its honestly kind of depressing
i dont expect this to have any traction
i dont really think JP cares for steam, so those who made the mistake of buying the game on steam wont have their issues made visibile
Having to link a steam account - another layer of potential security breach - sounds like a bad idea for the average user, OTP/AUTH are way better solutions, but even then... Phishing attempts have increased not just for Steam and Discord but FFXIV accounts too, more and more average users have their accounts hacked, and if you're going to lock game access between not one but TWO accounts now, it's going to become a nightmare for those tech illiterate users to have to contact both Steam and FFXIV to recover in unison, and in some cases steam doesn't really do much either.
Also what's to be said about region locking via steam now if a user moves countries and wants to continue playing their same steam account? Will the FFXIV game become inaccessible ala Malaysian stores? Or will they be able to continue playing from that steam account? Do we need to take Steam account locations into account now too?
Over the years lots of people I've raided with have been stationed overseas for military work or contracting, moving from USA to JP or KR mostly, or even to MY or SG. These are my concerns.
Personally, I won't be hit hard by this as it just means I click the play button on steam as usual, but for a large group of people this is a very bad idea.
It also brings one question to mind, why is FFXIV being pushed into enforcing steam launching but numerous other games and even MMORPGs running through steam are not?
Also the Steamdeck only allows you to run FFXIV via Proton if you use the old launcher layout, not the new one, rip Steamdeck?? (Just something to keep in mind if anyone on this forum uses)
TL;DR
LET ME GIVE YOU MORE GOD DAMN MONEY TO BUY A PC LICENSE SQUARE ENIX
It's seriously depressing that we have to deal with this whole scenario again like in 2019, just give us an option to add a windows license and spare us the headaches with all these annoying restrictions.
This update in march has nothing to do with enhancing security, If SE were really concerned about steam users security they would tell us to use their 2FA that does a much better job at protecting our account than inconveniencing us into dealing with 2 launchers.
Last edited by JinM; 02-11-2022 at 01:49 AM.
This. I would love to move to Steam one day, but it's not possible. Why? Who knows. Looking forward to it!Please allow Steam License holders to buy a standalone PC License.
Exactly what it says on the tin.
For a variety of reasons, I do not like using the Steam launcher. Some of them are matters of personal privacy. Others are related to issues I have with its functionality on start up and ongoing performance.
Had I known years ago when I first bought the game that more and more linking would be done between my FFXIV account and my Steam account, I would have gotten the stand-alone PC license. The upcoming changes, unless I can figure out something with Steam's help-desk, may make my secondary account inaccessible.
I'm at the point where I would honestly consider getting a PS4 license to run it on my dying old brick of a console rather than continue using Steam. I would *happily* pay for the full game, again, just to never have to deal with Steam again on either of my accounts.
And I know I'm not alone in that. Every further integration, irritation comes up with many of my friends who play the game.
While I doubt SquareEnix will consider it, I can dream right?
The many logistical issues with implementing these restrictions and forcing them on steam service accounts go against a fair few consumer rights. Not to mention the demonstrable lie that it's for account security reasons. If they go forward with making this as harsh as they seem to intend, they (both steam and SE) won't avoid a class action suit this time.
I'd encourage everyone this adversely affects to consider legal action, because they've refused to listen to concerns on this specific issue before.
This is the part that really needs more information. It's unclear if they are actually going to line up the CD keys or not (is there any way to even see what code was registered to your SE account???). Or is it just checking to see if the Steam and target SE account simply have the full or free trial version of the game present."To link accounts, the Steam account must possess a FINAL FANTASY XIV license that matches that found on the target Square Enix account/FINAL FANTASY XIV service account (e.g., the Free Trial version or the full game version)."
This seems sloppily and hastily written. I'm hoping they aren't going to be running a CD check when it doesn't seem like its possible to confirm what CD key was applied on mog station (but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong if there's a way to find what was registered).
I know its easy to find the keys themselves on Steam, I'm talking about mog station specifically.
But it does make the account more secure. If a Steam user falls for one of those "cactpot lottery" phising scams and gives away their FFXIV username, password and potentially OTP the hacker will still not be able to login because the game won't launch unless it's also from the correct Steam account.The many logistical issues with implementing these restrictions and forcing them on steam service accounts go against a fair few consumer rights. Not to mention the demonstrable lie that it's for account security reasons. If they go forward with making this as harsh as they seem to intend, they (both steam and SE) won't avoid a class action suit this time.
I'd encourage everyone this adversely affects to consider legal action, because they've refused to listen to concerns on this specific issue before.
Will Standard (Steam) account types be able to play on PS5 and Mac like we’ve been able to for years? Neither of those run through Steam, but we’re able to add additional platforms and run it through the same account. The announcement makes it seem as though Standard (Steam) accounts can only launch via Steam. They didn’t just say they’re prohibiting you from launching the .exe as a stand-alone, they went out of their way to add Steam cross-authentication. FFXIV login servers will look to see if you’re running Steam, and obviously using a console or Mac means you can’t do that. That means all your characters and everything else is inaccessible. If there’s no clarification, this is what the announcement points to. Is it the end of this?
See this excerpt:
From then on, the Square Enix account will need to match the Steam account that launches the FINAL FANTASY XIV software. This change will require the FINAL FANTASY XIV software to be launched from the user’s Steam library.
This implies a live-checking of the Steam account as opposed to a one-time check that is used when first using the launcher when you buy the game.
On another note, this now gives FFXIV the potential for four-factor authentication, which has never been done before in a video game. On a fresh restart, you log in to Steam via password and app, then do the same for FFXIV. Two different passwords, two different apps. Most games that tie your account to Steam don’t require the latter because your account information IS your Steam account. That would necessitate axing most of Mog Station functionality for Steam players, but that’s not the case here. You still have your same username and password from Mog Station on top of Steam, and both can run 2FA. Kind of silly, isn’t it? What incident warranted Square to set up what has to be the most secure online game we’ve ever seen? Or is this just the usual thoughtless and clunky web design we’ve come to expect from them?
Last edited by caffe_macchiato; 02-11-2022 at 02:48 AM.
I have a feeling Mac and PlayStation versions are going to be fine, although you are right, the announcement does make it sound like if you have a Steam version on your account, you must launch with Steam. I think the announcement is just very, very poorly worded.The announcement makes it seem as though Standard (Steam) accounts can only launch via Steam. They didn’t just say they’re prohibiting you from launching the .exe as a stand-alone, they went out of their way to add Steam cross-authentication. FFXIV login servers will look to see if you’re running Steam, and obviously using a console or Mac means you can’t do that. That means all your characters and everything else is inaccessible. If there’s no clarification, this is what the announcement points to. Is it the end of this?
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