A rant to valve.

[WolfLordAndy]

Current Players Peak Today Game

41,033 68,164 Counter-Strike: Source
37,223 74,471 Counter-Strike
28,179 36,278 Total War SHOGUN 2
20,428 34,340 Call of Duty Black Ops - Multiplayer
20,113 22,947 Sid Meier's Civilization V
17,637 21,045 Team Fortress 2
17,239 37,059 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Multiplayer
16,029 23,710 Football Manager 2011
12,024 14,511 Left 4 Dead 2
10,786 11,485 RIFT

Gotten from the steam stats [http://store.steampowered.com/stats/]
Now I count 4 VaLVE games there. I think they don't have a problem with popularity.

Look at all of the people playing Blops right now on Xbox, They've got atleast a million. (Sorry about the pre edit, I thought the peak and the current were combined.)

And where are you getting these numbers?

My xbox 360 good sir.

So you're comparing 360 multiplayer figures... with PC multiplayer figures? Do you not think that is somewhat dumb, considering their are many more people playing 360 games then PC games?

Perhaps you could find some stats for howmany people are playing L4D and L4D2 on 360 right now? That would be a better comparison, however flawed, as the console games from Valve were just kinda phoned in compared to the PC versions.

If you truely want to compare stuff to valve, go find the PC figures for COD4/MW2, BC2 and whatever other FPSs are actually popular on PC these days.

I honestly hate the whole "buy a new game every month" mentality of some people. I buy maybe 3-4 games a year, and I'm still happily playing TF2 and CSS, right next to League of Legends, that is a good year and a half old now.

 

[WolfLordAndy]

I think their main problem recently is they just don't have the man power to put out all the games they have planned.
As for tf2, just try to ignore the whole economy thing. It's nice to get hats, but it's no big deal. Just pretend it's not there.

I don't mind it for the fun factor it originally had, but now with every big game realease, they advertise for it. It gets old.

Yeah, I just hate it everytime ANOTHER advert comes on tv for McDonalds, makes me want to not eat their every time!

 

[MegaR]

So you're comparing 360 multiplayer figures... with PC multiplayer figures? Do you not think that is somewhat dumb, considering their are many more people playing 360 games then PC games?

Perhaps you could find some stats for howmany people are playing L4D and L4D2 on 360 right now? That would be a better comparison, however flawed, as the console games from Valve were just kinda phoned in compared to the PC versions.

If you truely want to compare stuff to valve, go find the PC figures for COD4/MW2, BC2 and whatever other FPSs are actually popular on PC these days.

I honestly hate the whole "buy a new game every month" mentality of some people. I buy maybe 3-4 games a year, and I'm still happily playing TF2 and CSS, right next to League of Legends, that is a good year and a half old now.

http://store.steampowered.com/stats/
Current Players Peak Today Game

29,763 68,164 Counter-Strike: Source
26,718 74,471 Counter-Strike
15,973 34,340 Call of Duty Black Ops - Multiplayer
11,903 37,059 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Multiplayer
11,082 14,511 Left 4 Dead 2

there i looked it up for you
say what now? css en cs have way more players on the pc? even though they are way older? Too bad left 4 dead is just beneath it

 

[viranimus]

They aren't popular. They have about 50000 people playing counter strike right now. That is sad. Halo 3 probably has that. Get on Halo Reach, 900,000 people maybe? Valve is closing itself in. I don't care if people like old games, but their is a time to move on. And that time is now for me, either valve makes new games with new concepts, or I will stop buying and playing games made by them.

While I have no ambition to quote you to nit pick about interpretive statistics I have to question the logic of damning one companies product for lacking innovation and then promoting another one who is well documented for being unbelievably stagnant and prone to intentional money grabs by releasing the same game with a fresh coat of paint. Seriously, CoD? The level of innovation in CoD games has been nominal.

I mean I do get some of the gripe with valve. It is somewhat annoying that basically all they release is shooters or derivatives of shooters but no one gets upset when Bungie did it for 10+ years. Sure I would enjoy seeing Valves take on an RPG or some other sort of game type, but there really is nothing wrong with specialization because there are other companies out there that fill those voids.

I also think the assertion that valve is going to fold in on itself is without merit. Valve is one of the larger companies in the industry out there and thats not even accounting for the rampant popularity of the steam platform that will more than keep valve in the business of making games. And if CoD as a franchise can prop up developers like infinity ward and Treyarch by having them repeatedly produce the same type of games Valve can exist as they are.

 

[Setsuri21]

What is the point of this thread, exactly? To complain that Valve games are popular? To complain that Valve wants you to play Valve games? Or do you want Valve to ban Valve games from Steam? None of that makes any sense.

They aren't popular. They have about 50000 people playing counter strike right now. That is sad. Halo 3 probably has that. Get on Halo Reach, 900,000 people maybe? Valve is closing itself in. I don't care if people like old games, but their is a time to move on. And that time is now for me, either valve makes new games with new concepts, or I will stop buying and playing games made by them.

Well 50000 may not be much in comparison to 900,000, but for an 11-ish(?) year old game, those are some staggering numbers. Can't think of any other old ass games with that kind of a fan base left. But seriously what did valve do to you? usually when people hate something this much, There's a reason, or they are just blaming it for something else non-related going shitty in their life. Like i hate Iceburg lettuce with a fiery passion because the last time I ate it, I happened to be on the verge of getting really sick. realistically, not the lettuces fault, but i still hate it.

(I was talking about CounterStrike Source, so 7-ish.) But if Halo 2 online were still active, it would probably have 50,000. and bungi was able to make a game better than that, that was one of the biggest hits to the face for the video game market in YEARS. Valve has done absolutly nothing to me (In a bad way). I'm just fearing for them. I love valve, I just hate their marketing. I don't want to see them go away from something as dumb as laziness, espicially when they have the power to keep making super mega awesome titles.

They are making "super mega awesome titles". They do so with the huge stacks of cash they get steam and their own titles. Just takes them forever to do it.

 

[natster43]

I am kinda annoyed at Valve. They are releasing a new campaign for Left 4 Dead 2 that they are not even making. Sure it is cool that people who make levels for it get to have their work promoted, but seriously Valve you can work on more than one game at a time and not just make hats.

 

[Poofs]

You're looking at the situation in the wrong light,
Valve isn't getting people to pre-order on Steam for a hat
they're just offering an incentive to buy it on Steam instead of at Gamestop

 

[Hawknight]

It's pretty much all been said but I guess I'll reiterate points.

1. You're comparing PC gaming to Console gaming. It's like comparing apples to watermelons. Yes, they're both gaming machines(or fruit) but they're really not that similar. Also, the console market is much larger than the PC market so the fact that they have more players online really isn't an indication of much. Try comparing PC numbers to PC numbers and then you might have a better argument.

2. Valve works at its own pace and strives to make a thoroughly enjoyable and well crafted experience. Sure, this means us fans are stuck waiting for HL2:Episode 3 to come out, but we're almost assured it's going to be worth it.

3. While the CoD and Halo franchises are fun, I wouldn't say they've really done a whole lot of innovation since Modern Warfare and Halo 2 (and it could be argued even before then). Sure they've thrown in a few new mechanics, but nothing game changing. Both franchises are just riding on their earlier successes coattails because they know people will keep buying them if they keep making them (See Black Ops which many consider to be worse than MW2 but had sales through the roof simply because it was the next CoD game).

tl;dr -

1. Don't compare Console to PC.
2. Valve works at it's own pace.
3. The Halo and CoD franchises aren't really something to aspire to.

 

[Arkhangelsk]

So, you're ranting at Valve because they're giving you free stuff when you buy a game? I'm not exactly a fan of Valve, but that doesn't seem like a good reason to hate them.

Not because they are free, but it is being over used. When they started to do it, it was funny, cute, amusing, whatever the word for it is, but now when one stops, another beginins. They are starting to rely on it. Bad sign.

Maybe because they need income while they're working on the most anticipated game right now (except for Duke Nukem Forever), the new Half-Life title. So they're keeping their games alive for the time to come. (And no, I'm not forgetting Portal 2, and my point stands.)

 

[FoolKiller]

I completely disagree. I think that people still playing TF and CS are doing so because those games offer something they like. Familiarity and simplicity would be the main reasons I would do so and have continued to play some older games I like. I still like new games but I probably beat Contra on my NES on a monthly basis. I never get sick of it, I never tire of it.

 

[Treblaine]

This is my point, COME OUT WITH NEW IDEAS. Sure, portal 2

You serious?

You complain about not enough new ideas and in practically the same breath mention Portal 2?

What about the endless game changing updates for Team Fortress 2 they have pumped so many NEW IDEAS into that game that every 6 months it becomes a completely different game.

What about all the "Mutations" in Left 4 Dead 2 adding a completely new game mode, a game that is Part 2 of an incredibly novel and interesting twist on online shooters integrating co-op shooting and that so effectively rewards and depends upon teamwork.

Of ALL the things you can say about Valve, LACK OF NEW IDEAS!!?!?! Whaaaa??? Name me a company that has a broader library of games with more ideas for not only games but the entire video games industry!

If you say Activision I will unleash such terrible vengeance that generations yet unborn will cry out in anguish...

They aren't popular. They have about 50000 people playing counter strike right now. That is sad. Halo 3 probably has that. Get on Halo Reach, 900,000 people maybe? Valve is closing itself in. I don't care if people like old games, but their is a time to move on. And that time is now for me, either valve makes new games with new concepts, or I will stop buying and playing games made by them.

Those numbers are a bit optimistic.

Halo 3 rarely has more than 170k players over any 24hour period now, usually a lot, lot less than that.

Reach averages around 7 to 800'000 players over a 24hour period. That works out as 33'330 players per hour, a lot less than Counter Strike's 30-70k at-any-one-time number. Halo is just over 7'000 players per hour.

It's hard to compare that to Steam's numbers as Bungie don't show Peak and current player numbers (the best I could manage was the 24h player number divided by 24 to give players per huor). But both Halo games appear to have less people than CS does. Which isn't a huge surprise, console games tend to lose players fast, the lack of extra content and on the fly balancing will do hat.

It's so shameful how much consoles will inflate their numbers by insinuating all those who log in in a 24 hour period are all playing at once. like implying "we had 200 people in our apple store yesterday" even though that actually means in total 200 people wandered in, looked at the price tags and wandered off again. You have to appreciate how open Steam are about the actual popularity of various games though it plays against them when secretive and deceptive console companies spin their figures for publicity.

 

[luckycharms8282]

Im surprised you never mentioned l4d 1 and 2. If you dont like valve because of its practices, stay away from companies like IW. Valve listens to its consumers and is dedicated to making a good game. Companies like IW put out a great game but then disappear when said game becomes ridden with game breaking glitches and exploits.

 

[FarleShadow]

This is funny stuff. Valve are really good considering the other shit, especially when it comes to TF2.

Consider this: You can buy a hat in TF2 or you could just play the game and craft it from random drops. Or just not be a hat tosser.

 

[EllEzDee]

Gotta love the amount of fanboys in this thread.
As for the OP, you've made a bunch of points with as much worth as what i left in the toilet a few hours ago.
I couldn't give a toss if Valve was making its money from games 6 years old; as long as said games are kept supported, there's no problem is there? A good game kept updated is a bajillion times better than a yearly released rehash, á la the CoD series. I good idea doesn't just appear from the pubes of the level designers, like the crab-tastic shite the market is filled with at the moment, and i'd much rather they spend 10 years developing something awesome than have them load the market with pure unadulterated shit.

That said, Valve was once the pinnacle of PC gaming. Now they're just another two-bit developer. Since L4D1 we've learned what greedy son of a bitches they are, and they've just been going downhill since. Can't wait for them to join the DLC route every dev has taken for the past 5 years...

 

[Anaklusmos]

That isn't coherant, there isn't an arguement there, it's just ranting on something for the sake of ranting, you complain about them using the same IP and then talk about Call of Duty... Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize Call of Duty: Black Ops was the first game in the series, and not the seventh...

You insult people who use steam calling them 'close minded', why? Just because a game is popular doesn't mean it's the only thing people play. World of Warcraft is popular and yet you'll see many people who play it also play other games, doesn't mean they just play one game all the time...

The one thing I love about your rant, is that you assume you are the majority of Valve consumers, and that losing you is the first step is losing all of their loyal supporters. I'll say the same thing I say to people who say they will 'quit' world of warcraft, you making an example will not suddenly cripple the company, they have a large fanbase, full of loyal customers, and you leaving will not change anything. Obviously what Valve is doing is working, or they wouldn't have so many customers, if you don't like their philosophy to make games, or how the company works, then don't buy their products.

 

[jackpipsam]

Gasp! There are a group of gamers that prefer an older game!

Gasp! A company trying to extend the lifespan of an multiplayer game!

UNTHINKABLE!