Steam

[gekkoguy82]

I'm curious, and I'm not sure if this has been touched on or not, whether or not OOTP devs have considered a system similar to Euro Truck Simulator 2, whereby if you purchase the game on their website you can either download it directly from their website, or activate it on Steam using the very same product key that you use for the non-Steam version. That way you could play the version of OOTP downloaded directly from the OOTP website sans Steam, but then be able to activate and download the game from Steam should the need or desire arise. Or just activate it and not download it, merely using Steam as a backup option. Just a thought, perhaps not a helpful one. Up until a year or two ago I had always had a shady view of Steam, but since using it I haven't had any complaints, and it can be quite useful. In my experience, it's not as bad as it's sometimes made out to be.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Carlton

Yes, it is 'your' poll if you use it as your lamp post to support an inebriated argument.

I proved that poll, thus you, wrong. Move on...you are looking desperate...

Carlton, you love to claim victory when you are totally wrong.

And you're wrong again.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by sandman2575

Completely agree. I'm no cheerleader for DRM, but it's here to stay and, kept within reason, serves an important purpose in curtailing piracy. To be honest, I don't even think about Steam as 'enforcing' DRM but as an amazingly convenient and *really* well designed and implemented service. Given the choice between the 'good 'ol days' of running out to the brick & mortar software store to buy a game and Steam, well, I wouldn't go back to the old way of doing things for anything.

That said, I think it's very cool that OOTP is now being offered *optionally* on Steam, not a requirement. Everyone wins.

Exactly. Well written.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

I use to not like steam because it is DRM. For me it came down to I would buy/sell used games and once steam took off it killed it for the pc market.
What helped me get over this was that steam often had big sales with the games coming in cheap. Another worry of mine was if steam went out of business than there goes all my games. Which could still happen but is less likely given the popularity of it.
I have over 200 games now on steam. Most I payed less than 20.00 for. With Steam I like that all updates are there and I don't have to go to various different websites to locatge my games. Point being if I'm going digital I want it on steam.

Steam is on the record as stating that if they ever go out of business then they will cut all your games loose.

[Stinson]

Originally Posted by Caporegime

I kept coming across posts from disgruntled gamers stating how Steam software would hijack my system, that it was spyware, malware, intrusive etc, etc.

I've seen plenty of this, too. It's funny how badly the tin foil hats have it out for Steam.

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Steam is on the record as stating that if they ever go out of business then they will cut all your games loose.

And for those who can't trust Valve's word... just think of the mutiny they would have on their hands of they shut down, and then tried telling everyone that their 200+ games have simply gone poof. They'd never get away with it, even if they were crazy enough to try.

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by sandman2575

Completely agree. I'm no cheerleader for DRM, but it's here to stay and, kept within reason, serves an important purpose in curtailing piracy. To be honest, I don't even think about Steam as 'enforcing' DRM but as an amazingly convenient and *really* well designed and implemented service. Given the choice between the 'good 'ol days' of running out to the brick & mortar software store to buy a game and Steam, well, I wouldn't go back to the old way of doing things for anything.

That said, I think it's very cool that OOTP is now being offered *optionally* on Steam, not a requirement. Everyone wins.

This, x1000

[McClearyMauler]

I was gonna buy OOTP 15. I have had nothing but trouble with STEAM in the past. Will it be able to be played without STEAM.

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by McClearyMauler

I was gonna buy OOTP 15. I have had nothing but trouble with STEAM in the past. Will it be able to be played without STEAM.

Yes. Just purchase the game directly from OOTP.

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by Stinson

I've seen plenty of this, too. It's funny how badly the tin foil hats have it out for Steam.



And for those who can't trust Valve's word... just think of the mutiny they would have on their hands of they shut down, and then tried telling everyone that their 200+ games have simply gone poof. They'd never get away with it, even if they were crazy enough to try.

I'm not a steam hater but I don't see them following through with that if they do go out of business, because there is no incentive to if they do. Steam is my perfered method to get my games through because they are the last digital distro site that I would think to go out of business. Seems alot of those sites say that they would "release" the games if they go out of business. I want to see if this is followed through.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

I'm not a steam hater but I don't see them following through with that if they do go out of business, because there is no incentive to if they do. Steam is my perfered method to get my games through because they are the last digital distro site that I would think to go out of business. Seems alot of those sites say that they would "release" the games if they go out of business. I want to see if this is followed through.

Another silly tin hat argument. What they will do in the even that Hell freezes over is to set all the games we have to run in offline mode automatically. They have committed to do so.

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Another silly tin hat argument. What they will do in the even that Hell freezes over is to set all the games we have to run in offline mode automatically. They have committed to do so.

They haven't commited to anything. There really isn't an incentive for a defunct company to do anything. If I want to re-download my game then they will give us access? I'm not saying one way or the other but excuse me if I don't take a company which is concerned about its profit word on anything.
I would also say steam does need to improve its customer service, and stop making it so difficult to get refunds on products that don't work.
I wasn't aware that the steam PR was in this thread either.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

They haven't commited to anything. There really isn't an incentive for a defunct company to do anything. If I want to re-download my game then they will give us access? I'm not saying one way or the other but excuse me if I don't take a company which is concerned about its profit word on anything.
I would also say steam does need to improve its customer service, and stop making it so difficult to get refunds on products that don't work.
I wasn't aware that the steam PR was in this thread either.

They have done so in writing. They have 65 million users. How's your tinfoil hat doing today?

[knightdreamer2k]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

They have done so in writing. They have 65 million users. How's your tinfoil hat doing today?

Yup there it goes, its in writing so that must make it true! Your maturity level is not at where it needs to be for an adult so I will bow out before I sink to your level and embarrass myself.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

Yup there it goes, its in writing so that must make it true! Your maturity level is not at where it needs to be for an adult so I will bow out before I sink to your level and embarrass myself.

You already did that with your tinfoil hat nonsense.

Even if they don't do anything, you can still run all of your installed games in offline mode yourself. Did you think of that?

And as to Steam having bad customer service, how do you think that they got 70% of the lucrative and competitive digital games market? How could they possibly have 65 million customers if they have bad customer service given that they compete in a open and highly competitive business environment? It's not like they're a utility.

I apologize to everyone for the tinfoil hat brigade.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Stinson

I've seen plenty of this, too. It's funny how badly the tin foil hats have it out for Steam.

It's more tragic than funny.

[canadian content]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

You already did that with your tinfoil hat nonsense.

If people here haven't quite figured it out yet, the steam partnership has everything to do with eventual head to head play.

[Tyler87898]

I love steam, but the only reason I'm not getting OOTP on Steam (at least not right now) is because I don't want others seeing how many hours I've spent on OOTP!

[silvam14]

Originally Posted by Tyler87898

I love steam, but the only reason I'm not getting OOTP on Steam (at least not right now) is because I don't want others seeing how many hours I've spent on OOTP!

Geez, I don't want see how many hours I've spent. The heck with everyone else!

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Tyler87898

I love steam, but the only reason I'm not getting OOTP on Steam (at least not right now) is because I don't want others seeing how many hours I've spent on OOTP!

Yeah, it can get depressing to see how many hours you've spent gaming sometimes.

[Stinson]

Originally Posted by knightdreamer2k

I'm not a steam hater but I don't see them following through with that if they do go out of business, because there is no incentive to if they do. Steam is my perfered method to get my games through because they are the last digital distro site that I would think to go out of business. Seems alot of those sites say that they would "release" the games if they go out of business. I want to see if this is followed through.

You may need to go back and re-read what I said.

Steam has tens of millions of users, many of which are loyal customers with very large, and very valuable, libraries.

The incentive for Valve to cooperate and release their games in the event of a shutdown?... Not being sued by millions of their former users who have lost thousands of dollars worth of video games. This is only made uglier for Valve if their promise to release their games is actually included in the subscriber agreement or terms of service.

And even if Steam somehow succeeds in not unlocking stuff, don't be surprised if most publishers and developers take it upon themselves to free their games from Steam, as many have done after 'Games for Windows Live' shut down.