- cross-posted to:
- gaming@lemmy.zip
- cross-posted to:
- gaming@lemmy.zip
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/14764738
Helldivers 2 Players Express Frustration On Steam As It Will Soon Require A PSN Account
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Eh, I knew it when I bought it. I didn’t know better and signed up. I wasn’t tricked and we all started the game that first time and were told about it
What’s going on? Is this game published by fucking Sony?
Yes?
“Wow sony, such quality” - Mike stoklasa, c. 2017 or so
Trying to refund it, although pretty low chance since it’s well past the window. But that’s part of what makes it so bullshit to bring this in long after that window closed. I’d have refunded the game on the spot if it actually required the account creation from the get go. I refunded Red Dead 2 after it turned out to require a Rock Star account. Fortunately that was apparent on start up so I just quit and refunded.
What does a PSN account involve? Just an email and password, maybe a handle/nickname?
I assume it needs no credit card or payment.
If all that is true a PSN account is annoying but doesn’t seem so bad.
I want to buy and eat soup without someone dipping their dick in it and telling me it’s a part of the experience.
Oh my!
But that’s what makes it artisanal and an extra 3.50
“Well if it is just the Tipp I’m fine with it. It is a bit annoying but better then two sweaty balls”
Pretty silly comparison.
Remember when telemetry/data collection across the internet was often optional and pretty minor?
The more shit we absentmindedly agree to because it’s not really a big deal in the short term, the worse it gets in the long term.
If I play a game on Steam, then Playstation, EA, Ubisoft, etc should all fuck off. I already gave those companies my money, it’s insulting that that isn’t enough anymore.
Edit: great point I just saw someone else mention, the fact that Sony has allowed over 100 million users’ data to be exposed due to various breaches by bad actors over the past 15 years. At least one of those times, the data was revealed to be nowhere near as secure as it should have been.
If all that is required is an email address and password I could live with giving Sony a special email address and unique password, I don’t see where I have a privacy or security risk there. Annoying, but it’s a lot better than another launcher or something. ETA: It asks for birthdate, definitely don’t give them your real birthdate but give them something close. I have a standard fake that I use.
They don’t care if it’s a valid email or not. All they want is a unique identifier.
They might verify the email. But if you’re that worried about Sony having your email you can just make a unique one for them. You don’t have to give them your primary email.
Jan 1 1984 of course
I read that in some regions ( I think UK/Ireland? ) it requires a picture OD your face/ID to verify your age.
Can’t verify that though
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People nowadays hate having more than one account. They can’t even bare having more than one exe that launches other exes installed on the same computer anymore
I would definitely be annoyed but have had to create an account for other games too. Give them an email that isn’t your primary email and a unique password, I don’t see where there is any risk after that.
Needing to run a programm just to launch a different program is stupid. I don’t need a middleman, just let me launch the second program directly.
Right, so you hate steam too then?
If you do, I’m more talking about the cognitive dissonance of others that love steam just because it’s the lesser evil of the launchers, but vehemently hate the idea of buying a game on another store front.
What other value does the so called other launcher provide? Modding sdk? Community forum? Family sharing? Controller remap?
You can still do all of that stuff without owning the game via steam
Other than modding via workshop
Sure, but I specifically ask other launcher. If we are talking no launcher at all then it is a different discussion entirely. If we are talking about not having a launcher, yeah, that is understandable too. But then again, many games have their own launcher and they do not add any value other than for the sake of having one/promoting the publisher
Yeah specific single game launchers are pretty awful
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Yes, and one is bad enough
It doesn’t seem like a big change to me, so long as you can just have it linked to your Steam account and nothing else.
I’d mostly be upset if it breaks Linux compatibility or was a single player game (HD2 isn’t).
E: Changed only to mostly
And the people that bought it but can’t get PSN accounts? Do they get a refund (HAHAHAHAH) or are they just fucked?
It’s a huge change even if you can’t grasp it.
Enough demanding accounts for everything.
I think those people that will no longer be able to play it, because Sony doesn’t let them do the thing that they now require, deserve refunds. I will leave a negative review when the update drops if they don’t, despite really enjoying this game, because it’s not fair to those who bought it and will be locked out. If they can make it such that you can have a placeholder Sony account that can’t access all PSN features, for the sole purpose to play this and other Sony games on Steam, that anyone in the world can access, that would be an acceptable compromise to me.
I understand EULA and account creation fatigue. It’s just that it’s not the accounts themselves that are the worrisome part of the change for me is what I’m saying. If it’s for specific reasoning (console crossplay), is unobtrusive, and maintains access for existing Steam purchasers then I don’t have a real problem. If they use it to limit people’s access that’s where I have a problem.
If they can make it such that you can have a placeholder Sony account that can’t access all PSN features, for the sole purpose to play this and other Sony games on Steam, that anyone in the world can access, that would be an acceptable compromise to me.
If they did that then what is the point in requiring a login at all… just remove the damned feature that is not required and very few want. We know it is not required as the game has been working fine for months without it. There is zero need for you to need a login for this game. Except that sony wants more user information they can sell to others.
In the compromise model, Sony gets the interaction data they want and pad their account numbers for investors. Players get sustained access to the game. Win-win.
Players get sustained access to the game.
That should be the default for any game you have brought… not a compromise… Forcing everyone to have an account only serve to benefit Sony.
Does anyone know what type of information is shared by linking accounts
If it links to your Steam account, I assume it’s going to get all the info in your Steam account.
Afraid you’re gonna have to dig deep into their privacy policies for that, including all third party vendors they partner with, which I’m assuming is more than just a few. The world of policies is intricate by design…
So, at first install, I actually linked my account to a PSN account that I knew was banned due to a charge back on an unwanted purchase. At the time, I figured if I discovered that I can’t play because my account is banned from PSN, I’d just refund on Steam. I feel I’ll be very justifiably pissed if my account is now banned from playing retroactively, long after the refund window.
This is the point of contention I am curious about. If Sony can be the one to kick you off the game that you bought on Steam and you don’t get refunded for it, I will review it negatively. Let me know what happens after the update forcing PSN.
As of today, I am still able to log in. The next point I’m concerned about is the 30th, so we’ll be waiting a while, but I’ll do my best to update.
I presume you will have heard, Sony/Playstation has announced it will reverse on the PSN linking mandate.
This feature doesn’t affect me personally, but it is still very scummy to add it after launch. Long after refund window is out of the question.
A change like this may warrant special exceptions to the refund rules. Steam has made exceptions for similar changes to games made after launch in the past.
Well, it affects me in that now I know not to buy this game and support such a scummy practice.
Is the game developer involved or is it just Sony doing Sony there are some things that there are some things that don’t things?
The developer is involved. Though it’s pretty obvious that the push for this is from Sony, they are the publisher for the game.
The developer is involved to the extent that they have to do what Sony says. The CEO of Arrowhead even tweeted that people should email Sony, referring to a Playstations own website where it stated that PSN is optional. Sony then quickly changed their web page to say it’s sometimes required.
From my point of view this is all Sony.
“this step will help us continue to build a community that you are all proud to be a part of”
Someone is selling ad data from this, not entirely sure if it’s Sony or dev or both
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Yeah but it seems like they were not expecting this change just based on their responses on social media, and it looks like Sony didn’t even “require it” until just recently. So I just wanted to know.
It wasn’t added after launch. You could bypass it. Now they are changing that.
By feature I just mean it being mandatory now
That’s true. Personally though, it not being optional for any amount of time just shows that there’s no good argument to have it be mandatory in the first place.
Didn’t think this was real at first read. But holy fudge it it is… Game is now being review bombed on steam. Here’s an additional article from Gaming on Linux:
Although the Steam page for HELLDIVERS 2 has clearly stated since release that a PlayStation Network account is required, you actually haven’t had to link them. That will change really soon.
So if it were clearly written on the Steam page, I don’t really get the complains.
So if it were clearly written on the Steam page, I don’t really get the complains.
It was optional for several months and the info on the PSN page contradicted that, so there was a lot of room for confusion.
Not surprisingly that PSN page was edited earlier today, but there’s a million screenshots floating around already, plus you can check the previous version in the Wayback Machine.
And even if it was clearly written on all places, it’s still a “too bad you didn’t read the fine print, now you’re past the limit time for a refund, so either let Sony track you or lose access to the game” situation which is very shitty. There’s also the fact that they sold the game to people in countries where is PSN is not available, which should not have happened if that requirement was going to be enforced in the future.
Not hard to see why people would get pissed and lose trust in the developer. I also think that players have been annoyed for a while with this type of requirement (not specifically in this game), and they are now getting a good outlet with a lot of publicity around to vent about it.
That makes much more sense now. I was also wondering why people didn‘t pick up on it earlier given the incredible popularity of this game. So of course people noticed it, but it just didn‘t make much sense. I can see why someone would shrug it off a messy bit of text that probably wasn‘t supposed to be there and will be removed or edited or something. Well edited it was… just not as expected I guess.
There’s also the problem that they’re clearly rushing this without much thought, they don’t even have an answer to the obvious question of “what happens to people in regions not supported by PSN”.
Who the fuck reads the entire steam page? My friend says buy the game, the reviews say it’s great with friends, you go and buy the game not scan the steam page for predatory data hoarding policies.
On top of the fact it was (more or less) turnkey. It worked. For months. Why would you look at the page when it works? If it was like that from the start, it would be different.
By clearly stated, they mean, in small letters further down on the steam page that nobody reads. Just like a cheeky terms of services…
Just like a cheeky terms of services…
check both EULA links on the steam page. Nothing about this is in either (even now). So it’s literally just the banner.
I can personally see it on the steam page, underneath controller support section.
Yes. That would be the banner I’m talking about.
oh right, i misread what you wrote mb
“But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.
— Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Love this! 🙌 Just started listening to the Audiobooks.
You mean the radio show, I hope?
Looks like the web archive is down for me atm. As long as you can hear multiple voice actors and sound effects, you’re at the right place.
This is the one narrated by the one and only Stephen Fry <3
The review chart is hilarious.
Doubt Sony or the developer expected this would happen.
Edit [May/04, 14h UTC]: Updated chart. More than 70k negative reviews already.
thanks for sharing the chart! I doubt they Sony takes a hint from this too, but it certainly shows other developers and publishers something about signing contracts with Sony…
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Sony should take the hint. Many of these reviews are from people who can’t even get a PSN account in their country. So Steam is about to be flooded with requests for refunds due to the game not being available to some users. I already asked for a refund because of this.
It’s unlikely steam will be able to tell people to just pound sand, so Valve will likely step in at some point and then Sony will be in trouble with the platform itself.
Yup. I have a feeling Valve will like usual be on the side of their customers.
Why would people not trust putting any info and linking their Steam account to a company with a history of at least 8 hacks + 5 massive data breaches? I wonder. 🤔
Please, anyone who reads this, stop posting links to the mobile version of Wikipedia. It doesn’t switch automatically on PC, and I see it happen all the time. Just take the half a second to remove the “.m” from the beginning of the link, save everyone else from the pain of having to be surprised by it and taking the time to do it themselves.
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Is deleting 2 characters from the URL really causing you pain?
You even have a keyboard and mouse! It’s like less than 2 seconds to correct
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People have been remarking that numerous countries are unable to join PSN and this will lock them out of the game. But can someone explain to me how that could be true? Are they literally not on the drop-down menu for selecting your country?
Yes. PSN is only available in about 70 countries (out of 190). E.g. in the entire continent of Africa only one country has access.
Even some members of European Union don’t get PSN.
Evidently that is the case.
One of the Arrowhead community managers said they’re trying to get more information regarding regions, so it kinda seems like they weren’t fully prepared for this/got blindsided by Sony a bit. There should be an FAQ/QA with additional info coming soon.
I feel weird using my PSN account because the birth date on it is wrong… I tried to tell Sony this, but they said they couldn’t change it
That’s probably a good thing. I generally put different information into every service. If you keep track of who you told what, you can use that information later. If you receive spam from somewhere random, but they use the name you gave Sony, you can say “oh so Sony sold my data to you…”
Sony has been part of at least one major data leak. They don’t have to tell anyone since all of their data already is on the internet.
If you’re in the EU, they have to correct your personal information. Threaten to report them to your local privacy authority if they don’t.
So every company you give info to is responsible to catch every one of your lies? That sounds hard.
No, but they have to update your info if you want to change it.
If they’re as incompetent as they sound they’d have to change it manually and assuming you could make them do that it would probably break something in the account. 😄 There’s no good way to do this if it was badly put together.
I’m in the Land of Eagles and Hamburgers I’m afraid
Man it’s such a shame. I was looking forward to trying it, but I’m not going to create a psn acc for it
I’m guessing you have an Origin, EA and Microsoft account though? Along with Steam, Epic, Gog and what else?
EDIT: lol at all the downvotes with zero explanations 🤣
At least you use those for other games, what are you using your PSN acc with no PlayStation for?
I don’t have any of those, except steam
So what?
The game is very repetitive, anyway. I was bored after about 20 hours. By then you’ve already seen everything there is to see.
Agreed. Fun with other people. Boring as fuck solo.
Every game is repetitive, it comes down to whether the repetition is entertaining. It wasn’t for you but for a lot of people it is. It is trending downward according to Steam stats but it still has around 60-70k concurrent players during the low points and in terms of hours played it’s be in the top 10 games.
Personally while the overall mission structure is “repetitive” I think the randomization of mission parameters, how the mission play out and the spectacle make it very fun. I would still be playing if not for the Sony shit. It’s a great game to peace out with friends.
More stuff is coming / is already out. It’s actually a really well done implementation of a live service game which I never thought I’d say about anything. That does mean it has a shelf life though and the live service won’t last forever, which is a bummer. I’m curious what they’ll do with it once they’re finished actively managing the war story. Maybe hand it over to an AI in 2-3 years.
Hmm well I played on and off for about a month and didn’t notice anything new.
Do you know if they plan on adding some new game modes? I’m already sick and tired of the whole “shoot bugs, rescue hostages/blow up objective, shoot more bugs then extract” thing. I get that a lot of shooters have a tendency to only have 2-3 game modes max, but those games at least have PvP to keep things interesting.
Not sure. I do know new creatures are planned and coming, and player vehicles are planned. I haven’t played in a couple weeks though so I’m not sure what all is out and what’s still cooking.
They sold this game in dozens of countries where you can’t make a PSN account. That right there is what pisses me the fuck off. Complete horseshit to do that to people.
PSN doesn’t care if you lie and just choose your nearest supported country.
It actually does, it’s something people get their accounts banned over.
Their terms of service specifically say if you spoof your location or do not sign up in your country you will subject to review and punishment. Aka permabanned
They literally do care: https://www.ungeek.ph/2018/09/pinoy-gt-sport-player-disqualified-from-gran-turismo-world-tour-2018-due-to-technicality/
It might not affect most people as they won’t get caught, but Sony absolutely cares when you’ve given them false information. I’d much rather get my refund than be at the mercy of Sony who can be pretty liberal with the suspensions.
One of my friends made the mistake of linking his PSN account right when he started playing Helldivers 2 then shortly found he was banned from the game. After he did some digging, he found his PSN account was banned for “suspicious activities” despite having not used it in over a year. After even more digging he eventually finds out it was because when they kept charging him for their premium service and he was trying to cancel it, they wouldn’t remove his payment information. He checked multiple times with them and they said they did.
Next payment period rolls around and they charge him for another year of service all the same. He tries to get it refunded, he talks to them about how they said they removed the payment info and it’s nothing but “well there’s nothing we can do about it now” type bullshit. So he goes to his bank and did a charge back on the annual fee, since they keep insisting it’s impossible. Wouldn’t ya know it suddenly it’s very easy to remove his payment info, cancel that premium service, and take care of everything.
All of this was done about a year prior, and he left his account untouched since fuck Sony and PlayStation at that point. I guess they waited until his account was active again being used for a game for them to suddenly realize they really don’t like his charge back and deactivate his account entirely, blocking access to everything linked to it, including Helldivers 2.
