5d ago

Randy Pitchford shares thoughts on the Stop Killing Games campaign, gets very existential: "It's so sobering to think about the fact that everything will end[...]and I kind of hate that"

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Randy Pitchford shares thoughts on the Stop Killing Games campaign, gets very existential: 'It's so sobering to think about the fact that everything will end. Not just us, but literally everything, and I kind of hate that'

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“It's a weird, challenging problem, though, because I think that at the same time, if we're going to have any games that are sincere live services, it seems mutually exclusive to have something that's going to be a living thing that can't be allowed to die. I don't know how to get around that.”
Dedicated servers. Let people host their own servers. How is this so fucking hard to understand? When the company is ready to move on and retire their official servers they can do so without invoking ire from the playerbase.
- Or keep the live service model, but label things correctly:
  You're getting a subscription to the service that's guaranteed to last at least until [planned minimum end date]. Make it illegal to label anything using "buy" that doesn't grant a permanent, non-expiring license to the software or digital good.
  There's nothing wrong with charging for a subscription. If that's their product, and the only way they can offer the product, then clearly market it that way and there's no legal problem under the proposed rules.
  Granted, that still sucks for videogame preservation, but at least it's honest. And I'm not sure how many people will be willing to shell out $80+ for a "minimum 24 month subscription" to a new game, or pay $9.99 for a "micro"transaction they're guaranteed to keep access to for ~~8 7 6~~ 5 months.
- Yup. Even just release the match matching server as a Linux app would be better than what they do now which is just kill it all.
- The problem (for them) with that is that the server is what keeps the live service shit locked down so you have to pay for it. If you control the servers, you also control the unlockable items. They don't want that. They want to nickel and dime you with skins.
  
  I know what you mean, but they're going to abandon it eventually, right? What matters is how they abandon it; what they leave behind. Currently, they leave nothing for the playerbase.
  If they need to retire the live service to move forward, so be it. But if I wanna boot up a server for a night of gameplay with friends on some retired game I should be able to do so.
  Allowing dedicated servers after said live service retirement is the fix.
  
  are you even allowed to host dedicated servers for console games? i don't think we'll ever get those sadly, they're stuck on offical ps/ms/nintendo/game company hosted servers without a way to spin one up and have users join those (which completely goes against online subscription fees for the consoles).
- How would someone host their own version of a live service game?
  
  Way I see it is it just stops being a live service game, and stays at the latest version, which is the one you can then host.
  
  Rent a server and run the software, like any other game server? People used to run their own "illegal" World of Warcraft servers. There is not reason any other live service game couldn't be run on a private server, game developers just decided to hold their server software hostage.
CEOs Continue to Ponder Why People Keep Sharing the Phrase "Eat the rich"
- But I just don't think I'm that tasty
This is the most softball-assed "interview" I've ever seen. PC Gamer is full of clowns
- I truly miss the days of Logan Decker and Gary Whitta at the helm of PCG.
"CEO veers off-topic into existential crisis." Cool but what about some promise of people actually owning their games, Randy?
- "Sorry, best I can do is some half-assed magic tricks"
  
  And shitty guitar + singing
I can still find Unreal Tournament 99 game servers to play on. Now remind me Randy. What game engine are you licensing and using for your games? Unreal Engine?
Shut the fuck up Randy.
Some things never end. For example, CEOs' propensity towards dishonesty / idiocy / disingenuousness. Or my disdain towards straw men, I hope it outlives me, like a meme.
EDIT: my point is, that those CEOs are consistently distorting what SKG is about: from "don't design games to be unplayable once support ends" (fairly reasonable) into "u think gaems shuld live 4ever lol but ackshyually nuffin does lmao XD". This is a fucking straw man; it's the bottom of the barrel when it comes to irrationality.
And they're doing it to discourage people from supporting SKG. And in this specific case what the article is calling "vibing" is just part of a diversion tactic - to avoid having people calling him out for his dishonesty / idiocy / disingenuousness. Say something filthy, then distract the audience with mental masturbation, it works!
- Memes. The DNA of the soul.
greasy randy
Is this an existential crisis 🦋
I think that a solution is a "warranty" of sorts. They have a clearly define date which the are promising the game will be playable until. If they end the game early they have to offer a prorated refund for the "time lost" or provide a solution so you can play without their servers.
I would additionally want this to be required to be communicated outside the ULA and must be presented in language that even children can understand. Preferably both before and after purchase.
Maybe Randy isnt somebody you want on your side in a legal battle or frankly anything else.
I'd rather eat Randy.
And all things end
\ All that we intend
\ is scrawled in sand
\ It slips right through our hand
\ And just knowing
\ That everything will end
\ Should not change our plan
\ Whеn we begin again

34 comments