why is Origin= Bad...Steam =Good?

[Yopaz]

Well for one Origin's prices seems to be higher. I haven't used it much myself so I can't say if that's a lasting thing, but I found Battlefield 3 from a different side offering it as a digital download for a lot less before it was released. That is a site that unlike EA doesn't get 100% of the money for themselves.
My other issues with Origin is that the programming seems sloppy. Steam was sloppy too 5 years ago, but they could afford it because they didn't have a huge competitor. I like what EA is trying to do with introducing a new service like Steam and break the monopoly, it's just that they're doing a bad job of it. I think they would get a few more sales if they started releasing their games on Steam after a while. Let them be Origin exclusive for a year or so then release them on Steam. I don't think that will happen though. Origin is the only reason I haven't bought Need For Speed: The Run.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

Well normally its bad for someone to have a monopoly on the market but that is because of low competition normally means high prices. I don't think many people can complain about Steams prices.

 

[Nikolaz72]

Its very very simple: PR, its as simple as that, Valve has good PR and everyone loves them for some reason(I envy all the people who say valve is nice since they told me to fuck off twice) and everyone hates EA because its EA.

Um no, it is because Origin is currently an unpolished t*rd that is forced on us by EA if we wish to play their games.

EA tried to get us to use Origin of our own free will via it's Digital Distribution system however it's list of benefits was no where near the worth the effort, after all why download install and run EADM and then put up with the nonsense of limited installs a crappy back up system and shock horror the potential of having to deal with EA customer support, when I could just go in to a store buy a game and just install it.

So shock horror EADM failed to do what EA wanted it to do, so they tweaked it, renamed it and then launched it with BF3 as a requirement to be installed to play the game. Now that sound to different to what Valve did with Steam and HL2 and yes it got a lot of flak for a prolonged install, a tedious update, dodgy servers and the fact you need Steam to play HL2. The thing is that was a decade ago and while many may have forgotten the issues Steam has the fact that Steam had them does not excuse EA for having issues with Origin.

- The fact that it is still Beta despite having been out in one form or another for five years.
- The fact that updates aren't done automatically it asks you to update your games then updates them. The Origin update system is even worse, as it closes Origin, starts a full download and then a full install system and then places a new desktop icon and if you don't notice it will set itself to start automatically when you boot your computer. It will also ask you to re insert your user name and password. Steam does all this as a background service and only requires a restart.
- Server downtime is a joke, more correctly what Origin does when it can't connect is a joke. Steam tells you their is an issue connecting (although chances of seeing that message are next to none.) Origin plays dumb and tells you that it is your fault for not putting in the correct user name or password.
- Origin accounts being linked to EA forum accounts, frankly that is beyond a joke. Bans on the forums result in you being unable to access games.... really?

The fact is Origin is no worse than the issues Steam had at launch but that doesn't mean it can be forgiven. If this was ten years ago and Steam had just launched then it could get away with its problems, but it isn't. It has been 'launched' in to a market that is dominated by a system that does everything it does and it does it easily, without issue and in a polished way. Then you have to consider that Origin has been in development for five years so it is even less forgiveable that it has the issues that it has.

Put it this way, I have one game that require Origin and every day after an update the torrent sites get checked for updates to the Origin by pass cracks. That is the worse recommendation for Origin that I can think of, I have the option to use it will I use it? No!. The same situation exists for Steam, cracks that by pass it exist, but I am happy to use Steam.

I would say its a mix, EA's product sucks. 'And' EA's rep sucks. 'And' EA's public relations department sucks. Valves product is good, their reputation is good, and their public relations department is well, god teir.

I mean, you have the level where people are willing to beg you for years to release a sequel, and then you have the level where people are willing to argue on your behalf of why you have 'not' released a sequel for those several years.

 

[Phisi]

because steam is like your cuddly puppy dog who every now and then chews your shoes and pisses on the carpet but looks cute and bounces around and greets you when you wake up in the morning while EA is your dad who doesn't do much except when it makes your life miserable like forcing you to go to maths tutoring and to stop playing dem video-games. Steam while having it's problems is also really good while Origin has it's problems and does nothing. Origin doesn't give you anything in return.

 

[Sigma Van Lockheart]

Well I got origin and my experience with it was terrible to say the least yet I?ve never had so much as a single problem with steam. I hate DRM yet love steam which is just another form of DRM why? Because steam does not feel like DRM steam feels like it is helping you rather than hindering you. Yet origin feels like what it is DRM and a very bad one at that also the whole doing over mass effect fans because they brought ME1 and 2 when they came out and not on origin is just another sign that EA has failed and so has origin.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.328868-EA-now-issuing-permanent-Origin-bans-through-content-filter]

Sweet mother of pearl. That's low, even by EA's standards.

yep, one of the reasons Origin is not liked, can't say I blame people for feeling that way

 

[Arkhangelsk]

For me, it's extremely buggy and the fact that it has to be used in a browser annoys me deeply.

 

[NiPah]

Because too many PC gamers are Valve fanboys that will bend over and take anything from their digital distribution service while just smiling and asking for more Half-Life. While any similar wrong doings from the main digital distribution service for EA will just be taken as proof of their 'See EA is evil and shouldn't be trusted' mentality.

Please oh please tell us, what are some of those similar wrong doings that steam has forced upon us poor Valve fanboys that you speak of? Is it the ability to opt out of valve collecting private data? Is it the fact that a ban on the Steam forum does not ban you from playing games you bought over Steam? Is it the categorically lower prices that Valve offers over Origin? Inquiring minds want to know the reason you made such claims without backing them up with any evidence whatsoever.

Looking at your post history you state Half Life 2 is a dull atrocity, an unenjoyable, over-hyped, sequel that relied too much on gimmicks, and you also state you can't wait for Mass Effect 3, you go so far as to praise EA for making it an Origin exclusive.

I would like to say I disagree with you sir, and urge you to include reasoning and evidence in all your future posts to ensure a proper debate.

Also I hope you enjoy the collectors edition of Mass Effect 3 you have pre-ordered, I never played the second in the series but I wouldn't stoop to insulting the series since I can see its quality even if it is not my taste.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Because of the intrusive privacy TOS part and because not a lot of people want to have to use more than one service for games. It complicates things for no reason. Also, EA lied when they stated their reasons for not having their games on Steam. I don't like it when a company lies to me in order to make me use their service that they know very well is dodgy. If they had so much faith in Origin then why didn't they make it mandatory for SWTOR? Why don't they make it mandatory for Reckoning? Answer is easy. They are only using it for games that they know people want to buy no matter what. Which makes them assholes for punishing their loyal customers like that.

 

[ph0b0s123]

Because Origin believes it has a right to my system info, whereas Steam asks for it. Simple as.

 

[Matt Dellar]

Honestly, I don't like either of them all that much. They both assume you have really good Internet, so if I only want to play Cave Story+ on Steam, if my mom happens to be watching one of the debates, it takes about five minutes to start up. If I'm offline, it starts up in a second.

Moral of the story: live somewhere where cable Internet is available.

 

[Comic Sans]

I personally don't have a huge issue with it. I don't care if companies look at my system specs, I don't buy things often off of it (I've bought 3 games, and those because I got them on deals), I don't see EA as the devil and rather like many games they've released. If you don't like Origin that's cool. However, I find people saying things like "I won't buy ME3 because of Origin and the like" rather silly. What does Origin have to do with it? The interface, prices and the like won't affect you, you just play the game and don't do anything else with Origin. I also see a lot of misconceptions about Origin. Yes, it has an offline mode. Yes, it has deals (they email discount codes from time to time). Yes, they force you to use it, but so does Valve. I also saw someone say that you won't be able to transfer ME save files on this thread, which is blatantly untrue. I had ME2 on Steam but not ME1 and got my save transfer just fine, I am 100% positive it will be the same.

Yes, there are legit gripes with Origin. However, at the end of the day I have Origin and my computer hasn't exploded yet. Most of it is just the witch hunt mentality and hate for EA in general. Hating on EA is the big trend, and Origin is part of that.

 

[Bradeck]

I'll ask it again, because it got missed. Is there any truth to the claim that Origin has a finite number of downloads you are allowed per game?

 

[Woodsey]

Because people don't like or trust EA (with good reason), the service began with a pretty questionable ToS, and the service doesn't work as well.

Plus, they're not really offering anything in return for us having to use it.

 

[The Abhorrent]

As many have noted already, one of the biggest reasons to be against Origin is due to the publisher in charge of it -- EA. Their whole approach to the game industry has earned them quite a bit of distaste: the prevalence of day-one DLC, pulling their games off Steam, the high amount of information gathering from Origin, unnecessary (and/or rushed) sequels, and let's not forget the obnoxious marketing.

Quite simply, they've placed themselves in a position where people are going through them only if they absolutely have to. Yes, they got a huge chunk of the market... but most people have a good reason to avoid them, and it's only a matter of time before they get their act together.

---

As for myself, I'm not exactly a fan of digital distribution in general; I just prefer to have a physical copy of the game myself. And since I generally don't play games online, it's a good thing when I don't have to bother with the whole online-verification thing every time I boot up the game. That doesn't put Steam very high on my priority list for acquiring games, but there's a few circumstances which go against Origin:

1. Steam is already on my computer, mostly for Valve's first-party titles (mostly Portal and it's sequel) and Skyrim.

2. EA has given me plenty of reason to dislike them, while Valve has not. I don't have a lot reason to particularly like Valve either (beyond the high quality products they have) due to them requiring Steam for their games, but it's still better than my stance on EA.

3. Steam sells plenty of games from many developpers, and some offers do seem interesting....while I'm hearing Origin simply does not have the same selection.

4. I do not want another digital distribution program on my system. As I said, I'm not a huge fan of it; slowly starting to warm up to it now that I've heard some good reasons for it (easier access to older titles which are no longer available via retail is a big one), but I'm still pre-disposed to having a physical copy. Anyhow, I'm more or less stuck with Steam already; not something I'm overly fond of, but I can deal with that. Nevertheless, that means anyone else who's trying to force their digital distribution service on me is not going to get my business; or rather, I'll get another version of the game instead (one which doesn't require said service).

---

With more and more PC games requiring online connectivity (for access to something like Steam or Origin) to play, even if it's a strictly single-player game... well, it's probably not helping PC gaming in general. Even if there are plenty of people who gleefully adopt digital distribution, there are many of hold-outs like myself who prefer the surety of a physical copy; that and I prefer to deal with cash rather than my credit card, remarkable how easy it is to stay out of debt when you do that.

Anyhow, that actually give consoles a bit of a one-up over PCs right now; the physical copy is still a viable method for acquiring the game, while PC games more or less require online connectivity. If (or perhaps, when) consoles move entirely towards digital distribution themselves, we hold-outs will (begrudgingly) accept them out of necessity. Even then, there's a pretty good chance we're going to stick with the ones we're already stuck with.

Taken a bit further, if every (major) company adopts their own digital distribution service? At that point, people might be a bit more proactive about which services they'll bother using; a corporation's reputation will play a surprisingly large role in determining if it's worth it at all.

In other words, good-bye EA.

 

[Bradeck]

http://www.overclock.net/t/1042812/think-origin-is-a-good-idea

This is what I was referring to. Apparently it's true. If you download a game too many times, EA can restrict your purchase, and make you re-purchase it again.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Because Steam's EULA identifies its terms very clearly, and in the 3 years I've used it, it has stuck to precisely those parameters.
Even as a company, Valve has pretty much stuck to their guns since their inception; they don't step on their customer's toes or change the rules of engagement to suit their whims. It's a simple relationship that works.

And this isn't coming from some scrub who just put their first rig together: I've known about or otherwise dealt with Valve since the days of Action Quake 2 (what would later be overhauled in a newer, modified Quake 2 engine and become the basis for Counterstrike).

Origin has vaguely defined terms (they claim to only want to search for "software" on your computer...legally meaning anything on your hard drive, since they didn't bother to establish any containing/limiting clauses), and it's run by EA, who have proven to me how ruthless and exploitative they can be for well over a decade now.

Technical and legal issues aside: I don't trust EA, and not without good reason.
Over that last decade, they've been shown to badly mistreat their customers, their clients (developers), and their employees all for their bottom line.

Knowing that, signing up for Origin is simply asking to be exploited.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Sure, people will talk about "privacy invasion" this and "evil corporation" that, but they're really just arguments that arrived after the conclusion: people don't trust EA as much as Valve, so they're afraid of investing in the new service. People already loved valve when steam came out. People hated EA when Origin came out. I don't know if there really is any other reason that people actually care about.

Is it objective? No, but it is a result of the state of EA's public relations, which are very much the result of some bad decisions on EA's part.

It's a little bit more than that. See, Steam technically has the same "we can monitor what you do" clause that Origin does. The difference is that Steam's is more restricted. They can ONLY monitor your gameplay stats, and maybe a couple other things restricted specifically to your gaming. Meanwhile Origin's clause is that they can just monitor your computer. Anything. If I had Origin installed right now, EA could tell you that I'm using Firefox for my web browsing.

Yeah... see the difference? It isn't just a matter of "we trust Valve more than EA", it's a matter of "Origin wants access to more information than Steam". Now... is EA going to use this access for the kinds of things that have people paranoid? Maybe... maybe not. But why give them the opportunity?