Poll: Steam, how do you feel about it?
- Thread starter Vault101
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Love it. It means that I don't have to worry about finding the key-codes when I install a game, and the auto-updates always are welcome in my home.
Before I moved to Austin, my internet peaked at 265kb/s and that was simply the best I could do in the area. Of course, now I have access to a decent internet package and get up to 8,000kb/s. Before, I actually didn't care for steam as it required the better part of a day to install a game. Now that I can do it in under an hour (usually) I actually have used it fairly regularly.HaraDaya said:
Theory follows: The "patch" just makes the Steam client not request activation of the games every time it starts up. Therefore, the DRM (the client) is still in place, and the backups using the backup tool still work, but no internet connection is required. (As I said before, this is a theory.)Garak73 said:
Of course, if all else fails, there's always cracks.
Fuck steam... I'm a ps3 gamer and all my PC mates lord steam ever me like it's the second coming of Christ... when they bring portal 2 and steamworks to the PS3 I reserve my right to completely change my mind 
Aaaaaand what evidence do you have for this point? Being that the hats released that you get from other games (Max's Severed Head, Lumbricus Lid, Ellis' hat, Bill's hat) haven't affected gameplay, and the weapons released the same way (Lugermorph, Big Kill, Frying Pan) have only been replacement models for the weapons and have had no new stats added gives no evidence for this whatsoever.botobeno said:
Steam is an excellent service, in my opinion. Not only can you buy a whole bunch of games for cheap, you can play them on any computer you own (or really, any computer at all). The DRM stuff doesn't really affect me that much, personally.
What part of it is an advantage to them? All they want to do is earn a living. Games can cost millions of pounds to produce and if half the users didnt pay to play then you have to make hundreds of people redundant, just because some people are too pig headed to feel that a corporation has actual people working in it. It isnt about restricting freedom its about making sure people earn what they deserve to get for 2 years of hard work. Its not as if games are overpriced to begin with either, compared to other media like films, in terms of hours you get 3 to 4 times as much entertainment per pound, and in terms of quality of entertainment for those hours i think games beat films in that respect too. Is it too much to ask then that the people who helped make that game a reality get paid for doing so? If we have it ur way there might not even be a games industry as we know itGarak73 said:
I like it okay. I'm not a huge fan of digital distribution or DRM, but Steam manages to do both in a way that doesn't make me want to find everyone who works for Valve and punch them in the face like the kind of crap EA pulls does (what do you mean I have to install malware to play Red Alert 3 or be always connected to the internet to play C&C4 FUCK YOU NO SALE!).
I mean, come on, I can download the games to any PC I want as long as I have my log-in and password. Or just use an external drive and it's even easier. And as far as I know the offline mode works just fine, no problems there yet.
Basically Steam isn't perfect, but it could be a hell of a lot worse too, such as my previous example of EA's lovely stunts or take a look at that Wii Shop Channel where if your Wii breaks, you're usually stuck re-buying everything because Nintendo doesn't give you a solid account (you can link your Wii to Club Nintendo to get surveys but it doesn't work in the same way a Steam, Xbox Live, or Playstation Network account works in keeping track of shit you bought) so you can go to a download history on a new console, and even if you send it in they usually can't get your games back for you.
I mean, come on, I can download the games to any PC I want as long as I have my log-in and password. Or just use an external drive and it's even easier. And as far as I know the offline mode works just fine, no problems there yet.
Basically Steam isn't perfect, but it could be a hell of a lot worse too, such as my previous example of EA's lovely stunts or take a look at that Wii Shop Channel where if your Wii breaks, you're usually stuck re-buying everything because Nintendo doesn't give you a solid account (you can link your Wii to Club Nintendo to get surveys but it doesn't work in the same way a Steam, Xbox Live, or Playstation Network account works in keeping track of shit you bought) so you can go to a download history on a new console, and even if you send it in they usually can't get your games back for you.
......JaysonM said:
What in the bloody hell are you talking about? Television broadcasts aren't free. You have to pay to get the service. Unless you're one of those people that's pirating your cable/satellite access or someone that has their parents pay for it, TV is NOT free.
I can understand people not liking Steam. I really can. If the games on there (hard to believe as there's so many now) or the DRM aspect of it bother them, then I'm cool with it. Those are all valid complaints. It's part of the reason I've not picked up a copy of StarCraft 2. The front end of that game is just obnoxious. I can't even play single player on my account offline. Yikes.
But the crap I've been seeing in this thread? Come on poeple. Try harder. Otherwise, you're just coming off as a troll.
Um...no you won't. Valve has said as such. Unless a specific company request that they don't, Valve has a bevy of patches and launcher downloads ready at any time for anyone that wants them. Thus, allowing people to play their Steam games without needing Steam. Should Steam shutdown as a service, that is.Garak73 said:
You obviously didn't get the point of my post and you obviously haven't heard of "free to air" television...Vigormortis said:
I was telling him it's free in the same way television is free... but even then it's not really free because you are essentially 'paying' by watching advertisements which are purchased by companies. Not all television networks are driven by subscriptions mate...
True, just those worth watching. In all seriousness, air-wave television is all but dead. The few remaining channels that do broadcast on the airwaves are either public access, PBS, or broadcasting studios that still air their local news casts. Even considering this, your analogy makes no sense. If Steam had very little content and had maybe 1/1000th of features it does, then I could see the comparison. Otherwise, it's a hell of a stretch.JaysonM said:
While I will admit that Steam does have ads and promotions for new games or sales, sort of like your TV ads, you can turn off those ads and announcements in options. Pretty sure your TV can't do that.
So, in essence, yes you're right. Valve makes money off promoting, hosting, and selling other companies titles. However, you're analogy is a failure as the Steam ads are not at all the same as advertising on broadcast television as Valve doesn't charge for the adverts.
Just look at the way the game-economy is evolving now. Less content, bugs on release, overpriced DLC's usually with content that should have been in the release, content cut from the 'normal' version so they can sell a deluxe version, few or no demo's,...Megacherv said:
The game industry seems to be trying hard to fck itself over and i'm pessimistic about steam not joining in.