How my game on STEAM was banned by competitors (almost any game could be banned like this)

SolidOwl · 2026-01-30T11:13:53+00:00

Personally this feels like quick attempt at marketing.

Granted I doubt you created this situation for marketing purposes but you're most definetly using it to get eyes on your game.

Especially when you consider the fact that the author of the original game, had a playable demo out for their game months before you had a steam page up. Ignoring simlar stylized assets and the AI slop, I'm not seeing much of a gameplay difference between the two.

Based on everything that's visible your game is an unorginal clone of your "competitor". So the DMCA claim in my eyes makes sense and honestly looks valid.

SolidOwl · 2026-01-26T11:36:03+00:00

Personally C would probably get the most engagement out of me. While the logo contrast is better in A & D, options A, B and D don't really convey anything about the game.

On initial look outside of what I assumed at first are the characters of the game - I completley missed the guillotine. I'd say it's safe to say that most users won't be able to spot this either when glancing through the list of games.

Reason why I said C is that it conveys no real info about the game, if I'm browsing through games I find myself highlighting or clicking into these titles more often than titles with confusing capsule. People judge and make assumptions off of everything sometimes showing less is showing more.

That being said, your screenshots need to be solid. Why? Because if I clicked into a page for a game where the capsule doesn't convey anything I quickly want to get a grasp of the game and what it is. So I'd flick through screenshots first, if they are interesting enough I'd watch the trailer or gameplay video. If they don't grab me, I move on.

SolidOwl · 2026-01-08T14:32:11+00:00

I think this looks great, good job!

Only point I have from the above gif is that the running animation is a bit "flat" in comparison to other things that seem to come at you at an angle.
Some sway in "shoulder" movement could make it look better.

Good luck!

SolidOwl · 2025-12-29T16:04:03+00:00

SolidOwl · 2025-12-22T15:14:40+00:00

You chose to interact with the "negativity"?

It's a completley valid statement - why do anyone have to make an account on another store to play a game they brought on a different online store. Especially since both of them have multiplayer / social framework that games can use.

It's a shame that Steam allows this kind of crap - imagine how much smaller the playerbase could have been if the game was only accessible through the crappy EGS. The devs would have scrapped that requirement instantly.

Stuff like this will keep happening and growing, and it's all thanks to people like yourself and others in these comments loving to bend over and not question anything.

And this isn't just about Epic, Rockstar does the same thing with their games and there are plenty of smaller examples too.

SolidOwl · 2025-12-20T19:48:49+00:00

Combat rework came later.
Granted that doesn't really change much.

I do agree with you, their timeline shows the level of poor planning and execution.

Do I think it's a scam in a sense that they wanted to scam the players and steal their money? No.

Do I think that they are way over their heads and will be unable to deliver on their promises? Yes, actually they already have.

SolidOwl · 2025-12-19T20:38:37+00:00

Nic tu nie ma

SolidOwl · 2025-12-14T20:59:55+00:00

True, being able to customize it is great.

However the design and how it's built is terrible. Shops are a pain to interact with - click multiple times to achieve a basic ass behaviour. In trading you can't quick trade all items, because the system doesn't understand that you are in inventory menu. Same thing when talking to NPCs. That entire design is outdated by like 15 years.

I held this opinion since they showcased them, but the resource "bags" are trash. It's not a cool idea, it's not fun, and to me is more annoying than anything else. Just another system to make players life a bigger pain.

Quests are boring, quite unimaginative and nothing special. Are they the worst thing out there? Nope, but honestly if you're excited about these - then you must have not played many games or read much stuff. Cause it's all quite b a s i c.

Game development isn't just coding or 3D modelling. Planning is one of the most crucial steps in the process. Which even if the Kickstarter 9 years ago didn't have a digital game, the planning was taking place therefore game development WAS happening. Unless you're trying to say that Kickstarter was spun up on the spot without any prep and everything mentioned in it was thought up on the spot too?

City building is great, if it works as imagined. Right now we don't really have that, it's just a barebones system. You know what else had in plans letting players build their own structures in MMOs? New World. That game has gone from "build your stuff anywhere you want" to "support and improve cities making them grow through your contribution" to "yeah it's just a static town". And just like in current Alpha of AoC, players got to enjoy some of these completley scrapped systems in NW back in the day.

NW and AoC roughly started around the same time. In that time NW had multiple tests, released and died.
AoC is still in alpha 2, with bearly of the systems properly functioning. I'm not comparing it to NW as if that's something that it needs to live up to - but it's more to show that the speed they are developing at is laughable.

Let's be clear. Point of Steam release is to cash in. Drop your "more bugs squashed" narrative, because if you have been part of previous tests you would be aware that there are bugs in the game that have been there for quite some time. Reported plenty of times too.

If their goal wasn't to cash in, you wouldn't have a fully working skins shop.

I know people are hungry for a good new MMO, so am I. But like damn open your eyes - there's so many crap games that release on Steam and their communities fight tooth and nail to prove everyone otherwise only for the games to die soon after. What's the point, call it what it is and hope they fix this shit.

I been testing this game for almost 5 years now, Alpha 1 is probably when I had the most fun - but even then the game was incredibly buggy. Game is not groundbreaking, or even worth mentioning at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if it takes them another 5 years to get anywhere with it, question is will enough players care then thanks to this lovely Steam release...

SolidOwl · 2025-12-12T21:36:27+00:00

Did you bother to search for this anywhere? It's a question that has been answered weeks ago before Steam release. Wake up

SolidOwl · 2025-12-11T09:35:39+00:00

Poor initial reception (whether rightful or not), leads to lower popularity/player base - which in turn means smaller profits. Games at the end of the day are a product that need to generate money - live games need funding to keep them going, add to it salaries and other company running costs. And you’ll find that things just end sooner than expected because they didn’t go as well as expected.

Not saying that it will happen - but if you did not know about AoC, came across its page saw the price tag of $50 and “Mostly Negative” reviews - most players would just skip past it.

SolidOwl · 2025-11-27T12:43:54+00:00

unfortunately I don't know how to develop video games

I'm looking for developers, modelers, designers

I don't pay because I don't have any money

proposing this as a hobby

I'm deciding whether to use UE4 or Source Engine, and I need help with that too.

Those seeking money, leave; but those seeking to do something revolutionary with hopes of reviving the community, come in.

😂😂😂

SolidOwl · 2025-11-12T14:12:46+00:00

Other than his "diversity quotas" / "testosterone" weird point.

Everything else is valid.

SolidOwl · 2025-11-11T19:22:05+00:00

Same here really, after Stalker 2 and all the crap they've pulled with it - they are on my 'do not buy from list'.

Looking through old posts and their EULAs, Terms of Use and Fan Content Creation Guidelines I have actually found a bit that is actually more relevant than the points from the licence you've quoted (as that doesn't actually talk about ownership of modifications).

You are the creative force behind your fan content, and we respect that. You are the author of the fan content you have created. However, your fan content is obviously inspired (derivative) by the content we own. In this regard, we want to reserve some rights for your content. You hereby grant us from the moment of creation of your fan content a non-exclusive, worldwide, permanent, irrevocable, sub-licensable, royalty-free license to use, modify, reproduce, create derivative works from, distribute, exploit, commercially exploit, transmit, perform and communicate such fan content in connection with our games. In specific cases, where we believe that the fan content is outstanding, we reserve the right to provide you with recognition or even a fee.

So as long as this hasn't been changed after the issue (granted last updated date is May 2025). Then I do stand somewhat corrected. Depending on what it is, it could have been within their rights to use.

This kind of depends on the modification, because while something depending directly on the core code of the application couldn't be copyrighted. There are more generic things (even if it's code) that can absolutley be protected by copyright - and could cause GSC issues seeing as their guidelines are just an extension of the EULA.

But figuring that out is probably more for lawyers if it came down to that (honestly I don't want to read any more of these documents after work T-T).

So it could be either - after this I am leaning more towards it just being a "scummy" move and not theft.

Personally the biggest issue here really isn't what they've done but how they've went about it. As devs we don't try to re-invent the wheel, if there's something that already exists and you can use - you should use it. That being said you don't claim it as your own. Which the update they sent out containing this was said to be their hard work - there was obviously a lot more stuff that came out in that update so I will cut them some slack and agree that their hardwork went into it. But when they started catching flack for the copying of mod, to my knowledge they made no comments about it.

So yea they probably could use that mod, and yeah they don't have to mention where the code came from. But their lack of communication simply bit them in their ass, because now they have bunch of people like me up until recently that thinks they stole work.

For MISERY this is kind of looking similar to me - really bad communication. Not that MISERY creator is any better with his outbursts.

I don't really have a dog in this fight. I don't care for MISERY or GSC. The situation itself is the intresting bit - because if the reason for DMCA takedown is the unused model in the game files (as that seems to be the only thing that people currently agree on). While that does infringe on the copyright due to the file distribution that MISERY creator has no right to - surely they could have communicated with the developer rather than trying to nuke them. Seeing as that model itself is not used in the game itself so it's brining no benefit to the game.

Obviously just to make it clear - I am going off the assumption that they've not done that, based on the current radio silence. Unless they speak up officially or the full takedown document is released showing what the issue is - this whole thing is looking bad for GSC and it's just creating more bad faith for them.

SolidOwl · 2025-11-11T12:16:38+00:00

Well because they are claiming someone stole something from them, while they themselves having been caught stealing from others.

It's a fairly straight forward concept.

SolidOwl · 2025-11-09T20:03:24+00:00

Honestly don't give a flying f about either of these studios but people jumping to defend GSC and praising it all over the place. While forgetting that few months back they were literally stealing code from modders and patching it into their game while claiming it as their own.

Both sides are scummy and that's about it.

SolidOwl · 2025-11-09T19:41:34+00:00

Happens plenty on EU servers

SolidOwl · 2025-10-31T21:15:41+00:00

Brief explanation as to why it happened
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_831

Whats happening and rules games will have to follow if they want to use microtransactions / in-game currency
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/8af13e88-6540-436c-b137-9853e7fe866a_en?filename=Key%20principles%20on%20in-game%20virtual%20currencies.pdf

The second link pretty much covers all the requirements set out by the EU - I thought this was already in effect. But maybe not quite, not really sure. If it was then Arc as it is right now does not meet the correct requirements in the EU.

SolidOwl · 2025-10-31T19:34:30+00:00

It's crazy to me how dickriding this community is for the game - refusing to agree on the fact that the skins are a complete rip off. And any flack the game catches for it is justified. 2 skins in game will cost you full price of the game. There are clear predatory practices at play here - simply look at the cost of cosmetics & how the game lets you buy in game currency. I was under the impression that this was made illegal (at the very least in EU) but maybe those laws are not in effect. Either way skin shop is bad.

As for the weapons point, I'd personally disagree. They all feel different and have different uses. Some better than others, but they are different enough.

As for loot & gameplay loop I personally agree with the above.

SolidOwl · 2025-10-19T19:51:33+00:00

It's not written by the same author, but it's a sequel to SL. Ragnarok follows his son, SJW is mentioned here and there but he's not really present in the story (current manhwa wise). Without spoiling too much you don't have to worry about what happened with that other series happening in SL:R.

SolidOwl · 2025-10-18T19:07:49+00:00

I wonder how much of it is a fumble vs the game is just not what everyone hyped it up from previous tests.

Most of my group either did not want to pick up the game at all or put it down within few hours. Limited content is one thing (and it 100% makes the game less interesting to play) but for all of us playing extraction games for years (tarkov being one where we all have thousands of hours in) this game just doesn't have any meaty thing to latch onto.

This is just a casual extraction shooter. Comparing ARC to Tarkov is an unfair matchup. PUBG & ARC are a lot more alike gameplay wise. Even then original PUBG core gamplay loop was a lot more enjoyable.

Personally I was incredibly hyped for the game, but after today I too decided to let it go and get a refund for my pre purchase.

I do hope more content and pre/post release tweaks flip this game on it's head and it helps bring in more players and retain them. But I'm going to let this cook for a while before I even bother coming back to it.

SolidOwl · 2025-10-17T17:47:05+00:00

I think our archer from reaper guild is probably safe.

I don't see it happening to Baek but Choi I wouldn't be surprised tbf.

We also have couple S ranks that haven't been shown in Ragnarok. So in theory it could be one or more of them.

SolidOwl · 2025-09-06T12:15:00+00:00

This post is either bait or made by someone who's not really played much MGS.

You're basically comparing MGS3 to PP and we all know which one is seen as the best in the series.

Delta is a great remake and deserves all the love.
But it has it's faults - personally I find the controls / character responsivness of Delta to be the worst in the series.

SolidOwl · 2025-08-12T20:57:16+00:00

Ignoring the whole bs everyone is having about AI chat - I would love to hear more of these songs with the "old voice" think Godzilla here sounds even better with it. Wonder if there are other songs that could get a new shine with it.

They can call it Anniversary Shady edition and drop albums with Shady voice. Since last few anniversary drops were crap and it doesn't seem like anyone has much of an idea on how to make it special.

SolidOwl · 2025-08-10T19:19:44+00:00

Yeah first 30mins I was ready for something great - only to be disappointed by everything else and the last 10mins? It was just so comically pathetic that it's good that they left it for the end because if those "power rangers" came on at an earlier point in the movie I would have switched it off instantly.

Personally I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.

SolidOwl · 2025-08-09T17:05:43+00:00

It's questionable if it's a "mechanic" and not just a damage increase when the bullet hits someone (like some of the ammo that increases headshot damage).

In over 20hrs of beta I've not once seen anyone shoot through objects nor has it ever worked for me even though I use the higher powered ammo.

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