Games for Windows Live

[ArchAngel777]

I really hate Games for Windows Live. What a bunch of crap. Every game that requires it basically follows the same scenario:

1) Open Game
2) Wait for Intros in game
3) Go go start game
4) Log into Windows Live
5) Update Found
6) Close out
7) Run update
8) Reboot (not always)
9) Open Game
10) Wait for Intros in game
11) Go to start game
12) Another update found
13) Close out
14) Apply Update
15) Open Game
16) Wait for Intros

What a bunch of crap. Who thought up this garbage deployment method? Totally ruins the game experience.

 

[pcslookout]

Where have you been? We have been complaining about it for years now.

 

[wuliheron]

What a bunch of crap. Who thought up this garbage deployment method? Totally ruins the game experience.

Its Microsoft, do you really have to ask?

The only things they do well are windows, the x box, and office programs. All the other stuff they do is just their way of making extra cash off people foolish enough to believe MS is the answer to all their computer needs.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Where have you been? We have been complaining about it for years now.

I always knew it sucked and have encountered this before. But was irritated again when I went to play Batman Arkham City. Uhg...

I don't even know what is what anymore with games. Like, I have to login three different services to play some games? Horrid.

 

[Baasha]

GFWL = Get F*cked Without Lube

 

[apoppin]

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22085

 

[busydude]

Welcome to the club.

 

[Ross Ridge]

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/22085

The problem is that the Xbox 360 version could've potentially required most of those steps too. You'd have to update the 360 firmware if it wasn't new enough, you'd update the game if there was a newer version, and you'd have login to a Xbox Live profile if you hadn't already. I don't know if the 360 version of Arkham City uses CD-keys, but more and more console games are using them to make money off of used sales.

The problem with Games for Windows Live here is that people hardly ever use it, so when they do, it "always" needs to update. Steam is just a bad if you only log in one or twice a year. Even with Windows itself, which Microsoft supposedly does well, the update process can be excruciating if it hasn't been done in months.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Think they need to rid of games for windows live...we have origin steam and now gfwl...to many clients for games.

 

[greenhawk]

we have origin steam and now gfwl

I think GFWL was before origin. But then Origin is still in beta after all this time (and still crap). And do not forget Ubisoft's own DRM system as well.

GFWL has always been a bad experence I have found. Party as I do not use it often (less now as I try to avoid games that use it) and as some of the games (demo's) I have tried have just stacked DRM on DRM.

only good thing is, IIRC, hacks for single player games to not need to be loged into GFWL are common enough.

Microsoft did get some people's hope up several months ago with them acknowleding that GFWL needed improvement. Then they stuffed it even more by adding a major social aspect that including allowing friends to buy gifts (in game weapons ect) for each other.

 

[Dankk]

I like to think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't mind GFWL, and has in fact, never had a single problem with it.

 

[you2]

Well the update for GFWL is very poor; start game; need update; exit game do update; start game need antoehr update; exit game; .... just like the op. Now to be honest it doesnt' happen too often but then again Ionly play a GFWL once every couple of years (well twice this year) and nearly every over time this happens so it kind of easy to remember. It just isn't very polished.
-
Oh well I wish publishers (MS, EA, ...) would stop with this crap.
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Wouldn't be so bad if they made it optional - but this mandatory crap is a pia.

 

[RavenSEAL]

I had to do that 4 TIMES, 4 ****ING TIMES to play Bioshock

You'd think Microsoft would be smart enough to make the so called "update" the latest version of GfwL.

 

[Pacman4]

These turds GFWL/ORIGIN offer nothing but annoyance to the paying customer, and is one of the reasons I have a general contempt for the games industry.

 

[Powermoloch]

most of my games I bought lacks GFWL. I vote with my wallet

 

[wuliheron]

I had to do that 4 TIMES, 4 ****ING TIMES to play Bioshock

You'd think Microsoft would be smart enough to make the so called "update" the latest version of GfwL.

Smart has nothing to do with it. Those bean counters put just enough into their products to extract the maximum profit. They're the Walmart of computer programming and unless its something like an office program its always buyer-beware.

 

[Cheesetogo]

If you don't care about multiplayer on the afflicted game, get xliveless. It's completely removes Windows Live (at least on every game I've tried it on. Makes GTA IV SOOO much easier to deal with).

 

[mindcycle]

This is why you first check to see if GFWL is part of the game you're buying, then avoid it if it does.

I was going to pick up Bulletstorm during a recent Steam sale, but GFWL was included (even though it doesn't list it on the Steam page) so I decided to skip it. There's plenty of good games out there that don't require GFWL to even consider going through that hassle.

 

[mindcycle]

Here's a good way to avoid ever having to deal with GFWL. I'd suggest bookmarking this page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Games_for_Windows_%E2%80%93_Live_titles

 

[lord_emperor]

Google "disable GFWL <game title>".

 

[colaxs]

At least you guys live in a place where gfwl works. It doesn't connect here in dubai. So no patch for arkham city while my radeon gently weeps

 

[ArchAngel777]

This is why you first check to see if GFWL is part of the game you're buying, then avoid it if it does.

I was going to pick up Bulletstorm during a recent Steam sale, but GFWL was included (even though it doesn't list it on the Steam page) so I decided to skip it. There's plenty of good games out there that don't require GFWL to even consider going through that hassle.

Problem is, I didn't buy Batman. I got it free with my Samsung SSD. I didn't want to sell it. Didn't even know it had live requirement.

Additionally, some games are worth it. Red Faction: Guerilla was awesome. That game is very fun sand box game. Easily one of the best I have played in a while. Armageddon was a let down and I bought it for both my steam accounts because they said it had co-op. Turns out the co-op feature was crap. Oh well.

Anyway, voting with wallet is a good thing. But generally even the people that do that don't have much affect on the overall sales of said product. Similar to people saying that every vote counts. Sure, it counts, but not enough to change the result. Anyway, I digress.

GFWL sucks. I hate it.

 

[Purple44]

Problem is, I didn't buy Batman. I got it free with my Samsung SSD. I didn't want to sell it. Didn't even know it had live requirement.

Additionally, some games are worth it. Red Faction: Guerilla was awesome. That game is very fun sand box game. Easily one of the best I have played in a while. Armageddon was a let down and I bought it for both my steam accounts because they said it had co-op. Turns out the co-op feature was crap. Oh well.

Anyway, voting with wallet is a good thing. But generally even the people that do that don't have much affect on the overall sales of said product. Similar to people saying that every vote counts. Sure, it counts, but not enough to change the result. Anyway, I digress.

GFWL sucks. I hate it.

But we have had an effect, voting with your wallet and complaining about GFWL to the game makers has gotten a lot of them to stop using GFWL this year. Only few game makers left that use GFWL beside Microsoft.

Now If only Codemasters would see the light and drop using GFWL, I could buy PC version of GRID 2 when it come out some day.

 

[mindcycle]

Problem is, I didn't buy Batman. I got it free with my Samsung SSD. I didn't want to sell it. Didn't even know it had live requirement.

Additionally, some games are worth it. Red Faction: Guerilla was awesome. That game is very fun sand box game. Easily one of the best I have played in a while. Armageddon was a let down and I bought it for both my steam accounts because they said it had co-op. Turns out the co-op feature was crap. Oh well.

Got ya. On a similar note, I got Dirt 2 for free from some bundle awhile back but decided not to install it since I found out it uses GFWL. I did have GFWL on an older machine since Fallout 3 used it and I wasn't aware how horrible it was yet, but after building a new machine this year I vowed to never let GFWL infect it.. lol

Anyway, voting with wallet is a good thing. But generally even the people that do that don't have much affect on the overall sales of said product. Similar to people saying that every vote counts. Sure, it counts, but not enough to change the result. Anyway, I digress.

GFWL sucks. I hate it.

Yeah, voting with your wallet probably doesn't do too much considering there isn't really good way for a publisher to identify loss of sales due solely to people avoiding it because of GFWL. I do however agree with Purple44 that the general dislike of GFWL by consumers has likely caused a good number of publishers to drop it. Fallout New Vegas, for example.

 

[wuliheron]

Voting with your wallet only goes so far when you're dealing with a monopoly.