why is GFWL hated so much

I bought Dirt 2 off steam last weekend as it was half price. amazing game by the way.But to play you have to set up a GFWL account. id seen lots of hate for it on forums and was expecting something awful.

but i really like it and can't see why it attracts so much hate. in my opinion it was better than steam. ok i can't buy games through it. but the look and feel of GFWL was way better than steams 'cheap' look.

playing Dirt 2 on my PC with a 360 pad and GFWL felt like i was playing my 360 but with much better graphics.

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

longtonguecat

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

longtonguecat

If you find GFWL tedious then you shouldnt be pc gaming period.

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"]

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

warmaster670

If you find GFWL tedious then you shouldnt be pc gaming period.

When I used if for Fallout 3 the mouse support was absolutely terrible and it wanted you to do everything with the arrow keys. >.>

It blocked me from downloading stuff which I had already purchased because it already thought I had in installed and it forces me to be online, logged in and registered just to save in some games...

That and all of the region locking issues, it telling me I can't access certain things and some people not being able to play the game at all depending on where they live. Only thing I really like about it is the 360 crossover stuff...

Yeah it's worked fine for me actually, only issue I recall is that same FO3 mouse cursor thing.

But the thing is that it's not really needed, we already have Steam, xfire and whatnot, and those have far wider support that GFWL, plus it adds nothing to the game unless you're an xbox gamer too and want those points.

Also I'm not sure if it's the online structure or what, but many online games like Gears are effectively dead on PC and I feel they'd be doing better without Live.

You can't play the game if either the game or the GFWL client isn't updated.

Let's say you make an offline account first and then create an online account. All the offline saves will be deleted. I lost the saves for 9 games because of this. Since the dawn of PC gaming, saves are held in separate folders and new folders are created for different profiles, some of which are stored at the arse end of your HDD precisely to keep them safe - not so on GFWL.

GFWL is supported only in around 30 countries, essentially blocking the MP component for the rest of the world.

The interface blows. Why exactly should I click the individual achievements to see why I earned them? Why does it open a browser window for 50% of the things it does? Steam is so much better it's not even funny. Steam is not cheap-looking, it's stylish, clear and functional.

Let's say you make an offline account first and then create an online account. All the offline saves will be deleted. I lost the saves for 9 games because of this. Since the dawn of PC gaming, saves are held in separate folders and new folders are created for different profiles, some of which are stored at the arse end of your HDD precisely to keep them safe - not so on GFWL.

Baranga

Thats funny, since with fallout 3, all your saves were kept in folders and all it takes is one move of teh files and boom, your done.

So either FO3, for some reason, is the only GFWL game to work like this, or all the people who whine about this are to daft to even bother looking for a solution.

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

longtonguecat

The typical reply from someone who doesn't actually use the service.

I'm playing Batman: AA ands Dirt2 using it at the moment and it's great. Nice to chat with XBuddies and add to my GSwhile playing on my PC :).

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"]

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

1080pOnly

The typical reply from someone who doesn't actually use the service.

I'm playing Batman: AA ands Dirt2 using it at the moment and it's great. Nice to chat with XBuddies and add to my GSwhile playing on my PC :).

I stopped using it after giving it a go on three seperate occasions. On each of those occassions I was dissapointed.

so...the only problem is fallout 3? not much else has been mentioned you had a problem with how fallout 3 worked...and that equals instant GFWL isn't good.

Thats funny, since with fallout 3, all your saves were kept in folders and all it takes is one move of teh files and boom, your done.

So either FO3, for some reason, is the only GFWL game to work like this, or all the people who whine about this are to daft to even bother looking for a solution.

warmaster670

And can you load them on a different account? If the saves aren't downright deleted, they'll be read as corrupted in other games. Speaking of which, why does GFWL arbitrarily delete data? I remember games from the 90s asking if you want to keep your saves...

Thankfully, there's a hack developed to remove these stupid restrictions. As of now it only works for GTA4 and Red Faction.

Anyway, GFWL is implemented by the developer, and he can choose to rework its basic functionality. Since F3 is an RPG, save and character transfer are common, so they might have removed the obligatory profile check.

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"]

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

1080pOnly

The typical reply from someone who doesn't actually use the service.

I'm playing Batman: AA ands Dirt2 using it at the moment and it's great. Nice to chat with XBuddies and add to my GSwhile playing on my PC :).

I guess that for a console player GFWL is OK, since it basically emulates the closed system used on the 360. PC gamers have much better alternatives.

so...the only problem is fallout 3? not much else has been mentioned you had a problem with how fallout 3 worked...and that equals instant GFWL isn't good.

WilliamRLBaker

I've also had issues with Dawn of War II and GTAIV...

I'm fine with people liking it, but everytime I have tried to use it, I have ended up frustrated and as annoyed as hell...

its a giant pain in the ass....I bought Fallout 3 for my PC just to play bout with and i found it to be annoying.I much prefer steam its a much better setup end of even xfire is better.I only used it once or twice and never again.

Also it left a bad taste with a lot of PC gamers especially at the start when PC gamers were charged to use it if im not mistaken.

[QUOTE="warmaster670"]

And can you load them on a different account? If the saves aren't downright deleted, they'll be read as corrupted in other games. Speaking of which, why does GFWL arbitrarily delete data? I remember games from the 90s asking if you want to keep your saves...

Thankfully, there's a hack developed to remove these stupid restrictions. As of now it only works for GTA4 and Red Faction.

Anyway, GFWL is implemented by the developer, and he can choose to rework its basic functionality. Since F3 is an RPG, save and character transfer are common, so they might have removed the obligatory profile check.

[QUOTE="1080pOnly"]

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"]

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

Baranga

The typical reply from someone who doesn't actually use the service.

I'm playing Batman: AA ands Dirt2 using it at the moment and it's great. Nice to chat with XBuddies and add to my GSwhile playing on my PC :).

I guess that for a console player GFWL is OK, since it basically emulates the closed system used on the 360. PC gamers have much better alternatives.

I'm a PC gamer through and through and I still think it's great. I get pad and mouse support in games right out of the box with no need for setup, achievements, a cross platform chat system anda cross game invite system. Pray tell which other system on PC lets me chat with my buddies playing on their consoles?

I use Steam extensively and it has far more problems than GFWL. Their chat system is awful, beyond broken and you just need to look at the amount of updates and bug fixes applied to the system every week to see it's far from perfect. Maybe you mean Xfire? Uggh.

It feels rather bloated and crudely implemented, error prone, like a half hearted effort that they didn't put enough effort into.

What annoys me is it won't let me log in because it says my account name doesn't exist, but when I try to create a new account it says the name is taken :evil:

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

[QUOTE="warmaster670"]

The typical reply from someone who doesn't actually use the service.

I'm playing Batman: AA ands Dirt2 using it at the moment and it's great. Nice to chat with XBuddies and add to my GSwhile playing on my PC :).

1080pOnly

I guess that for a console player GFWL is OK, since it basically emulates the closed system used on the 360. PC gamers have much better alternatives.

I'm a PC gamer through and through and I still think it's great. I get pad and mouse support in games right out of the box with no need for setup, achievements, a cross platform chat system anda cross game invite system. Pray tell which other system on PC lets me chat with my buddies playing on their consoles?

I use Steam extensively and it has far more problems than GFWL. Their chat system is awful, beyond broken and you just need to look at the amount of updates and bug fixes applied to the system every week to see it's far from perfect. Maybe you mean Xfire? Uggh.

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"] hmmm i've never found it so, it works great on tinker and viva pinata, its not tedious its easy to use...as for if its needed thats subjective.WilliamRLBaker

[QUOTE="longtonguecat"]

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

warmaster670

If you find GFWL tedious then you shouldnt be pc gaming period.

Then you have the messing with ports and conflicts with certain firewalls to contend with. Its problems are wide spread and easy to Google if you care to look i can not believe your defending this pain in the butt software. Dont forget updating conflicts as well.

I don't see anything wrong with GFWL, to me it's only problem is that not enough games support it. It needs alot more cross-platform titles aswell, although I don't think the master race likes the idea of playing with the "Xbots" much. :P

It interferes with the game instead of integrating.skrat_01

I bought Dirt 2 off steam last weekend as it was half price. amazing game by the way.But to play you have to set up a GFWL account. id seen lots of hate for it on forums and was expecting something awful.

but i really like it and can't see why it attracts so much hate. in my opinion it was better than steam. ok i can't buy games through it. but the look and feel of GFWL was way better than steams 'cheap' look.

playing Dirt 2 on my PC with a 360 pad and GFWL felt like i was playing my 360 but with much better graphics.

dog_dirt

The best thing GFWL has going for it is that you can chat with Xbox friends cross platform without paying for it (on the PC side), and that it works with the wonderful Xbox 360 controllers and wireless headsets... if you buy the required $20 dongle. Seriously, I love theway that Fallout 3 played identically to the 360 via the controller. It's plug and play... little to no customization required.(L4D on Steam does this well too.)

What annoys me is it won't let me log in because it says my account name doesn't exist, but when I try to create a new account it says the name is taken :evil:

AnnoyedDragon

That's what happened to me and GTA 4. I just played in offline mode. It's a good thing I didn't have fin while playing of else I'd fear for my save games.

It was total garbage when It first released, but now its much, much better. I likeIt, and enjoy getting achievements on my PC and seeing them on my xbox live gamer tag.

[QUOTE="skrat_01"]It interferes with the game instead of integrating.mo0ksi

[QUOTE="mo0ksi"]

[QUOTE="skrat_01"]It interferes with the game instead of integrating.devious742

Actually, you can back up GTA IV's save games. You just have to know where they are located. ;)

[QUOTE="devious742"]

[QUOTE="mo0ksi"] I disagree. My experience with GFWL games have been seemless for the most part.

BigBoss154

Actually, you can back up GTA IV's save games. You just have to know where they are located. ;)

if you try to you will end up with this error: failed to load. Please check your hard drive...unless you back up xlive

[QUOTE="BigBoss154"]

[QUOTE="devious742"]hmm... u know what i hate about GFWL is that for certain games like GTA 4.. you cant back up your saves like almost all pc games.. u have to also back up the xlive.dll in order for it to work.. or else the game wont accept them since the saves are tied the account from that pc... now just to let you know.. many ppl dont know...i didnt know.. i had to reformat now all my saved games dont work..its the little things like that that make me hate it bigtime .. most of the time.. but i had nothing but great love for it when it came to gears...apart from the very slow messaging... i use xfire for that.. to talk in game..btw hosting dedicated servers in GFWL is possible since u can do that with shadowrun

devious742

Actually, you can back up GTA IV's save games. You just have to know where they are located. ;)

Exactly right. :D

It's tedious, doesn't work most of the time and isn't needed. :P

longtonguecat

I hate it because it literally breaks my games. Since it does not allow me to sign in I can not access online functionality and I can not save my games, essentially rendering both singleplayer and multyplayer unplayable.

This is a problem across all games with GFWL. It has been existent ever since I tried to play Kane & Lynch multiplayer. Since Microsoft still haven't bothered to find a solution, I doubt they're ever going to.

Worth noting that back with Kane & Lynch I could still save in singleplayer. So things have actually gotten much, much worse. I don't know what the point of tying your saves to GFWL is and I don't care. It's ****ing stupid beyond belief.

To sum up, it's the worst piece of **** software I have ever come across. It is malware. If a game "features" GFWL I will steer clear. Microsoft should stop trying to force their **** down your throat. If developers for whatever dumb reason want to support GFWL, please do make it optional FFS.

I like GFWL a lot. Although, I dont make use of many of the features, they are still impressive.

HOWEVER, I have had 2 major problems that come to mind.

The first is the Fallout 3 issue with mouse not lining up correctly to the GFWL buttons as others described.

The other is with Gears of War. I lost my save game once or twice because the save progress was handled by GFWL (so i was told), and somehow GFWL reset my progress, so consequently I had to restart. I've read this might have been patched though.

Overall, its nice software.

In on-line it's okay, you connect like always and you get a service with certain extra options. The only problem is sometimes offline, it adds new twists that are unnecessary. Another thing is that it still seems to not be properly defined still so the overall integration suffers a bit, although I would prefer it never does because it would only mean a M$ domination again, and I have enough using their OS.

it works great I love adding to my gamerscore playing PC games and I've never had an issue....very well integrated

and I also bought DiRT2 from steam for $20...what a deal

it works great I love adding to my gamerscore playing PC games and I've never had an issue....very well integrated

and I also bought DiRT2 from steam for $20...what a deal

chikenfriedrice

1-Is useless.

2-Can be a source of annoying problems related to gaming.

3-Is a toy for childs. Adult PC gamers doesn't care about achievements and so.

4-Is not a standard, and is pushed by a company that doesn't want that people play in PC.

5-In essence is a trojan.

1-Is useless.

2-Can be a source of annoying problems related to gaming.

3-Is a toy for childs. Adult PC gamers doesn't care about achievements and so.

4-Is not a standard, and is pushed by a company that doesn't want that people play in PC.

5-In essence is a trojan.

Ondoval

I bought Dirt 2 off steam last weekend as it was half price. amazing game by the way.But to play you have to set up a GFWL account. id seen lots of hate for it on forums and was expecting something awful.

but i really like it and can't see why it attracts so much hate. in my opinion it was better than steam. ok i can't buy games through it. but the look and feel of GFWL was way better than steams 'cheap' look.

playing Dirt 2 on my PC with a 360 pad and GFWL felt like i was playing my 360 but with much better graphics.

dog_dirt

1-Is useless.

While the features might not suit you, it offers a number features that a useful to a lot of people out there (Several have already posted in the thread)

2-Can be a source of annoying problems related to gaming.

3-Is a toy for childs. Adult PC gamers doesn't care about achievements and so.

Oh please... I'm an adult and a PC Gamer, but seriously.. we're talking about playing computer games here, what's wrong about caring about an achivment score. GFWL dosen't force you to care it simply adds an extra feature. You're free to ignore it.

4-Is not a standard, and is pushed by a company that doesn't want that people play in PC.

All standards started somewhere. GFWL have enough games by now that it is a legit standard. As for the 'pushed by a company that ..uh something.. PC Gamers'. We're already pretty dependant on Windows for PC gaming, GFWL or lack thereoff is not going to change that.

5-In essence is a trojan.

Rubbish

Ondoval

Personally GFWL is a bit of an annoyance to me, but not a big deal. I don't use any of the features available and as such it really just ends up being an extra service to run alongside STEAM. With that said I think the idea is sound. A centralized system for voice chat, friends list and stuff like that might be useful. Time will tell, I think as long as they keep it free, it's not a big deal to me either way.

I joined GFWL late in the game. I have no problems with it. I think Microsoft was just trying to implement some kind of standardizationfor pc games. I just wish there were more titles to choose from such as Shadow Complex. Plugging in the 360 controller without any additional config is heaven.

It interferes with the game instead of integrating.skrat_01

This pretty much sums up GFWL to me.

In the create accout screen, scroll down and click "setup local account" and play the game with no hassle at all.GTR2addict

Thank you so much. :)

Multiplayer is still ****ed thanks to this abominable software from hell, so I'll still never buy a game knowing it comes with this malware, but at least now I can play the singleplayer of the games I already own.

Also I should add that the crappy client has stopped working. Won't even start, just get an error message.

I havent experienced any issues with GFWL in Fallout 3, but in general i dislike it because its packaged rather poorly in multiplayer games.

Dawn of War 2 requires steam... but uses GFWL as their multiplayer match making. why? Simplify the users life by using only one or the other. Borderlands does the same thing by requiring steam but using gamespy as their multiplayer.