Duke Nukem Forever: Steamworks and Sexy Hats

[gigastar]

Dude, I have more than 80 old $5 games on Steam. I know how that thing works. I just don't want to use it anymore. BTW the whole selling point of Steam is that games require it; thus you have more and more games in your Steam account; thus you buy more and more games for/with Steam. Good business strategy, but from my POV as a customer, I really despise it.

Distribution on Steam and DRM through Steam are the developers choices, not Valves. The rest is just making you sound paranoid of the digital age we are all moving into, like it or not.

With Steam, it's:
1) Buy game
2) Download the whole fucking game from the torrent (thus making myself a pirate) to circumvent Steam
3) Use other means of installation and applying the cracks
4) Play game
5) Game is fucked up, needs update. Retail update file is not available.
6) Downloading the whole fucking game again, this time already patched.
goes on.

How can you claim to understand Steam then claim that you circumvent it? Buying, downloading and installing through Steam is not illeagal in any way, whereas buying the game on Steam to download it from an illeagal torrent site then cracking it into the Steam file doesnt make you any better than the pirates who dont pay for it. It makes you look a bit of an idiot actually.

If your internet bandwidth happens to be an issue, you should pursue an upgrade.

 

[linwolf]

How come?

I hate not having control over what I own, steams makes modding a lot harder. It makes it so I can play with friend without updating (not all updates are for the better). Valve can whenever they want ban you and remove you ability to play you games. It is an extra login screen whenever I want to play a game. Now these things it can accept for ten bucks but for full retail price I will rather use my money elsewhere.

- All your normal game files are found in the Steam folder
- Turn auto-updates off
- Rarely happens by mistake, very easy to avoid if you just use it how you're meant to
- Tick auto-login

Yes you can stop the game from updating but then you can't play with friend, me and my friend perfer a early version of warcaft 3 if the game was on steam that was a no go. And if your games updates and you find that you don't like it, then you can't go back to an early version any more.
And it's not that I am afraid to get ban, it's that they can. You paid for it they shouldn't be in command.
I don't like having to many programs running in the background.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

This is so great. Its all coming together so nicely for the Duke's comeback. I love all the cheese here.

 

[samsonguy920]

However, if you are able to download games with ease through torrent sites, then you should be having zero problems downloading through Steam.

If I buy a game and don't want to use Steam despite the fact it's required, how do I install it? Torrent.

That is your choice to make, but take into account that the torrent service has no legal backing to help you when things go wrong, and also no reason to even give you what you expect to get. If someone along the line decides to toss in some code that turns into a trojan or such, who are you going to complain to? You can't take it to civil court as you are already doing something illegal, nor can you expect any sympathy from the provider who is doing their own illegal acts.
As I said, this is up to you how you want to do it. If you are having problems with Steam to the point of frustration, I have to wonder if your PC setup is to the point of being substandard to other Steam users who don't have this problem. Steam itself has low requirements, it is still compatible with Windows 98 and Pentium 4 processors and even more dated processors.
I can understand a certain amount of mistrust to Steam when it seems to be into about everything, but I find that using a service that is legally bound to keep its system secure to providing service is better than going to a private service that has no reason to provide safe and secure service to any recipients when every act along the way is legally questionable.
I am in no way throwing my support for DRM, especially the such thrown about like Ubisoft and EA's support of SecuROM(shudder). But Steam's form of DRM doesn't actually require Steam to be online all the time, nor does it invade my system to rewrite code that could throw a monkey wrench into unrelated programs. Nor do they use personal info in their security practice.
And I am fine with that.

 

[BENZOOKA]

Dude, I have more than 80 old $5 games on Steam. I know how that thing works. I just don't want to use it anymore. BTW the whole selling point of Steam is that games require it; thus you have more and more games in your Steam account; thus you buy more and more games for/with Steam. Good business strategy, but from my POV as a customer, I really despise it.

No one is forcing anyone to buy new games. I don't see a problem.

My way of buying games is:

1) Buy game
2) Prior to install, learn about its copy protection
3) Download a small, reliable crack

Crack's are bad, mmkay.

4) Download updates
5) Install the game
6) Install updates
7) Before running, apply the game (SecuRom gets installed on first startup), remove disk, play.

With Steam, it's:
1) Buy game
2) Download the whole fucking game from the torrent (thus making myself a pirate) to circumvent Steam

You don't download games from torrents with Steam. You don't need to circumvent it. I don't even...

3) Use other means of installation and applying the cracks
4) Play game
5) Game is fucked up, needs update. Retail update file is not available.

In my experience, you got updates through Steam, as soon as they are available, automatically even if you let it.

6) Downloading the whole fucking game again, this time already patched.

This isn't necessary

goes on.

(Yeah, 6 steps instead of 7, I know, but it takes ages.)

Now compare with, say, H.A.W.X:
1) Buy game
2) Install game
3) Download patch, install patch
4) Remove disk, play game

How it actually works with Steam:
Buy the game from the comfort of your own computer
Let Steam download the game. Steam installs the game automatically
Play the game

I don't know what seems to be so magnificent about patches, but if any have been released before buying the game, they are included. If patches are released later, they will be automatically applied.

BTW before that 'last retail game that requires Steam', I bought other two: one of them took TWO HOURS TO INSTALL because it kept doing something with Steam. User experience ftw.

I'm not saying you should like Steam. It's just that you shouldn't say "facts" about it that simply aren't true.

 

[gigastar]

And I thought we were on the same side, oh well.

Hi, im just gonna deconstruct this argument a bit...

If I buy a game on a freakin' DVD, I want to be able to play it forever.

Simply does not happen anymore. Case example: Old Xbox games on the 360 and the extinction of the 3-and-a-half-inch floppy disc.

It still exist on the PC but is dying fast because people have stop caring.

Truth be told I know it still exists out there somewhere, but I have never seen any computer post-dating 2005 that came with a floppy port.

I won't accept any stupid background program which will delay running the game.

The only hassle Steam has ever given me from its end is waiting for updates to finish, logging in and the occasional server bork. I dont know where you get background program from, as it only really does anything when youre playing games through it.

That is all minor things people have just accepted but you paid a lot of money for the game, if I had a car that wouldn't start all time, I would be pissed. Any annoys that means that my friend laughs at me for buying legal has some big problems.

Yes but in most cases the car would be fixed under a warranty for free. Also I dont think its a good example as the times scale of it is off by a few weeks. In every case ive had so far ive had all my Steam games working within one hour of completion of download.

I despise DRM. Now, I KINDA can accept simple disk-check copy protection.

Which was scrapped because it was easy to bypass, and DRM isnt a big improvement.

Steam is just as easily bypassed a simple google and it's done.

I clearly did not state that Steam was any better either.

Plus it's pretty hard to even install updates for such games.

Its done automatically. No user input required.

This annoys the hell out of me, it's a hassle not to get the update. And if you get it and find you don't like it there are no getting rid of it.

I think this calls for the saying "Don't shoot the messenger." It's the developer that approves and sends the updates, and if you have auto-update on Steam merely applies them without your consent.

Not to say I dont know what its like to have a game I like ruined by a patch.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Is it weird that I assumed the hat would be in Team Fortress 2?

I think everyone assumed the hat would be TF2

 

[Jumplion]

Oh god, I thought Duke Nukem Forever was going to have a tie-in to Team Fortress 2, like every other friggin' game coming out on STEAM nowadays.

...can we get Duke's hair as an all-class hat?

 

[linwolf]

Valve won't actually prevent you from playing games you purchased legitimately yourself, they just can prevent you from receiving updates and playing Valve-specific games online. But if they do ban you, then you can bet they had a very good reason to which they would be more than willing to stand up to in court. So unless you are into doing illegal things with your games and internet, you really have nothing to worry about there. Just make sure you keep your account secure.

That would be an VAC ban ban, the most common ban. But yes they can ban you from all you game.
And I just hate that they have the power, multiplayer fine but from single player. Blizzard ban people from single player for modding the singleplayer part of a game so it's not unheard of.

Now if by modding you mean adding or tweaking gameplay features like laser sights on Left4Dead, then Valve has zero problem with that and I haven't heard any modders complain about having difficulties implementing that. In face Valve endorses game mods.

That is what I mean , and I do mod Steam games it's just harder that with non steam games.

If by modding you mean hacking Steam itself to do different things like change access to games and affecting other people's accounts, then you are entitled to your very own Steam Ban and I feel no sympathy for you.

I hate them as well and think they should get ban but still have there single player games.

Last time I checked, the code for Steam is owned by Valve. If and when Steam goes out of style, I wouldn't be surprised if Valve makes the code for it open source. At that time you can mod the hell out of it to your satisfaction. But until then, be happy with what you have, or don't touch it.

I just hate that for every game I gave both to see if the game seem good but also it the DRM is to annoying. With steam it's just on the boarder, so if the game is good enough and cheap I will still get it but I will be pissed at steam every time I play it.

 

[Beastialman]

Steam = no buy. Ever. F**k them.

Tell us how you really feel. I still haven't gotten a decent anti-Steam argument.

Gonna have to go with Sgt. Steam is pretty much god's gift to gamers. The only users that didn't like it was that one Mac guy.

Umm, Sgt. was the anti-Steam one...

Well that's what I get for trying to tell who said what from the HTML instead of hitting Page Up.

 

[NLS]

1) Buy game
2) Prior to install, learn about its copy protection
3) Download a small, reliable crack
4) Download updates
5) Install the game
6) Install updates
7) Before running, apply the game (SecuRom gets installed on first startup), remove disk, play.

With Steam, it's:
1) Buy game
2) Download the whole fucking game from the torrent (thus making myself a pirate) to circumvent Steam
3) Use other means of installation and applying the cracks
4) Play game
5) Game is fucked up, needs update. Retail update file is not available.
6) Downloading the whole fucking game again, this time already patched.
goes on.

(Yeah, 6 steps instead of 7, I know, but it takes ages.)

Circumveinting the copy protection in games is still illegal. If you can't live with that, then don't buy games, and certainly, don't pirate games, because you do not in any way "deserve" the right to do that.

 

[Irridium]

Well that sucks for those who don't want to have to use Steam. I hate it that companies force buyers into using applications they don't want to, and shouldn't have to use. Regardless of how good that system is.

 

[samsonguy920]

Valve won't actually prevent you from playing games you purchased legitimately yourself, they just can prevent you from receiving updates and playing Valve-specific games online. But if they do ban you, then you can bet they had a very good reason to which they would be more than willing to stand up to in court. So unless you are into doing illegal things with your games and internet, you really have nothing to worry about there. Just make sure you keep your account secure.

That would be an VAC ban ban, the most common ban. But yes they can ban you from all you game.
And I just hate that they have the power, multiplayer fine but from single player. Blizzard ban people from single player for modding the singleplayer part of a game so it's not unheard of.

Well there are more bans out there that you probably don't even take into account. Your ISP can suspend your internet service on a whim if they feel the need or a court orders them to. That would ruin your entire day.
It is what we have to deal with to do things online. Heck even offline. You do things unfavorable at your local store, they can "86" you and keep you from dealing with them ever again.
The idea is, if you aren't in the habit of doing questionable things, then you really have nothing to worry about.

 

[Baneat]

Thank fuck it's not another TF2 hat

 

[themyrmidon]

Well that sucks for those who don't want to have to use Steam. I hate it that companies force buyers into using applications they don't want to, and shouldn't have to use. Regardless of how good that system is.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Are Gearbox genuinely concerned that people will actually lose their discs? Or is that tongue-in-cheek pandering to the masses? *sigh*

I can never tell with them...

 

[stewox]

Im not a fan of steam, but im even less of a fan of steamfuckingworks.

But's it's better than GFWL , a lot. still

 

[mjc0961]

Interesting. Too bad that I see this game as something I should pick up from the bargain bin or on a Steam sale rather than something I need to preorder so I can have it at launch. I mean, it's just Duke Nukem. Nothing special.

Is it weird that I assumed the hat would be in Team Fortress 2?

I hope not, because I did too.