Video game news oriented community. No NanoUFO is not a bot :)
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Downdetector was bought out by Ookla? When?
About a year ago, we started seeing that “this app is depreciating” warning and sure enough, snatched up. But it does still work for now.
AAA games could never
It’s probably something mundane like AAA releases come with more preparation for peak traffic.
The only AAA game I could see pulling some traffic again is battlefield 6. And even that one’s a gamble - but so far open beta was surprisingly good.
GTA 6?
It’s hundreds of GB download size might slow people down.
If the services weren’t preparing for absurd traffic for this game, they were downright negligent.
I’m surprised they don’t have some form of automatic scaling.
Average corporate slop vibe coded web services vs weakest two man 7 year in development side project
I’m not really sure what you think is gained by treating the hard work of talented coders as “weak” or “a side project”. Small teams dream of making something like HK. These are hall-of-fame level devs that will be remembered for ages. They deserve more respect than that.
It’s just a meme format to say indie devs are better than corporate studios. Not the best choice for this context, I would have gone with the “who would win” meme: corporate studios with millions of dollars vs two guys with 7 years and some free time.
Is it really Silksong behind this? Though I enjoyed the first game I’ve not been desperately waiting for the sequel and I’ve never heard anyone talking about it IRL.
Downtime across all those platforms started at pretty much exactly 10:00AM EST, which was Silksong’s release time. Not a coincidence.
It was the most wishlisted game on steam ever, priced at a very reasonable $20, and it released today after a 6 year wait with almost no press before the last couple of weeks. All the press it did receive was about how the devs were just having a good time, which was insanely endearing.
It’s basically the ultimate indie darling at this point. I 100% believe it could crash all the platforms above.
$20 before regional pricing. Some places can get it as low as $8, which I imagine only is only adding fuel to the fire.
It’s only $20? Hell yeah, add me to the server crush!
For people confused - https://hollowknightsilksong.com/ - “Silksong” likely refers to a sequel of a game.
That does seem likely, but I’m still confused. Could you expand some more on what else it could be?
Apon further investigation I do believe that this “Silk song” item being refrenced in a games community might in fact be a video, uh, game.
For people confused, video games are programs you can play on a device that has graphics, sound, and input devices. Otherwise known as “the nintendo”.
I like to play Nintendo on my PC.
This but unironically
Thanks chat gbt
My new hobby will be talking about factual things as if they are uncertain.
Not that obvious. I didn’t know what Silksong was until around 80 minutes ago.
I didn’t say it was obvious, only that it was factual. There was no doubt what the term was referring to once you learn the context.
Ps store let me buy it and download about 3hrs late.
Everything else on the store seemed normal except that game.
Yep, I’m STILL waiting for Steam to start working again. Been refreshing the pages for almost 3 hours, and have gotten as far as the payment screen!
Bought it no problom on gog, been playing for 2 hours now. Also, drm free.
Yeah but no regional pricing. Some places get it for as low as $8 so it’s a significant difference when you’re buying on Steam.
Same price as steam for me so it does have regional pricing, but maybe not in every country
Esit: downvoted for being right, guess there are some GOG haters around
This is literally an ad, and not a clever one.
It implicitly praises Silksong for being popular, but it is also just relevant news for people interested in gaming. Someone who doesn’t know or care about Silksong might still like to know that various store platforms were down recently and why.
By who, the devs who priced their game at half of what they could have sold it for?
…For what, down detector? Because I get the feeling Silksong kinda achieved saturation at this point.
I have missed the turn where lycamobile became a gaming platform 🤔
This is the reason why pre-purchases are a thing. The whole thing could have been less severe if the game was available for purchase with preloading some days earlier.
Fuck preorders
This isn’t a post complaining that Silksong brought the networks down, it’s people celebrating it, because it’s amazing to see a small studio doing so well and absolutely crushing their launch - not because they had an insane marketing budget, but because the community is just organically so excited for it. And all at a low price that puts big studios to shame.
Exactly. The last time Steam servers shut down (that I can remember) was Cyberpunk’s release, which needed boatloads of marketing help to build the levels of hype it had.
Oh, and Cyberpunk had preorders available, still didn’t stop the servers from tanking.
Screw off with this bullshit.
this is not at all the reason why pre-orders are a thing
do pre-orders help alleviate this? yes. but it’s certainly not why they exist
here’s an idea: wait a couple hours. or days. games aren’t fruit; they don’t go bad all that fast.
You’re getting downvoted, but this is literally the positive use case for it. I don’t buy new games much, but when I do I “pre-order” the day before so I can download it early and get whatever other incentives there are. Reviewers getting early copies means you can have everything you reasonably need to know to make an informed decision about whether a game is worth buying.
It’s of course true that they can change the game between the early copies and release, but then having it downloaded early also means you can refund it sooner if necessary and get on with your life. Some games rely more on multiplayer or live service, but those are the sorts of games it’s worth waiting for community feedback after release anyway.
Another win for GOG? DRM free and their servers didn’t crash.
Although it is sad to see that people don’t buy enough from GOG for them to crash… I guess people like their DRM.
Pros of GOG: ability to download an installer
Cons of GOG: no features, very few games
Pros of Steam: everything
Cons of Steam: making backups of your games is marginally harder than on GOG
I wonder why more people don’t fall for the GOG meme. Truly a mystery.
If you wanted to be tagged as a steam fanboy just say so 😅
The
onlyone feature GOG doesn’t have that Steam has that I can think of is the workshop, but they have all the rest like savegame cloud sync etc.EDIT: @[email protected]’s comment below points out additional missing features.
Another one: steam has some sort of multiplayer integration for devs, so they don’t need to host their own servers and you don’t need to expose ports; instead you can add people using your steam friends. Found this out to my sadness when I bought risk of rain 1 on Gog and the multiplayer was completely gutted compared to my friend who bought on steam.
That’s a great feature indeed. And then there’s their CO-OP feature making couch coop online a thing.
It’s starting to feel like an advertisement for Steam, but they hardly need it 😄
I can relate to the port forwarding troubles. That’s been the biggest hurdle about gaming for decades. Idk if lan-emulating solutions can circumvent. Back in the day there were Tunngle, Evolve, Himachi and ZeroTier. I think Tailscale might be the way to go today.
That’s not true, here are a few more:
That said, I think GOG is fine. But to say it has the same features as Steam is silly, I only mentioned the ones I care about, but there are plenty more.
Thanks for the correction. I play through Heroic and haven’t really needed to use what you listed, probably why it’s a blind spot for me. But it’s also why I prefer GOG, no downsides for me.
Like I said, GOG is fine. I just find value in what Steam offers, but I do occasionally pick up games from GOG.
I’m not a Steam fanboy, I’m just sick of GOG being praised as the saviour of gaming in every video game thread on Lemmy.
Believe me, if there were alternatives I’d list them instead/as well. Itch.io is the best alternative afaik, and it has no features at all, just a download link.
How do you back up a game with DRM if said DRM stops working though?
GOG guarantees this will not be an issue. Hell, there even are/were Securom games on Steam. You won’t be activating those anymore.
The secret ingredient is crime.
Games with DRM aren’t on GOG, but games without DRM are on Steam.
Or you can just pirate it in the first place if you’re gonna do that anyway lol
What do you mean by “no features”? I use GOG to buy games, that’s it. What other features does a game shop need? Serious question.
None. But since on other stores, running the game is tied to using their platform, they provide extra services to be more appealing, such as cloud saves, achievements, Steam Workshop, Steam Input, Linux support, remote play…
GOG has those at least.
I never really considered cloud saves. That’s an excellent point.
GOG has linux support (or at least lutris offers gog-specific wine config when you launch something windowsy).
To be fair I have no idea what Workshop, Input or Remote Play are, so I’ll go along with them being wanted features. But I feel a lot of things are not really the responsibility of the shop and more of the client software.
Workshop is a built-in mod store. Input is controller remapping and emulation (typically used to play older games that don’t support modern controllers, or controllers at all). Remote is exactly what it sounds like (run a game on your powerful PC and stream it to your old laptop or phone).
Those things are the responsibility of the client software, but on all stores except GOG, the client software is also the store client. You can’t (normally) run games without the client. GOG has a client (Galaxy) but it’s nowhere near as advanced as Steam.
deleted by creator
I’m not sure about the others but for me it’s proton integration.
As a Linux gamer it makes a hell of a difference.
There’s Heroic Games Launcher. If you buy GOG games through it, Heroic even gets a cut to support development, so you can simultaneously make an open source launcher better and show GOG what it takes to earn your sale.
I like GOG. It is a bit painful for a game I will sink 1000+ hours into (I hope, anyway) with randomizers and Archipelago runs, switching between modded/unmodded versions on the steam deck, for instance.
For Hollow Knight and Silksong, I can just save and launch the suite of non DRM files outside of Steam (and I do anyway), so I don’t see what GOG had over Steam for Silksong (other than the store not dying).
That said, any game with DRM I buy from GOG instead
*3 people (used to be 4). Not that that’s less impressive. It’s just worth it to be accurate.
Isnt one of them exclusively doing art?
Are you suggesting that’s not part of game development?
Didn’t you hear? Artists have been obsoleted by AI, so we don’t have to treat them as humans anymore.
From what I hear, that applies equally to coders.
Isnt that part of making a game, not of developing a game?
Wtf is the difference between making and developing a game???
Technically developing a game is the process of iterating slowly over time into a cohesive product.
Making a game is the the construction of already known pieces.
Think the difference between a cookie cutter Ubisoft game where everyone knows it can be done given enough time and roughly what the final product will look like and hollow Knight a learn as we go who knows if it will be finished discover the ability to create on the fly.
Long story short:
Developing sounds more artsy.
Of course cookie cutter companies know that and use it for there own purpose so I guess there’s no difference.
Game development as a term usually includes all the technical and creative work that goes into it, not just the actual writing code part or R&D.
It wouldnt be the strangest thing the english language does
I guess the same than between shooting and making a movie. But the term game development is confusing, as it includes more than actual development.
Disregard the down votes and comments. Your question is an honest one from anyone who hasn’t read gaming news or is a techy.
I’m not sure why everyone responding feels the need to, you know, not just answer your question.
In most programs, games or otherwise, there are “programmers”, often called “developers” that write code. But the overall “development” of said program is done by the whole team. So making and developing mean the same thing here.
My instance doesnt show downvotes
Thanks for the explanation!
Development is more than writing code.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development
I thought software development and developing meant different things
Game dev is so much more than just programming, there’s also:
Each of them are just as important as actually coding a game. You can make a super optimized game, but without the rest, there would be no direction and no flavor to the game.
Music and art are the first things you’d be exposed to, just by watching a trailer. It’s usually what hooks people in and gets someone to try a game. Think about games like Ori, Tunic, etc. if you heard of those games, you most likely were first exposed to their art or music. These things set the tone for a game. A serious scene would be ruined if the music didn’t fit, and likewise, you wouldn’t want to hear serene piano music for a goofy game like TF2, who loves to use horns and trumpets for their goofy war game.
Game design is functionally separate from programming because programming does not rquate to being able to create good level design. Think about zelda games. Each region had to be planned out to provide a unique experience and avoid repeition. Lots of platformers do the same. Even multiplayer games need level design in the form of maps. Part of the fun of FPS games is being able to play different maps, like dust2 to nuke in CS.
Writing is an interesting part where some games might not need much, and some games need a lot of it. Games that rely on storytelling like the walking dead, abzu, etc. require a cohesive story, while others might just need a simple draft, like plants vs zombies or possibly none at all (think simple puzzle games like flow)
Obviously, people can work in multiple categories. I’ve done both art and programming for some college indie projects, and other game devs usually also have experience in multiple fields if they do indie.
I know that those things are extremely important
I thought that developing a game meant the same as coding a game
I do think it’s a grey area.
Like, if one person on a three person team is exclusively doing art for the game, would they count as a developer moreso than if the two person team contracted out the artwork to separate company? Or would the other company be considered as a developer?
I always thought of anyone that works on a game as a game developer. I dont thing that title isnintrinsicly linked to coders. Coders dont decide the genre or the story, or the direction or gameplay styles etc. They only write the code that makes it all work.
I guess apply the logic somewhere else. If i say i design shoes, but all i do is pick the fabric to be used on shoes, someone else designs the shape, another person works on the comfort and another does drawings and sketches etc. Am i not a shoe designer?
I think when a term becomes an industry like game development or footwear design or film maker or anything, it is fair to say you are that thing despite being a single cog in the machine.
What gives the artist less value than the coder? I cant play the code. Need a character on screen and a world for them to move around in. I need story, i need objectives, i need dialogue and music and sfx etc.
Isn’t that part of being a jackass online, not using your brain?
No.
Bought it. Found no easy mode for a dumbass like me. Refunded. Not Team Cherry’s fault. Looked like a great game, but unfortunately not for me. :(
I really wished they added some easy mode, but it’s their decision.
If you ever feel like giving it (or any other soulslike) another shot, I’d recommend putting less pressure on “beating” it or how much you’re “failing”. The joy of these games is the process, not (exclusively) the result - learning the sequences, the rhythms, and steadily getting better. That’s what these games are all about. If you’re just rushing to beat everything as fast as possible, you’re missing out.
I tried playing Hollow Knight. But I couldn’t even beat Mother Gruz, despite trying more than a few times. I gave up in the end. I understand that the problem lies with me. But, I really wanted to experience the world.
What is the point of process, if it inevitably leads to frustration?
I can sympathize with that. I’ve put down my fair share of games when it just gets too frustrating, even games I was otherwise enjoying. I think a lot of people come at soulslikes with the wrong approach, hence the comment, but for some it just won’t click. Unfortunately not all games are for all people. We all have games like that.
do you play every game in easy mode? No judging you, just curious. I do not play every game in hardest difficulty, but I do play above normal difficulty
Yes. I don’t deal with frustration all that well. I want to experience the world and story, more than trying to master the gameplay.
Honestly I understand. People watch movies too, and that’s very easy mode.
But yeah, you’ll probably want to stay away from anything labeled “soulslike” then. I haven’t played Hollow Knight, but these games are typically about perfecting your skill and tactics by dying repeatedly
Personally, this is more generous than I’d call it
Im old. I play easy. I just have little time with work, family, etc. To spend yet more time gaming. I enjoy the story and get to experience it quicker than I otherwise would.
I have trouble finding time to game these days. Easy modes let me experience the games more quickly. It’s not always the “best” way to experience a game, but I don’t have more than 1 or 2 hours a week on average to play games these days.
“Easy mode” aka “game journalist mode”
And here we have the "git gud’ sycophant. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came from
It wasn’t really that, it was an 8 year old callback. I guess I forgot how old it was and that people had forgotten about the whole Cuphead kerfuffle (Dean Takahashi).
“Easy mode” aka “I have a full-time job and a family to take care of, I’d like to make some progress in this game with the small amount of free time I have”. Not everyone has the time to sit down for a couple hours to grind out mechanics.
It was a callback to how one game journalist complained about the difficulty of Cuphead making it hard for him to review. Source1, Source2.
Not all games are catered to everyone. The fun of this game like many other hard games is dedicating the time to master them.
For instance I still suck at Rocket League even though I’ve played it on and off for a decade.
It’s ok. Everyone sucks at rocket league.
I’ve come to accept that. Also, I’m not getting any younger.
I used to be ok at arena shooters and FPS+Z games (like Tribes) because of the movement, but that was M+K (I learned to use a controller just for Rocket League). It really feels like my brain is just too set in it ways to git gud. That’s the other sad thing about getting older, besides the lack of time.
I’ll let you know I’m passable at rocket league, after a decade playing it, thank you very much.
Passing? What’s that?
Use your kids to grind rosaries and you’ll be done in a week.
This is prove that direct downloads are ancient deprecated methods of delivery. P2P your releases.
Publishers would still have to distribute authentication keys directly, no? That would cause the same problem here since the storefront is only dealing with the transaction side of things. Downloading is a separate server (I would assume).
Technically, they only need 177(countries w/internet) 3(triangulation) × (≈531) superseeders to kickstart the main files, and deliver decryption keys between the 3 triangulators.
Wait, which countries don’t have Internet?
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-without-internet
And this doesn’t account for authoritarian internets, like PRC, Russia, Nepal, India, US, Australia, UK, etc…
Downloading it was actually no problem, paying was.
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🙇♀️🙇♀️🙇♀️
thanks
Except for GOG. Way to go Poland!