Poll: Game DRM/Distribution/Networking services (PC)

[William Wallace]

Most AAA titles today have some sort of 2ndary service running in the background. These services provide things ranging from in game content to multiplayer networking and usually pose as a sort of constant DRM (or anti-DRM for GFWLive).I'd like you, the escapist users, to choose your poison.

Steam: Valve's game distribution and networking service
(CS:Source, TF2, Portal, HL, CoD4, GTA4 and many others)

Impulse: Stardock's game distribution and networking service
(Sins of a Solar Empire, Galactic Civ, Demigod... and probably anything that steam has)

Games for Windows Live: Microsoft's xLive mirror for the PC
(Fallout 3, SF4, RE5, DoWII, GTA4 and about 7 other games)

Rockstar Games Social Club: Probably doesn't belong on this list
(GTA4)

In my opinion, Valve solution is the most balanced and efficient out of the ones I've listed. Steam has the largest library of content, the largest player base and community as well as (arguably) the best developer support. I will admit that I enter this debate with a very large bias, but I'd be shocked if I ran into large amounts of opposition.
Also, if you feel that your games should have multiple layers of service running at the same time (GTA4 likes to use Steam, RGSC and GFWLive all at once), I'd like to inform you that you're insane and ill-fit to serve society in a positive matter.

 

[Robert632]

I like Steam the most, but, then again, I'm a Valve fanboy.

Also, you double posted this thread.

 

[William Wallace]

How would one go about un-double posting a thread?

 

[Rauten]

I like Steam the most, but, then again, I'm a Valve fanboy.

Also, you double posted this thread.

This. I actually hated Steam with all my heart when it first came out. I found it to be horribly buggy, bothersome, slow and a gigantic resource-hog.

Then, a few years back, I decided to buy the Orange Box because, I admit it, I played HL2 pirate, and loved it. And I decided the Orange Box was my chance to redeem myself for such blasphemy. And lo and behold, Steam was like a million billion trillion times better than I remembered, and I simply can't live without it anymore. It's connected. To my lungs.

 

[Wolfram23]

I prefer Steam, Impulse isn't very good. Also you should add Comrade as that's the Direct2Drive downloader manager (actually you can use their Download Manager, but Comrade has the whole friends list stuff going on).

Also for some stupid reason, Crysis on Steam wants to install Comrade... so I just deleted those install files but yea pretty odd.

 

[xHipaboo420x]

Steam, especially since the beta overlay went online.

 

[alinos]

steam all the way

Also can we please restrict the DRM to one per game

Example DoW II(retail aswell) installs into steam then uses GFWL for useless achievements and all that crap

 

[Tenky]

I am an avid Steam supporter, with 88 games under my belt (tho granted many of them are bundles or freeware... like the orange box or the iD games pack...)

That service is pretty much a blessing for me now, because I live in the province of Quebec where a law was passed that if a game is released in the world with a french version of it, we can't get the North American version of it sold in the province!

In other words, no taxes on games, instant delivery, and usualy the deals are too good to pass on! I paid 2$ for Lost Planet, played for only a week, but I own it for cheaper than a rental!

Oh and... first post, tho longtime lurker!

 

[Layz92]

Steam but I wish I could choose which drive and folder to DL to. I don't like having that many games in one folder.