jaradielMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 7Arc User
edited February 2014
For me ARC is a lot better than steam as a launcher. For some odd reason, the steam launcher has (a lot) more overhead, and it alos causes much more lag.
With ARC I can play immediately, while the first character under steam is frozen for several minutes.
Wait... there's an ARC plugin for Chrome? LOL (Why I don't do anything Google - but that's just my personal preference, not saying it's bad).
Since it's under "FEEDBACK" I must DITTO @JARADIEL and say that ARC is awesome. Of course I speak for myself only, but I have yet to see anyone (okay, I have seen maybe ONE) of the poo-pooers who diss on ARC actually come-up with a good reason to poo-poo ARC.
If it's not for you, then just remain mum and move-on. Dissing anything (when you haven't even tried it) just makes you look bad, and sometimes makes look even pretty stupid. #JustSayin'
In the spirit of FEEDBACK: ARC is constantly displaying a green banner "cautioning me" about browser cookies. Even if I dismiss it, it's back again the next time I launch ARC. No big deal and easy to tune-out, but once dismissed it should know it's place: out of my presence. LOL
I always see the same persons rooting for Arc, you can count me as the opposite.
Like i said to other threads, my beef with Arc is that i do not like being forced to use applications i do not desire or need. Launchers count as those. I see Arc only being a channel for PWE to advertise their Zen stores, so they can milk more money out of people, it does not give me any value as a customer and the features it has give me zero benefit that i do not already have.
Everyone is saying its lightweight, but that is because it lacks functions, if they add stuff to it. It will become like Steam, heavy and bloated. I tested it when i had to install NW and i did not see anything which i havent allready seen and it definately wasnt anything new. Then it went to recycle bin.
Unless PWE can give me a good reason to install it, that actually benefits me as a NW player(such as using gateway through it), other than use it as a second browser and a chat tool. Then i will never install it. And if iam forced to use it to patch the game, and cant use the old launcher for that. Then you can count me as gone for good.
I will say tho, that people who play other PWE games might find it useful, for me who only plays one game.
I installed Neverwinter, STO, and Champions all on Steam, before I ever installed Arc. If I only have Steam pulled up, launch the games from my desktop, it launches through Steam. However, if I have Arc opened, along with Steam, they launch through Arc. You can have both progams installed and the games work just fine. I have no problem with Arc, it does it's job just fine without any problems. I don't understand the hate for it.
I always see the same persons rooting for Arc, you can count me as the opposite.
Like i said to other threads, my beef with Arc is that i do not like being forced to use applications i do not desire or need. Launchers count as those. I see Arc only being a channel for PWE to advertise their Zen stores, so they can milk more money out of people, it does not give me any value as a customer and the features it has give me zero benefit that i do not already have.
Everyone is saying its lightweight, but that is because it lacks functions, if they add stuff to it. It will become like Steam, heavy and bloated. I tested it when i had to install NW and i did not see anything which i havent allready seen and it definately wasnt anything new. Then it went to recycle bin.
Unless PWE can give me a good reason to install it, that actually benefits me as a NW player(such as using gateway through it), other than use it as a second browser and a chat tool. Then i will never install it. And if iam forced to use it to patch the game, and cant use the old launcher for that. Then you can count me as gone for good.
I will say tho, that people who play other PWE games might find it useful, for me who only plays one game.
It is not.
LOL In my original comment when I said there was only ONE poo-pooer who actually made any sense: you were and are the one. Your statements in this and the other feedback threads are fair and well-communicated.
And it's a decent companion at that. And if you still don't like Arc, just uninstall it after.
Precisely. It's obvious to me that this was the whole point of offering the new shiny-toys: to get player to *try* ARC. If you don't like it, at least you'll have actually tried it and know why, and you get to keep the new toy (which I agree: isn't bad at all) - then just uninstall ARC.
I think those who poo-poo ARC without even trying it are the disingenuous nincompoop naysayers. If someone actually installed and tried it then says it's not for them and why: I'm good with that.
They'd be dead-wrong and have real mental issues if they don't like it, but that's okay. (I'm JUST KIDDING!) LOL
I'm sorry, but it's silly, and USELESS to create, and attempt to pressure people into installing 3rd party bloatware like ARC. This is the same nightmare that steam is, and there's quite a few people who would rather just play the game, than to deal with the nightmares, bugs, headaches, and system resource waste that is these type of applications.
Please stop trying to pressure people into using bloatware. It's uncouth at best, and in most instances, portrays and air of incompetence or lack of trustworthiness.
I'd normally agree - I've avoided Steam for years and initially went out of my way to find non-ARC installs for STO and NWO. However, when the Beta came out with the freebie companion and stuff I did a little research and decided to install it. My experience? All positive. The ARC client has close to zero resource footprint on my laptop, I'm not bombarded by ads, it has a convenient interface for buying Zen when I want to, and it runs the game via the standard launcher anyway.
In short, there is no reason not to install ARC Beta and profit from the freebies.
I wouldn't really care if I didn't have very limited internet which eats a ton of my wallet while I play something.
And ARC would be just another burden as it needs to be updated/maintained regularily. I am glad I didn't delete the old launcher...
the ARC solution will streamline processes for PWE which means more time to bring us great updates and new titles. you may not see the advantages if you only play one of the many titles PWE offers, but ARC will become the loader/patcher for all of their games. to date, PWE has separate processes for loading/patching their game catalog and under ARC, it's providing each game with the same loader/patcher. as PWE expands their business, this will allow them to partner with other game developers and thus bringing us, the players, more gaming options in the future.
there's nothing about ARC that is bloatware. it is a small app that manages all of your PWE titles. it also provides a single sign-on feature for all games you have installed. everything that you could do before by bouncing to and from the game and your browser, you can now do within ARC.
neverwinter used to be the only PWE title i played. through ARC and their offerings, i have since installed STO and CO. since all of these titles are free to play, it's really a great way to offer these titles in a one-stop shop kind of scenario.
As is usually a truism in life, change is inevitable, and people fear change.
While I don't disagree with this statement, that doesn't change the fact that people are tired of "downloading a download to download a download." In this case, we don't want "a program to run a program"
Foundry - Fight Club? (nw-dluqbofu7)
- JailBreak (in development)
While I don't disagree with this statement, that doesn't change the fact that people are tired of "downloading a download to download a download." In this case, we don't want "a program to run a program"
I see a common pattern in how PWE manages every aspect of their games...
You don't get links to download the game, you get a link to a download that starts another download and eventually will download your game as well.
You don't get links to patch notes, you get a link to a forum that links all patch notes and you need to find the correct one that points you to a website containing the patch notes.
You don't simply walk into a dungeon. You open a manager to enter a queue that launches a prompt that if confirmed will start your dungeon.
First: ARC is not "middleman" or "third-party" - ARC is Perfect World Entertainment - it *appears* that PWE is rebranding itself as ARC - hence all the PWE game web sites and forums are now under the ARCGames.com banner.
Second: ARC is not "bloatware" - because it does not install third-party junk, does not spam you with adverts for unrelated garbage, and is actually quite lean in terms of hard disk footprint and RAM/Performance overhead. Obviously the term "bloatware" is a subjective term, but it also is a derogatory term that I believe has no place in the description of ARC. Bloatware is stuff you are forced to keep, whether you use it or not. ARC Client is opt-in: you have to consciously and actively choose to even associate yourself with it in any way, shape or form at this point in time and for the foreseeable future. (See point three)
Third: ARC is currently 100% optional. If you don't like it, don't use it. Unlike "bloatware" if you have it installed and choose to uninstall it: it uninstalls cleanly and completely without 1) leaving garbage on your system and 2) leaving your games (even if installed with it) intact.
Fourth: Though ARC will become the main (and single) launcher for all of ARC Games titles, doing your research and actually understanding that research will do you wonders as you'll understand that this single-launcher-intent is only on the roadmap for now, and still a very long-way-off. (See arc games.com developer FAQ and actually edify yourself, rather than rely on knee-jerk reaction based on what you think you know, which you may not.)
Fifth: you are worried about a possible future that has not and may not even ever occur, rather than what is important, which is the here and now, and here and now the ARC client is 100% optional. No one is twisting your arm to use it.
Sixth: your own personal past experience with Steam or other so-called "segue-app-launchers" may or may not be repeated with ARC, you will never know unless you actually try it. You cannot plan the future on events of the past. Anyone attempting to do so will be more than disappointed.
Sixth: and finally, to whine and complain about something that is 100% optional that you have no reason to involve yourself with whatsoever simply makes your opinion appear to be "hater-opinion" for no reason other than being "hater-opinion". I'm not saying it is, I am saying it appears to be. It is laughable that you might conceive your opinion as having any weight or influence with anyone else other than the gullible who don't do their own research and rely of the fact-less hearsay of others. (a general "you", by the way - not targeted at anyone in-particular).
If you have actually downloaded and used ARC Client and like it or don't like it then do us all a favor: Give useful feedback that can actually be acted upon by other users and the developers. Surely the developers have no interest in forcing anything down your throat that tastes bad. if you don't like the ARC Client and any particular aspect of it, then says so in a useful way. Then the developers can appreciate that genuine feedback and improve the product, and who knows: maybe even change it in a way that you end-up even liking it.
TL;DR: If you don't like it, then do us all a favor: Explain *why* you don't like it so the developers have a fair chance at changing things in a way so you do like it. There is still time for this; hence the status of "BETA" is for this very purpose. Simple complaining about it without telling the creators how to fix it is nothing more than crybaby stuff. Seriously: Please kwitcherbichen.
The only thing about Arc that has really pissed me off so far is that they forgot to put a link to the gateway on the home page of the new site that they now forceably redirect you to.
My experiance with Arc (AND Steam) have both been overwhelmingly positive. Arc downloads of Neverwinter, Champions Online, and Startreck Online are SIGNIFICANTLY faster than the stand alone and have fewer bugs as well. I can see how it could cause problems if you have a very, very, slow, weak, or expensive (I.E. Billed per minute) Internet Connection. But honestly, those are not the target demographic here. The game is constructed with fairly robust systems in mind, including your connection to the Net.
'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.' Terry Pratchet The Thief Of Time
While I don't disagree with this statement, that doesn't change the fact that people are tired of "downloading a download to download a download." In this case, we don't want "a program to run a program"
Yo dawg, I heard you like downloads in your downloads, so I added more downloads, so you could download when you download.
The new version of the Arc client is very nice and much improved.
Good
1. Single login is nice and works well.
2. The look is clean and well laid out.
3. Purchasing Zen is easy.
4. Adding games is easy.
5. I like having all the game access centralized.
Needs Work
1. Account and billing communication between Arc and the website needs some work. I had some issues when purchasing Zen through Arc. It didn't add the Zen to the as it should and it didn't show in my wallet. However I could add the Zen through my wallet which makes my wallet balance look negative. It also didn't add the bonus Zen. Account support sorted this out and fixed the missing Zen. Thanks again to them!!
2. When updating the Arc client it lost non-PWE games added to the launcher.
Requests
1. Polish the Zen and wallet area. The wallet is still the old wallet interface and it looks weird and accessing the wallet from Arc is funky.
2. Don't completely remove the wallet and ability to move Zen to specific games. So if I want to buy $50 worth of Zen (for the bonus Z), I would like to move it to games as I like. Or do like SoE does with Station Cash and make it account wide. Whatever game I'm in, I can use the Station Cash I purchased how I want. This is one of my favorite systems.
3. Streamline the launchers a bit more. Instead of launching a launcher. Have the Arc client update the installs and just launch the games when you click play.
Hmmmm lets see. I downloaded CO last night. I already have ARC installed. But lets see. ARC download then install. Once all that is done. You then want to play Neverwinter. So you go to that portion of the site. You click Play for Free. It downloads and installs. Ok done. You then click play for Neverwinter. It then downloads and installs the rest. Now you can play. Now the only reason why it did this 3rd download and install is because there is STILL the separate neverwinter launcher. Once they do away with those launchers you won't have that so called 3 download steps for a new player as you will only have the initial ARC download then the game download which would do everything then instead of having to go to the 3rd download. As ARC will do the download and install of patches for your game.
So before you bash something you have not used, read what the devs have posted, read what others have said who have been using it from day 1 when it first came out last year like myself. Who has not had a single issue with the ARC client. It is not a resource hog like some others have said. I can even add other non pwe/cryptic games to the game library which places a shortcut to the game. I can then delete all the other short cuts on my desk top as I play 5 other MMOs.
In reply to the post above me. Eventually all launchers for all Cryptic/PWE games will be gone and there will only be a single launcher which will be ARC.
Overwhelming sense of de-ja-vu..... Cant help but think another forum mod in the wings....
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hobokenboyBanned Users, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 3Arc User
edited February 2014
So now that Neverwinter is up on Steam...(which it was said would never happen. Gotta love that.)..if someone downloads it through Steam, are they also going to get ARC -and- the regular game launcher, or just the game launcher?
I have liked arc since it was "Core Connect" but its nice that it actually includes Champs and Neverwinter now. My only issue with it is its a bit to streamline. and really does not have features that make it feel needed other than ocational promo codes and all the games in one spot aspec.
Core connect had the ability to upload and store pictures, set comments, display achievements, Characters, Guilds though not for NW or champs
Id love to be able to display my characters maybe upload screenshots of my characters in action.
id love to see these aspects added to arc, and:
1. it would be nice to be able to see arc news without going to arc games.com
2. id like to have gateway access through arc
3. It would be nice if the in game arc had a mini window option so you could say read forums and still monitor your chat window
4. it would be nice if find friends could check against your ingame friendlist/guild and or have it use ingame chatserver.
5. maybe give people using arc access to the out of game chat feature offered to gold Champ/STO members
6. I play elemental kingdoms with my iphone could we get a Iphone Arc app that gives access to iphone games/gateway/arcchat
7. an arc forum maybe.
8. arc based chatrooms
I am aware you are trying to keep arc streamline but if you do intend to compete with steam you should add more features maybe make them optional uploadable "plugins" that can be added by people who want them and ignored by people who want a streamline featureless product. im a total arc cheerleader here give me stuff to cheer for!
Comments
With ARC I can play immediately, while the first character under steam is frozen for several minutes.
Since it's under "FEEDBACK" I must DITTO @JARADIEL and say that ARC is awesome. Of course I speak for myself only, but I have yet to see anyone (okay, I have seen maybe ONE) of the poo-pooers who diss on ARC actually come-up with a good reason to poo-poo ARC.
If it's not for you, then just remain mum and move-on. Dissing anything (when you haven't even tried it) just makes you look bad, and sometimes makes look even pretty stupid. #JustSayin'
In the spirit of FEEDBACK: ARC is constantly displaying a green banner "cautioning me" about browser cookies. Even if I dismiss it, it's back again the next time I launch ARC. No big deal and easy to tune-out, but once dismissed it should know it's place: out of my presence. LOL
Like i said to other threads, my beef with Arc is that i do not like being forced to use applications i do not desire or need. Launchers count as those. I see Arc only being a channel for PWE to advertise their Zen stores, so they can milk more money out of people, it does not give me any value as a customer and the features it has give me zero benefit that i do not already have.
Everyone is saying its lightweight, but that is because it lacks functions, if they add stuff to it. It will become like Steam, heavy and bloated. I tested it when i had to install NW and i did not see anything which i havent allready seen and it definately wasnt anything new. Then it went to recycle bin.
Unless PWE can give me a good reason to install it, that actually benefits me as a NW player(such as using gateway through it), other than use it as a second browser and a chat tool. Then i will never install it. And if iam forced to use it to patch the game, and cant use the old launcher for that. Then you can count me as gone for good.
I will say tho, that people who play other PWE games might find it useful, for me who only plays one game.
It is not.
LOL In my original comment when I said there was only ONE poo-pooer who actually made any sense: you were and are the one. Your statements in this and the other feedback threads are fair and well-communicated.
Precisely. It's obvious to me that this was the whole point of offering the new shiny-toys: to get player to *try* ARC. If you don't like it, at least you'll have actually tried it and know why, and you get to keep the new toy (which I agree: isn't bad at all) - then just uninstall ARC.
I think those who poo-poo ARC without even trying it are the disingenuous nincompoop naysayers. If someone actually installed and tried it then says it's not for them and why: I'm good with that.
They'd be dead-wrong and have real mental issues if they don't like it, but that's okay. (I'm JUST KIDDING!) LOL
Please stop trying to pressure people into using bloatware. It's uncouth at best, and in most instances, portrays and air of incompetence or lack of trustworthiness.
I'll be expecting my ARC DVD "frisbees" any day now in the mail.
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics
In short, there is no reason not to install ARC Beta and profit from the freebies.
Aelar Hawkwind - Archer
Karrin Feywinter - Mistress of Flame
Errin Duskwalker - Executioner
Darquess - Soulbinder
Perhaps the OP's perception is skewed?
And ARC would be just another burden as it needs to be updated/maintained regularily. I am glad I didn't delete the old launcher...
WTB Class Reroll please
As is usually a truism in life, change is inevitable, and people fear change.
Great Weapon Fighter: Because when is today not a good day to die?
PC and PS4 player. Proud Guildmaster for PS4 Team Fencebane. Rank 5 Officer for PC Team Fencebane. Visit us at http://fencebane.shivtr.com
there's nothing about ARC that is bloatware. it is a small app that manages all of your PWE titles. it also provides a single sign-on feature for all games you have installed. everything that you could do before by bouncing to and from the game and your browser, you can now do within ARC.
neverwinter used to be the only PWE title i played. through ARC and their offerings, i have since installed STO and CO. since all of these titles are free to play, it's really a great way to offer these titles in a one-stop shop kind of scenario.
- JailBreak (in development)
I see a common pattern in how PWE manages every aspect of their games...
You don't get links to download the game, you get a link to a download that starts another download and eventually will download your game as well.
You don't get links to patch notes, you get a link to a forum that links all patch notes and you need to find the correct one that points you to a website containing the patch notes.
You don't simply walk into a dungeon. You open a manager to enter a queue that launches a prompt that if confirmed will start your dungeon.
See? :P
Second: ARC is not "bloatware" - because it does not install third-party junk, does not spam you with adverts for unrelated garbage, and is actually quite lean in terms of hard disk footprint and RAM/Performance overhead. Obviously the term "bloatware" is a subjective term, but it also is a derogatory term that I believe has no place in the description of ARC. Bloatware is stuff you are forced to keep, whether you use it or not. ARC Client is opt-in: you have to consciously and actively choose to even associate yourself with it in any way, shape or form at this point in time and for the foreseeable future. (See point three)
Third: ARC is currently 100% optional. If you don't like it, don't use it. Unlike "bloatware" if you have it installed and choose to uninstall it: it uninstalls cleanly and completely without 1) leaving garbage on your system and 2) leaving your games (even if installed with it) intact.
Fourth: Though ARC will become the main (and single) launcher for all of ARC Games titles, doing your research and actually understanding that research will do you wonders as you'll understand that this single-launcher-intent is only on the roadmap for now, and still a very long-way-off. (See arc games.com developer FAQ and actually edify yourself, rather than rely on knee-jerk reaction based on what you think you know, which you may not.)
Fifth: you are worried about a possible future that has not and may not even ever occur, rather than what is important, which is the here and now, and here and now the ARC client is 100% optional. No one is twisting your arm to use it.
Sixth: your own personal past experience with Steam or other so-called "segue-app-launchers" may or may not be repeated with ARC, you will never know unless you actually try it. You cannot plan the future on events of the past. Anyone attempting to do so will be more than disappointed.
Sixth: and finally, to whine and complain about something that is 100% optional that you have no reason to involve yourself with whatsoever simply makes your opinion appear to be "hater-opinion" for no reason other than being "hater-opinion". I'm not saying it is, I am saying it appears to be. It is laughable that you might conceive your opinion as having any weight or influence with anyone else other than the gullible who don't do their own research and rely of the fact-less hearsay of others. (a general "you", by the way - not targeted at anyone in-particular).
If you have actually downloaded and used ARC Client and like it or don't like it then do us all a favor: Give useful feedback that can actually be acted upon by other users and the developers. Surely the developers have no interest in forcing anything down your throat that tastes bad. if you don't like the ARC Client and any particular aspect of it, then says so in a useful way. Then the developers can appreciate that genuine feedback and improve the product, and who knows: maybe even change it in a way that you end-up even liking it.
TL;DR: If you don't like it, then do us all a favor: Explain *why* you don't like it so the developers have a fair chance at changing things in a way so you do like it. There is still time for this; hence the status of "BETA" is for this very purpose. Simple complaining about it without telling the creators how to fix it is nothing more than crybaby stuff. Seriously: Please kwitcherbichen.
'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.' Terry Pratchet The Thief Of Time
Yo dawg, I heard you like downloads in your downloads, so I added more downloads, so you could download when you download.
Good
1. Single login is nice and works well.
2. The look is clean and well laid out.
3. Purchasing Zen is easy.
4. Adding games is easy.
5. I like having all the game access centralized.
Needs Work
1. Account and billing communication between Arc and the website needs some work. I had some issues when purchasing Zen through Arc. It didn't add the Zen to the as it should and it didn't show in my wallet. However I could add the Zen through my wallet which makes my wallet balance look negative. It also didn't add the bonus Zen. Account support sorted this out and fixed the missing Zen. Thanks again to them!!
2. When updating the Arc client it lost non-PWE games added to the launcher.
Requests
1. Polish the Zen and wallet area. The wallet is still the old wallet interface and it looks weird and accessing the wallet from Arc is funky.
2. Don't completely remove the wallet and ability to move Zen to specific games. So if I want to buy $50 worth of Zen (for the bonus Z), I would like to move it to games as I like. Or do like SoE does with Station Cash and make it account wide. Whatever game I'm in, I can use the Station Cash I purchased how I want. This is one of my favorite systems.
3. Streamline the launchers a bit more. Instead of launching a launcher. Have the Arc client update the installs and just launch the games when you click play.
So before you bash something you have not used, read what the devs have posted, read what others have said who have been using it from day 1 when it first came out last year like myself. Who has not had a single issue with the ARC client. It is not a resource hog like some others have said. I can even add other non pwe/cryptic games to the game library which places a shortcut to the game. I can then delete all the other short cuts on my desk top as I play 5 other MMOs.
In reply to the post above me. Eventually all launchers for all Cryptic/PWE games will be gone and there will only be a single launcher which will be ARC.
Core connect had the ability to upload and store pictures, set comments, display achievements, Characters, Guilds though not for NW or champs
Id love to be able to display my characters maybe upload screenshots of my characters in action.
id love to see these aspects added to arc, and:
1. it would be nice to be able to see arc news without going to arc games.com
2. id like to have gateway access through arc
3. It would be nice if the in game arc had a mini window option so you could say read forums and still monitor your chat window
4. it would be nice if find friends could check against your ingame friendlist/guild and or have it use ingame chatserver.
5. maybe give people using arc access to the out of game chat feature offered to gold Champ/STO members
6. I play elemental kingdoms with my iphone could we get a Iphone Arc app that gives access to iphone games/gateway/arcchat
7. an arc forum maybe.
8. arc based chatrooms
I am aware you are trying to keep arc streamline but if you do intend to compete with steam you should add more features maybe make them optional uploadable "plugins" that can be added by people who want them and ignored by people who want a streamline featureless product. im a total arc cheerleader here give me stuff to cheer for!