The new freebie starting from 21 February 2019: Thimbleweed Park.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/569860/Thimbleweed_Park/
Great game, especially for Point N Click adventure game fans. It plays like a classic LucasArts game. Other games of this style you might have played before in "the good old days" or at least heard of are Maniac Mansion or ZakMcCracken or the Monkey Island series.
Don't miss it - you will love it.
Enjoy!
Is it? Is it really? Fundamentally is this any different from having two competing shopfronts? No, in fact the consumer (usually) ends up with more competitive prices or free incentives.
I'm not a fan of Fortnite or Epic in general but I welcome the competition for once.
Competition is allowing Steam to still sell the game while they also sell it on their own storefront. This is exclusivity and can go to hell.
I got mass downvoted for this same attitude when SMB was posted here. Glad to see people have realised how cancerous Epic & Tim Sweeney are.
In the case of Metro they pulled the game from Steam and are selling exclusively on Epic storefront after advertising on steam for a year+.
That's not competition. I'd be fine if they did what UPlay does (eg. with Far Cry & AC series) and have the games on their store + Steam but this isn't what they've done.
It's kinda like if Coles somehow managed to bully all the farmers to sell milk exclusively through Coles and nowhere else. That's not competition.
@anthonyqld: There is only one "Metro Exodus". Your comment makes no sense you can't just substitute one game for another.
@fishball: But there are many similar FPS games. Same with biscuits - similar ones are sold everywhere, but Coles sells some specific biscuits not available anywhere else.
What competition?
The exclusivity is anti-consumer as Epic is literally paying to prevent any competition. At least with Steam we have the option of buying Steam keys from places like Humble Store, GMG, Fanatical, etc. and often with much better discounts than we see on Steam.
Sure the publishers receive a higher cut on Epic and that's good for them, but how many are passing any of that on to the consumer?
You do realise Steam enforces exclusivity on a large amount of titles too right? GOG is a good size distribution platform that is denied a significant portion of titles because Steam actively prevents it.
AND THEY'RE SMART TO DO IT.
Just as Epic are smart to rip big titles away from them if they can. This isn't about playing nice.
I love Steam. I've just got my 14 year badge and my game collection is pushing 300. But it's way, WAY past time someone challenged them properly.
You do realise Steam enforces exclusivity on a large amount of titles too right?
No they don't! That's the publishers decision. Nothing to do with Valve.
Valve is quite happy for publishers to sell their games elsewhere. They even provide publishers with the ability to generate unlimited Steam keys to sell elsewhere, from which Valve gets no cut at all while still being left having to pay for the associated network costs, in the hopes that the publisher will decide to stay exclusively on the Steam platform.
GOG is a good size distribution platform that is denied a significant portion of titles because Steam actively prevents it.
Again, that's the publishers decision. Nothing to do with Valve.
Most publishers avoid GOG for one simple reason. DRM-FREE
@Villan: Steam as a storefront is DRM free. Publishers have a choice to use Steam as DRM, otherwise it's exactly like GoG.
Exclusivity is never good for the user, it's good for the greedy companies that profit from it. Zero benefit as a consumer, it doesn't push the industry forward, it holds it back.
It's been pretty clear for the past 10 years that Valve cares about PC gaming. Without Steam, the headlines 10 years ago would have rang true "pc ded market". Can you really trust someone who decried Microsoft's closed ecosystem to then implement their own years later?
Hypocrisy and greed. Rich get rich.
it's exactly like GoG
Preach! Any GOG games with a multiplayer and or online component — just like any Steamworks equipped multiplayer game requires steam running — requires the GOG Galaxy client and this message is present on the game's respective store pages:
Multiplayer Notice: Please note that the GOG Galaxy Client is required to access Multiplayer.
Not to mention the game also needs to be registered to your GOG account before accessing multiplayer and or online component.
Some examples are: Double Dragon Triology, Shadow Warrior 2, Grim Dawn, 8-bit Armies, Chaos Reborn, Master of Orion, Dying Light (the worst example of all given it's on different server infrastructure to Steam's and therefore results in a fractured player base).
Old multiplayer releases are exempt, however, new releases are not and require the client for multiplayer and any other online component.
Steam as a storefront is DRM free
Bullshit. You need to log in online to install or update your games and access the steam client.
You can play in offline mode (if the publisher allows), without an internet connection - if you have already previously logged in online and opened the game at least once. If steam knows the game isn't up to date, you cannot run it in offline mode. And obviously, you lose access to online multiplayer.
That is NOT DRM free.
I've been against everyone opening up their own store since Origin was announced. So I'm not happy with the Epic store. Steam definitely has a lot of benefits to the community as a whole - specifically a consolidated library, friends list, achievements etc. However, it is not all sunshine and rainbows.
@Harold Halfprice: No you don't. You have no idea what you're talking about lad. Go necro something else.
Origin, Ubisoft and Mictosoft want you to know they still exist as steam competitors.
What's so bad about a new game launcher competitor?
I don't really care, the epic Games store problem is unrelated to being a competitor to steam, but the Perception that epic is "removing" games from. Steam, so that they are exclusive to epic.
It's a weird complaint, kind of like complaining about games Devs having a PC centric or targeted game getting "exclusives" onto a console only. (Think original halo being bought by Microsoft).
But it's all PC so I don't really understand it… (But it is disingenuous to conflate it with being a problem of being a competitor)
but the Perception that epic is "removing" games from. Steam, so that they are exclusive to epic.
That's literally what they're doing. Metro was advertised and put on presale on Steam for months and then two weeks before launch Epic strike a deal with the publishers and have it removed from Steam entirely. Are you actually that ignorant or are you that much of an Epic fanboy that you can't see the forest for the trees?
@Tacooo: Thousands of games up until now have been exclusive to Steam. Now one or two are exclusive to Epic. Oh well.
@coxymla: The only reason they're exclusive to Steam is because the publishers chose to do so rather than Steam paying for exclusivity. At any single point in time those same publishers could have pushed them to GoG or any other launcher but knew it wasn't cost effective. It has nothing to do with shady companies paying to keep a game solely on their platform.
@qwerty: Because Activision didn't have any intention to release it on Steam.
ME was released on Steam for pre orders for months and at the last minute was pulled for Epic Store exclusivity.
@Tacooo: I was supporting your argument.
OP that I replied to claimed you were just bitching because it was a competitor.
I was explaining that you aren't complaining about them being a competitor, but that they were exclusive nabbing.
Christ, you guys are entitled jerks that can't even read. I also love it that the comment literally calling you guys idiots for the wrong reason gets no down votes.
People don't like clicking a icon.
If "getting out of hand" means more free games, then by all means let them go crazy as far as I'm concerned!
Its really not, we really need more competition for Steam. Right now it has a near on monopoly on the PC game distribution market, its too big
Monopolies don't exist.
Sweet
To all those complaining about multiple game launchers - just use a universal launcher
https://playnite.link/
Solved.
Will this also keep your games updated or do you still need the different official launchers for that?
No, you still need all the separate launchers for updates. Playnite's just a fancy interface for browsing and launching all your games from any source.
That said, it's possible (but probably less pretty and more work) to use Steam in basically the same way.
In that case you may as well add all your games to steam as non steam games.
Hide the other launchers in your system tray. Disable all notifications. Simple.
Can I use Steam chat with this? In-game browser? Screenshot function? Share/broadcast function? Family sharing? Doubt it.
You can still use all of those things, because it doesn't replace Steam. It just offers a unified interface for launching all of your games from whatever launcher/company.
Once you go to launch a game, their software is going to need to be running. Thus, all of the features you mentioned are available.
While playnite is updated regularly and is definitely the best universal launcher, you're still going to have to run everything and if you don't have a powerful system then you're still going to have a lot of resource hogging.
If you're playing a game, close all the other launchers, not like you need them open 24/7.
All the launchers I use have very small RAM usage. Steam, GOG, ubisoft, battle.net.
i remeber the good old days of Xfire
Did you just link a Steam page for a game available on the EGL? That's some next level trolling.
Great. I always new I was the next level at everything! ;-)
Great game, some might be a little disappointed with the ending, but it fits in with the story….. if you loved the old style click and point games like leisure suit larry, you'll love this.
Paid $20 for this game on Switch - great game.
Wish is was for Mac too
You can play it on Mac too
Thanks
As blurn says, it is for Mac.
Jackbox is also on Mac but the current free game (Axiom Verge) is Windows only.
Wish they worked in my steam app
Wow, nice!
I've resisted all of their bribes so far. I wonder how much left they have up their sleeve.
They're spending big money trying to steal Steam's thunder. I wish they'd invest some into making a better client also.
I've got Steam, Origin, Uplay, Battle.net and GoG installed. I really don't want another launcher. It's a crowded market as it is.
The way you force people to install a client is by putting your own game on it exclusively and leaving people with no other choice. It's how Steam got started in the first place. You needed it for HL2.
But as a marketplace to sell other people's games, that's a harder sell. I don't think freebies is really the answer. People will claim the freebies and maybe play them, but I don't think they're going to start buying games on the new store.
I would be happy to if the price is right. That launcher issue is really a first-world problem. It is not as if it requires a huge amount of effort or work. Just a few extra clicks.
Plus, if people are serious about supporting the people who make the games, then Epic is better than Steam. In fact I have read that Steam already reduced the percentage of their take a bit due to the Epic initiative.
It's not about the clicks. It's about the vast inferiority of the launcher and void of features, and the unneccesarity of it all. And the way it fragments players from their friends lists and achievements. Steam's client is way more robust and feature packed. I like to have my collection all in one place so I don't have to check which launcher a game is attached to and keep opening other multiple launchers to look for it. The consoles have only one marketplace, and no one complains about that.
I don't want a new client if I don't have to, and the only way you can make me is if you have a game on it I can't get anywhere else. To be fair, they do, and a very big one at that. But I'm not interested in that game.
People complaining about Steam's fees is like people complaining about ebay's fees. You get what you pay for, which is the greatest outreach of any platform. If you don't want to pay the fees, by all means go somewhere cheaper or make your own store. But don't be surprised when you get fewer clicks trying to sell it yourself or on a platform that drives less traffic. That's the reason why they're taking a smaller cut. If they could compete equally, their cut wouldn't be as small as it is.
If a developer really believes they will make more money when someone buys their game on Epic instead of steam, the simple solution is to do what the Metro guys did and sell it exclusively on Epic. I don't know if it will work out better for them in the end though.
Would you buy games from the Windows 10 store? That's actually a better place if you have the developers in mind. It's extremely difficult to pirate Windows store games. Crackers don't even bother trying. It's more effective than Denuvo, and pirates are lucky that Windows doesn't have exclusives. They wait for the Steam release and crack that version instead.
Calling something a first world problem is extremely dismissive. Almost every problem people have in this country can be called a first world problem when you compare to how much worse it could be in a third world. Your roof caved in? At least you have a shelter. Can't pay your bills? At least you have electricity. Try living on subsistence in a shack somewhere. You have a gambling problem? Lost thousands? At least you have an income to lose those thousands with. Would you rather be herding cattle and having no money? Would you rather hunt and kill your own food? Any problem you have that you could consider a genuine problem, there is going to be someone out there who would want to trade places with you because they have it even worse. Dismissing anything as a first world problem is intended to silence it and kill and real conversation about it. It's how labels like racism and misogyny are so effective. They can be used as a defense to silence all criticism.
I would much prefer Epic compete on the quality of the launcher as opposed to bribing people with freebies.
OTOH the "features" of steam can be total nuisances. And the core client is probably still incapable of handling low speed broadband because gabe doesn't know what low speed broadband is
As long as there aren't exclusives and 3rd party sellers aren't blocked then it's much of a muchness client side
First, your examples of the first world problem are not really good.
Look at Maslow's pyramid - Shelter is featured as a basic need there but I cannot see gaming anywhere. If we want to include it it would be right at the top which makes it a luxury as opposed to a necessity.
As regards Steam, I do not want or need any of the features. In fact, Steam updates every time(!) I launch it which is annoying and I do not want. For me it is the game that counts. And the price. After all, we are on Ozbargain here where every cent counts.
In the old days, every game had their own installation software and people were fine with that.
I understand that you want to have all games in one place but that again is merely luxury and convenience in my opinion. Plus, it can be done using Playnite anyway.
Finally, what is often forgotten is how Steam started. Epic does a very similar thing to what Steam did (getting Metro as exclusive so you have to get their launcher in year 1) and that is how Steam got big. I do not understand why people think it is fine for Steam to do it but not for a competitor to Steam to do the same. Let us not forget that competition is good for the consumer. In fact, Steam already lowered some fees for developers which is a direct result of Epic - proof of the benefits of competition.
I am happy to use whatever is cheapest. I do not mind a few extra click initially. But of course, everybody can choose their own path and if people are happy to pay extra for the Steam features, that is fine. I do not need them and I do not want to pay for them. I just want to play the games and want competition on the quality of games, not the launchers as they are merely a tool to start the game. In my ideal world, neither Steam nor Epic nor any DRM-crap would exist - only DRM-free!
@Lysander: all my friends are on steam, all my good games are in steam, all my badges, game achievements are on steam, my $500+ csgo inventory is on steam, hell yeah i can even vote for steam award…
just gonna wait for a year for Exodus, can't be bothered with a launcher which has fortnite.. pffft
Oh hell yes!!
The other free epic games i got because they're free.
But this one i actually am really keen on.
I have no intention at all of making Epic my main platform, or adding friends, or anything like that, but I'm quite happy to take their freebies.
Subnautica was the most fun I've had playing a game in several years, and Thimbleweed Park is on my Steam wishlist.
So, Epic, I have no intention of actually buying anything from you, but thank you.
Subnautica was amazing. Didn't know anything about it till Epic gave it for free. Actually I think technically Epic Games bought it for you, since the publisher gets whatever Epic paid them to do it.
Yeah I'm sticking with Steam and GoG anyway.
I wish more games were on GoG and they had better prices. There's just a good feeling about actually owning the game you paid for.
You'll have to hold out for the sequel to it. It's only recently launched on Steam Early Access, it's called Below Zero
I have to admit that, having played it as a freebie from Epic, if they were to gain exclusive rights to Below Zero I would probably buy it through them.
(Nobody tell Epic that, please. I don't want them getting ideas.)
They definitely may sell it, they also have an early access 'program' too. Doubtful it'll have any exclusivity with it already launching on Steam tho
Backed this on Kickstarter.
The first 95% of the game was awesome classic lucasarts style point'n'click.
Then it all falls apart with what I still deem to be one one of the worst endings in a video game ever.
=(
But hey free's free.
worse than Mass Effect 3?
I mean, without spoiling too much the final choices in Mass effect 3 still actually matter to a degree and have closure.. so yeah =(
Epic = fortnite = f/o
This is a brilliant game - really recommend it, especially if you're a fan of Monkey Island etc.
I love this game, I paid full price because I wanted to support the developer.
It's a shame because this game didn't do well enough to make (or want to make) another.
Not active yet - still says "Coming Soon" on the website..
Yeah, probably US timezone, so probably won't be ready until tonight.
The deal is active now - I just got it. Thanks OP for feeding my game hoarding addiction :)
Not showing up as free for me.
edit: never mind. I was looking at the steam link.
Slime Rancher?
Why do you think I said to set the reminder for 15 days? And why do you think it says on the title "In 15 days"????
;-)
Thimbleweed Park is free now.
Not free for me either.
Keep in mind you have to click the epic games link:
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/download/thimbleweed-p…
Not the steam link, it's probably a bit confusing having the steam store link in the description
Maybe, but it does say "Go to deal" in pretty clear and big letters on the right at the top.
Plus, if it was on Steam the title would not list EpicGames as the store.
Thank you for helping out with the link and comment.
I was thrown by the steam link.
It serves no purpose being there.
Free on epicgames.com, still not free on Steam
Really enjoyed this game on my switch…. ending might annoy some people
![[PC] Free - Thimbleweed Park - EpicGames](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/08/437108.jpg?h=960188d3)
this is a game i wanted so i may even play it.
still this epic games vs steam thing getting out of hand =/