• thanks_shakey_snake
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    6 months ago

    Well… That’s like alot of steps, lol. In UX design, we would call that a violation of the Three Click rule, and obfuscating the expression of user intent.

    Like… Do you gain anything from these launchers? I guess Frosty you opt into because you use it to manage your mods. Maybe launching through that is how your mods get bootstrapped. Kay cool.

    Epic games, you definitely need and want to use for other reasons-- Shopping for games and managing your library-- but is it really benefitting you to open that app so that you can open the app you actually want to use? Maybe you have a reason that you actually like that better, idk, but I’d rather just open the app that I want.

    And then the EA app… What does it offer that makes it worth putting another step between you and your game? Login to the EA account you don’t need? DRM? Ads for other games? The premise of most launchers is that the company has some goals that you don’t share, and they’re willing to add friction to your experience to achieve those.

    Some launchers aren’t so bad. I dunno what EA’s deal is. Speaking of Ubisoft Connect specifically:

    • It’s an online-only service that forces you into having an account to play… It’s not just an extra launcher in front of your game
    • Ubisoft Connect is part of their DRM mechanism
    • It wants admin privileges on your system
    • It leaves processes running in the background when you aren’t using it
    • And more

    Those things aren’t necessarily all bad per se, and you’d certainly tolerate them for some apps… But it’s a big imposition for the company to insist on, IMO, and part of the reason for the launcher hate.

    I didn’t downvote btw, I think you’re entitled to your opinion and maybe you’re fine with the launchers you use… But personally, I just choose not to play Ubisoft games for that reason, even though there are games that I would like to have played.

    • coffinwood@discuss.tchncs.de
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      6 months ago

      When playing modded games some rules of good practice don’t apply because of jank. It’s in the nature of things that aren’t designed to be modified. Specifically for my DA:I installation I count about 5 clicks and the game is launched. Compared to the hundreds of clicks in the game itself it’s a tiny inconvenience.

      But to be clear once more: I never claimed launchers and game or app stores are an ideal solution, especially concerning their abundance and varying quality.

      I want to play a certain game that requires a launcher, then I’ll either get that launcher or I won’t play the game.