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pedrovay2003: No luck, sadly. I tried every argument that we've confirmed works, but nothing lets it run.
Yeah PCGW has both listed as having Epic Client DRM check. Hopefully this is just an exception and not the start of a new trend...
Is the Alien Isolation situation (no save possible) still valid? Anyone tried with some auth args as above or sth. like that?
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pedrovay2003: No luck, sadly. I tried every argument that we've confirmed works, but nothing lets it run.
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AB2012: Yeah PCGW has both listed as having Epic Client DRM check. Hopefully this is just an exception and not the start of a new trend...
I've been keeping myself in mind about why DRM exists and what they design for games to work. The fact it's also designed as a multiplayer game leaves little room to hope it won't run on a launcher, and it happens to be that way on Steam as well, in spite of the fact Denuvo was removed anyway. That tells me it was likely deliberately designed that way like many other games, so that's not surprising to me in the least bit.

EDIT: Well, it's sort of multiplayer for Sonic Mania, but people have also gotten it to work as true multiplayer. My point was that generally that games like it, especially those with true online multiplayer, they have a dependency on using the launcher for the platform's resources to connect to servers. In older games, that could have been done without launchers/platforms because you could just simply dial in to the IP of the server running the game. Instead these days, that's basically consolidated within the platform's launchers, so the game cannot otherwise run correctly without. They may have to change the entire game to get it to work that way, else you use alternatives if they can work. You can't always go DRM-free without at least bricking something.
Post edited June 25, 2021 by TurdFerguson87
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russellskanne: Is the Alien Isolation situation (no save possible) still valid? Anyone tried with some auth args as above or sth. like that?
Just tried both arguments again. You need the EpicPortal paramter to even start the game and adding the other parameter unfortunately does not help regarding the save option. However I noticed that was able to load my game as long as I did not quit the game (back to main menu or desktop). However after restarting you won't be able to load and you'll have to restart which in effect will eradicate your saves.
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russellskanne: Is the Alien Isolation situation (no save possible) still valid? Anyone tried with some auth args as above or sth. like that?
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MarkoH01: Just tried both arguments again. You need the EpicPortal paramter to even start the game and adding the other parameter unfortunately does not help regarding the save option. However I noticed that was able to load my game as long as I did not quit the game (back to main menu or desktop). However after restarting you won't be able to load and you'll have to restart which in effect will eradicate your saves.
This is, regrettably, the way Journey works now, too. It worked great without the client when it was first released (and I luckily backed it up), but now, nothing saves or loads after you exit. When they released the Steam version, they updated the Epic version, and it messed everything up; the Epic version's config file even saves in the Steam version's folder now, which it didn't do originally.
Windbound does not work. I opened cmd and cd'ed to the directory containing ..\Epic Games\Windbound\Windbound.exe and ran the below two commands.

> Windbound -EpicPortal
> Windbound /c=.. -AUTH_LOGIN=unused

In Task Manager, Windbound.exe appears for about 1 second and then vanishes.
high rated
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pedrovay2003: This is, regrettably, the way Journey works now, too. It worked great without the client when it was first released (and I luckily backed it up), but now, nothing saves or loads after you exit. When they released the Steam version, they updated the Epic version, and it messed everything up; the Epic version's config file even saves in the Steam version's folder now, which it didn't do originally.
Yeah that's my long-term concern. Modern multi-player titles are mostly online so I'm not surprised when they don't work. But the reason GOG's offline installers contain galaxy.dll files in single player games is that many games are now compiled to call a client API for online "not DRM" features (eg, unlocking an achievement) with the expectation that client that handles that stuff will always be running, and the offline files are there to act as a "fall-back" (silently fail) if the client isn't running (nothing will be unlocked, but nothing crashes / refuses to start). It could be "specific" to the store or some kind of "ghost wrapper" that translates Steam API calls in real time to GOG / Epic ones, essentially reusing Steam achievements on non-Steam stores which sounds like what you're describing there (and if I remember correctly, is used in Deus Ex:MD here on GOG).

Now if Epic start adding stuff like that with no offline fall-back, that's the kind of stuff that can break the ability to run many single player games without necessarily having "hard DRM" or being multi-player (Steam even encourage that as a feature on the Steamworks DRM page for developers). So it's a good idea to zip up and backup Epic games currently on this list that work without a client now in case games get updated with a new system with more online integration but without a GOG style fallback that ultimately has the same "blocker" effect as DRM if the client / launcher isn't running.
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MarkoH01: Just tried both arguments again. You need the EpicPortal paramter to even start the game and adding the other parameter unfortunately does not help regarding the save option. However I noticed that was able to load my game as long as I did not quit the game (back to main menu or desktop). However after restarting you won't be able to load and you'll have to restart which in effect will eradicate your saves.
Can you even progress with the game, though? After talking with Taylor and Samuels, you are supposed to go to the bridge to get a briefing by Captain Verlaine. When I tried doing so without the client half a year ago, the briefing would not trigger, making it impossible to progress with the game.
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MarkoH01: Just tried both arguments again. You need the EpicPortal paramter to even start the game and adding the other parameter unfortunately does not help regarding the save option. However I noticed that was able to load my game as long as I did not quit the game (back to main menu or desktop). However after restarting you won't be able to load and you'll have to restart which in effect will eradicate your saves.
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Grargar: Can you even progress with the game, though? After talking with Taylor and Samuels, you are supposed to go to the bridge to get a briefing by Captain Verlaine. When I tried doing so without the client half a year ago, the briefing would not trigger, making it impossible to progress with the game.
I can't say - I never played longer than the first savepoint just shortly after you get your clothes. But I doubt that they updated the game so if you experienced this problem I guess it still exists.
Post edited June 25, 2021 by MarkoH01
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pedrovay2003: This is, regrettably, the way Journey works now, too. It worked great without the client when it was first released (and I luckily backed it up), but now, nothing saves or loads after you exit. When they released the Steam version, they updated the Epic version, and it messed everything up; the Epic version's config file even saves in the Steam version's folder now, which it didn't do originally.
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AB2012: Yeah that's my long-term concern. Modern multi-player titles are mostly online so I'm not surprised when they don't work. But the reason GOG's offline installers contain galaxy.dll files in single player games is that many games are now compiled to call a client API for online "not DRM" features (eg, unlocking an achievement) with the expectation that client that handles that stuff will always be running, and the offline files are there to act as a "fall-back" (silently fail) if the client isn't running (nothing will be unlocked, but nothing crashes / refuses to start). It could be "specific" to the store or some kind of "ghost wrapper" that translates Steam API calls in real time to GOG / Epic ones, essentially reusing Steam achievements on non-Steam stores which sounds like what you're describing there (and if I remember correctly, is used in Deus Ex:MD here on GOG).

Now if Epic start adding stuff like that with no offline fall-back, that's the kind of stuff that can break the ability to run many single player games without necessarily having "hard DRM" or being multi-player (Steam even encourage that as a feature on the Steamworks DRM page for developers). So it's a good idea to zip up and backup Epic games currently on this list that work without a client now in case games get updated with a new system with more online integration but without a GOG style fallback that ultimately has the same "blocker" effect as DRM if the client / launcher isn't running.
I think we will see more of this, as games and game companies implement proprietary stuff in their games for their games to work. You know - implementing Steamworks MP support; Steam Achievements; Steamworks DRM; etc etc. Same w/ Origin games using Origin's Cloud systems and stuff of that sort.

Rarely do we see MP-based games....have any say real offline modes. Game-saves for MP-based games often forcing cloud-saving, for those games - instead of local; often to stomp cheating out (or try to do so).

I remember back when we had more MP-style games like Quake 3 and UT...had offline modes with bots. Even old version of BF 1942, you could play offline w/ bots, skirmish-style.

I miss also having LAN-support in games too. A lot of old-school games had that. Nowadays, everything often seems to phone home to the main central server; and if that's down or pulled, your game ain't working - enjoy your new coaster for your soda to sit on.

We need more games - especially single-player style ones - to be able to save your game locally to your PC and even just flat-out work offline. Heck, even my Steam and Epic copies of Shenmue 3, they don't work in Epic's offline mode or Steam's offline mode.

Though, I'd guess if you have an old-working Dreamcast, Shenmue 1+2 which are SP-games work offline no problem.

Also, this goes for DLC's. Things worry me, with games like Outer Worlds on Epic where the base-game works offline, yet access to the DLC's don't work when not running Epic Store and force the client to run to work.
Outer Worlds DLC works fine if you use an Epic emulator. Just finished the game and all the DLC today without the client.
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DosFreak: Outer Worlds DLC works fine if you use an Epic emulator. Just finished the game and all the DLC today without the client.
HOW DO...?
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DosFreak: Outer Worlds DLC works fine if you use an Epic emulator. Just finished the game and all the DLC today without the client.
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Mandalorian-820: HOW DO...?
Did not try but google says:
https://github.com/derrod/legendary
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DosFreak: Outer Worlds DLC works fine if you use an Epic emulator. Just finished the game and all the DLC today without the client.
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Mandalorian-820: HOW DO...?
For your legally purchased game that you want to play offline without a client as you should be able to:

Search for "Nemirtingas", download and replace the existing .dll with the downloaded one, place the following in a .cmd file in the the same folder as the game executable and use it to launch.

"IndianaEpicGameStore-Win64-Shipping.exe -AUTH_LOGIN=unused -AUTH_PASSWORD=cbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcbcb -AUTH_TYPE=exchangecode -epicapp=CrabTest -epicenv=Prod -EpicPortal -epicusername="Unused name" -epicuserid=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA -epiclocale=en"
Post edited June 29, 2021 by DosFreak
Interesting. Noted. I had a bit of a theory, but having to set up the virtual machine, and then test a game, starts to fall under the "suspiciously like hard work" department.

I understand why Epic does it though. It seems that when the base game is installed, all the DLC comes along in the package, at least with some editions. I figure the 'online for DLC' thing is more of the 'everyone has it, but only some people are actually authorized to use its

But yeah... if stuff were easy there would be no fun in challenging yourself