Steam Discussion

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

Ok, so I saw a couple topics about specific games on Steam (Steam being the software distribution system from Valve) but I've not seen a discussion about Steam itself. My question to you guys is do you like the idea or dislike it, and why? Here's some preliminary points to get started on:

 

The Good Things:

-You don't need to keep the CD's; if you lose the CD's, you can download the game.

-You don't need the activation key every time you install; once the key is in your account, it's always there.

-Mod distribution becomes very easy

-Purchasing games is very easy

-Friends and Server lists across the entire Steam network rather than individual games.

-Pirating is (theoretically) cut down.

 

The Bad Things:

-When downloading games, if you've got a slow connection it can take forever to install (The easy solution is to not lose your CD, but this point is included for the possibility that all games may later be sold through this channel)

-Valve gets to decide which games can be sold through Steam (Obviously. This point is included, again, for the consideration that more and more games may be sold through this channel)

 

I'm sure you guys can come up with more than I have here. Let's hear what you have!

[miladinoski 1]

[...]

-Pirating is (theoretically) cut down.[...]

If you didn't add the "thoretically" part I would have thought that you were insane /jk you know


Anyway, to don't lose the topic, I've never played an original Steam game (on other pcs, on mine I don't play other games than OpenArena or Wesnoth) mostly because piracy is so wide in my country and almost nobody buys original games.

And a question, is Steam bloated with DRM technology?? If I played games I would never buy a DRM filled game.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

heh, well not to turn this into a discussion on DRM, but I see no logical reasons against DRM, at least in the degree it is currently used with Steam. A Steam based game cannot be played without a Steam Account. This ensures that the program can be installed by only one user at a time. That way, if multiple people connect to a server with the same activation key, they are also using the same SteamID which is easy to track. However, you only need the internet connection to activate the product and to play online (duh). So if you are playing in a LAN or two people playing single player from the same account, that is not checked for multiple people using the same copy. (I'm not entirely sure if Valve intentionally allows multiple users on LAN or single player on a single key or if it is just an inherent flaw in their design)The reason why I support the DRM, at least to the degree in which Steam uses it, is because when you "buy a game" you don't actually buy the game. What you are buying is a limited, one person, license to use the software in certain ways.And on the pirating aspect, yeah I know that it doesn't actually always work, but it's nice in theory.

Edited November 20, 2008 by DeM0nFiRe (see edit history)

[sylent 0]

I've played CS and even DoD on steam for years.I kind of like the idea of it being there CD or not, in fact, I just had to move from one place to another and most of my discs are in storage, some made the trip and others were overlooked .. steam saved me from having to go without part my collection anyway.My problem is that my machine isnt as highend as i would like, and on DSL, so having steam running in the background is laggy more than it would be.When Steam first came out I hated it .. but I had the discs with me, and updates were easy to download and install for any games.I do think they could streamline it some, but its still been ok by me now. lol

[onscreen 0]

One reason i stopped playing Halflife right after Valve introduced Steam. A promising technology but appealed to only some countries. Piracy still goes on since you can reverse engineer a Steam client to download the games without paying but its restricted to be played offline or non-VAC servers.Steam come with convenience but it comes with a price. As people rely on that getting their software, gamers tend to lessen their outdoor shopping for what they want and the result of being home bound to do what they want. Want to buy a game? STEAM! Want to try out a game? STEAM! who knows in the future.. hungry? Burger King in STEAM! or.. Chinese food express through STEAM!IMO, DRM or not, Steam is very accessible in some country but not all. From where i am staying, the ISP provider is too horrible to even download a demo through Steam.

[xls 0]

I don't know if there's anyways around this, maybe someone can input. Let's say for instance I buy an offline single player game from steam. I enjoy playing it, but I have to connect to steam everytime, to play an offline singleplayer game. I lost my net connection a few months back, and was unnable to play anygame as I was unable to connect to steam to play the game.Is there any way around this? I tried running in offline mode, but that didn't help. MaybeI overlooked something so simple, I dont know, but any and all help would be appreciated.As for whether or not I like steam, it's hard to say. As with everything, it's not perfect and it does have it's pro's and con's. I feel that the cons out weigh the pros though. I mean, I have a 4MB connection. Not great but it's good. Downloading on steam is very limited and can take so many hours to download a game.That's the only thing that really bugs me about steam.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

@onscreen: That argument is awfully flimsy. Saying that people will go outside less just because they can order things online? If the only thing that people are going outside for is to get food or buy a game, then chances are they are not going to meet a new friend on one of these excursions and decide to go outside more often. People who want to go outside will, well, go outside! People who go outside for social reasons will still go outside for social reasons because computers can never replace those social reasons.@xls: The basic information for logging on to your account is stored on your own computer. If you do have an internet connection the info is checked against Steam's database, however if you do not have an internet connection you can still login and play your singleplayer games. (Actually, you could play your multiplayer games too, you just couldn't connect to a server, you'd be playing alone XD)As for it taking hours to install a game for you, I don't know why it is so for you. I install most of my games now through the internet connection (I have the CD's but I am too lazy to turn around and put them in :3) and it takes me maybe an hour and a half to install Counter Strike: Source. I've got a 3Mbit connection, so you should have similar results. Maybe there are other reasons for your slowdown. How many people using that connection at any given time?

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I have mixed feelings about Steam. I just do not like the fact that you are required to log in to it to play the games.On a good note, I love how you can reformat and install the game straight from steam. Some have slow connections but these days nearly everyone that has internet has broadband. It really does not take long to download the games.It does play a nice central role in keeping your games as well. No more fear of losing/breaking your CD's.

[ilzwalrus 0]

I think Steam is absolutely genius. Not only the games released by ValvE absolutely amazing, but the interface works really well. The Steam overlay is great and the new cloud system will be awesome. Your progress and savegames are uploaded online, so if you go to a friend's house and you want to continue playing from where you started off, you just log in and your savegames are on the server. The other extremely appealing thing about Steam is the fact that the games are about half price. I live in Australia and it seems like developers and publishers love to rip us off. Games are so ridiculously overpriced that I rarely buy them. But steam makes them much more accessible and much cheaper too! For example, Team Fortress 2 was $60 AU when it came out retail. On Steam, at the time, I bought the Orange Box for $55 AU. I really don't mind the fact that you have to log in as it's nice to talk to your friends while you play anyway and my games install very quickly, with a download speed of 750 KiB/s for games.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

Yeah, my d\l speed through steam is around 750 KB/s as well, so the problem some people have with it taking too long to install games doesn't affect me. Either way, I would still say that if downloading is too slow, don't lose your CDs!