Changes to Playing Previous Versions of PDS Titles

[TrainMachine]

Thanks for the quick answer. Based on my experiences elsewhere, I was kind of expecting to be ignored and possibly mocked.

It would still be less confusing if it showed everything properly, but as long as I can get the code when I need it I suppose it doesn't matter that much. It'll be easier to accept the likely failure of my WC run if it's due to my own inadequacy as a conqueror.

I'll accept that this is partially my fault for reading "starting Oct 1" as "get this done this weekend or everything breaks".

Did the sync thing. Wasn't what I meant, but at least now my shamefully short list of games can be displayed as badges under my name.

 

[Vestigial]

To be clear, existing saves will no longer work after October 1st until we link our Steam accounts? Can someone explain exactly what changes when a Steam account is linked?

While signing up to post this, I had to agree to cookies being collected by clicking a button on a banner across the page. I wonder why the passwords can't be "hidden" behind a similar mechanism.

 

[AndrewT]

To be clear, existing saves will no longer work after October 1st until we link our Steam accounts? Can someone explain exactly what changes when a Steam account is linked?

While signing up to post this, I had to agree to cookies being collected by clicking a button on a banner across the page. I wonder why the passwords can't be "hidden" behind a similar mechanism.

I think you have completely misunderstood what is happening here. Save games will be no more unable to work than they are now. The games themselves are utterly unaffected by this change.

What is happening is that old (pre-GDPR) game versions, that are in the games' Steam beta channels for the convenience of players who wish to revert for any reason, need to now be unlocked by a password that will be in your My Games page here. To see that password you'll need to link your Steam and Paradox accounts.

One of the common reason for wanting to revert is save game compatibility, which I guess you have seen mentioned somewhere in relation to this matter.

 

[Vestigial]

Save games will be no more unable to work than they are now.

I guess what I'm confused about is this then

If you are, for example, one of the people playing on the previous versions, anything from 1.4 up to 1.26, you will be in for a rude awakening as your game will no longer be set to that version on Steam.

To me, this sounds like my game on October 1st will be updated to 1.27, and I doubt my 1.25.1 save will work. Aren't new versions usually unable to load old versions? Or do games not auto-update if they're set to a beta branch?

 

[fabioke]

Will I still be able to complete steam achievements on older versions when completing the new procedure?

 

[stnylan]

To me, this sounds like my game on October 1st will be updated to 1.27, and I doubt my 1.25.1 save will work. Aren't new versions usually unable to load old versions? Or do games not auto-update if they're set to a beta branch?

Usually if you are on a Beta version the game will not update to a new version when it is released, but stay on the beta version. For example I was writing an AAR on a 1.25.1 save. I put it in the Beta version, and the game has not yet updated to 1.26 Dharma.

If the game is on the current version and you set it to an earlier Beta version the game reconfigures to that earlier version

However, on October 1st they are going to update all games to update to satisfy their GDPR obligations, as has been described a few times in this thread. This post by @Dnote shows you what to do to avoid a game currently on beta to update at all, but to keep it on beta. A little finikity but important probably to some.

 

[Vestigial]

. This post by @Dnote shows you what to do to avoid a game currently on beta to update

Right but, thats only if you're willing to link your Steam account. I can agree to the GDPR update, but still be unable to continue my game since I don't share my steam library to get the code. It could be explained more why GDPR needs Paradox to see our Steam library to give us the codes.

I made the example earlier of clicking an "I agree to cookie collection" button to post here, but this seems like in order to agree, we have to show what other tabs we have open.

 

[AndrewT]

I guess what I'm confused about is this then

To me, this sounds like my game on October 1st will be updated to 1.27, and I doubt my 1.25.1 save will work. Aren't new versions usually unable to load old versions? Or do games not auto-update if they're set to a beta branch?

If you are NOW opted into a pre-GDPR beta, you will be automatically opted out of it. All you'll need to do is opt in again using the password that will then be available in your My Games page. If you are NOT opted into any beta nothing will happen.

 

[AndrewT]

Will I still be able to complete steam achievements on older versions when completing the new procedure?

The new procedure changes nothing whatsoever about the game or Steam. It is merely a change in how you get access older versions.

 

[AndrewT]

Right but, thats only if you're willing to link your Steam account. I can agree to the GDPR update, but still be unable to continue my game since I don't share my steam library to get the code. It could be explained more why GDPR needs Paradox to see our Steam library to give us the codes.

How else will we know what games you have in order to show you their passwords?

 

[Vestigial]

You could give the passwords in one big list.

 

[Vjeldan]

Overall, I am quite disappointed with the way PDX handles the GDPR changeover. I like PDX and almost all PDX products very much, so I'm expressing myself instead of being silently annoyed.
However, I get the impression that PDX is very reluctant to make the change, that it doesn't manage to see GDPR as an opportunity, and that, on top of that, numerous changes are (seemingly) unnecessarily made against the interests of customers.

Formulations like that data is deleted GDPR-compatible, unless you have a game of PDX (which is always true, otherwise you wouldn't have produced data first), or now that a login (with data transfer) is necessary to access old versions seems cynical. I'm also worried about how much IPs seem to be stored.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm willing to voluntarily share a lot of data of my choice, have participated in every poll so far, and try to contribute something constructive to the forum. However, if I get the impression that PDX tries to take data by "force" and treat privacy cynically, then my opinion of PDX and accordingly my willingness to provide data drops.

Maybe I just misunderstood something and the communication went wrong. But since I had the impression that PDX was interested in a good relationship and good communication with customers, it seemed right to me to express my perception.

Don’t really understand what you’re trying to say here. Can you elaborate please?

I am trying to say, that i am unhappy with how PDX acts in regards to the GDPR. I am not unhappy with PDX in general, but with the business of privacy, data protection and GDPR specifically. I know there are companies worse than PDX, but there is no need to become them.
Trust is far more valuable then data and far easier to loose, and far more difficult to get. PDX has a great fanbase and more trust then most game companies could wish for. But in taking this for granted to indulge in greed for data, you might destroy much more then you think you are gaining. Especially since you could gain data just by asking.

What i am unhappy and disappointed with the most is:
- It appears you (PDX) still collect IPs, and telemetry and accountdata and you even wish to sync data. This in NOT anonymized data and the GDPR clearly states that. This data is also NOT necessary to opperate the services, as is also specified in the GDPR, and as such it is NOT sufficient to just inform the user get permission by default or one cannot play the game. This kind of data collection has to be opt-in. Its not my place to say for certain, but im pretty sure this is not GDPR-compliant.
- In all official statements it sounds as if the GDPR is a pure inconvinience, an annoyance, that requires the devs to annoy their customers with updated policies and restrictions. Everyone has his/her own opinion and that's alright, but this is wrong information.
- To use the GDPR-compliance as an excuse to collect even more data is cynical. It might not even be GDPR-compliant. Again, its not my place to say for certain. But as a customer i get the feeling you are realy stretching the law just to get more data by force, that you could've gained by asking GDPR-compliant with an opt-in.

I am not the only one who is unhappy/disappointed.

[...]
In that regard: Many years ago, when I first installed EU4, to my delight I was asked if I wanted to participate in data collection, or not. I of course declined. To the best of my knowledge, this is the latest agreement between PDX and me. So if I'm now forced to accept telemetry to play the game, this is a huge downgrade. And don't give me this "We are forced by GDPR" nonsense. No you are not. You could just give your telemetry servers a new address so only compliant versions' data is received. No need to remove old versions as you could just reject their connections or immediately void any data they send home. Nobody forces you to collect data about old games/versions!
Besides, if I have to agree to the PP, lest I cannot play the game, do you not run into big issues, because providing access to EU4 is conditional on consent to the processing of personal data which is absolutely not neccessary for performance of the contract? I can play EU4 (especially old versions) perfectly fine without providing telemetry data and my IP address to PDX (in fact, I already do, since I've blocked EU4's process from accessing the network so it doesn't phone home). So wouldn't forced consent to this mechanism make it not "freely given" in terms of GDPR Art 7(4)? Can't I just object to the processing under GDPR? Will I get a refund for my game and all DLC if I do not want to give consent to superfluous data collection about my behaviour? I have already spent the money and now you are forcing hoops and contractual terms on me, I might not agree to. Seems hardly fair.

I get that it is not technicaly feasible to update all the pre-GDPR game client builds. What I do not understand however is why can't Paradox Interactive just instantly discard all the data received from the old game clients on the server side ( data > null )? Wouldn't that make them GDPR compliant since in effect no data would be collected? Or is this the case where they'd rather make their users adapt to their needs rather than them stopping collecting data? Especially so since they ask ursers to give access to their Steam accounts. All under the pretext of compliance with the law.

 

[Msciej]

Hi,
I have just created my paradox account and linked it to my steam account. "My games" tab is empty and as a result I am not able to grab these beta codes. How am I supposed to finish my 1.25 game (100 years left), its almost 9 pm here in eastern europe, I got 3 hours and my wife threatens me divorce if I touch Eu4 today. Help!

 

[stnylan]

Hi,
I have just created my paradox account and linked it to my steam account. "My games" tab is empty and as a result I am not able to grab these beta codes. How am I supposed to finish my 1.25 game (100 years left), its almost 9 pm here in eastern europe, I got 3 hours and my wife threatens me divorce if I touch Eu4 today. Help!

The codes will not show before tomorrow.

 

[Msciej]

Thanks, my saved game and my mariage are safe!

 

[Vestigial]

How else will we know what games you have in order to show you their passwords?

I'm wondering about this- Linking a steam account only shares which profile is ours, but profiles are still private by default, which includes the games list. If it is the case that Paradox has some internal list of which Steam IDs own which of their games, which the Steam link id is compared to, I wish that would be communicated. It sounded like Paradox got to read our whole game library, which is sensitive now that Steam allows uncensored porn games, active shooter simulators, political games, etc.

 

[AndrewT]

It sounded like Paradox got to read our whole game library, which is sensitive now that Steam allows uncensored porn games, active shooter simulators, political games, etc.

I can see the lists of owned games in Paradox accounts, and it only lists Paradox games.

 

[GundamMerc]

So many people upset over data telemetry regarding the game they play. Let me just facedesk right now. *bam* There literally is personal in the data being taken that can be lead directly back to you outside what is already needed to set up a multiplayer game. They don't care that Bob plays version "so-so", they care that someone plays version "so-so". Not to mention there's far more violating information gathering merely from visiting everyday websites.

It amazes me how little people realize that no one who collects information like this really cares about getting personally identifying info, they want statistics.

 

[artemis667]

I just want to really say that I'm impressed at the amount of work PDS have done in the backend to facilitate us still being able to play old patches even with the demands of this challenging new legal framework. Many devs wouldn't have bothered. I don't often play old patches, but there are times when I want to for mod compatibility, and it's wonderful we still can.

And also I'm a bit disappointed at anyone in this community who's had a go at PDS over this being required. Fact is: when you are a company in business, legal requirements are legal requirements. You obey them, or you go out of business. They do not have the luxury of ignoring laws in a cavalier fashion like some gamers seem to think you can do.

 

[AKronblad]

I can see the lists of owned games in Paradox accounts, and it only lists Paradox games.

Are passwords/codes available now?

Cannot seem to find them, under
Your Games.

Are the available under Manage for each applicable game?