Steam sale

[Anonymous]

[Deleted by Admins]

[LarryP]

Another spammer prick.[:@]

[diablo1]

And a thread necromancer as well

[sysrkm]

Hello all,

Having read all the Pro Steam and Con Steam posts, I'll just post my feelings here. I'm 52 and UP UNTIL about March of this year, was a FIRM BELIEVER in having that DISC either in my hand, library or drive tray. Then my son called me a sissy and dared me to try Steam. After chasing him around the house threatening to beat him to death (I COULD have caught him, still have my linebacker speed, but wanted to prolong his fright) I finally sat down and bit the bullet. Hmmm I says to myself, this isn't bad. Oh, and I see I can monitor how much TIME he spends playing on steam? I love computer tattle tails.

What? Steam automagically updates my game as well??? One more point in it's favor. Especially after dealing with EA horrendously screwing up one of my favorite games with update hell, Battlefield 2142...

Hey waitaminute, I can get actual games that don't rely on fast twitch speed? Recently downloaded the Civ 5 demo, the first Sid Meier game I have played since Alpha Centauri, and loved the demo so I'll buy that for me and my son ('cept I'll probably buy it in a store) knowing full well he'll NEVER RTFM and I'll beat his brains out being two eras behind him, to add to his embarrassment.

I think we have used the Steam chat client, and I hear, if they don't have it already, voice support is coming, so all in all it's a nice one stop place to shop.

Gary, I know you feel. I was a "what if" guy big time. But I look at it this way: if and when that time comes, when Steam bites the big one, will I have gotten all my dollar's worth of play out of the games I have bought or installed through Steam when it goes under? My answer right now would have to be a resounding YES.

Last notes: I have 4 gaming rigs here at my house, 3 of them currently active. For a long time, when the boys were younger, they were my baby sitters, being a single dad at the time AND for a long time, it was the only thing we could ALL do together where size and speed didn't matter, where the youngest could whip my arse but the old guy could stomp the living daylights out of the young because they didn't RTFM or I employed a tactic they didn't see coming. The problem was, keeping the disks AND the FREAKING CD\DVD keys with the correct machines. I don't have to do that anymore because Steam does it for me.

I hope some of you fence sitters will get something positive out of this. I won't call myself a complete convert because I still plan on buying Civ 5 in the store, as old habits die hard. But there are some bargains on Steam to be had, especially where expansions or update packs are involved (Company of Heroes comes to mind) where I could NEVER afford for myself and or my sons to all play together if they didn't have a sale on said games.

Ending, I hope I haven't offended anyone, but just imparted some findings I've experienced dealing with Steam.

Best regards to all, Rob, aka sysrkm

PS: looks like I have to light up the 4th gaming rig again... Turns out my newly acquired 8 year old stepdaughter Emily has a knack for playing Battlefield Bad Company 2. Now just have to come up with a killer nickname for her.
There's just something special about seeing the following on your screen:
"You were killed by an 8 y.o. schoolgirl...."
Hopefully she'll develop an interest in Civ 5 and Empires of Steel !!!

[wodin]

pammers are more offensive than steam....doesn't bother me....tis what people call progress....in the future physical copies of games will be a nostalgic memory...and the way Steam operates will be seen as the normal state of affairs...though I imagine IF say a company like Steam messed up in a big way and users lost access to their games then I expect someone will go to court and win (we are all protected by consumer rights and this is where laws will come into play if things went badly wrong)...something like this may change the current progressive path...

[Jevhaddah]

Why would anyone want to buy Steam when yoo can make yoor own with a kettle

I'll get my coat

Jev

[Lützow]

Purchasing from Steam means supporting the copyright industry. The guys who turned gaming into the mainstream market, dispelled hardcore titles from vendor shelves, dumbed down strategy and rpg's, dictate what version has to be played in a particular country and don't care about anything but maximizing shareholder profits. Why on earth would I give them my money?

[parusski]

"Why one earth would you give them your money?" HMMMMMMMMM, well, unlike totalitarian states this nation's citizens can demand what they want and someone will produce it. Now, I really do not give a rats behind if I make anyone at steam or Fireaxis or Sid or the Road Runner a lot more money. If you want the game then you pay for it. If you don't, your loss. I am not in love with the Steam operation. I accept as we all must that some things do change.

Now Lutzow this is no personal attack, but maybe living in Europe blinds you to the strength of this Nation and the wealth it produces. Those shareholder's you denigrate by not wanting them to have more money are tens-of-millions of Americans, and citizens of other nations, who buy stock in company's-even game companies if they are not private. Several trillion dollars are invested in stocks and mutual funds by "shareholders"(those evil devils). In 2008 huge numbers of American individuals; rich, poor, middle class all have money in the market. The benefit, which of course the EU can't grasp, is those "shareholders" will more than likely retire with a decent addition to the pitiful return of our social security system. WITHOUT shareholders sir, there would be many fewer games, pc's, cars, televisions.....of course that would be great for some, because we might save the planet a few more billion years.

That's the logical argument. Not wanting "shareholders" to make any more money is the lamest reason not to buy CIV 5 through Steam. I have had many games through Steam. Yes I have had a few, very few, problems. But it was easier to resolve than buying the disc version at at store, getting home and finding it broken or just not working. Or ordering a disc version and it arrives unusual. At least this way some measure of control can be used against the thieves committing theft. And I do not need to drive to a store(well, haven't bought pc's or games from stores in years) nor do I need to return the item and wait longer just to play a game. It is not a big deal.

Yeah, great idea. Stop giving your money to people who create things or services. Then when you must start designing and producing those items you might understand, or maybe appreciate, the EVIL American way.

Now that I have trolled around looking for ways to act like a second grader I must get back to CIV V, which is fantastic. So far Steam has not burned down my house nor beaten my wife(I do that)/

[ilovestrategy]

I've read everyone of these posts in this thread and I still have to say that I love Steam.  I'm using the disc for Rome Total War in my laptop and I find myself thinking about buying it off of Steam so I don't have to keep track of that damn disc.

I'm at war with the Brits if anyone wants to know. I'm having a challenge with them. Damn Senate won't let me declare war on the German barbarians! [:@]

[parusski]

[THE SENATE BE DAMNED. DO YOUR DUTY MAN, FOR THE SAKE OF US ALL.


HMMMMMMMM. D, since you joined a few years ago I can never, never, EVER tell just how serious you are. Sometimes it looks as if you are beating someone about the head with that tiny hatchet of your avatar.???

RIGHT. Since my rant about capitalism went off course I agree with you about keeping up with the cd's/dvd's. That's been a problem since I started playing back in the late 80's. I have had two distinct issues I can recall with Steam, both related to getting another shiny Alienware(soon though Falcon Northwest will bring on a 9th mortgage). Anyway, so when I tried to sign in, get the games ready to play---loud buzz. No biggie, contacted customer service and that's all she wrote. Oh yea, take that game disc you scratch or break and see if you can have it replaced...really try, that has got to be soooo much easier than having a digital version-YAWN.

Do your bloody work David

[Lützow]

Parusski,

there is no need to turn this into a political slant and hence I won't respond to your little side-blows. We could argue about if Germany isn't the more wealthy country in regard to it's smaller pouplation and you might also take into consideration that by far not everybody here in Europe goes along with the EU. But then again, that was not the point I wanted to make. I'm not anti-capitalist, I don't mind if anyone earns his money at the stock market, but I do care about my hobby.

In this context I rumble about an industry which shifted their focus from customers to shareholders over the past decade. They replaced lavishry packaging for cheap DVD boxes, printed manuals for .pdf files, bypass retail commission through digital distribution and outsource content to DLC. They continuously deliver less in order to max their profit but don't give anything back to their customers in return. Wouldn't even get upset here if I at least had still fun with these products, but since modern games are adjusted to rather simple-minded folks, there is barely anything left to purchase for me anymore. That's why I loathe this shareholder policy.

[joeblack1862]

ORIGINAL: parusski

Oh yea, take that game disc you scratch or break and see if you can have it replaced...really try, that has got to be soooo much easier than having a digital version-YAWN.

What you mean like I can get from Matrix, GOG, Slitherine, GG, D2D, Impulse? Heck, I even OWN ALL the games I get from Matrix, Slitherine and GOG (I always download my purchases and back them up).

I am having a whale of a time!

That's just pointing out my view of things. I fully respect your view and understand you have found something that suits you. Be a sad day if we were all the same [;)]

[joeblack1862]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Parusski,

there is no need to turn this into a political slant and hence I won't respond to your little side-blows. We could argue about if Germany isn't the more wealthy country in regard to it's smaller pouplation and you might also take into consideration that by far not everybody here in Europe goes along with the EU. But then again, that was not the point I wanted to make. I'm not anti-capitalist, I don't mind if anyone earns his money at the stock market, but I do care about my hobby.

In this context I rumble about an industry which shifted their focus from customers to shareholders over the past decade. They replaced lavishry packaging for cheap DVD boxes, printed manuals for .pdf files, bypass retail commission through digital distribution and outsource content to DLC. They continuously deliver less in order to max their profit but don't give anything back to their customers in return. Wouldn't even get upset here if I at least had still fun with these products, but since modern games are adjusted to rather simple-minded folks, there is barely anything left to purchase for me anymore. That's why I loathe this shareholder policy.

Agree with this. I find myself playing more of the old games.

[Arctic Blast]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Parusski,

there is no need to turn this into a political slant and hence I won't respond to your little side-blows. We could argue about if Germany isn't the more wealthy country in regard to it's smaller pouplation and you might also take into consideration that by far not everybody here in Europe goes along with the EU. But then again, that was not the point I wanted to make. I'm not anti-capitalist, I don't mind if anyone earns his money at the stock market, but I do care about my hobby.

In this context I rumble about an industry which shifted their focus from customers to shareholders over the past decade. They replaced lavishry packaging for cheap DVD boxes, printed manuals for .pdf files, bypass retail commission through digital distribution and outsource content to DLC. They continuously deliver less in order to max their profit but don't give anything back to their customers in return. Wouldn't even get upset here if I at least had still fun with these products, but since modern games are adjusted to rather simple-minded folks, there is barely anything left to purchase for me anymore. That's why I loathe this shareholder policy.

However, I would also point out that the switch to digital distribution has actually been more of a boon for independent developers. Now they can get their games out to customers without having to either band up with a big publisher, or worry about how in the Hell they're going to find the money to print manuals, ship boxes, and get those boxes actually displayed on a shelf.

[ilovestrategy]

ORIGINAL: parusski

[THE SENATE BE DAMNED. DO YOUR DUTY MAN, FOR THE SAKE OF US ALL.


HMMMMMMMM. D, since you joined a few years ago I can never, never, EVER tell just how serious you are. Sometimes it looks as if you are beating someone about the head with that tiny hatchet of your avatar.???

RIGHT. Since my rant about capitalism went off course I agree with you about keeping up with the cd's/dvd's. That's been a problem since I started playing back in the late 80's. I have had two distinct issues I can recall with Steam, both related to getting another shiny Alienware(soon though Falcon Northwest will bring on a 9th mortgage). Anyway, so when I tried to sign in, get the games ready to play---loud buzz. No biggie, contacted customer service and that's all she wrote. Oh yea, take that game disc you scratch or break and see if you can have it replaced...really try, that has got to be soooo much easier than having a digital version-YAWN.

Do your bloody work David

Oh, you mean me! I was looking for a member with the user name David and never realized you were using MY name! [:D]

My 17 year old girl is always going off about Emos and when I saw this somewhere i started laughing and copied it! [:D]

UPDATE!!!!! I started playing again for the first time in a couple of weeks. I conquered Hispania but the Brits have most of Germany and have sent two huge armies into Gaul. The Senate wants me to take over Dacia but the senate is is just gonna have to wait. The Brits are knocking on my door and they won't go away! [X(]

[Anthropoid]

I got a question for you Steam guys: games like Civ5 which are initially distributed as Steam compulsory, do they ever get switched to be Steamless?

Here is my beef with Steam, or rather Valve. Cannot remember how long it has been, and some of the details have got a bit fuzzy, but I do remember that I felt I got poor service and I was really steamed. So much that I've stayed away devoutly and remained quite skeptical and leery.

The game was Half-Life, Platinum (included Blue Shift, and Opposing Force, and it seems like one other). I think I must have bought it circa 2003. Installed it, played it a lot, enjoyed the heck out of it. That computer died, I moved on. Then one day in 2005 or 2006 (Half-Life 2 came out in 2004) I decided I'd reinstall Half-Life! [:D] I had never actually finished the whole game (took me a lot of practice to become good at FPS games for some reason) and I was looking forward to progressing farther.

Long story short, the game encountered a totally game-locking bug at the elevator where you first emerge up to the New Mexico surface, i.e., not to far into the game. So I sought their help. It seems like the bug was somewhat known about as having been linked to a more recent XP service pack . . . cannot recall for certain. As I say, details have become foggy but, after a prolonged emails exchange back and forth with the Valve/Steam guys, what I was told was "We no longer support that game. There is a new version of Half-Life out; why don't you play it instead? We will fully support it." It is hard to believe today in 2010 that a game maker would say such a thing, but at that time that is what I was told. As I understand it Half-Life is now available on Steam again? I was sufficiently upset by the interactions I had with Valve that I made a pact with my self to never again patronize Steam or Valve.

Now here is what I'm willing to do (I'm not a askeered! [:'(]) I've still got those disks in my basement. Unless one of you Steam lovers thinks it is a bad idea for some reason, I will install those disks on this gaming machine, and try to register it, and see what happens.

The way I see it: I bought that game. Seems like I even have the serial keys written down in an old CD carrier. Now I realize that CD copies are becoming like dinosuars, and as such Valve may not want to honor the contract we agreed to long ago when I bought that game from them, but the way I see it, I bought it once, I shouldn't have to buy it again.

What do you think? Will I be able to install it on this rig and get it running?

If so, I'll renounce my Steam Skepticism and become a Steam Convert. If not, I remain UnSteamed.

[Scott_WAR]

If you have ever played the game on steam you should not have to register it again.
Once you download and run the steam app all games you have ever purchased or registered through steam, should be in your games library. All you have to do is click on the game you want to play and install it.

edit- you can try using the discs to install, but you dont have to. I have half life 1, blue shift etc in my library so I know they are there.

[Anthropoid]

I'm a little concerned by these two sections of the EULA I have to agree to to install the Steam Client on this machine.

6. Limitation of Liability. VALVE, ITS SUPPLIERS AND DISTRIBUTORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY WAY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PROGRAM INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES. ANY WARRANTY AGAINST INFRINGEMENT THAT MAY BE PROVIDED IN SECTION 2-312(3) OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE AND/OR IN ANY OTHER COMPARABLE STATE STATUTE IS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. Valve CANNOT AND WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE FAILURES OR ANY OTHER EVENT WHICH MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF DATA OR DISRUPTION OF SERVICE. Some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations may not apply.

7. Equitable Remedies. You hereby agree that Valve would be irreparably damaged if the terms of this License Agreement were not specifically enforced, and therefore you agree that Valve shall be entitled to appropriate equitable remedies with respect to breaches of this License Agreement, in addition to such other remedies as Valve may otherwise have available to it under applicable laws. In the event any litigation is brought by either party in connection with this License Agreement, the prevailing party in such litigation shall be entitled to recover from the other party all the costs, attorneys' fees and other expenses incurred by such prevailing party in the litigation

So, some of you guys who are Steam users who already agreed to this, can you explain to me what that part about "ANY WARRANTY AGAINST INFRINGEMENT THAT MAY BE PROVIDED IN SECTION 2-312(3) OF THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE AND/OR IN ANY OTHER COMPARABLE STATE STATUTE IS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED" really means?

[Scott_WAR]

Nobody knows what that stuff means,...not even the lawyers who wrote it.

[V22 Osprey]

http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-312.html