Widescreen Gaming Forum

If any "Big Borther" entity was to start digging into your info, Steam would be the last place "they" would go.

My thoughts on Steam are a mixed bag. I like the ease of buying and updating, and being able to make a back-up with all theose updates/mod/etc. along with it.

But it is nice to have a retail package, disc, tangible manual and not have to connect to the intertubes. But really, who doesn't have internet access? If I'm ever at a place that doesn't have internet, I'm ignore computers, anyway.

As for Saints Row 2, it looks like it could've been an awesome PC game but it was WAAAYYYYY too buggy for me to enjoy. Maybe I'll find a cheap coy and play it on a friends' console or something, as it look like a lot of fun.

But really, who doesn't have internet access?

This is SO not the problem.

-no clear mention on the box that you'll need a Steam account (the "online activation" logo is close to meaningless)
-forced to have a background service running while you play solo/offline
-[still true?] forced to download an entire updated game instead of a patch
-should've been a nice alternative platform for buying games, is just another closed, monopolistic entity
-1$=1€, WTF ?!

Oh, I'm not truly an anti-Steam person, just not keen on joining in for these reasons. Candid remarks like "nothing wrong with Steam" and "who doesn't have internet access?" don't help :lol:

[still true?] forced to download an entire updated game instead of a patch

That was never true as far as I know. Certainly isn't now.

I go back and forth on Steam, and digital distribution in general. One week I love collecting boxes and feel like I have a better sense of ownership rights with boxes... the next week I praise the convienence and ease of use of Steam and the like, along with weekend deals.

I have bought Steam versions of games I already own because they were super cheap and I wouldn't have to worry about the box, patches and cracks anymore. I have also bought boxed copies of games I own on Steam in order to have a more firmly owned copy of the game.

I am super retarded like that.

Recently I bought Risen on Steam only to find it had TAGES activation DRM, which the retail copy does NOT, which is quite the flip. I then sought out a retail copy so I did not have to use TAGES, only to find no one carried the game... no one. PC retail being in such a crappy place makes Steam hard to ignore for an entirely different reason seperated from the merits of ownership.

-no clear mention on the box that you'll need a Steam account (the "online activation" logo is close to meaningless)

Yeah thats pretty stupid, I actually had no clue that it required steam until this thread popped up.

-forced to have a background service running while you play solo/offline

Only for integrated games, 99% of games that you can buy on steam you can run without steam.

-[still true?] forced to download an entire updated game instead of a patch

Never true.

-should've been a nice alternative platform for buying games, is just another closed, monopolistic entity

Do you like any other digital distribution services? D2D, Impulse, GamersGate, GoG?

PC retail being in such a crappy place makes Steam hard to ignore for an entirely different reason seperated from the merits of ownership.

Yeah, Expecially for all of the little indie games out there, They absolutely cannot ship retail, and they have two choices, Create their own digital distribution, which is basically what every PC indie game has done prior to steam, or use standardized DD methods like Steam or Impulse. I own a handful of Indie titles via steam, I have never once delt with indie distribution prior to steam.

[quote]PC retail being in such a crappy place makes Steam hard to ignore for an entirely different reason seperated from the merits of ownership.

Yeah, Expecially for all of the little indie games out there, They absolutely cannot ship retail, and they have two choices, Create their own digital distribution, which is basically what every PC indie game has done prior to steam, or use standardized DD methods like Steam or Impulse. I own a handful of Indie titles via steam, I have never once delt with indie distribution prior to steam.

Not just indie games, but also smaller releases from Europe here in the US... almost impossible to find, even something like STALKER I have never seen in a Best Buy or the like.

With console games being more and more mainstreamed, sometimes the only games to come out in a year that play with more depth and complexity are "obscure" European titles, and no one stocks them. I like all kinds of games, and enjoy the mainstream stuff, but I also like my Risen and STALKER at times.

And as for indie games, I have read people's comments that Steam takes too much of a percentage, but I have also heard indie developers say that Steam got them sooooo many sales it is a moot point what their percentage is.

I wonder how Steam's 40% compares to Microsoft's cut on an XBLA game they publish, or Sony... I wonder how much Jonathan Blow got for Everyday Shooter on PS3, a game he made himself and Sony published on their service, compared to the later Steam release.

And as for indie games, I have read people's comments that Steam takes too much of a percentage, but I have also heard indie developers say that Steam got them sooooo many sales it is a moot point what their percentage is.

If there is one article on this subject that everyone should read it is this one. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25595

Also by buying from steam you support the actual developers more than some suit's in most cases.

Great article, thanks for that... he says in the comments they do make more profit on Steam than from retail, which motivates me to buy games on Steam more often, the opposite of Pitchford's intentions.

Oh well.

Pitchford also is working for a rather large company so in his case they might make more money from retail than steam per copy sold.
What the Tripwire guy seems to be saying on the subject is that unless you're big and well known, publishers want to fuck you.

I don't think that he is in any position to say what steam does to any devs other than him and his company.

Here's the direct quotes:

"Valve is taking a larger share than it should for the service its providing. It’s exploiting a lot of small guys," he said, adding, "For us big guys, we’re going to sell the units and it will be fine."

And now Gearbox tries to sell Borderlands pre-orders in packs of 4. :neutral:

(Meanwhile, I still have to find a good reason to install Saints Row 2 any time soon...)

I have received confirmation that the GamersGate version of Saints Row 2 is 100% Steam-free o/