Once Upon A Time there was a little game studio called Epic, and they
wanted to give away some free games. So they created a subpar
client/store and started tossing out titles willy-nilly to build up an
audience, and it worked. And then they kept doing it, because... well,
why the hell not. And that's how we get a free game today. The End.

This week:

* ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/toejam-and-earl-back-in-the-groove-cddc16

So, umm... ToeJam and Earl. Alright. I can work with this. It's
nothing I can get too excited about - mascot-platformers weren't my
thing, even when they were new - but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy
them. Similarly, I'm not the biggest fan of the uber-90's "too cool
for school" vibe that set TJ&E apart from its contemporaries, but...
look, the game is what it is. It doesn't try to remake its source
material but stays true to its origins. I can appreciate that sort of
honesty. I'm not praising the game, but I'm not complaining about it
either. Look, I added it my library. I won't play it, but it's there
if I want it. Okay? Good. What else we got?

* Darkwood
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/darkwood-fa73bd

More survival horror, although this time from a top-down view. That's
a unique-enough twist to make me want to learn more. Reportedly it's
very atmospheric too, which is something I like. On the other hand, I
tend to have a much harder time engaging with the top-down viewpoint
and the crafting-heavy 'survival' aspect are something I could do
without. (It's unclear if the game has an open world, but it
definitely seems to be bigger than most horror titles too, which means
pacing is going to be a problem as well). So it's some good stuff and
some bad stuff, but in the end it's all free stuff, so I might as well
grab it.

And that's what we get free from Epic this week. You have seven days
to get the game, then they're gone.

And they all lived happily ever after!

Thanks. I took Darkwood only. I doubt I will play it though. Heh.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> Once Upon A Time there was a little game studio called Epic, and they
> wanted to give away some free games. So they created a subpar
> client/store and started tossing out titles willy-nilly to build up an
> audience, and it worked. And then they kept doing it, because... well,
> why the hell not. And that's how we get a free game today. The End.

> This week:

> * ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
> https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/toejam-and-earl-back-in-the-groove-cddc16

> So, umm... ToeJam and Earl. Alright. I can work with this. It's
> nothing I can get too excited about - mascot-platformers weren't my
> thing, even when they were new - but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy
> them. Similarly, I'm not the biggest fan of the uber-90's "too cool
> for school" vibe that set TJ&E apart from its contemporaries, but...
> look, the game is what it is. It doesn't try to remake its source
> material but stays true to its origins. I can appreciate that sort of
> honesty. I'm not praising the game, but I'm not complaining about it
> either. Look, I added it my library. I won't play it, but it's there
> if I want it. Okay? Good. What else we got?

> * Darkwood
> https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/darkwood-fa73bd

> More survival horror, although this time from a top-down view. That's
> a unique-enough twist to make me want to learn more. Reportedly it's
> very atmospheric too, which is something I like. On the other hand, I
> tend to have a much harder time engaging with the top-down viewpoint
> and the crafting-heavy 'survival' aspect are something I could do
> without. (It's unclear if the game has an open world, but it
> definitely seems to be bigger than most horror titles too, which means
> pacing is going to be a problem as well). So it's some good stuff and
> some bad stuff, but in the end it's all free stuff, so I might as well
> grab it.

> And that's what we get free from Epic this week. You have seven days
> to get the game, then they're gone.

> And they all lived happily ever after!
--
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Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
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( )

On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 17:38:39 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>Thanks. I took Darkwood only. I doubt I will play it though. Heh.

I don't think I am going to play either one of these but I took them
both because not wanting to play them never stopped me from taking
Epic's freebies before.

On 13/10/2022 16:01, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

> * Darkwood
> https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/darkwood-fa73bd
>
> More survival horror, although this time from a top-down view. That's
> a unique-enough twist to make me want to learn more. Reportedly it's
> very atmospheric too, which is something I like. On the other hand, I
> tend to have a much harder time engaging with the top-down viewpoint
> and the crafting-heavy 'survival' aspect are something I could do
> without. (It's unclear if the game has an open world, but it
> definitely seems to be bigger than most horror titles too, which means
> pacing is going to be a problem as well). So it's some good stuff and
> some bad stuff, but in the end it's all free stuff, so I might as well
> grab it.
>

I do have it on Steam but never really got into it. Maybe it will be
next on my list of already bought games to try.

On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:39:18 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:

>On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 17:38:39 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
>
>>Thanks. I took Darkwood only. I doubt I will play it though. Heh.
>
>I don't think I am going to play either one of these but I took them
>both because not wanting to play them never stopped me from taking
>Epic's freebies before.

I would be thrilled to see how - on average - what percent of Epic's
freebies ever actually get installed, much less launched. I'm sure
Epic is promoting these offers to developers as a great way to get
some quick brand recognition, but I wouldn't be surprised if the
actual uptake from users is significantly lower than you'd get from
other, similar give-aways.

The frequency of Epic's offerings, I think, has devalued the games
where many grab them sight-unseen. People aren't getting the games
because they're interested in them, but because Epic has trained
people to click "add to library" every Thursday afternoon.

I wonder if this is making it harder for Epic to get developers to
share their games this way.

On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 11:01:08 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>Once Upon A Time there was a little game studio called Epic, and they
>wanted to give away some free games. So they created a subpar
>client/store and started tossing out titles willy-nilly to build up an
>audience, and it worked. And then they kept doing it, because... well,
>why the hell not. And that's how we get a free game today. The End.
>
>
>
>This week:
>
>* ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove
>https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/toejam-and-earl-back-in-the-groove-cddc16
>
>So, umm... ToeJam and Earl. Alright. I can work with this. It's
>nothing I can get too excited about - mascot-platformers weren't my
>thing, even when they were new - but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy
>them. Similarly, I'm not the biggest fan of the uber-90's "too cool
>for school" vibe that set TJ&E apart from its contemporaries, but...
>look, the game is what it is. It doesn't try to remake its source
>material but stays true to its origins. I can appreciate that sort of
>honesty. I'm not praising the game, but I'm not complaining about it
>either. Look, I added it my library. I won't play it, but it's there
>if I want it. Okay? Good. What else we got?
>
>* Darkwood
>https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/darkwood-fa73bd
>
>More survival horror, although this time from a top-down view. That's
>a unique-enough twist to make me want to learn more. Reportedly it's
>very atmospheric too, which is something I like. On the other hand, I
>tend to have a much harder time engaging with the top-down viewpoint
>and the crafting-heavy 'survival' aspect are something I could do
>without. (It's unclear if the game has an open world, but it
>definitely seems to be bigger than most horror titles too, which means
>pacing is going to be a problem as well). So it's some good stuff and
>some bad stuff, but in the end it's all free stuff, so I might as well
>grab it.
>
>
>
>And that's what we get free from Epic this week. You have seven days
>to get the game, then they're gone.
>
>And they all lived happily ever after!

*---

Grabbed Darkwood. Looks like my kind of game. Now will I remember to
download it and play it? Not sure :-)

-pw

On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:54:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:39:18 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 13 Oct 2022 17:38:39 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks. I took Darkwood only. I doubt I will play it though. Heh.
>>
>>I don't think I am going to play either one of these but I took them
>>both because not wanting to play them never stopped me from taking
>>Epic's freebies before.
>
>I would be thrilled to see how - on average - what percent of Epic's
>freebies ever actually get installed, much less launched. I'm sure
>Epic is promoting these offers to developers as a great way to get
>some quick brand recognition, but I wouldn't be surprised if the
>actual uptake from users is significantly lower than you'd get from
>other, similar give-aways.
>
>The frequency of Epic's offerings, I think, has devalued the games
>where many grab them sight-unseen. People aren't getting the games
>because they're interested in them, but because Epic has trained
>people to click "add to library" every Thursday afternoon.
>
>I wonder if this is making it harder for Epic to get developers to
>share their games this way.
>

*--

Great points Spalls!!!!

-pw

On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 21:11:57 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:54:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>Great points Spalls!!!!
>-pw

Welcome back PW

> * Darkwood

An online friend has recommended this a couple times to me.

rms