Poll: Steam: How many games do you have on it and what do you think of the system?

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MrShowerHead

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Jun 28, 2010
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About.....8-10, I guess.

And I don't really like Steam. I don't buy games from online, so I don't need Steam. Everytime I buy a game, start installing it and that damn Steam thing pops up....Ugh
 

arealperson

New member
Oct 1, 2009
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I was actually surprised to see myself among the minority with large Steam libraries in the poll.

The count is at 130, but about 25+ of those are filler(expansions and source-engine copies - plenty of 'not-great-games' or collection-type filler in the 100+ remaining), still 100+ anyways.  I got Steam in May, when it came out for Mac so... you might say I have issues.  Every game I own with it was on sale or free, and my collection includes things like the Valve complete pack, The THQ collection, and a bunch of indie packs from the Christmas sale.  The biggest draw has got to be SteamPlay, which means that if I want better operability with the Windows version, I can always have it in the future.  Occasionally it means I can play with Windows users online, provided the patch is up-to-date (see Civ 5).

I don't really love Steam, I was somewhat surprised by the little issues it has - like the stoppage of downloads previously mentioned (and the work around which I give many thanks for).  Although they really got me started on Mac games again, I also feel they're coming up short in that department.  Some of it is issues with the porting teams who refuse to publish on Steam, so it's not all of Valve's fault.  Though I wish they had at least completed coding for all of the Valve developed games (no Mac Half-Life: Source, for example).

Being a mac user, it's associative features like auto-update aren't a big deal.  I also have few friends on Steam (to merit things like cross-chat and user profiles), but hopefully that will change in the future.  It's library (which is really absolutely necessary for this type of application) is okay, but it has some bug issues and I wish I was able to put games in multiple categories.  One of the worst things about Steam's usability are the access to feedback (outside of forums) and bug reports. Too many clicks and hidden menus for the average user.

The nature of Steam itself is one thing that will prevent me from ever swearing by it.  Of course, the DRM enabling nature of it is probably the same reason it can afford all of it's sales.  But again, the games themselves will suffer due to the need to run a background application at all times.  Most disturbingly though, is that any release can contain additional DRM in the form of Securom, Windows Live, or any number of other parasitic 'protection'.  Doesn't prevent me from buying them necessarily though.  I run Wine, which provides it's own environment to anything you install within it, so while it's taking up space, at least it's not running all the time. I'll probably run a virtual system when I get Windows. I should Steam is required for some retail games. This should be absolutely optional and really the greatest detractor to the service.

I don't really wish for it to be a monopolistic force like Microsoft (Windows), so I try to shop around... if the discount isn't too enticing anyways.  GamersGate, Impulse, and Good Old Games, all provide certain titles without DRM, and I'll especially back GOG when it comes to that.  Collectively, they too have sales, though generally prices aren't as sexy (or fair mind you), but it's something I think all gamers should watch for.  That's not to say Steam's prices are always best, the new games in particular can be quite atrociously expensive.

Another poster had mentioned that games which you already own don't automatically sync with Steam.  Well, to my surprise, Braid, which I had previously downloaded a demo for through other sources, had all of it's progress intact (without manually moving save-files), so the capability is there.  There are also certain publishers who assign game keys... does this mean you can download and register the games without Steam?  Does anyone have an example?

When Steam comes to PS3, it may be the biggest turning point seen in gaming in awhile, so we'll all have to stay tuned.
 

DustyDrB

Made of ticky tacky
Jan 19, 2010
8,365
3
43
Mac Steam user here...

I have nine games. Four of them came in a deal with World of Goo (I've only played one of the other ones for a bit). Team Fortress 2 is my most played game by ridiculously far on there (300 hours compared to 8 hours for my next most played). I got Portal for free. I also got Civilization IV at a deal, but got bored with it pretty quickly (I just need to get Age of Empires II again). And I got Bit.Trip Beat last week.

Steam is all right, I guess. I never expected play games on my computer much, obviously, so the deals make it worth it. I only have three other games outside of Steam on my computer: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins (which I also have for the 360), and Minecraft (which I also got bored with after 8 hours or so).
 

acklumos

New member
May 1, 2009
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I have 36 games. I usually prefer to buy physical copies of my games, but sometimes the offers on Steam are too good to pass up. I really like the way the friend system works, it makes it really easy to get a group of friends together to play something.
 

DementedSheep

New member
Jan 8, 2010
2,654
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I only have 4 games on steam but then I don?t actually own all that many games.
Generally I use steam to get games I can?t find in stores or if I happen to see a super deal on a game I want and just can?t pass it up. I much prefer to buy a physical copy from a store and not have it linked to any online accounts rather than buying it online. I have always been a bit iffy about buying things over the net, don?t ask why but I am getting use to it.
 

Vault101

I'm in your mind fuzz
Sep 26, 2010
18,863
15
43
Orange box

saints row 2
fallout new vegas
darksiders
left 4 dead

I dont mind steam but I think they overlook people with slow/ limited internet, If I wanted too I couldnt get left 4 dead 2 because aparently with all the updates its 10gb download, I only get 6gb a month
 

Rebel44

New member
Apr 2, 2010
35
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Almost 300 games.

I love Steam - I always had problems with CDs/DVDs (scratched, lost etc.) and in all those years (using Steam) I rarely had problems - also if you provide all required info into your support tickets, their tech support will be able to resolve your issues pretty fast.
 

Bags159

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Mar 11, 2011
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I have 11 - 25 games and it's a great system. Very good prices and usually very good deals.

Vault101 said:
I dont mind steam but I think they overlook people with slow/ limited internet, If I wanted too I couldnt get left 4 dead 2 because aparently with all the updates its 10gb download, I only get 6gb a month
I really fail to see how VALVe is at all responsible for you having a horrible download cap.
 

benwins

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Dec 29, 2008
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I have 109 games (I get lots of collections in sales), only 64 installed though. And I love steam, except it worries me how easy it is buy games on there, it can make me very poor.
 

starhaven

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Jan 24, 2010
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its a great system for cheap games and alot of indie games that dont normaly make it to shops or they dont get looked at in store but its also evil with it dirty little hand in my wallet
 

MrTub

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Mar 12, 2009
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Auxiliary said:
I own 36 games on Steam at this point and am sort of wondering how many games other people have stashed away on their accounts. But what I am more interested in is what you think of the system itself? The evil brother of google, destroyer of retail stores? A great system which deserves praise?

My own opinion is rather positive. I do however dislike the extremely slow download speed, lack of healthy competition, direct conversion of euro into dollars ( http://www.steamprices.com/eu ) and that it stops downloading a new game when I start another already downloaded game over steam.

The good points often speak for themselves but I'll mention them anyhow. I like being able to buy older games which I can no longer buy in retail stores, I like the steam sales for their insane discounts, I like that the developers receive a larger part of the money spend on the game, the achievement system, no risk of a broken disc and probably some things I am not mentioning here.
I usually get around 11mb/s download speed on steam (except when the game is on sale) So perhaps the slow dl is your internet / country?
 

Continuity

New member
May 20, 2010
2,053
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119 games and counting. Steam is God.

However I have noticed a recent trend of hiking prices above the general store/amazon price, then just lowering them in sales.... if you're listening Valve, this is not a good thing to be doing. remember: your customers made you and if you're evil we can unmake you... play nice please.
 

redrefugee

New member
Dec 8, 2010
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bahumat42 said:
redrefugee said:
6 Games. I hate Steam.

I have incredibly slow broadband because I live in the country and there is nothing more annoying than buying a new game and then being forced to wait 2-5 days whilst Steam downloads a patch before you can play it.
technically isn't that you hating your connection?
If you had a better connection than it would be no issue presumably? (for example i buy a new game and can download it in less than 6 hours so no problem to me). It seems harsh to weigh such complaints against the service. It would be like complaining you can't cycle at 60 mph on the motorway, its nothing that the service (road in this metaphor) has done, your just not equipped for such things.
Yes, it is me hating the connection. It is however completely unwarranted to expect me to have to download an update before even playing the game, even going so far as to refuse access to the game unless I download it. I would not accept this type of treatment on a console, so why should I accept it on a PC?

Downloading an update should be MY choice, not Steams. I expect any stand alone game (I make an exception for online games due to the subscription model warranting constantly changing content) to be playable straight out of the box, unless clearly stated on the packaging. I don't buy/download games from Steam because I know about the updates, but I have bought games off the self where it is not made clear that they are reliant on Steam.
 

awmperry

Geek of Guns and Games
Apr 30, 2008
222
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Lots. I bought a LOT of games during the 2010/2011 New Year sale... now I just try to avoid looking at my bank account. ;-)
 

jpoon

New member
Mar 26, 2009
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Used to have the whole orange box collection and HL2 until the fuckbags yanked my account for some BS reason. Now I have 0 games and refuse to give them money ever again through steam.

I'm a steam hating purist!