Steam.

[Killjoy]

Or the lack thereof.

I admit that I haven't been paying attention; I just assumed the game would be on Steam. I already have a plethora of games on Steam and GOG, and a few scattered across other online platforms like Origin due to past "exclusive releases".  I'm actively resisting expanding to even more online storefronts, like Epic, because I don't want to switch between an even larger gaggle of different storefronts; it's obnoxious. 

I've bought every game you've released, going back to when you were Black Isle; I even bought the mobile Pathfinder card game you put out. I've considered myself an avid supporter of a team that I consider to be "the little guy", and I've loved you despite all the bugs. But this no-Steam (for a year) business is more than just inconvenient; it's irritating. I'm sure there are business motives behind this that might seem good in the short term, but I gotta tell ya: the optics aren't great from where I'm sitting. By the time this game hits Steam there will likely be a plethora of other great games released that will have drawn my interest, and I'll remember this annoyance; it's human nature. 

I'm fatigued by all the different storefronts, and trying to remember what I have installed where (if a game isn't on Steam). I'm disappointed in this situation, and I feel a bit let down.

[Hurlshort]

I mean, I prefer Steam too, but it cost a buck to subscribe to the Xbox Gaming Pass for PC and get the game with that, so pretty hard to argue with that kind of value.

[Chairchucker]

You certainly are out of the loop, yes. Another loop you appear to be out of is that Obsidian had no input on the decision to be EGS (and Microsoft Store) exclusive for 12 months, so you're complaining on the forums of the wrong company.

[gloomseeker]

Steam is a necessary evil. Epic is not worse than Steam. It does lack a few features but it works (and for the record it took Steam years to offer the possibility of getting a refund). In my experience Epic is a lot better than the Microsoft Store (I tried it once and I'm staying away from it as much as I tried my best to stay away from Games for Windows Live back in the days). 

I can understand people wanting (and asking for) a GOG release since it would come with the advantage of being able to have a DRM free version of the game that can be used offline. 

The only reason why I got Steam almost ten years ago was to play Fallout New Vegas. Until then I had managed to stay away from that platform that is now ubiquitous. I use Steam because I have no choice in the matter and I'm also using Origin, Uplay, Battlenet, Rockstar and the Epic launcher for the very same reason. Sure that's a lot of game launchers and DRM applications but personally I'm wary of Steam having a monopoly on PC games. 

At the end of the day, it's good not to have all your eggs in the same basket but if you feel so strongly about using Steam there is a possibility of using Steam and adding a game as a "non Steam game" in your Steam library so you can launch it directly from Steam. I've been doing it with some Origin titles in order to use the Steam App to take screenshots in game (strangely enough Uplay does support taking screenshots with the overlay while Origin doesn't). It works with GOG games too so we don't know yet but there may be a possibility it may work with the Outer Worlds as well. 

Edited October 19, 2019 by gloomseeker
typo

[nwfantasy]

Well, I am having problems just trying to install the Epic Games launcher to my Win 10 system and their support has NO answers so I think there is a whole new set of problems for this upcoming game for those new to Epic or the Microsoft gaming systems. 

[gloomseeker]

1 hour ago, nwfantasy said:

Well, I am having problems just trying to install the Epic Games launcher to my Win 10 system and their support has NO answers so I think there is a whole new set of problems for this upcoming game for those new to Epic or the Microsoft gaming systems. 

I'm running Windows 10 and I don't have any problem with it. 

Is the installation blocked by your antivirus program? Did you download the launcher from the official website? Do you get a specific error? Did you select the correct drive? Sometimes it's some little thing that gets in the way and create some big problem. 

[nwfantasy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm giving clearance for installation so antivirus is not the problem. The error msg refers DIRECTLY to a Microsoft conflict yet none of their published fix suggestions work. And, Epic Games support has tried 2 avenues and they have also failed to work. Oh, I've been downloading directly from the Epic Games site as directed. Selected drive is my main drive and I have Direct X 12 support on my system. So far, the best option seems to be seek a refund or chargeback on my card and wait to see about purchasing down the line when more issues may be resolved with future patches. Or never, I guess.

[gloomseeker]

Sounds like a mess when it's Windows that is trolling you. I guess you've tried reaching out to Microsoft as well. 

That sucks. Good luck with getting it to work or getting a refund (it's still not released so shouldn't be a problem as you haven't even downloaded the game yet).

[Bandy]

Well, as many of us know, error msgs may appear but can sometimes be red herrings or worse the same one generated for different problems.  BTW, you still haven't said what the error is...  You'd be terrible at bug reporting LOL...

Turn off ALL unnecessary processes (look at startup list, uncheck boxes...), turn off antivirus etc, have nothing running in background and install with admin, but am sure you tried that already.  It has to be system specific. 

Make sure drivers are is up to date, even visual C++ redistributable, that often is the problem for me.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Bandy

[Triiz]

Completely agree with OP. I refuse to install Epic for many reasons (summary here: https://www.reddit.com/r/****epic/comments/bs4kh6/r****epic_for_dummies_a_quick_breakdown/). I have been a huge fan of Obsidian since BG and got really excited at the prospect of a new RPG from them but I guess I will have to wait for it (and them for my money) to reach either Steam or GoG.

[Wardova]

I have five game platforms. I went to my Windows 10 startup and just made tiles for each and put them all on one big tile. Easy peasy lemon squeezy~ Sure I might have to click a couple buttons once in a while to find which platform the desired game is on but really first world problems right? What I'm trying to say is just put them all on one tile, tab or button and then it really doesn't matter much which platform you have them on. I am in no way committed to only one platform. Certainly if it means going off Steam to get a great game like Outer Worlds, call me a leapfrog!~

 

[Skarpen]

On 10/19/2019 at 5:19 AM, Hurlshot said:

I mean, I prefer Steam too, but it cost a buck to subscribe to the Xbox Gaming Pass for PC and get the game with that, so pretty hard to argue with that kind of value.

That's not exactly true. You don't "get the game" per se. It's available as a part of subscription for unknown amount of time.

[Wormerine]

55 minutes ago, Skarpen said:

That's not exactly true. You don't "get the game" per se. It's available as a part of subscription for unknown amount of time.

[Shrug] good enough for a year. Or month it takes to complete the first run. Then one can migrate to platform of their choosing, once the game gets wider release and patches/new content. 

[rjshae]

I can wait. It usually takes a few months to get a game patched up to a satisfactory level.

[Hurlshort]

1 hour ago, Skarpen said:

That's not exactly true. You don't "get the game" per se. It's available as a part of subscription for unknown amount of time.

Sure, you don't own it in any traditional sense. Hence the $1 price tag, or $5 every month after. It likely isn't going to disappear from the Microsoft store anytime soon, but I may buy it separately down the road when I get tired of the game pass. Still seems like a heck of a value to get your first playthrough of the game.