I had an issue where a client reported a crash on login. The exception and stack trace reported were very generic and lent no clues to the cause. I tried debugging but could not reproduce. I eventually figured out that the crash only happened for release (non-debug) builds that were obfuscated. I couldn’t find the troublesome code, so I figured out which release introduced the issue, then which commit, then went change by change until I was able to find the cause. It turned out to be a log message in a location that was completely unrelated to login. That exact log message was fine a few lines up. Other code worked fine in that location. For some unknown reason, having that log message in that specific location caused a crash in a completely different area of code.

I would say it’s a bit more nuanced than that. I have installed quite a few games on my Deck that have had serious issues that require their own unique fixes in order to work. I had a few games that had shader issues with flashing neon textures that required specific Proton versions to work, a few games that could never get past the main menu due to infinite loading that required reinstalls and using specific Proton versions, and one that required adding some additional commands on the startup in order to avoid crashes. I’ve also run into a few games where the Deck has quirks, such as one I played where the keyboard would cover the game’s text input and the keyboard would appear immediately after closing, which meant you could hardly read what you were entering text for. They do work eventually, so you are technically correct, but they require effort to fix that some people will not feel comfortable doing.

When I worked IT, I went to a local fire station and said I was there to update their computers. The person I talked to didn’t seem to know that this was scheduled, but they led me to their office with the computers and showed me how to log on. I’m pretty sure they just assumed I was telling the truth because I spoke confidently and was wearing a polo, but I could have literally been anyone.

When I first got my Deck, I was playing a lot on it. I then kinda transitioned back into PC gaming for a while and that continued into the beginning of 2023. However, I started gaming a lot more on the Deck in the past few months. I’ve mostly been working through some of the indie or older games that are in my backlog. Right now, I only really play on PC when I am playing my primary multiplayer games that don’t run (or run poorly) on the Deck.

I’m not trying to say that anyone buying the game is going to have a large impact or that Rowling herself has a large impact. I was just giving an explanation of why some people may feel like they shouldn’t support the game financially. Some people feel uncomfortable buying something if they know that their money, no matter how little, is ultimately going towards something they disagree with.

I’ve been voting for DRG for years now and am hoping it wins at some point. Great game that still gets sizable updates.

Some people have harder times separating an author from their work. In this particular case, while it is true that Rowling likely did not have much to do with the actual product, it also doesn’t help that she makes money off the game and donates said money to people and organizations that people disagree with.

This is awesome of you to do this! I have quite a few backlog games and want other people to have a chance to grab stuff they would really be into, so I would be interested in A Short Hike and/or SUPERHOT only if it gets close to the Dec 31 deadline and nobody has claimed them. Whether I get any games or not, thanks for doing this! Happy holidays and new year!