Jump to content

Steam discussion


Zind
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just out of curiosity, why do you hate Steam? I'm not talking about their commercial ethics, that is irrelevant.

The program itself uses very few ressources (26 Mb of RAM on my computer), you can disable every notification if they bother you, and if you minimize it / use the game shortcuts (in start menu / desktop), you won't even see the Steam window once.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Dandytard

^ Exactly, Plus it stores all your games in the library, So all you have to do when switching between pcs is put in a code sent to your email and you can use and download games off steam. Plus, I met loads of amazing people on the said program, Who gifted me every single game I own on it, including Don't Starve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those of us who travel Steam makes it difficult as it assumes an always-on connection. I know there is an offline mode but that never seemed to work properly for me.

Also if something happens to the Steam service, or they make changes to their service and you wont accept their new terms of service, then you lose all your games you have with them.

Stand alone games don't have any of these problems

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For those of us who travel Steam makes it difficult as it assumes an always-on connection.

Surely it makes it easier if you travel as you can just download the game onto any machine you have Steam installed on, the save is automatically synced via Steam cloud too. Offline mode works fine, whenever I travel I always have 3G data access, it's perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Offline Mode problems were solved about 5 years back. (Back then if it had detected an update, it wouldn't let you use it till you updated)

In the scheme of things, the odds of steam vanishing, compared to the stand alone client vanishing says that steam is the safer bet in the long term. Meny a game company come and go, but steam e.t.c should be a bit more resilient.

In the short term, stand alone clients can be more convinant.

But frankly, flat out hating on steam is generally irrational. Theres reasons to prefur having stand alones (though less then their used to be), but steam hate is generally just bandwaggoning. It gets annoying after a while.

(Disclaimer, I'm somewhat meh with steam. It works better then the alternitives for me but not perfectly by a long shot)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Offline Mode problems were solved about 5 years back. (Back then if it had detected an update, it wouldn't let you use it till you updated)

Offline Mode was never fixed, it's impossible to play a game offline unless you start the client online and it's already running.

I feel sorry for OP, under attack just because they don't like Steam or Chrome, they both are equal turds. You have to be online to play the Chrome and Steam version. Also, if you check carefully in the Terms of Service, there's a little place that says they can ban your online account, probably why you are forced to be online.

Edited by tart
pizza
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Offline Mode was never fixed, it's impossible to play a game offline unless you start the client online and it's already running.

I feel sorry for OP, under attack just because they don't like Steam or Chrome, they both are equal turds. You have to be online to play the Chrome and Steam version. Also, if you check carefully in the Terms of Service, there's a little place that says they can ban your online account, probably why you are forced to be online.

I was without internet for 2 weeks when i stopped paying the bill about a month ago. I had no problem playing a multitude of games offline. I restarted my computer and thus Steam several times. Again to repeat myself and others, offline mode works without issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to feel sorry for me, as with any popular product, a throng of thralls shall spring forth loyal to the cause regardless of the implications.

I won't make this a discussion about the merits of a software company being able to provide users with access to media for a fee as many services exist such as this. But I do have a problem with it's unnecessary monopoly on media purchases that for all intents and purposes does not require steam as it's sole avenue of sales management.

Mostly because

A. The games are cracked anyways.

B. CD-Keys work just fine for legal purchasers.

C. You don't make more money, you just get your product on more machines for whatever purposes you devise.

D. Why force my self through a third party loop who has nothing to do with the vendor in question?

E. It's spyware you say "Yes" to.

F. As a Subscriber you may obtain access to certain services, software and content available to Subscribers. The Steam client software and any other software, content, and updates you download or access via Steam, including but not limited to Valve or third-party video games and in-game content, and any virtual items you trade, sell or purchase in a Steam Subscription Marketplace are referred to in this Agreement as “Software”; the rights to access and/or use any services, Software and/or content accessible through Steam are referred to in this Agreement as "Subscriptions."

Instead of dealing with the vendor directly, you're dealing with steam who deals with the vendor. So any program that says I need them, and does not offer any functionality to the game itself, is unnecessary. Unless they themselves signed a licensing agreement that says they will only distribute it through certain third parties. Which I believe is unnecessary.

G. When a game sells extra-ordinarily well on Steam, it is still kept as a steam exclusive and not released stand alone at all. See Skyrim, a game that is well known to have a plethora of cracks available. And Bethesda having made a large profit margin off of this product. Yet still refuse to release it stand alone, simply because Steamworks is involved. Yet, Oblivion, released without Steam, is offered through steam anyway. Why not vice-versa? This monopoly makes no sense, but gamers of today are plenty happy giving power to these third party vendors that *require* their clients on your system operating to play these silly games.

It doesn't make sense, and it doesn't bode well for consumers like me. Who just want the game, not the baggage software.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it is foolish to realize any companies monopoly on something is a very bad thing.

(see title) and I still wholeheartedly agree with you there, Isen. You raise very valid points and it is a shame that customers don't have more rights by law (like the right to keep all their games even if Valve/Steam don't agree with it). Competition, I hope, will rise, grow stronger and force Steam to move towards a more customer friendly approach when it comes to "rights".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(see title) and I still wholeheartedly agree with you there, Isen. You raise very valid points and it is a shame that customers don't have more rights by law (like the right to keep all their games even if Valve/Steam don't agree with it). Competition, I hope, will rise, grow stronger and force Steam to move towards a more customer friendly approach when it comes to "rights".

Well if I were you, and if you and yours were Steam subscribers, I would demand them to change the access laws so that steam can be seen not as a subscriber to a service but as a merchant. Because as it stands now, not having access to the software as a stand alone product doesn't even make sense, if you're downloading it through Steam, it's been verified. If you've purchased it in a store, you need to be on line to enter your code. The need for your game products to be injected with steamware to even function just baffles me. If it is a game that requires steam to access online servers, that function within the game should simply not work. Steam should not be required to start games you've purchased from them legally. Because it has been verified. It doesn't make any sense to me, and I hope I've cleared up some misunderstandings here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As it is right now I think in Germany, where I live, it is very much so that the License Agreements you have with companies are not legally binding anyway because you never sign them. At least not as much as they are in the US. If steam decided to lock my account for whatever reason I think I would try to make an exemplary judicial case out of it. As it stands I don't have any trouble with it being a service. I know this is lazy and you've at least given me something to think about: Thinking about whether there should be some initiative brought forward through a petition or something to give users more right. It certainly is an interesting idea and to argue that Steam is a merchant might actually work (although I know very little about law).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
  • Create New...