Steam and its DRM
- Thread starter the_pleasure_is_mine
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haha yeah i have steam. i don't really see why you wouldn't want it in steam though (tech issues excepted OP). i bought mirror's edge in a box (was on holiday at the time) and added it to steam as a non-steam game, because, as someone alluded to earlier, its essentially a console OS for PCs. its where i run my games from. it has the overlay thing and the community thing... and i like valve. they have crowbar door handles.The Random One said:
i can live with the few seconds extra boot up time, though i guess i can't get snowed in an lose my internet connection where i live.
Considering how bad DRM can be in recent years, Steam is incredibly minor when contrasted to the service it provides. Multiplayer games are automatically added to the in-steam server engine, updates are automatically handled, there are infinite reinstalls as long as you have your account name and password for the account it was purchased on, and once a game is verified, you can go offline and play it. There are no complicated installs, no keys to enter, nothing. The benefits far outweigh having to verify your game a few times before playing it offline.
No you don't. Despite what people are telling you, if you launch the game without using the interface it does not require Steam to launch it first. I just launched two games that I purchased from Steam first before posting this and can guarantee it works.GamesB2 said:
Instead of using the client, go into C:/programfiles/Steam/SteamApps/common and find the game you want, then dig through the file until you find the .exe and send make a copy of that and make a shortcut on you desktop. Problem solved.
Ive had no problems with steam and people who cannot wait 30 seconds (max) make me feel sad for humanity - computers are faster than they ever were and users are even more impatient?.
Surprisingly im glad that my little magic box can look up anything any time of the day and do practically everything i need and want from a computer - sure it may freeze or stall but its still preferable than even 10 years ago, appreciate what you have.
Anyway back on track as many have already said Steam is one of the better DRM services out there - the fact it keeps a backup of every game you buy and their save files - while adding free updates, achievements and community options is second to none in my eyes, no discs to scratch/lose, no CD keys to remember (need i go on?)
The only down side is that two people cannot use the same account at the same time even for different games.
Surprisingly im glad that my little magic box can look up anything any time of the day and do practically everything i need and want from a computer - sure it may freeze or stall but its still preferable than even 10 years ago, appreciate what you have.
Anyway back on track as many have already said Steam is one of the better DRM services out there - the fact it keeps a backup of every game you buy and their save files - while adding free updates, achievements and community options is second to none in my eyes, no discs to scratch/lose, no CD keys to remember (need i go on?)
The only down side is that two people cannot use the same account at the same time even for different games.
Woah, you can't just get at a guy for telling you to sort out your internet connection and hardware, then change the terms of your main gripe.GamesB2 said:
It's gone from "being dodgy" to "being dodgy because of the weather", that's a little shady leaving that out of your argument.
With the information he provided, he was correct.
Anyway I have Reccetear installed, turned my steam into offline mode and restarted the programme.
Loads just fine so even if your net cuts out, you'll be fine.
A lot of games that don't specifically use steamworks for multiplayer don't actually need steam running to play it. Run the actual exe in the game folder rather than using the steam shortcuts to find out.
I know for a fact "The Polynomial" and "Super Meat Boy" don't need steam open to run.
I know for a fact "The Polynomial" and "Super Meat Boy" don't need steam open to run.
Yeah, I'm sure a bunch of people who don't own computers are defending Steam. And you're calling it DRM for the sake of it - yes, I know it is technically - since many people would much rather have all the benefits of Steam than not (and at a cheaper price).The Random One said:
Well, that you complain about Steam because you have problems running it in offline mode and online mode does kinda give away that your network might be crappy. I have played a lot of games through Steam, and well, my internet connection has dropped a few times with no result other than me being unable to upload scores in one game.GamesB2 said:
Really, you're not asking anything here anymore. You're still here so you can state your opinion that Steam sucks. Well, it does have it flaws I guess, but it's better than what you can expect from other DRM you can find on retail games. Some games are impossible to install on 2 computers at the same time.
Steam requires that you run Steam. I have steam starting up with my computer and Steam is running before I can actually open anything else. It takes 5 seconds from when you decide to run the game before the game starts, if you got a computer that's good (mine's pretty bad and it still boots in seconds). It's time that you stop whining and let go now.
dw dude. he's kind of right in a way. if there are technical reasons not to use steam, then its probably better that you didn't use steam.Lyri said:
not that you shouldn't fix your internet, OP.
and geez, man up a touch will you!
Except I did, he wasn't clear, but it seemed he was saying that his internet occasionally cuts in and out. It also seemed he was saying that he was telling a game to run in Offline mode when this happens, but Steam would return to Online mode and then cause problems.Nathan Pipinpadaloxicopolis said:
I'm telling him to turn Steam to Offline mode entirely (Steam menu -> Go Offline), basically disconnecting Steam from the internet entirely so there is no interference happening at all, until he wants to reconnect it. If there are still problems between Steam and his internet connection when he does this, he is doing something wrong.
I don't consider steam as much of DRM as I would say, Xfire, it's just a method of playing the games I own with friends, I don't feel limited by it, in fact, I like the ability to download my games on several computers using a single convenient account.
As far as I'm aware it would only matter if the game itself asked you to sign into some service like GFWL.Nathan Pipinpadaloxicopolis said:dw dude. he's kind of right in a way. if there are technical reasons not to use steam, then its probably better that you didn't use steam.
not that you shouldn't fix your internet, OP.
and geez, man up a touch will you!
Otherwise it's only a problem when you're installing.
You kids wouldn't know bad copy protection if it bit you in the butt, how about Starflight on DOS where you have to enter a launch code before you launch your ship every, single, time. The launch code had to be deciphered from the game, fed into this little decoder wheel you got and then you put the results in.
Coming from the UK myself thats pretty bad - where i am is not usually the best in terms of quality but i was getting 6mb/s at least before switching to fibre optic, even with feet of snow outside my house - not a single disconnection. Unless you are in the most rural mountainous area id contact your ISP for an explanation. Also for Offline mode its is 100% your own software/Hardware configuration issues not steam i have it running perfectly on my increasingly aged laptop (core 2, integrated graphics - barely able to run most games but portal works fine)GamesB2 said: