying to provide a monopoly alternative.

Furthermore, I don't want a monopoly. Are many in this thread asking for one? I want to be ABLE to buy a game on Steam, if I CHOOSE to. But, I have no problem with it being available on Amazon and Origin as well. I would just like the greater consumer choice and convenience.

 

[Prototype Viktor]

Good on them for ignoring steam

As for Origin, see the tag

 

[Miletius]

While I respect EA's right to try to push their own brand I just don't see Origin as a unique enough experience for it to really be beneficial to the consumer. If you can't really give a compelling reason to the consumer why your product should exist then it probably shouldn't.

GoG has DRM free and has access to old titles, Battle.net gives you access to Blizzard titles (which are much more well respected on balance), and Origin gives you access to -- mostly mediocre triple A fare that other big publishers are doing as well. Also bad ports of sports games and the Sims 3.

If EA were the darlings of the industry then I doubt people would bat an eye about using Origin. It's because most of their content is divisive and indistinct that people don't want to bother installing another program to get their games.

I feel like the same fate awaits Bethesda.net as well, provided they choose to go exclusively through their own storefront.

 

[Derp]

Wait what's the context. I need context. What happened here? Someone please.

He looks so upset I just wanna hug him.

 

[HariKari]

What Valve needs to do is let EA keep 100% of their published titles' revenue for both games and DLC in return for EA providing their expertise in customer service. When it comes to response time and customer service, EA's about a billion times better than Valve.

Valve is trying to figure out a way to have customer support that scales with the growth of steam, and is the quality they want. In the meantime, they let bots answer some questions (if you get an answer at all) and people have a horrible experience on a service that was all about making things easier/more convenient.

Valve's approach may spit out a great game every now and then, but sometimes you just need a hive of people paid to do one thing. Their bullshit "everyone is support" answer every time this comes up is insulting.

Origin is "better" but it's more or less due to EA trying whereas Valve can't be bothered.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Wait what's the context. I need context. What happened here? Someone please.

He looks so upset I just wanna hug him.

"Hey bro, where is Half Life 3?"

 

[DocSeuss]

Either I haven't gotten an update in a few months or that is incorrect. I never have to re-enter my password, I keep being signed in, unless I accidental click "sign off" instead of "exit".



I still haven't played all ME3 DLC, and I'll be damned if I pay the same price they were three years ago. They really need to discount those DLCs, heavily.

For me it randomly decides to forget my credentials all the time. Doesn't help that I have it installed on two computers and I can't be logged on to both simultaneously.

 

[flaxknuckles]

For me it randomly decides to forget my credentials all the time. Doesn't help that I have it installed on two computers and I can't be logged on to both simultaneously.

And there's another annoying thing about Origin. The rare times I boot it up it has forgotten my password and I don't feel like retrieving it from Lastpass so I just close it.