Yes, I still need to go through Steam for every install.

Epic can’t break into the market because of their own shitty launcher, not because of anything Steam has done to lock down the competition.

Now imagine how hard it’d be for a smaller player.

Not very hard, if they were willing to create a decent launcher and engage in sustainable business practices (and regional pricing).

I sincerely doubt that even if another launcher did everything Steam does, it would rival it without huge amounts of money being thrown around. People already use Steam.

And that’s assuming they get to this point, ignoring that Steam had decades to get there. It used to be ass.

Mr biggest problem with tags is that it’s user curated and you can recommend an unlimited number of them.

Just because a game has a few funny moments, doesn’t mean it gets the comedy tag. Just because it has a brief driving sequence doesn’t mean it gets the racing tag. Just because there’s some reading involved doesn’t mean you get the visual novel tag.

It’s getting to the point I feel like there’s a conspiracy where there’s teams of people intentionally sabotaging the tag system and teams trying to counter it, all so they can control views and sales. It’s really noticeable when a publisher stops marketing and moves to another release.

I sincerely doubt that even if another launcher did everything Steam does, it would rival it without huge amounts of money being thrown around. People already use Steam.

And that’s assuming they get to this point, ignoring that Steam had decades to get there. It used to be ass.

He wasnt talking about search it was about algorithmic recommendation.

But you can filter by multiple tags. When you click search select the advanced search at the bottom of the dropdown. It does all the things you mention and far more

OpenAI is a non-profit

Devs are still free to sell their game outside of Steam and charge whatever price they want for that version

As a player, I feel like discovery is great. I found literally dozens of interesting games just by scrolling down the main page.

I don’t know how it’s for devs, but it’s probably all but impossible to get traction if you’re just throwing your game in there, Fests being a compromised solution to an impossible problem

That’s hard to do when Steam has all but cornered the market. Say what you will about Epic’s ineptitude, but even investing billions, the publisher of the biggest game ever can’t break into the market. Now imagine how hard it’d be for a smaller player.

The competition is at work, but too many fanboys blindly bashing on anything that isn’t Steam is making it very hard for them.

This does not address the issue I brought up in my reply. Besides the brought up point, it would not solve all other issues I would have. I know the functionality to add non-Steam games since I am on Steam over 12 years ago.

Oh cool then just be a prick about it for no reason. Go fuck yourself, I was just trying to help you.

That’s hard to do when Steam has all but cornered the market. Say what you will about Epic’s ineptitude, but even investing billions, the publisher of the biggest game ever can’t break into the market. Now imagine how hard it’d be for a smaller player.

I told you that it does not address my issue. No need to be mad, I have no bad intentions. I expressed what issue I have and adding the game as a non-Steam game does not solve the issues I have.

Larian isn’t wrong, Steam mostly works. Stable client, refunds, workshop, Proton, massive userbase and tools that actually help developers and players. A lot of other stores still feel half-baked next to that.

But deserved != harmless. Valve has way too much power, discovery is a dumpster fire, and their communication and policy decisions can be arbitrary. Dominance like that rewards sloppiness and makes it harder for better alternatives to gain traction.

So yeah, Steam earned its place, but I do not want any one company owning PC gaming. Competition keeps them honest, and right now we need more real contenders, not just storefronts throwing money at exclusives.

Looking at how other tech areas have all consolidated into monopolies or oligopolies, valve is the best case scenario for PC gaming.

Imagine anyone else being in control. Activision? EA? Ubisoft? The gaming industry is not immune from disgusting money hungry corporations stepping on the users to squeeze out every little penny they can. Valve has never done this and has kept others in check for the longest time. The day we lose the current version of Valve will be disastrous for the industry, I’m pretty sure.