Steam?

[Pipewrench]

slovenian89,

Well, we probably have a different amount of games then. I have over 800 so it would be kind of hard to have them all on my desktop .

You seriously purchased a subscription to 800 games that you do not own? Hopefully you have at least half that are not subscription dependent otherwise your entire gaming collection is at the mercy of 1 corporation. I would hope that before you buy another game read the latest wording in the new agreement.

"You understand that neither this Agreement nor the terms associated with a particular Subscription entitles you to future updates, new versions or other enhancements of the Software associated with a particular Subscription although Valve may choose to provide such updates, etc. in its sole discretion.

Valve hereby grants, and you accept, a limited, terminable, non-exclusive license and right to use the Software for your personal use in accordance with this Agreement and the Subscription Terms. The Software is licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Software."

What raises red flags is that you are now forced to accept conditions that take away your rights. You must agree first to new conditions imposed to gain access to previous purchases on you subscription.

Just logged onto steam and got a audio and visual popup requiring acceptance of new terms of service---- which basically was mandatory binding Arbitration and limited or no right to sue. Just the latest to jump on the bandwagon. And it told me that acceptance was *required* to continue. In reading the Steam forums, Your account is locked until you agree. If you don't agree, you don't use Steam--- and you forfeit the licenses you have bought, and oh, no refunds.link:

There is a lengthy debate which ranges from healthy to bizarre that you might look into.

With all this in mind.. If Distant worlds were to use Steam-works for distribution you as a consumer would be subject to a subscription and above contract. Even if sold in-house it would still be subject to terms that can be changed anytime with little regard to consumer rights or the law. If you disagree with any new terms you lose access to your account and all games linked to that account. Extortion at it's finest.

Remember it is a subscription and as it stands for now it is free. EA sports meet Steam.

[WoodMan]

ORIGINAL: slovenian89

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

ORIGINAL: slovenian89



Are you serious? I'll list a few:

1. Easy & Convenient way to purchase games. - No more retail stores or having to create an account on multiple sites to make a purchase.
2. Automatic Updates - No need to watch news/forums for announcements for patches on individual sites for each game you play.
3. Easily Find & Launch your games. - No need for desktop/taskbar shortcuts for your games.
4. Cloud Saves (for some games) - easily continue your saves from another computer or just as a backup
5. In-Game Chat Overlay for both Steam games and Non-Steam Games
6. Screenshots saved on Cloud
7. Steamworks - Achievements, Leaderboards, Profiles, MP Matchmaking, DLC, Anti-Cheat, Voice Chat...
8. Community - Groups for Games/Genres/Similar Interests - find more people to play games with
9. Sales

I'm not a Steam fan at all, I wouldn't want DW to go on Steam. The people supporting Steam here are sounding like they think everything has to go on Steam to be successful. That is called a monopoly and it is generally a bad thing for the consumer.

1. Yes the steam store is fantastic, I agree. However, if it were just a store it would be perfect, why do I have to run the games through Steam aswell? I just want to download an .exe file I can install and run the game without having to open Steam up all the time and run it through that.

2. Yup that was annoying as hell, when Skyrim updated to those first few buggy patches even though I explicitly told it not to, not to mention one of the patches made it impossible to play in offline mode, and impossible not to download the patch, lol. Nope, I update when I want to, not when I'm told to, unless I have no choice (Steam/Skyrim)

3. Nope it is harder to find and launch games. Because, when I load up windows and my desktop shortcut is right there I just double click it (or I use the pinned part of my start menu which has just all my games in it for easy access). But with Steam I have to log into my account everytime which takes longer, download update for steam if there is one, get the stupid shop advert pop-up etc. Don't even get me started on wanting to play single player when the internet is down and not being able to because can't connect to Steam...

4. Never used it. Don't really want my files floating around online either if I'm honest. Saved games it doesn't matter, but what if it all goes this way, certainly don't want documents etc going online.

5. Who cares, seriously why would I want to chat when playing Distant Worlds, it is single player.

6. Yup and I can't view them for some reason. Never tried to save any myself, but I can't view other peoples because the loading time is incredibly slow, flickr is much better in my opinion.

7. Seriously, for DW? Nope none of this stuff is needed. Achievements, leaderboards etc, not at all interested for any game. DLC, would prefer to have it available everywhere so I can shop around for the best price, but if you once again want to support a single platform dictating all prices be my guest.

8. Once again I've never used Steam for this stuff. I agree it is nice, but there are other ways of doing it that are just as good, or better. Best community I was ever part of was Trackmania a few years back and that had nothing to do with Steam whatsoever.

9. Yes because it is the only way. Just like Internet Explorer, the worst browser was the most popular before we really had a *CHOICE*. Now Amazon, please open up your own platform to rival Steam! Give us a choice!

1. Because Steam is DRM, hence why it is attractive to publishers, they don't have to develop one on their own. Plus that goes with point #3.

2. Sounds like more of a problem of the developers releasing un-tested patches/updates.

3. Well, we probably have a different amount of games then. I have over 800 so it would be kind of hard to have them all on my desktop or in my start menu... I have Steam as auto-login and it takes 10 seconds to login, yup very painful. Steam updates increase that to 30 seconds, oooh! You can disable the shop adverts via options, perhaps look to disable something before complaining about it? Steam has offline mode, works fine for me when I don't have internet.

4. What does saving documents online have to do with Steam Cloud saves?

5. Guess I play different games than Distant Worlds and lots of online games. Perhaps my friend wants to go play Company of Heroes or something and messages me while I'm playing Distant Worlds?

6. Sounds like an internet problem on your end, load fast for me.

7. Sure, it's not needed but those things can attract more players...which in turns brings more money to the developers to continue development on REAL features. In case you didn't know, the Publishers determine the prices on Steam...not Steam.

8. It's a preference for me to be able to do that through the same program as everything else I'm doing.

9. I'm sorry what? Last time I checked there are many choices for digital distribution...

Someone asked as to what makes Steam attractive to gamers, I answered why I like it, and many reasons why my friends like it. Why is this now turned into a debate of DRM and why people hate Steam? Just because a game gets added to Steam, doesn't mean it won't be available from the locations it is now... Where did I say, or anyone, that Distant Worlds should ONLY be available on Steam?

I think you missed the point I'm trying to make entirely. Steam has many great features I agree. But, I don't want to be forced to use it. Pure and simple. Nor when I'm using it do I want to be forced to do anything like update my games etc or use particular features. Nor do I want developers or publishers to feel forced to use it because it is currently the only real option for online mass distribution of games.

And as for your point 7, remember Erik did post a long time ago that DW did not go with Steam because when they looked into it Steam got such a large cut they would have to sell more than a realistic amount of copies to make the same profit that they have here on their own website at their own prices. This is a niche game so there is no guarantee the audience is there for it.

Publishers go with Steam because they are frightened that if they don't their game will not sell due to a lack of publicity and because they are frightened of piracy. In doing so they hand over a lot of their revenue to another company (a rival company too). Bravo to Matrix for having the courage to stand up against something like this.

Also where are the moderators? This thread is ridiculous please move it to the general section of the forum as it is having a very negative impact on this otherwise great forum and it is off topic, most people discussing Steam in general without relation to DW.

Anyway, thats my last input to this thread.

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

Publishers go with Steam because they are frightened that if they don't their game will not sell due to a lack of publicity and because they are frightened of piracy. In doing so they hand over a lot of their revenue to another company (a rival company too). Bravo to Matrix for having the courage to stand up against something like this.

Also where are the moderators? This thread is ridiculous please move it to the general section of the forum as it is having a very negative impact on this otherwise great forum and it is off topic, most people discussing Steam in general without relation to DW.

Anyway, thats my last input to this thread.

I second that Martin....well said! [:)]

[Windfire]

ORIGINAL: ehsumrell1

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

[/b]
Also where are the moderators? This thread is ridiculous please move it to the general section of the forum as it is having a very negative impact on this otherwise great forum and it is off topic, most people discussing Steam in general without relation to DW.

Anyway, thats my last input to this thread.

I second that Martin....well said! [:)]

I would echo this request as well. Please move this thread to the general forum.

[Josh]

Oh now I see where this thread suddenly cam from; the DW subforum...
Well for what it's worth, and it's not a pro or contra argument, but in the  Steam Summersale I have bougth quite a few games for only a handful of €. Limbo for a few bucks, the complete Stalker series for a few bucks, and so on.
So yeah there may be pro's and con's to Steam... but it certainly had me buy some games [:D]
 
(ofcourse now that I have them I'm playing Afrika Korps... go figure)

[ilovestrategy]

I love Steam.

[parusski]

Steam has brought me and my family great wealth and happiness. And you too can have it, all for the low, low price of just $49.99, made payable to the parusski-Steiner-warspite-nate-ilovestrategy-Orm-doomtrader charity for us.

[Panpiper]

ORIGINAL: Panpiper
The day a package deal gets offered (with the required prequels included) making the latest version of the game price competitive with other games, is the day I buy this game. Until then, this is an absurdly overpriced boondoggle that I am not going to take a risk on.

Well, guess what I am installing...

I had decided to buy the initial version anyway, just because I was bored with all my other games, and when I go to finalize the checkout, 'THEN' I discover that there is in fact a promotional offer whereby one can get the supplements at a reduced price. Err... Normally one is informed of promotional offers 'before' a purchase has been decided upon. There was no hint anywhere I saw that there was in fact a package deal available. I expect a good many more sales could be made if the promotional deal was used for, I dunno, promotion?

Needless to say, I took the deal.

[ccguy]

I've been eyeballin' Distant Worlds for a while now and many people think it is the best 4x game out there including MOO2. I've been following gaming news regularly but I somehow had missed this game completely, base game and 2 expansions! There is no advertising whatsoever or barely any discussion outside of matrix forums. How is this related to steam? Well, Steam gives lots of publicity for niche titles. I'm sure Close Combat and Distant Worlds would feel like home with Civ and Total War. Putting your games on Steam or other digital distributors doesn't mean you need to shutdown matrix shop.

You don't want to make deep discounts? That's fine, neither does activision with its Call of Dooty series. Same game released yearly over and over again and yet years old titles have pitiful 33% discounts out of $60.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: ccguy
Putting your games on Steam or other digital distributors doesn't mean you need to shutdown matrix shop.

The forums have a search utility.

This has been discussed to death - ad nauseum. Erik has already said unequivocally - Steam isn't a good deal for DW. And despite the multiple Steam-onanism posts, they fail to address the most important point - that of increasing the profit of the seller.

tm.asp?m=3201777&mpage=5

Some kindly moderator please lock this thread and spare the equine corpse from further flagellation.

[ccguy]

Yes, I noticed that other topic too. There seems to be quite alot of demand for it and Matrix does nothing. Do they not want more money?

Many gamers are missing out on great games because this company doesn't advertise them at all or very little. Get out there, Matrix!

[Rtwfreak]

The good thing about Steam is good-great cheap games every year.

The bad thing about Steam: Remember Alexanders Library?

Fundamentally we'd like to think Steam will be around as long as Walmarts but nothing lasts forever and the thought of losing all my games and all that cheap money I spent troubles me. Of course if it's around 20 more years I'm not going to care too much if it goes bankrupt or out of business. But, I think too many people put too much faith in this STEAM and this online digital sales stuff without any way to really back it up if something does happen.

So for me I will buy from Gamersgate and GOG and (cough) Matrixgames (during kissmas time) and not have to worry about my games remaining my games throughout the years. I have games from back in the early 80's that the publishers, developers and distributors have gone by the wayside that I can still play to this day and that makes me feel good.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: ccguy
Yes, I noticed that other topic too.

Pity you didn't actually read it.

ORIGINAL: ccguy
There seems to be quite alot of demand for it and Matrix does nothing. Do they not want more money?

What part of Erik's statement blew over your head without even ruffling a hair? All of it?

ORIGINAL: ccguy
Many gamers are missing out on great games because this company doesn't advertise them at all or very little. Get out there, Matrix!

They're running a business, not a religion.

[mossicon]

Great to see Matrix embracing this platform. I hope there is much more to come!

[Erik Rutins]

Start a new thread please, this one was over a year old.