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Game Pass PC's one gigantic issue: Microsoft Store folder-locking DRM
- Thread starter Hamster Plugin
- Start date
OP probably didn't know it's not just on game pass. But i don't know why this matter, GP is part of the MS ecosystem anyway.
as far as i know, yes. even before there were win32 releases on the store you could pirate UWP games. whether it's cracked or not depends on whatever DRM the publisher uses, but the microsoft store packaging system is not DRM and doesn't prevent piracy.
and my absolute favorite part of this is when these problems occur the solution almost always comes back to "wipe your PC and reinstall windows" because there's basically nothing else you can do
The only day 1 releases that likely not pirateable are Xbox Game Studio games. Which is not a publisher Microsoft needs to gain the trust of lol.
All the other publishers and devs are releasing on Steam, GoG, etc.
Piracy is not a factor in their decision making, security of files is.
I'm having a ton of install issues because I'm switching between drives. This software really sucks right now. I had to do a complete refresh of Outer Worlds because this new update brought those problems back.
edit: Almost lost my shit because of an above post that made me think my saves would be gone. Thankfully, they were still there (I'm at the very end of the game). It's fucking wild that I had to rename the WindowsApps folder to be able to change my install directory.
edit: Almost lost my shit because of an above post that made me think my saves would be gone. Thankfully, they were still there (I'm at the very end of the game). It's fucking wild that I had to rename the WindowsApps folder to be able to change my install directory.
Yeah that's all that sorted it. Had to reinstall for another reason but it worked out
BS argument. Origin Premiere also lets me rent games. And guess what, I can access my Jedi Fallen Order folder without any issue whatsoever.
I only played 3 games on it, and I hate it. I'm sticking to games I can own, Epic Game Store free games seem like a better deal and I didn't have to sub to anything for a massive collection of free games that are all pretty much drm free, and I can mod them if there's a way to. I couldn't even add a INI file to The Outer Worlds' winapp folder.
On a technical level that should be relatively trivial for Microsoft to solve but yeah they need to solve it quickly. I'm also flabbergasted about the "you don't own the games so it's okay" comments. This type of lockdown has zero relation to GamePass itself, it's merely a relic of Microsoft's now basically defunct UWP policy. It's pretty easy to access the files without breaking the permissions too but I wouldn't recommend it to the average user as it allows you to run any command on a system privilege level even higher than admin access so one wrongly done thing could trash the OS.
This was so annoying when I tried gamepass. First I could only install stuff to my system drive. Then after the trial ran out, I couldn't uninstall the last game I was playing. Windows said it wasn't installed anymore, but I could see it taking up 30GB of my small ass system SSD. Nothing I did could remove it. I finally had to make a linux boot disk so I could reclaim my hd space.
It's not just the subscription model, none of the games I've bought from the Microsoft store let me access the files. I stopped buying from it until it's changed. (I'm not saying fixed, because it isn't broken. It's working exactly as Microsoft intended, it's just bullshit.)
Shit, meaning security feature to prevent malware and virus' fucking with people's programs. It wasn't specifically designed for games.
It is fairly simply to gain access to this folder following a couple of quick steps if you want.
Yes, it's something that even prevails from the time when Microsoft wasn't even publishing their games on PC. Although the Xbox App is a gaming client, the under infrastructure still rely on Microsoft Store's.
This entirely depends on the game and whether the publisher has decided to package it in a specific way. It's not a universal mandate.
The folder which they are stored is protected for system security, but that's totally Within your control to overrode or manager in another way
The folder which they are stored is protected for system security, but that's totally Within your control to overrode or manager in another way
I suggest you don't assume everyone lives in the US either. In Europe you actually own digital games and even have the right to sell them on (provided you uninstall them from your PC). So, yes here you actually own your digital games and you have every right to mod those files to your hearts content provided you don't distribute those original or modified files.
I bought FH3/F7 and it behaves the same way. The folder is off limits to editing. I think its a windows store DRM issue and not GP.
Well, it's by design as you're technically only renting the games and don't own them. I suppose if you want to mod the games, that's the advantage and argument for buying them outright and owning them instead.
But, where it is an issue, is that if you then go and buy the games instead via the Xbox App, they should then give you full access. But you don't. Hopefully they resolve this or they're unlikely to pull anyone away from Steam for purchases.
Personally I hate the whole UWP thing, even when it's just a Win32 wrapper. Because you can't even add command line arguments, eg for exclusive full screen in Unity games.
But, where it is an issue, is that if you then go and buy the games instead via the Xbox App, they should then give you full access. But you don't. Hopefully they resolve this or they're unlikely to pull anyone away from Steam for purchases.
Personally I hate the whole UWP thing, even when it's just a Win32 wrapper. Because you can't even add command line arguments, eg for exclusive full screen in Unity games.
I don't think this is the case for Game Pass due to the integrated DRM. All the games I've downloaded have either been UWP or Win32 in a UWP wrapper: either way it installs and launches the game via the UWP method so you have no access or control whatsoever.
Yup. Gamepass is a good deal and the new Xbox app is an improvement over using the old WinStore, but the UWP apps are still terrible. MS needs to get in gear and just make a regular downloader that can install games in a normal folder structure, wherever you want. It's insane how publishers like Ubisoft and EA have had their own launchers work perfectly fine on Windows for years but Microsoft itself has such a terrible one.
You can't even make desktop shortcuts for games in the Xbox App because they are apps and not programs. It's ridiculous.
You can't even make desktop shortcuts for games in the Xbox App because they are apps and not programs. It's ridiculous.
You know this for a fact? How come there is not a single game on Gamepass or Windows Store that would not be encrypted? Why would any developer bother doing that if it is not mandated by MS?
The MS store is still irritating and I'm not gonna use it unless I absolutely have to. I've been using a free trial of gamepass for the last couple of months and this did become an issue. One game didn't have any in game keybinding options and the suggested solution was to to edit an ini file for that, which of course I couldn't access.
Please don't spread misinformation, that you can't access the folders is not by design of GamePass or any renting scheme, it's merely a relic of the old UWP legacy for when the Windows Store wasn't really thought of for game distribution. For apps it's theoretically a good idea to prevent corruption or malware but not for games. Also these folders aren't really locked or protected anyway, all that's special about them is that the owner of the folder is set to Trusted Installer. Trusted Installer is basically the user-account Windows uses to install updates or modify the OS and sits a layer higher than "Admin", that's about it. You can give yourself Trusted Installer privileges and can access the folders and files normally as with any other folder on your PC but I don't recommend this for obvious reasons as then you're also able to bypass most basic Windows OS security.
Glad I could at least modify files for The Outer Worlds, and I've actually been having a pretty easy and nice time with AoE2:DE. But I haven't tried to modify any files there and it already has native mod support.
I can't even copy-paste existing games onto another PC. I have to download them all over again.
I can't copy a folder on my own PC!
I can't copy a folder on my own PC!
This doesn't impact Steam bought games does it? I just bought my first Microsoft game in years in the Mister Chef Connection and I hope there's no issues.
The issues with the store and the installed apps/games are beyond annoying.
The issues with the store and the installed apps/games are beyond annoying.
OP
OP
No, it doesn't affect Steam games - not even Microsoft's ones. You need to log in to a Microsoft account in-game but otherwise it's like any other Steam game.
Microsoft games are actually doing really well on Steam, AoE2 has lots of players there now and Halo has been a top seller for a while now. Makes me wonder if Game Pass is popular on PC after people used their trials on Gears 5 and Outer Worlds.
None of this is going to happen and the issue is already being worked on with the "Modifiable Windows App" folder. The issue is Microsoft themselves should publicly say something about it still being in the works instead of having to have journalists say it's coming soon. Old thread on it.
Software is in general moving towards virtualisation and containerisation. More and more legacy stuff will be containerised this way eventually.
Doesn't have much to do with DRM.
I wouldn't call it gigantic. A problem for modders, sure, but I imagine even on Pc that would be a smaller demographic. Definitely not against them adding mod support but I think given it's a subscription service the level of DRM makes sense.
The way Microsoft locks down their UWP shit is fucking infuriating. I had a nightmare of a time trying to scrub a Windows folder from a hard drive when I upgraded my PC due to the permissions associated with it.
Just my 2 cents with this xbox game pass mod issue. I was playing kingdom come deliverance for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed the game until i encountered a glitch that does not allow me to proceed. At one point of the game, I need to sneak and take down 2 guards at a tower. The first time i tried this, I was able to take down the 2 guards easily and I moved on. Well I made a mistake later on and decided to retry the quest. Well this is where the issue started. I am not able to take down these 2 guards anymore while sneaking! I can sometimes take down 1 silently but the other ALWAYS turns around while I am taking him down and he sounds the alarms. I tried at LEAST 50 times.
This is a game breaking glitch to me..... So I tried to mod the game to add more perks or invincibility or anything. Well that's when I learned that Xbox game pass does not allow mods at this time.
I am a computer programmer by trade so I then went ahead and started doing my thing. I was able to bypass all the restrictions and was able to edit files etc. BUT microsoft was smart. They scattered the games files across multiple different folders and shortcuts causing me to chase folders and files across a dozen locations..... after spending all this time, I realized there was no real good mods (at the time) for kingdom come deliverance anyways haha.
So, many say that you are renting the game and you should not have access to files, thats a load of B.S.... When you rent a house, you are allowed to adjust hot and cold water, adjust what you want in your fridge, add whatever furniture I want etc. No, I am not trying to paint the walls or take walls down or add a wing.
This is a game breaking glitch to me..... So I tried to mod the game to add more perks or invincibility or anything. Well that's when I learned that Xbox game pass does not allow mods at this time.
I am a computer programmer by trade so I then went ahead and started doing my thing. I was able to bypass all the restrictions and was able to edit files etc. BUT microsoft was smart. They scattered the games files across multiple different folders and shortcuts causing me to chase folders and files across a dozen locations..... after spending all this time, I realized there was no real good mods (at the time) for kingdom come deliverance anyways haha.
So, many say that you are renting the game and you should not have access to files, thats a load of B.S.... When you rent a house, you are allowed to adjust hot and cold water, adjust what you want in your fridge, add whatever furniture I want etc. No, I am not trying to paint the walls or take walls down or add a wing.
People are gonna pirate games whether you make it easy or not. All this locked-down nonsense does is hurt paying customers.
So it would indeed open another channel for piracy straight from Microsoft on behalf of the publishers?