 
ddg4005
Premium
join:2001-08-22
Bronx, NY
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic Steam has indeed come a long way. When it first launched I didn't like it because it was slow and buggy. But Valve being Valve listened to user feedback on what worked and what didn't. Now Steam has come into it's own...mostly.
I say mostly because it can still be frustrating when you want to play a new game that requires authentication and the servers are busy. That aside I think it's a helluva lot better than SecuROM as far as copy protection goes. And the best part? It's free. Microsoft should take some lessons here for their Games for Windows Live service which isn't bad. It's just neglected, as if Microsoft isn't sure what to do with it.
All that said I think there's still life left in retail stores since games that don't use Steam can be played immediately after being installed. Instead of it being an either/or situation both can complement one another (Steam could be used for authentication and updates instead of SecuROM and retailers could still sell boxed disc versions for anyone wanting a hard copy). After all, more choices for PC gamers is always a good thing  .
--
A man must have a code -Bunk | |
|
 | quatrix
Premium
join:2005-02-11
Davie, FL
| Re: Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic said by ddg4005  :All that said I think there's still life left in retail stores since games that don't use Steam can be played immediately after being installed. You lost me. I can play a Steam-based game immediately after installing it too. | |
|
| | Angrychair
join:2000-09-20
Jacksonville, FL | Re: Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic STEAM AUTHENTICATION SERVER BUSY, PLEASE WAIT A FEW HOURS TO PLAY YOUR NEW GAME AND TRY AGAIN. THANK YOU. | |
|
| | | 
elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO | Re: Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic i havnt seen that since HL2 came out sooo yea... | |
|
| | | |
| | | | Angrychair
join:2000-09-20
Jacksonville, FL | Re: Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic I was getting similar errors just this last weekend.
Just because you haven't had any problems doesn't mean no problems occur. | |
|
| | | | | 
tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs: | Re: Valve's Pipe Drean Now Gigantic I assume that was due to UT3?
I simply got a slow download which finished right after the free weekend was over... | |
|
| | | |
Rothan Tik
Destroyer of worlds
Premium
join:2000-11-07
Danvers, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Verizon Online DSL
| Initially It was pretty distressing being required to use it for Counter-Strike and the like, but over time it has evolved into something more stable.
I've only really purchased Half-Life based games on it, but I was glad to get a deal on Orange Box via the direct download option, and glad that I could gift my other CD key to a friend. | |
|
| 
NXds
@rr.com | Re: Initially My Pipe is Bigger!!!! | |
|
rob_in_chatt
Premium
join:2004-09-17
Chattanooga, TN
 ·Comcast
| valve i hated the initial launch of valve, but now that it is up and running, it appears to be the best thing since sliced bread. no more CD keys to keep track of, no more worries of scratched CDs, you just have to remember one password for everything.
there are some glitches still in a lot of the games, but that is to be expected i guess. | |
|
| 
GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Re: valve said by rob_in_chatt : it appears to be the best thing since sliced bread. no more CD keys to keep track of, no more worries of scratched CDs, you just have to remember one password for everything. there are some glitches still in a lot of the games, but that is to be expected i guess. How about the fact to play the games you need to NOT be running just about any PC security software at all:
»https://support.steampowered.com/kb_arti···FLZ-9289
The following applications have been known to cause severe issues with Steam and playing games:
Anti-Virus Applications
* Avast!
* AVG Anti-virus *
* Kaspersky Anti-virus
* McAfee Anti-virus
* Nod32 Anti-virus *
* Norton/Symantec Anti-virus
* VIGuard Anti-virus
Anti-Spyware Applications
* Ad Aware
* CA Pest Patrol
* Spycatcher Express
* Webroot Spy Sweeper *
Firewall/Security Applications
* Comodo
* CYBERsitter
* ESET Smart Security
* Netlimiter
* McAfee Personal Firewall
* Nvidia Network Access Manager/Firewall
* Peer Guardian
* Tiny Personal Firewall
* Verizon Internet Security Suite
* Zone Alarm
And people wonder why their computers get taken over by malware. It is games like this that need all your security systems to be turned off to work.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
|
| | 
bender
Bite my shiny metal ass
Premium
join:2005-03-19
Evanston, IL
clubs: | Re: valve if you play games you know that you should have that crap off anyways when you play. all it does its eat up resources that should be used for the game. | |
|
| | | 
dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
| Re: valve said by bender :if you play games you know that you should have that crap off anyways when you play. all it does its eat up resources that should be used for the game. What planet do you live on?
My AV gets turned off... never!
Never once has my AV(avast) caused any problems with my games.
See posting tag...
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera | |
|
| | | | 
Ark
join:2002-06-08
Hudsonville, MI
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: valve It's usually a lot easier to simply tell people to turn these things off or temporarily disable them, than it is to have them figure out how to go into them and allow other programs the ability to use the internet, or simply to run at all. With each program having a different method of having users set up their whitelist, and most users not knowing what the whitelist is, added to the fact that many of these programs will block everything from using the internet by default, means that users cannot authenticate to Steam to load the game without shutting down their network "security" software. It certainly isn't Valve's job to provide support for these applications, so if they interfere with Steam, just tell users to stop using them. Power users will know what the real issue is, and how to configure their software to allow access anyway. | |
|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Ark
join:2002-06-08
Hudsonville, MI
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: valve said by dadkins :Configure? I have never configured avast for any game. Since I don't do Steam, this will never be an issue. Firewalls are different. They can be a pain sometimes - but I don't use one of those either.   I don't run -any- firewall or anti-virus software under Windows, so I don't really know how they work. But as a software developer of a program which uses internet access, this is one of the first and most common solutions that I template in my support email responses. Disable all anti-virus and/or firewall/security software. I don't have time to look up each one of those and tell users how to add my exe or port numbers as allowed. The user obviously wants to use my software, or use Steam, in this case, but good luck convincing the user's 3rd party software that is what the user really wants.
Yes, anti-virus is generally less of an issue than firewall and security software, but it can still cause issues scanning temporary files on-the-fly, or scanning all the files your application users constantly. Again, if any issues arise, just tell users to disable the anti-virus. If they don't have issues, go ahead and keep using it, but don't blame Valve if the game is slow and you don't want to turn off the anti-virus. | |
|
| | | | |
| | | | | |
| | 
Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | I use steam and have several of the listed programs running with no problems. Every piece of software I've ever installed said to turn off all other software before installing.
--
Come let us reason together. | |
|
| | |
GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Re: valve said by Combat Chuck :I use steam and have several of the listed programs running with no problems. Every piece of software I've ever installed said to turn off all other software before installing. But their support site says they shouldn't be used when playing the game - not installing it. Of course, they are basing that on optimum performance of the game. But those listening to them could pay a high price in additional exposure to malware.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
|
| | | | ender7074
join:2006-11-21
Saint Louis, MO | Re: valve Yes and many different products give warnings about things that only have a .0001% chance of causing an issue to avoid liability or overloading their support. I also run with many of those programs installed and running and have no issue ever. | |
|
| | | |
elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO | just about EVERY game has that list on it look the manual | |
|
| | | |
Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Most software says that. | |
|
| | | | axus
join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
| Yep, it's bad advice, given because they don't want to give more complex instructions that could screw up the security settings permanently.
Microsoft could make Windows more secure for the average user if they addressed this kind of thing. Antivirus/firewall could negotiate with each other software, or even check some kind of online whitelist. As long as Microsoft didn't force companies to use it, software makers could take advantage of it and make security easier.
Doesn't affect us people who know how to configure their firewall and router, but it hurts everyone else. | |
|
| | | viperlmw
Premium
join:2005-01-25
·Qwest.net
| I, too have at least one security program from each catagory of your list running while playing Steam based games. They don't seem to affect game play in any way after configuring them for Steam/HL/CS/ES (I've really come to enjoy Eternal Silence!). The support site might recommend not having these running, but they work for me (I use Webroot Spysweeper, Commodo, McAfee AV and Zone Alarm Firewall, no troubles!) | |
|
| | | | 
Cheese
Premium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
clubs:
| Re: valve said by viperlmw :I, too have at least one security program from each catagory of your list running while playing Steam based games. They don't seem to affect game play in any way after configuring them for Steam/HL/CS/ES (I've really come to enjoy Eternal Silence!). The support site might recommend not having these running, but they work for me (I use Webroot Spysweeper, Commodo, McAfee AV and Zone Alarm Firewall, no troubles!) Keywords in your post = "after configuring", the average user doesn't know HOW to configure most of those properly. | |
|
| | 
sousademiami
join:2003-02-04
Miami, FL | I think they say that to cover their asses, I play all the time with several of those programs installed and never have a problem.
--
OASAASLLS | |
|
| |
tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Saint Louis, MO
clubs: | you simply disable while you're playing.
Or don't, but don't contact Steam support complaining about your Framerate dropping to 2FPS because your AVG just started scanning your C: drive. | |
|
| | 
Richard B
Fur It Up
join:2007-06-22
Portland, OR | I been playing portal and I not have any problems with Norton on. I may make an exception but never tun it off. | |
|
| | geowil
join:2008-04-20
Laveen, AZ
·Qwest.net
·Cox HSI
| Tk you love to do this all the time. you take a warning statement, or something of the nature, that some programs MAY RARELY cause problems and blow it up to a unproven fact that it WILL ALWAYS cause issues.
the fact of the matter is that 99% of everyone using the programs wont have any issues at all.
Its like a liability clause, just because cigarettes cause cancer doesn't mean that everyone that smokes will get lung cancer.
I could say something a tad political, but im going to leave that out, got enough BS going on in that department now anyway lmao.
bottom line, unless your software is crapping out, just ignore TK, theres next to no chance that anything on that list will cause issues if it's configured correctly and you let your firewalls let the progs access your computer.
been using Steam and ZA and AVG for 5 years, not one problem I have had has been caused by either of those.
besides about maybe 45% of all the big issues out there now are due to problems with the OS installation or a crappy net connection.
15% are driver issues and the other 35% is a mix of improper installations of the games/steam or other misc. factors sure as malware and bad choice in hardware (coughdellcough).
--
Speedtest.net:
27759KB/s Down
538kb/s Up | |
|
| | |
| | jjeffeory
join:2002-12-04
USA | Wow, I've never read that. I've used many programs on that list in conjunction with Steam and have never had a problem. Go figure... | |
|
| | 
Smith6612
Premium
join:2008-02-01
united state
1 edit | I'm running Avast! on my Vista box. No problems with Steam or any of the games here . I can leave everything on the way I like it, and Steam doesn't complain. | |
|
| |
rob_in_chatt
Premium
join:2004-09-17
Chattanooga, TN | i run Norton Corporate Edition with no problems at all. | |
|
| | 
Xizer
join:2004-02-05
New York, NY
| said by GOLFnSUN :said by rob_in_chatt : it appears to be the best thing since sliced bread. no more CD keys to keep track of, no more worries of scratched CDs, you just have to remember one password for everything. there are some glitches still in a lot of the games, but that is to be expected i guess. How about the fact to play the games you need to NOT be running just about any PC security software at all: » https:// support.steampowered.com/kb_arti···FLZ-9289The following applications have been known to cause severe issues with Steam and playing games:
Anti-Virus Applications
* Avast!
* AVG Anti-virus *
* Kaspersky Anti-virus
* McAfee Anti-virus
* Nod32 Anti-virus *
* Norton/Symantec Anti-virus
* VIGuard Anti-virus
Anti-Spyware Applications
* Ad Aware
* CA Pest Patrol
* Spycatcher Express
* Webroot Spy Sweeper *
Firewall/Security Applications
* Comodo
* CYBERsitter
* ESET Smart Security
* Netlimiter
* McAfee Personal Firewall
* Nvidia Network Access Manager/Firewall
* Peer Guardian
* Tiny Personal Firewall
* Verizon Internet Security Suite
* Zone Alarm
And people wonder why their computers get taken over by malware. It is games like this that need all your security systems to be turned off to work. Who runs any of that worthless bullshit anyway? All these anti-virus/adware/security applications ARE the malware slowing down computers. | |
|
| | 
Rogue Wolf
Ate The Last Of The Pumpkin Pie
join:2003-08-12
Troy, NY
·RoadRunner Cable
| Funny. I run Avast! in real-time mode and Comodo with Defense+ and I don't have to turn off either to run Steam or play games. Nor did I ever have to disable ZoneAlarm when I was using that. All I ever had to do was allow/deny Internet connection attempts for some of the games themselves when they first ran (or ran after a change to the executable). The ONLY problem I ever ran into because of this was when the firewall notification popped up behind the game screen, but I couldn't alt-tab out of the game to get at it.
Annoying, yes. Harmful? No. My computer is still secure when I'm playing a game on Steam. Now, I won't go so far as to say NOBODY will EVER have problems with Steam and certain combinations/configurations of protective software, but to just issue a blanket condemnation of Steam... sorry, that doesn't fly with me.
--
Attention. Attention, please. We have the funk. I repeat, we are in full possession of the funk. | |
|
| |
Redneck Matt
| Don't make totally unfounded accusations like this. I have a Steam account, dozens of games and run Nod32 Antivirus. Never a hiccup. Those that DO have problems only have to make minor configuration adjustments in their antivirus programs. | |
|
|
|
| ender7074
join:2006-11-21
Saint Louis, MO
·AT&T Southeast
| Re: Does any startup have a smooth beginning? said by Nightfall :Steam performed like I thought it would when it was first released. There were issues with bandwidth and problems getting games to people quickly. Steam, like any other service provider, listened to its customer base and fixed these issues. I remember what the outcry was like on this site. People here were already claiming that Steam was a waste of money and time. Many said it was a "crap product". Just read some of the comments. Steam fixed these issues and now years later, people on this site approve of Steam. I haven't bought many games in the stores in the last few years. The first place I check before I shop is Steam. If Steam has the game, I usually buy it. The convenience factor is just too nice. Here is to hoping that Steam continues to grow and prosper! I completely agree! Steam is always the first place I look for a PC game. Great system and only getting better. | |
|
| 
tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| Steam. I dig it. said by Nightfall :I remember what the outcry was like on this site. People here were already claiming that Steam was a waste of money and time. Many said it was a "crap product". Just read some of the comments. Well, it was pretty bad in the beginning, and I in particular was not too happy to be forced into switching. But after they ironed out that first round of major bugs, I started to like it. Not having to hunt down patches and updates was a HUGE plus in my book.
Giving games to friends, free trial weekends, game discounts, saving your settings and key binds...all nice things. There are drawbacks--I don't think people on dialup will appreciate it too much--but it's mostly a good product.
Of course, there will always be complainers.
--
"I love mankind. It's people I can't stand."
--L. van Pelt | |
|
james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| I always said this was true... 10% sale = 35% increase in sales (real dollars, not units shipped)
25% sale = 245% increase in sales
50% sale = 320% increase in sales
75% sale = 1470% increase in sales To everyone who has any control over the pricing of games (and things like music and movies); Please note the part in bold, "real dollars, not units shipped".
In case you arent sure, this means that even though you're selling individual units for less, you actually end up making more money because far more people buy your product, including those who dont even know what your product is. You win, the customer wins, everyone wins. | |
|
| macdude22
join:2005-09-08
Grinnell, IA
| Re: I always said this was true... said by james :10% sale = 35% increase in sales (real dollars, not units shipped)
25% sale = 245% increase in sales
50% sale = 320% increase in sales
75% sale = 1470% increase in sales To everyone who has any control over the pricing of games (and things like music and movies); Please note the part in bold, " real dollars, not units shipped". I sincerely believe this is, at least partially, due to the fact people naturally like a good deal. I think it's in their best interest to run deep discount sales on DL games to fuel purchases. I know I just picked up Civ III Complete on Impluse for 9.99 on their weekend sale. Valve and Stardock know what they are doing when they run these mega sales and huge game packs at steep steep discounts.
I don't think the sales would be as high if the products were released at the low prices or dropped and stayed at the low prices. I think there is a psychological aspect at work that drives people to buy when they see 75% off this weekend only. | |
|
| | NeoandGeo
join:2003-05-10
Harrison, TN | Re: I always said this was true... Yea, every weekend I am excited to see the new 75% off sale, and the past 4 or 5 weekends, I've always bitten.  | |
|
| | |
Rogue Wolf
Ate The Last Of The Pumpkin Pie
join:2003-08-12
Troy, NY
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: I always said this was true... Two weeks ago, I bought Lost Planet: Extreme Condition for $5. Last week? World of Goo, also $5.
I guess it's like a digital version of an ice cream craving. "Hey, it's on sale! I wanna get some!"
--
Attention. Attention, please. We have the funk. I repeat, we are in full possession of the funk. | |
|
| |
james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| said by macdude22 :I think there is a psychological aspect at work that drives people to buy when they see 75% off this weekend only. Personally, thing that gets me without fail is a price below $20. Something that small and I really dont bother to think about whether or not I can afford it. I think that is a big key to making alot of sales, making the customer either think they need the item or making the item so cheap that they dont bother to think about whether or not they need it. | |
|
Rexter
YeeHaw
join:2002-11-17
cloud 9
| Wast of time and money. Like other copy protection paranoia, how much money have they spent on this stupid system, rather than developing games? How much do they spend per month on their bandwidth bill, again, rather than developing games? Still every one of their games can be downloaded VIA BitTorrent. All this system does is give them a feel-good notion that they are in control. It harasses legitimate paying customers, and does nothing to stop piracy. It fact I would contend it actively promotes piracy, buy pushing away potential customers who don't want to jump thorough their hoops. I bought Half-Life 2 Episode 1. Lets just say I won't make that mistake again.
--
With every new wave of optimism, or pessimism, we are ready to abandon history, and time tested principles, but we cling tenaciously and unquestioningly to our prejudices. (Benjamin Graham) | |
|
|
See 45 replies to this post |
|
txfeinbergs
@rr.com
| Sorry, don't like Steam I am a steam subscriber, not by choice, but because to play the game I want to play, Steam was rammed down my throat. Fear 2 is a recent example. I have one and only one complaint about Steam. I like to be able to resell my games once complete with them. I did this with FarCry 2 as an example. I can't do this with Fear 2 even though I am now done with the game and it is worthless to me.
If I can't resell the games, then I won't be buying as many new games. I am finding myself playing more and more on my XBOX360 because of Steam.
Ironically, I don't mind SecuROM which is what most people complain about. At least with that system, I can resell the game once complete. | |
|
| ender7074
join:2006-11-21
Saint Louis, MO | Re: Sorry, don't like Steam Who forced you to buy fear 2 through Steam? Its not a Valve game... The only games that absolutely require Steam are Valve games. Nothing else... | |
|
| | txfeinbergs
join:2009-03-10
Allen, TX | Re: Sorry, don't like Steam Wrong. I did not buy Fear 2 through Steam. I bought it at Best Buy. Unfortunately during install, it still requires Steam to be installed to authenticate the disk. | |
|
darth_maul25
join:2004-06-11
Urbandale, IA
| Hell Yes to Steam! I've been a fanboy of Valve and HL since the beginning. But I too, was one of the customers decrying the "STEAMing pile of crap" that Valve introduced when it first launched. But Valve cannot be faulted now for the AWESOME platform that Steam has become. The benefits of Steam are FAR TOO great in comparision to any negatives.
The whole anitvirus/security conflict? Sorry I didn't go to that forum link, but what kinda crap system would you have to have to cause a conflict between Steam and your security products??!! I have used Norton, AVG, and Kas Antivirus products over the past 5 years with NO problems with Steam. Firewall issues???!! Nada. Steam is a mature, well-developed product that has not caused any issues for me or anyone else whom I've persuaded to install.
I basically no longer buy any games now unless they're released on Steam. Sure, I may have a short wait for some titles that the publishers will not release onto the Steam network until later, but it's always worth the wait. The convenience, the featured sales, the no software/DRM install...Steam is the best way yet to acquire and enjoy games while Valve does what they can to protect the publisher's content/interest. I shudder to think how much money Valve and the game publishers have made from me thanks to the utility and convenience of Steam.
Steam rocks! Case closed! | |
|
|
james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| Re: Hell Yes to Steam! said by darth_maul25 :The convenience, the featured sales, the no software/DRM install Er, I like steam too and buy tons of games from it, but I feel I should point out that steam itself is DRM software. | |
|
| | DannyZ
Gentoo Fanboy
Premium
join:2003-01-29
Erie, PA
| Re: Hell Yes to Steam! And that's the beauty of Steam's DRM: it's seamless. Many users don't even realize it's there because it does not degrade the user experience. It's nothing like the typical DRM implementations.
--
Out the 10BaseT, through the modem, down the co-ax, over the fiber, across the backhaul, past the edge router, off the network...nothing but net | |
|
| | | darth_maul25
join:2004-06-11
Urbandale, IA
| Re: Hell Yes to Steam! EXACTLY!
Unlike Starforce and all that other "rootkit" system-destroying DRM BS, you know that the Steam client itself is running as a process on your PC and not hidden like that other crap which is IMPOSSIBLE to remove and can damage your system, which they (other game publishers) do not want to acknowledge. Plus the fact there are no installation limitation to Steam due to "activation" issues as well.
A little transparency goes a long way.
Steam is probably the best way to give the customers what they want while appeasing the game publishers and their piracy concerns. Probably... | |
|
| | | |
james
join:2001-02-26
antarctica
| Re: Hell Yes to Steam! said by darth_maul25 :Steam is probably the best way to give the customers what they want while appeasing the game publishers and their piracy concerns. Probably... I do wonder what my legal rights would be if they decided to close up shop and not run their verification servers. | |
|
Daarken
Rara Avises
join:2005-01-12
Cajun Countr
·Cox HSI
·Suddenlink
| What about the fiasco this weekend. Valve's Steam service is a great , albeit issue prone at times.
This weekend really did show some weakness in the engine and performance capabilities of the software.
Valve had decided to have a free play before you buy of UT3, which they had put on sale for $12.
I had not tried out the newest version of UT3 and decided along with a bunch of my friends to play (about 6 of us).
On average it took over 30 hours for all of US just to download UT3 on the steam engine (A total of about 8gigs).
By the time I had the chance to play it, the free play weekend was over.
Ironically I decided to play CTF2 last night, and I downloaded the game (7gigs) in under 2 hours.
Correct me if I am wrong, but to me this indicates that the game titles are stored on servers that are dedicated to that particular title, and due to the infrastructure the download servers can be overwhelmed by users wanting a "hot" title.
Ironically my brother who had UT3 already, had downloaded CTF2 during this period with no problems and was capping out at 2MB.
--
www.pointofexistence.com | |
|
| 
Vathral
Premium
join:2002-08-26
New York, NY
clubs: | Re: What about the fiasco this weekend. The game was slow to download because they didn't have the game available on all the content servers. They usually only use a few servers for free weekend stuff, it was a mistake with this being the biggest size game yet for it. | |
|
|
cpsycho
join:2008-06-03
Orangeville, ON
·Wightman Telecom
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| Live worse then Steam At least its not windows live, I hate that crap the most. GTA4 with windows live is so bad! I dont know what rockstar was thinking.
In the beginning I did not like steam I lost 3 counter strike cd keys to the beta test, after a year I got over it and now I love steam. I register all my games under steam.
Its great everything in one folder. When I format I just move the folder to a portable and move it back when its done. Bam! all my games work right away. | |
|
goofy01
join:2004-02-05
Hammond, IN
·Comcast
| Steam and Valve I love it. I like the fact I can play my games on any computer once I install Steam on it. I also like the sales, I already got L4D half off a few weeks back. Finding servers to play on is easier than anything I can remember, way better than Gamespy was. For those wanting to complain about reselling games and registering games, get use to it. Most companies are limiting installs now and games will call home on their own. | |
|
dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast
1 edit | A client? Running a client or application just so you can play the game?
It's bad enough we have to occasionally deal with the likes of Starforce or SecuROM, having to use a client to run a game?
No happening!
My games play just fine WITHOUT having to use a program to light them up and/or call the Mother Ship.
If any of you are ok with Steam, I'm happy for you!
Please show the same respect for those of us that are not ok with it.
Thanks!
EDIT: Games bought in a B&M store can be sold to recoup some of your money - or traded for other games.
Can you sell a download?
Can you trade a download?
If so, I have Flatout Ultimate Carnage I would love to sell.
It is sitting on a download site - much like Steam.
No program or client needed to play it though...
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera | |
|
notgonnadoit
@bellsouth.net
| I hate steam I'm currently building a new system, they way it will be set up it will have two hard drives. The larger drive will be the gaming drive properly partitioned so windows is on one partition and apps on another etc... the smaller drive will be only for applications that have anything to do with cd/dvd burning and antivirus. This new system will only be allowed to connect to the net to update antivirus and thats it. NO INTERNET for this new system, I don't play multiplayer anymore because of steam. I loved playing cs1.6 back in the day. Yes people cheated but so what? there could have been cheat servers and then password proteced normal servers. People whined so much about cheating like it was a threat to the whole world or something. I think the guy that was making the cheats was sued into poverty by valve and some other people can't remember atm. This kind of mess makes me sick of people in general, whats the point of mulitplayer anymore if we have to turn off security and trust komrade kompany to think for us? and people will still whine and cry "no I shot you first you cheater" over and over again until the world economy collapses.
I don't like many of the new games now with their drm and high prices. I stick with older games and thats it so my new system won't have to cost me an arm and a leg and then only cost an arm six months from now.
The main points against steam have always been the huge updates required which take hours for some people to download wether they want to or not and some games don't work in offline mode. These points won't change because steam won't change. Oh yes and the activations for games I almost forgot that one.
How soon will steam users hit their monthly broadband caps? | |
|
| geowil
join:2008-04-20
Laveen, AZ
·Qwest.net
·Cox HSI
| Re: I hate steam quote:
How soon will steam users hit their monthly broadband caps?
this one made me lol.
its not valve's problem if their users use a isp that has a cap.
the user is responsible for monitoring how much of the cap is used, if they cant make smart choices based on that, then they dont net a connection at all or need to find an isp that doesnt enforce caps like a religious fanatic, and yes, such mythical creatures do exist (however the only one I know of is Cox) or need to get off their ruddy 1 meg down dsl connections with their 5 GB caps and get a real connection.
--
Speedtest.net:
27759KB/s Down
538kb/s Up | |
|
| |
nongonnadoit
@bellsouth.net
| Re: I hate steam @geowil
You sound like a troll for valve/steam kinda like how this place gets **AA trolls from time to time in here. EVERYONE would like to have a good connection but in case you haven't noticed a GOOD connection costs money and 300 million+ people don't have money to pay for "good" connections right now especially in this disaster of an economy where unemployment is above 8% and rising.
Steam in my view is socialist/communist and it's part of how the pc industry is trying to close itself off to be more like apple or the console industry. Even used pc games don't sell so much anymore and steam games can't be resold but not even physical copies of games that now require steam also can't be sold because nobody wants a used steam account and it's probably not legal to sell or transfer a steam account anyway.
If only 300 million people would just boycott the music,movie,entertainment industry for one year we would finally be rid of this mess once and for all. We can live as human beings without NEW movies and music and video games for atleast a few years lol. | |
|
SlyLoK
join:2007-10-19
Sugar Grove, VA | Do not care for steam. " That game is unavailable "
Steam decides to crash = your game crashes.
Honestly... Physical copies of games should NOT require the use of steam EVER. If they are bought off of steam then sure. Just leave my physical copies alone. | |
|
Bit
Premium
join:2009-02-19
00000
 ·VOIPo
·Cox HSI
1 edit | I like Steam Because no matter where I am I have my licenses. If I'm in the office I have all my Steam titles. If I'm at home, I have all my steam titles. No messing with discs. No messing with no-CD patches. Just fire it up and play, plus they often have good deals price-wise. | |
|
ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium
join:2001-08-02
Michigan City, IN
·Comcast
1 edit | Um duh? "Steam recently released data showing how their practice of offering discounts on games boosts sales."
Noo.....really? 
btw: Steam sucks..WON were the days.
--
»www.ps3grid.net | |
|
mrham
Premium
join:2002-05-14
Seneca, MO
·Embarq
| AA3 To Use Steam Here are some post stating AA3 will be released on Steam:
Posted 10 March 2009
Look around the forum and you will see where it has been posted that AA3 will be released via Steam and the DC.
Posted 10 March 2009
Steam is optimal... pretty much does everything for you, just click download.... hopefully they will have enough bandwidth allocated on the opening day
Posted 28 Feb 2009
Not to say that we wouldn't at some point make a stand alone AA3 installer package, but the difference here is we no longer need a separate 'installer' that only has to be uncompressed after download and then move the files AGAIN. With Steam and the Deploy Client, it installs as is downloads.
Of course the additional features and support that comes with this is a HUGE step up from what we did in AA2. First of all, universal autoupdating for clients and servers is something that is really going to help us in responding more quickly to the needs of the game. We can update the game many times in between bigger releases.
We also no longer have to schedule extra time to build patches and installers, test them, upload them to download partners, wait for everyone to have it before release, etc. When the build is good to go, we upload it to Steam/Deploy Repository and the updates is LIVE and out.
Not to mention the Steam features that come with this are pretty rad, such as the Steam Overlay system that works in AA3 (pressing Shift-Tab brings up in-game interface for instant messaging with friends, web browsing, etc.).
We're really excited about our new distribution system | |
|
Smith6612
Premium
join:2008-02-01
united state
 ·Dish Network
·Verizon Online DSL
·FrontierNet Intern..
3 edits | Spy sappin' mah Sentry! Personally myself, reading through all of these comments I don't see why people are bashing Steam. Sure, it was buggy when it first came out, as well as downloads being slow. Aren't all newly released things going to have flaws? Don't forget though, if my facts are straight, Valve was one of the first companies to try something new at the time Steam was created and allow the downloading of games via the Internet. Now, look to today. They've added things such as the Steam Community, 3rd party games, more region based download servers that are hosted by various datacenters. Now, they even have voice chat, and a built-in web browser with hooks to IE while gaming. Not to mention, the downloads are FAST when there isn't a huge update going on. I can tank down a T3/Fiber line with Steam's downloads alone.
Per buying games, I've never had problems with it. I have picked up The Orange Box at a local retailer, and I was able to activate and tie my Orange Box purchase to my account easilly. Once that was done, I had the option to either download my game, or install via the DVD. I chose the download of course. I also bought games such as Crysis via Steam itself, and it downloaded the game for me. Now, per the "Activation" thing with Steam, once you log into the Steam account, download the game and run it while it is offline, you can play it for an unlimited amount of time offline, just as long as you do not delete the ClientRegistry.blob file!
The DRM on Steam is very, very loose. I've never had issues with it, and the great thing about it, is that you can install games on as many computers as you'd like, and there's no activation limit unless a 3rd party wants it (which Valve themselves have argued against especially in the case of Crysis Warhead and Spore, which you can get on Steam). SecuROM I know is a PITA. It's not too hard to remove, but the way it messes things up does get annoying after a while.
Sure, Valve doesn't have the convenience of just selling your games (but who knows, not being able to sell the game would sure keep regret of selling a game away in the first place ), but I'm sure Valve may implement something like that in the future. What Steam is useful for is the convenience of being able to pre-load games BEFORE they come out or can even be touched by customer hands, and buying them on the fly. Sure, on some games, you can play the game as it downloads, but in the most part, Steam is rock solid for me.
One last note: If you're complaining about Steam being slow and you've got a 6+ year old PC and/or slow Internet, treat yourself to faster stuff. I have a rig that I hand built myself, with 1Mbps/384kbps (or 3Mbps/384kbps) internet and I can open up Steam and be logged in within 5 seconds or less on Vista, and then within 10 seconds have a game launched and ready to go.
EDIT: Last note lol. The Valve games are quite worth it. I just LOVE playing Team Fortress 2 online, hence my topic title for engy/spy fans that play that game | |
|
|
|
|
Valve's Pipe Dream Now Gigantic
·