The more I read about Arc as someone with no previous experience or opinion either way the more I read the more I don't like;
- Talk about consuming resources.
- A launcher for a single game (have no interest to play anything more from Cryptic or PWE I want STO only). Given that I can play STO as a standalone and/or through Steam why do I need a launcher or launcher for a launcher when I can play the game just fine as it is?
- Mention of Pando Media Booster (basically helping other patch their games at the players expense rather than Cryptic/PWE which compromises my internet use (not just STO but as others have said it will consume your internet use and add potential charges). It also monitors your traffic. It's bad enough when I patch early so I'm ready to play when the servers come back up. For the many I imagine that don't or can't I'm expected to help them patch so the game lags or crashes?
- Nothing I see which I want or need. I have what I need the game and the means to play it.
Security I've no idea on but adding another potential loophole to me would increase insecurity. I've no idea if there are other reasons to stay away from this.
This customer does not want Arc and that's unlikely to change so please don't make me have something I don't want.
People arn't going to quit over this, and empty threats towards a large company by a fraction of its playerbase falls on deaf ears. This is basically just a vent thread.
Don't like ARC? Neither do I, just use Steam. Don't like either? Then suck it up, or move on. those are your options.
If ARC was horrible enough to cause mass player loss PW wouldve scrapped it after the first 1 or 2 games they forced it upon. It's been being used for a while now which means they're happy with how it is.
Also other gaming companies have been using similar programs for years such as ijji, Aeria, and Outspark. (Given 2 of those companies were bought out, but a lot of f2ps lately have been)
Anyways feel free to keep raging and whining, I'll see you in game the next time you need to set up a rep mission, or when S8 hits.
Im pretty certain they said no such thing. do you have a quote?
Now ive been using Arc for months and its perfectly fine. Its just a more complex launcher. you can even close it down after you have launched the game if you dont then want it running.
You have to use the launcher every time you play the game, so we have already been forced to use something just to get in. its really no big deal other than people panicking over nothing.
Says someone who is not that computer savvy. Yes, you have to close it down to stop it from literally leeching off your system but you will also want to make darn sure it is not starting up on its own at power on.
Moreover, turning it off is not always as simple as clicking the X or right clicking the icon and telling it to turn off. You may well need to go into processes and really turn it off.
Also this thing amounts to a backdoor and a notable breech in security. Unlike the STO launcher which more or less serves one quick function and is done this thing is a lot bulkier and shady.
In response to the OP: I abhor Arc. I will likely use a few programs to ensure it does not run and launch the STO launcher separately and or patch separately.
People arn't going to quit over this, and empty threats towards a large company by a fraction of its playerbase falls on deaf ears. This is basically just a vent thread.
Don't like ARC? Neither do I, just use Steam. Don't like either? Then suck it up, or move on. those are your options.
If ARC was horrible enough to cause mass player loss PW wouldve scrapped it after the first 1 or 2 games they forced it upon. It's been being used for a while now which means they're happy with how it is.
Also other gaming companies have been using similar programs for years such as ijji, Aeria, and Outspark. (Given 2 of those companies were bought out, but a lot of f2ps lately have been)
Anyways feel free to keep raging and whining, I'll see you in game the next time you need to set up a rep mission, or when S8 hits.
I just hope people leave for a few months, see how awesome STO is ... and come back.
I also hope they continue to support STO.
One also wishes that PWE were not such massive Trolls either.
Hopefully I'll come back from my break; this break is fun; I play intellectual games.
Thanks. Late to the anti-Arc mob so need pointing to the key bit of information .
Well having played STO for nearly 4 years I've developed a huge backlog of games I've hardly played and games I'd love to replay so at least I'll have something else to play. While I'm waiting for Season 8 I'm replaying FF7 on the PC going for the 'perfect game'.
And, as I said in a previous post, whilst I don't dislike PWE's other games, I have no experience of them to comment. The only game I play, at all, is STO and I have zero interest in playing anything else.
And that is another reason I take issue with the 'you're having this whether you like it or not' attitude from tptb about this.
I have a lot of experience with some of PWE's other games... STO is far and away one of their very best. The rest are mostly pretty graphics and lackluster button mashing gameplay you could easily experience on an old First Gen Nintendo (but not as fun) with story lines so shallow a rain drop has more depth.
People arn't going to quit over this, and empty threats towards a large company by a fraction of its playerbase falls on deaf ears. This is basically just a vent thread.
Don't like ARC? Neither do I, just use Steam. Don't like either? Then suck it up, or move on. those are your options.
If ARC was horrible enough to cause mass player loss PW wouldve scrapped it after the first 1 or 2 games they forced it upon. It's been being used for a while now which means they're happy with how it is.
Also other gaming companies have been using similar programs for years such as ijji, Aeria, and Outspark. (Given 2 of those companies were bought out, but a lot of f2ps lately have been)
Anyways feel free to keep raging and whining, I'll see you in game the next time you need to set up a rep mission, or when S8 hits.
Exactly which is why I'll read the reasons for and against and make up my mind.
If we can run the game via Steam then this is manageable. Otherwise this is a show stopper.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
15000 USD and I will give you my account. It has JHAS, Krenn, Bugnaught with elite frigates, MK XII space Jem set, Plsama XII purple consoles, Tetryon XII purple consoles, AP XII purple consoles, 250mil EC cash and a lot moar.
Will 20 quid do it? That is all I have saved up.
Oh BTW, you cannot sell accounts, it is against the TOS and the TOS.
Hopefully I'll come back from my break; this break is fun; I play intellectual games.
What exactly does that mean for us Steam users? That there will be some Steam-like app running in the background and that's it? In that case I will use my energy to get angry about something else
What exactly will change for those of us who use Steam to run STO?
Impossible to say until we get further information but what it sounds like is that they want to make Arc run in the background regardless of how you open the game. So you would probably open the game from Steam like normal but then Arc would come in and load patches etc... and then stay open in the background while you play.
Why?... Mostly to spy on you.
It is not just adds that make them money after all. If they can get the numbers on your play style and what else you do, what websites you visit, etc... that can be sold to other marketers for some good cash.
If we can run the game via Steam then this is manageable. Otherwise this is a show stopper.
They claim to be staying with Steam 'at this time', but from what I understand, Steam doesn't actually patch STO. It just launches the launcher, which does the patching.
They also can't distribute Arc via Steam, since I'm also given to understand that would be against the TOS of Steam. Having Steam do a download of a knockoff Steam is a nono.
So unless they rework a deal with Steam, I don't see how they will manage this. It would also make Arc redundant and unable to force ads in our faces, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." — Lazarus Long --->Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
If ARC becomes mandatory my Star Trek Online experience will come to a end. I wont download/install it. Please don't make ARC required I don't want to quit the game but I will it you TRIBBLE me off with ARC being required.
I agree with op, i won't download arc.
I don't want to be forced into using this, i don't care about other pwe games...i like nwn1 and 2 so i tried neverwinter online but it was boring for me. Their other games certainly won't interest me as i'm not into asian mmo/rpgs.
I don't want spyware/stuff scanning my hdd. I want to continue to use current sto launcher.
I understand that others might like arc but please, make it optional, not forced, also i don't use steam so i won't be able to play sto if i don't want to use arc.
It was obvious that it will become mandatory at some point but this doesn't change the fact that we were lied about it that there are no plans to make it required to play/patch sto.
If they will ignore players' feedback about it and not make it optional then i will be forced to quit sto, it's sad as i used to like this game very much.
And no nobody can haz mah stuffz as those are bound to my chars...
Now i have so much fun in swtor, guess i will stay there...
Sorry for my english as it's not my first language.
I play STO mostly when I'm outside town for work since at home I have a family to take care of. Since work for me is a bit far off on a mine site, I have to rely on Mobile Internet and such I have monthly data limit which costs a lot if I exceed. If Arc sends advertisement and anything else that would bust that limit I'll have to close down my monthly account and switch to another game.
So not-so-Perfect World Entertainment, hoping that you read this (in a Perfect World they would), here are some options and I encourage others to give some instead of just complaining:
1- Have low bandwidth-cap option with lower download-heavy of quality advertisements
2- Get the other way around: GIVE Zen to users that run the full Arc software. Just a small monthly amount, enough to keep players happy and for us players that can't operate/tolerate/whateverate the use of Arc, we'll also be happy not getting a candy by not having Arc.
3- Give subscribing player an option to opt out of the "wonderful" features of Arc (aka we're already giving you money so give us a break!)
We all know that maintenance costs are high for servers, debugs, new contents, etc. and for a free game it can be difficult to find income sources. Making players pay more elsewhere means they will invest less in the game.
As of now, I have not cancelled my subscription but I am thinking about it.
Cheers
"Starship captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. The secret is to give them what they need, not what they want."
- Scotty, to La Forge
Because some people have limited bandwidth and don't want to use it up running another online program in the background. It will also contain data mining software and report your habits back to PWE so as they can target you for better advertisements and services "YOU" want according to your habits !
No thanks aint interested, if it is mandatory well I wont be having it !
Because some people have limited bandwidth and don't want to use it up running another online program in the background. It will also contain data mining software and report your habits back to PWE so as they can target you for better advertisements and services "YOU" want according to your habits !
No thanks aint interested, if it is mandatory well I wont be having it !
Pretty sure they said it wouldn't. No one reads?
STO community worst community. I will be happy if a lot of you leave. You guys are terrible people.
♪ I'm going around not in circles but in spirographs.
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
I honestly wonder how many will stop playing because of this and how many will just do it, probably most. There were similar rants when the account merger happened.
NERF CANNONS - THEY NEED A 50% NERF
CRUISERS NEED A 206% HULL BUFF
If Arc needs to store my credit information on PWE/Cryptic servers I will then need to leave Star Trek Online, and that statement is not something I really enjoy making because I love STO and leaving it would mean leaving the Fleet that I love and my friends there.
I will not allow Cryptic to store my credit information to make the buying of ZEN seamless and as easy as simply pressing one button. It has been proven in the past with MANY MMO developers that this kind of information is vulnerable and I do not trust PWE/Cryptic or any other developer to have constant access to my personal credit information.
Comments
- Talk about consuming resources.
- A launcher for a single game (have no interest to play anything more from Cryptic or PWE I want STO only). Given that I can play STO as a standalone and/or through Steam why do I need a launcher or launcher for a launcher when I can play the game just fine as it is?
- Mention of Pando Media Booster (basically helping other patch their games at the players expense rather than Cryptic/PWE which compromises my internet use (not just STO but as others have said it will consume your internet use and add potential charges). It also monitors your traffic. It's bad enough when I patch early so I'm ready to play when the servers come back up. For the many I imagine that don't or can't I'm expected to help them patch so the game lags or crashes?
- Nothing I see which I want or need. I have what I need the game and the means to play it.
Security I've no idea on but adding another potential loophole to me would increase insecurity. I've no idea if there are other reasons to stay away from this.
This customer does not want Arc and that's unlikely to change so please don't make me have something I don't want.
Yea except, as far as i can tell, Arc has to run as a background service for STO to run...
I am in need of EC!
I hope STO get's better ...
How can anyone be in need of EC?
Visit my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Akurie369?feature=watch
Captain Bi Shonen's official Thread! http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=22866531#post22866531
So? It's not like EC is scattered around every corner in a never ending supply and is extremely easy to come by...
Unless you don't play any mission with loot-drops... I really can't see how anyone can be in short EC supply...
Don't like ARC? Neither do I, just use Steam. Don't like either? Then suck it up, or move on. those are your options.
If ARC was horrible enough to cause mass player loss PW wouldve scrapped it after the first 1 or 2 games they forced it upon. It's been being used for a while now which means they're happy with how it is.
Also other gaming companies have been using similar programs for years such as ijji, Aeria, and Outspark. (Given 2 of those companies were bought out, but a lot of f2ps lately have been)
Anyways feel free to keep raging and whining, I'll see you in game the next time you need to set up a rep mission, or when S8 hits.
Says someone who is not that computer savvy. Yes, you have to close it down to stop it from literally leeching off your system but you will also want to make darn sure it is not starting up on its own at power on.
Moreover, turning it off is not always as simple as clicking the X or right clicking the icon and telling it to turn off. You may well need to go into processes and really turn it off.
Also this thing amounts to a backdoor and a notable breech in security. Unlike the STO launcher which more or less serves one quick function and is done this thing is a lot bulkier and shady.
In response to the OP: I abhor Arc. I will likely use a few programs to ensure it does not run and launch the STO launcher separately and or patch separately.
I just hope people leave for a few months, see how awesome STO is ... and come back.
I also hope they continue to support STO.
One also wishes that PWE were not such massive Trolls either.
I hope STO get's better ...
Thanks. Late to the anti-Arc mob so need pointing to the key bit of information
Well having played STO for nearly 4 years I've developed a huge backlog of games I've hardly played and games I'd love to replay so at least I'll have something else to play. While I'm waiting for Season 8 I'm replaying FF7 on the PC going for the 'perfect game'.
I have a lot of experience with some of PWE's other games... STO is far and away one of their very best. The rest are mostly pretty graphics and lackluster button mashing gameplay you could easily experience on an old First Gen Nintendo (but not as fun) with story lines so shallow a rain drop has more depth.
Exactly which is why I'll read the reasons for and against and make up my mind.
- Judge Aaron Satie
Will 20 quid do it? That is all I have saved up.
Oh BTW, you cannot sell accounts, it is against the TOS and the TOS.
I hope STO get's better ...
Hard to say but it sounds more like you will be able to OPEN the game from Steam but Arc will STILL run in the background.
WHAT!? :eek:
I hope STO get's better ...
Impossible to say until we get further information but what it sounds like is that they want to make Arc run in the background regardless of how you open the game. So you would probably open the game from Steam like normal but then Arc would come in and load patches etc... and then stay open in the background while you play.
Why?... Mostly to spy on you.
It is not just adds that make them money after all. If they can get the numbers on your play style and what else you do, what websites you visit, etc... that can be sold to other marketers for some good cash.
They claim to be staying with Steam 'at this time', but from what I understand, Steam doesn't actually patch STO. It just launches the launcher, which does the patching.
They also can't distribute Arc via Steam, since I'm also given to understand that would be against the TOS of Steam. Having Steam do a download of a knockoff Steam is a nono.
So unless they rework a deal with Steam, I don't see how they will manage this. It would also make Arc redundant and unable to force ads in our faces, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
I would hazard a guess it will be handled like GFWL is, on some steam titles..
http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=230021&highlight=installer
Hhmmm...
Plus http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=230611&highlight=installer
or http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=225321&highlight=installer
Someone at PWE mus be thinking:
EVERYONE MUST AND IS LOVING ARC.
Could not be further from the Truth.
It honestly amazes me how they have no idea how much players don't want it.
I hope STO get's better ...
I don't want to be forced into using this, i don't care about other pwe games...i like nwn1 and 2 so i tried neverwinter online but it was boring for me. Their other games certainly won't interest me as i'm not into asian mmo/rpgs.
I don't want spyware/stuff scanning my hdd. I want to continue to use current sto launcher.
I understand that others might like arc but please, make it optional, not forced, also i don't use steam so i won't be able to play sto if i don't want to use arc.
It was obvious that it will become mandatory at some point but this doesn't change the fact that we were lied about it that there are no plans to make it required to play/patch sto.
If they will ignore players' feedback about it and not make it optional then i will be forced to quit sto, it's sad as i used to like this game very much.
And no nobody can haz mah stuffz as those are bound to my chars...
Now i have so much fun in swtor, guess i will stay there...
Sorry for my english as it's not my first language.
So not-so-Perfect World Entertainment, hoping that you read this (in a Perfect World they would), here are some options and I encourage others to give some instead of just complaining:
1- Have low bandwidth-cap option with lower download-heavy of quality advertisements
2- Get the other way around: GIVE Zen to users that run the full Arc software. Just a small monthly amount, enough to keep players happy and for us players that can't operate/tolerate/whateverate the use of Arc, we'll also be happy not getting a candy by not having Arc.
3- Give subscribing player an option to opt out of the "wonderful" features of Arc (aka we're already giving you money so give us a break!)
We all know that maintenance costs are high for servers, debugs, new contents, etc. and for a free game it can be difficult to find income sources. Making players pay more elsewhere means they will invest less in the game.
As of now, I have not cancelled my subscription but I am thinking about it.
Cheers
- Scotty, to La Forge
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
Because some people have limited bandwidth and don't want to use it up running another online program in the background. It will also contain data mining software and report your habits back to PWE so as they can target you for better advertisements and services "YOU" want according to your habits !
No thanks aint interested, if it is mandatory well I wont be having it !
Pretty sure they said it wouldn't. No one reads?
STO community worst community. I will be happy if a lot of you leave. You guys are terrible people.
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
CRUISERS NEED A 206% HULL BUFF
I will not allow Cryptic to store my credit information to make the buying of ZEN seamless and as easy as simply pressing one button. It has been proven in the past with MANY MMO developers that this kind of information is vulnerable and I do not trust PWE/Cryptic or any other developer to have constant access to my personal credit information.