this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 31 points 2 years ago

What a cluster. I feel for devs who are in a bad spot here thanks to yet more corporate greed.

I hope that one positive that stems from this is less trust in corporate solutions, since ultimately they are always beholden to profit -- unlike things like Godot, that now also hopefully get the support they deserve.

[–] BigDaddySlim@lemmy.world 27 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Oh good, so over half my Steam library

[–] FreeBooteR69@kbin.social 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I feel for them because i switch games all the time on my deck, even with a 1tb sdcard on top of the 512gb, you have to remove games and install games all the time. I'm not going to feel guilty about this, they are my games, i paid for them and will install and uninstall as i see fit. Not out of malice, but because this is expected behavior. I imagine there are going to be a lot of lawsuits over this, and more than a few bankruptcies. They also can't remove games you've already paid for, so this is going to get interesting.

[–] Icalasari@kbin.social 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

A lot of Nintendo and Pokemon games are on Unity, including Pokemon Go. Sony also has plenty of games on Unity

I predict we're going to see a slaughter - That's two of the big three console manufacturers. They ain't going to let Unity screw them over

[–] Thorned_Rose@kbin.social 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

But by the same token I also wouldn't put it past Nintendo and Sony to make backroom deals with Unity. And bonus if it screws over the competition.

[–] Privatepower42@fosstodon.org 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] Thorned_Rose@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

And do what with it? Embrace, Extend, and then Extinguish it nd screw people over even more?

[–] basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Unity made it clear that reinstalling on the same device doesn’t count. Though installing on multiple devices counts since they don’t track who installed it.

[–] average650@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Did they clarify how they track "the same device"? If I replace my SSD, is that's new device? Gpu? Motherboard? Cpu? Get more ram? Reinstall the OS?

And even then, I usually install on 2-3 different devices. And what happens when 10 years down the road I want to okay it again and install it on 2 more devices?

[–] doug@union.place 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

@basxto
Interesting to see how they determine what a new "device" is, and how they record that. The EU will definitely have views.
@FreeBooteR69

[–] basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Do installs of the same game by the same user across multiple devices count as different installs?

We treat different devices as different installs. We don’t want to track identity across different devices.

Is collecting the install data GDPR and CCPA compliant?

The method we are using to calculate installs is currently derived from aggregated data from various sources collected in compliance with all privacy laws and used to build a confidence around our estimate. If anything changes, we will provide you with notice and compliance mechanisms to assure all parties remain in compliance with applicable laws. Please note we will always work with our customers to ensure accurate billing.

Will games made with Unity phone-home to track installs?

We will refine how we collect install data over time with a goal of accurately understanding the number of times the Unity runtime is distributed. Any install data will be collected in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws.

https://unity.com/pricing-updates#unity-runtime-fee

They likely don’t track identities because that would be personal information, which is what GDPR protects.

[–] doug@union.place 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

@basxto I appreciate you running point for Unity on this, but "from various sources collected in compliance with all privacy laws" says nothing.

Easy enough to wait and see how they do phone home, and with what data they send back though.

[–] basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago

Their posts sounded a lot like they already collected that data based their pricing on that. They are desperate to become profitable, I don’t think they themselves thought this was the best idea.

I would like to see godot rise.

[–] mossy_capivara@midwest.social 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah, I feel really bad for the devs. Some of my favorite games are being affected

[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Nebulous is still in early access and it's a 3 man team. This will effectively end an incredible game before it can fulfill it's early access.

I hope John Riccitiello has chronic pain for the rest of his life. No one should be able to unilaterally fuck over so many people.

[–] sic_1@feddit.de 7 points 2 years ago

Same for Valheim

[–] DaMonsterKnees@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You're coming after my Rimworld?! BITCH IS YOU CRAZY?!

[–] transigence@kbin.social 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Can prospective developers use engines like Id Tech 3 or Unreal 2 commercially without paying?

[–] Knusper@feddit.de 10 points 2 years ago

Id Tech 3 is GPLv2, so for that one, yes. I'm not aware of similar being true for Unreal Engine 2, so I'd assume, no.

But if you're just generally looking for an engine that won't bite you, Godot is a better choice.

[–] RassilonianLegate@mstdn.social 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

@mossy_capivara
I'm making sure to install my favorites before the end of the year

[–] mossy_capivara@midwest.social 2 points 2 years ago

Good rule of thumb

[–] basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

You also have to run them and let unity engine phone home

[–] average650@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Is it possible to add a firewall rule to block it?

[–] RassilonianLegate@mstdn.social 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

@basxto
I'm not entirely sure that that's how it works, cause if it is my GOG copy of hollow knight has quite a lot more DRM than is normally accepted of that platform by their users

[–] basxto@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago

Well it sounds a lot like they’ll track it with the engine and then send bills to the developer. That’s also not DRM if they collect usage data.

How is an install defined?

An install is defined as the installation and initialization of a project on an end user’s device.

How is Unity collecting the number of installs?

We leverage our own proprietary data model and will provide estimates of the number of times the runtime is distributed for a given project – this estimate will cover an invoice for all platforms.

https://unity.com/pricing-updates#unity-runtime-fee

[–] darkmogool@feddit.de 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm not up-to-date. What's the thing with Unity right now?

[–] mossy_capivara@midwest.social 1 points 2 years ago

CEO might get in trouble with the SEC and FTC but that's still left to be seen