Poll of the Day > Meat boy is free on the Epic store

(+) Yeah! (+)

psa. Free stuff.
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Isn't that store online-only? Thought I read something about you needing a connection to play. In which case, I'll pass.

DPsx7 posted...

Thought I read something about you needing a connection to play. In which case, I'll pass.

I wasn't sure about this, so I did some testing with the free copy of Subnautica I got from them last week (or whenever that was). Here are my findings:

-You will have to download and install the Epic Games Launcher to download the game
-Trying to launch the game directly from the .exe without using the Epic Launcher fails (no error message, the icon just pops up in the taskbar and disappears), regardless of connection status
-I tried disabling auto-update in the Launcher and the .exe launch still failed
-I had an internet connection the first time I launched the game through the launcher. This may or may not have been necessary
-The desktop shortcut that was created when the game was installed does not function without an Internet connection because it's actually an Internet shortcut. It'll open the launcher for you, the launcher will whine about needing to be signed in, and you won't get anywhere
-The launcher can be opened without an internet connection, in which case it'll whine a bit, but you will be able to open the game from there
-Once the game has been opened, the launcher can be closed without affecting it (at least in the couple minutes I spent on the main menu)

So it seems that the launcher is necessary, but you don't need an internet connection to play. This is limited testing such that I can't tell you if there's a time limit on that offline mode, and I can't tell you how it works for other games, but dems the facts for Subnautica.

Zangulus posted...

Who hasnt had meat boy for like 7 years already?!

I haven't played it. Despite liking platformers this seems like it requires more time than I have.

_AdjI_ posted...

So it seems that the launcher is necessary, but you don't need an internet connection to play. This is limited testing such that I can't tell you if there's a time limit on that offline mode, and I can't tell you how it works for other games, but dems the facts for Subnautica.

Ok. It was a different article on some site, don't know how much testing they did.

I mean, worst case scenario, you can't use your free game when the Internet's down and will have to play something else. I figure that's not the end of the world.

Zangulus posted...

Who hasnt had meat boy for like 7 years already?!

I dont...

_AdjI_ posted...

-You will have to download and install the Epic Games Launcher to download the game

Im not even sure if I could download the launcher...
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Zangulus posted...

Okay, well, theres two people.

Im starting a comprehensive list.

I can find more for you, if you want. I know some people IRL...
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You know how many free copies of Portal I turned down because I didn't want the Steam malware again? Sometimes 'free' comes with a catch that spoils the deal.

_AdjI_ posted...

-Trying to launch the game directly from the .exe without using the Epic Launcher fails (no error message, the icon just pops up in the taskbar and disappears), regardless of connection status

My Subnautica exe launches directly.

I don't get why this is a problem. Valve shouldn't have a monopoly.
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DPsx7 posted...

You know how many free copies of Portal I turned down because I didn't want the Steam malware again? Sometimes 'free' comes with a catch that spoils the deal.

teehee!
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Yellow posted...

My Subnautica exe launches directly.

Do you have the launcher running in the background when it does? I couldn't get it to do that, regardless of whether or not I was connected to the Internet.

Yellow posted...

I don't get why this is a problem. Valve shouldn't have a monopoly.

Eh, I prefer having it all in one place and not having to worry about having multiple DRM clients active. It's not a big deal for the occasional game like this, especially for free, but it's not something I want to sustain long-term, and I'm not about to switch from Steam to the Epic Launcher (though that's obviously exactly what they're trying to make happen with these free games).

DPsx7 posted...

You know how many free copies of Portal I turned down because I didn't want the Steam malware again?

Probably quite a few, but we already know you're paranoid.

Zangulus posted...

Who hasnt had meat boy for like 7 years already?!

I have only had it for 6 years 5 months and 16 days.
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DPsx7 posted...

You know how many free copies of Portal I turned down because I didn't want the Steam malware again? Sometimes 'free' comes with a catch that spoils the deal.

Lol.

Dikitain posted...

I have only had it for 6 years 5 months and 16 days.

I've had it since the original Humble Bundle. I played it on Kongregate before that.
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