The Steam discussion topic! Joy and happiness, right here, folks.

[quote name='Cleaner7']
Has anyone tried that game Fortix? Here's a link to its Steam page. It looked interesting and is currently 20% off for $3.99 (normally $4.99). It looks interesting but there's no demo or review score.[/QUOTE]

Well, I did post my opinion and a screenshot two posts above your question. Doesn't EastX count?

Keep in mind it doesn't have a ton of levels, but they encourage you to play on all four difficulty levels. You get one Achievement for beating the game and another for beating it on the hardest difficulty, so you only need to play through it twice really.

One thing the game really needs is a retry option from the pause menu. It's annoying when you're trying to get a perfect (by not dying) on a level and you have to exit to the main menu and restart if you screw up.
 
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Booster Trooper (which is rather awesome, from what I've played of the beta) was supposed to launch today, but it seems like someone forgot to pull the switch. I'm really looking forward to it.
 
I hear such great things of Deus Ex but any time I try to play it the graphics just kill me. Call me vein but the early days of 3D are atrocious.

EDIT: On second thought, looking at the screens it doesn't look so bad. Maybe I'm thinking of a different game.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']I hear such great things of Deus Ex but any time I try to play it the graphics just kill me. Call me vein but the early days of 3D are atrocious.

EDIT: On second thought, looking at the screens it doesn't look so bad. Maybe I'm thinking of a different game.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't a classic game like this have tons of mods though? I would think there would be a lot of texture mods or something.
 
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Thanks for the links but your modDb link doesn't work for me. Something about disallowing characters?

EDIT: Also, the Steam UI is slated for full release on Monday (4/26). Link

After two months in beta and over twenty updates, the Steam Client UI Update is slated to release to all Steam users this coming Monday, April 26th.

We'd like to extend our thanks to all of you who've taken part in improving Steam by participating in the 2010 Steam UI Update beta. You've put the beta through its paces and provided great ideas and feedback.

The beta has been a huge success. The number of you who participated exceeded all our expectations, and so far you've created 25 thousand posts to the beta user forums. As a result of your participation, the Steam team has had the feedback required to make the new Steam client more reliable and useful than ever.

For those of you who've yet to join the beta, it's not too late! By participating now, you'll be updating your system to include our most recent developments. You'll also minimize the amount of content required to download later, once the released version becomes available. And last but not least, you'll be experiencing the future of Steam now, including dozens of new features, bug fixes and general improvements.

Regardless of whether you've chosen to opt into the beta, keep your eye out for the Steam client update on Monday, April 26th, when a brand new Steam is headed your way.

The only problems I ever really had were with the original library (which has already been tweaked to my liking) and with the HUGE wasted space in chat windows (which has also already been fixed). Everything else is a major improvement over the old UI.
 
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[quote name='KhaosX']Anyone else planning to play the L4D2 passing and new DLC stuff this week?

Btw what happened to the L4D thread?[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty excited for the new DLC coming out. The new game mode hopefully is going to be a lot of fun.

Due to the PC subforum being way less active than others, it's typical for a lot of threads to die. You could just create a new L4D thread if you want. Probably not worth digging up and reviving the old one.
 
To continue my series on "unannounced future Steam releases," I can now confirm that the original Mafia game, the Stronghold series, and Batman: Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year Edition are all on the way. I'd also like to add that the eventual Final Fantasy VIII release will include the standalone Chocobo World minigame, ported over from the Pocketstation, in case anyone was wondering.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers should be out pretty soon, with a shit-ton of DLC available at launch (at least I think; there could be over a dozen pieces of DLC, or they may be sold bundled somehow).

Perhaps the most interesting new thing is something called "Sega Classics." It would appear as though this will be something of an "a la carte" selection of some of Sega's old Genesis classics (no idea if other Sega consoles will ever be added). If I understand correctly, there will be a central "Sega Classics" hub application (which itself might be free, I'm not sure), and you then buy individual games as though they were add-on DLC for this application. The initial line-up should include Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Crack Down, Ecco the Dolphin, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Shinobi 3, Sonic 3D Blast, Space Harrier 2, and Vectorman.

[quote name='DukeEdwardI']Thanks for the links but your modDb link doesn't work for me. Something about disallowing characters?[/QUOTE]
Fixed.
 
Thanks for the info, CoffeeEdge! Some exciting titles there.

I'd be down for that Sega Classics release if it has Steam Achievements and maybe Steam Cloud support. Otherwise I'll just stick to XBLA for old Sega games.

What's the difference between Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition and the original?
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Perhaps the most interesting new thing is something called "Sega Classics." It would appear as though this will be something of an "a la carte" selection of some of Sega's old Genesis classics (no idea if other Sega consoles will ever be added). If I understand correctly, there will be a central "Sega Classics" hub application (which itself might be free, I'm not sure), and you then buy individual games as though they were add-on DLC for this application. The initial line-up should include Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Crack Down, Ecco the Dolphin, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Shinobi 3, Sonic 3D Blast, Space Harrier 2, and Vectorman.[/QUOTE]

Interesting? No way. Paid-for emulators are garbage 99% of the time. When was the last time a good, well-emulated Genesis emulated game came out? I don't think there has ever been a single one. You're much better off just downloading a ROM and using a standard free PC emulator because it's so much better. Buy the actual cartridge if you're concerned about theft. That's what I do. I play my old games all the time, but I never touch the cartridges anymore.
 
[quote name='eastx']What's the difference between Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition and the original?[/QUOTE]

3D, extra content (challenge maps or something), maybe price. The retail version is supposed to come with the 3D glasses so how is the Steam version going to include that?
 
[quote name='eastx']I'd be down for that Sega Classics release if it has Steam Achievements and maybe Steam Cloud support. Otherwise I'll just stick to XBLA for old Sega games.[/QUOTE]

Hmm...no info on that presently. Knowing Sega, they'll probably half-ass it, but, we shall see.

[quote name='Chuplayer']Interesting? No way. Paid-for emulators are garbage 99% of the time. When was the last time a good, well-emulated Genesis emulated game came out? I don't think there has ever been a single one. You're much better off just downloading a ROM and using a standard free PC emulator because it's so much better. Buy the actual cartridge if you're concerned about theft. That's what I do. I play my old games all the time, but I never touch the cartridges anymore.[/QUOTE]
Heh, well, yes, perhaps "most interesting" was a bit of a stretch, and indeed, these sorts of releases are never as flexible as freeware emulators. I guess it just appealed to me a bit, as I would like to see a few certain old arcade and console games on Steam in some form, with the right additions, and I was thinking this could perhaps be a start for that sort of thing (though, yeah, realistically, I imagine any more such releases would be half-assed emu packs). If there was some sort of Steamworks-enabled online multiplayer Gauntlet (II or Legends, plz), god, I'd probably never stop playing.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Perhaps the most interesting new thing is something called "Sega Classics." It would appear as though this will be something of an "a la carte" selection of some of Sega's old Genesis classics (no idea if other Sega consoles will ever be added). If I understand correctly, there will be a central "Sega Classics" hub application (which itself might be free, I'm not sure), and you then buy individual games as though they were add-on DLC for this application. The initial line-up should include Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Crack Down, Ecco the Dolphin, Gain Ground, Golden Axe, Shinobi 3, Sonic 3D Blast, Space Harrier 2, and Vectorman.[/QUOTE]

I know it's unlikely but I'd kill a man for some of the Dreamcast games getting PC ports.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']I know it's unlikely but I'd kill a man for some of the Dreamcast games getting PC ports.[/QUOTE]

While not PC ports there have been rumors for some time now of DC ports to PS3.
 
Vaguely related: I really, REALLY hate Sega for not putting Afterburner Climax on PC. The first in-house Sega game I've really cared about since, god, OutRun 2006 (Madworld was awesome, but they only published it), and of course, no PC release. But hey, PC gets Sonic Kartz and Virtual Tennis 2009! Hoo-fuckin-ray.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Heh, well, yes, perhaps "most interesting" was a bit of a stretch, and indeed, these sorts of releases are never as flexible as freeware emulators. I guess it just appealed to me a bit, as I would like to see a few certain old arcade and console games on Steam in some form, with the right additions, and I was thinking this could perhaps be a start for that sort of thing (though, yeah, realistically, I imagine any more such releases would be half-assed emu packs). If there was some sort of Steamworks-enabled online multiplayer Gauntlet (II or Legends, plz), god, I'd probably never stop playing.[/QUOTE]

I don't mean flexible. I mean God-awful. Have you heard the audio in the XBLA version of Streets of Rage 2? It's horrible! It's squeaky and crap.
 
Isnt batman goty already out? http://store.steampowered.com/app/901433/ says goty...
out since march

not sure if i should pick up deus ex... cant say im that interested in them, are they really good or is it just pure nostalgia for everyone and someone like me who hasnt played them before will think that they kinda suck..?

winterbottom finally got released so played a it for a while, really recommend it and its freakin cheap too.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']To continue my series on "unannounced future Steam releases," I can now confirm that the original Mafia game, the Stronghold series, and Batman: Arkham Asylum - Game of the Year Edition are all on the way. I'd also like to add that the eventual Final Fantasy VIII release will include the standalone Chocobo World minigame, ported over from the Pocketstation, in case anyone was wondering.
[/QUOTE]

Is there any price on Mafia? Wondering if Steam is going to go cheaper than the $14.99 GamersGate currently wants for it.
 
[quote name='aznguyen316']can anyone recommend me Beat Hazard?? just watched a couple vids on youtube, looks fun but worth the sale price of $7.50?[/QUOTE]

I played the xbla indie demo, its hard to say, i dont think so, but it seems like people like it.
 
[quote name='aznguyen316']can anyone recommend me Beat Hazard?? just watched a couple vids on youtube, looks fun but worth the sale price of $7.50?[/QUOTE]

Do you like Geometry Wars? Well, Beat Hazard is better in many ways (though not every way).

Like AudioSurf, Beat Hazard uses your MP3s to create levels. But unlike AudioSurf, the gameplay's pretty strong. You fly around blasting asteroids, enemies, and big bosses (sometimes two at once) while collecting powerups and increasing your score multiplier. Your multiplier even increases when you're not shooting, sort of like Geometry Wars' Pacifism.

There's a real sense of progression as every time you play your overall score increases, which helps you achieve new ranks. Each new rank has a bonus of some sort, like starting out with a weapon powerup on-screen.

There's no multiplayer yet, but it has a lot of cool friends list features. You can compare Achievements with a friend in-game (a standard Xbox Live feature that Steam games usually lack). There's an in-game news ticker that flashes whatever your friends are accomplishing at the moment as news at the bottom of the screen.

In addition to Steam Achievements, it also supports Steam Cloud, so your save file goes everywhere you do. Plus it supports the Xbox 360 controller for precision control.

Did I mention it's beautiful too?
 
[quote name='eastx']Do you like Geometry Wars? Well, Beat Hazard is better in many ways (though not every way).

Like AudioSurf, Beat Hazard uses your MP3s to create levels. But unlike AudioSurf, the gameplay's pretty strong. You fly around blasting asteroids, enemies, and big bosses (sometimes two at once) while collecting powerups and increasing your score multiplier. Your multiplier even increases when you're not shooting, sort of like Geometry Wars' Pacifism.

There's a real sense of progression as every time you play your overall score increases, which helps you achieve new ranks. Each new rank has a bonus of some sort, like starting out with a weapon powerup on-screen.

There's no multiplayer yet, but it has a lot of cool friends list features. You can compare Achievements with a friend in-game (a standard Xbox Live feature that Steam games usually lack). There's an in-game news ticker that flashes whatever your friends are accomplishing at the moment as news at the bottom of the screen.

In addition to Steam Achievements, it also supports Steam Cloud, so your save file goes everywhere you do. Plus it supports the Xbox 360 controller for precision control.

Did I mention it's beautiful too?[/QUOTE]

Don't forget how quickly you can be like, holy shit, when the song that you think is strong throughout just happens to have a slower/softer part right when you are fighting the larger vessels.
 
wow 3 quick responses! I assume this is probably a $15 expense on XBLA so if I purchase, it will be on Steam.. plus I can play on my work laptop hahah thanks for the responses!

*edit* according to xbox.com this game is 400points = $5 right? i tihnk I'd still get more use out of it on steam though since I can't see myself putting 100% of my attention on this game.. windowed mode + multitasking ftw..
 
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[quote name='aznguyen316']wow 3 quick responses! I assume this is probably a $15 expense on XBLA so if I purchase, it will be on Steam.. plus I can play on my work laptop hahah thanks for the responses![/QUOTE]
I was skeptical of the music part because I felt like I got burned on Audiosurf, but this game = win.
 
[quote name='freddy_']not sure if i should pick up deus ex... cant say im that interested in them, are they really good or is it just pure nostalgia for everyone and someone like me who hasnt played them before will think that they kinda suck..?[/QUOTE]
*If* you like the genre and *if* you're ok with retro, you'll like it. I played it new and I played it a few years later and loved it again. I went in a different direction with the RPG elements the 2nd time and the gameplay was totally different.

I think it's very worthy at the $2.50 price. I passed last steam sale and wished I hadn't.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']Is there any price on Mafia? Wondering if Steam is going to go cheaper than the $14.99 GamersGate currently wants for it.[/QUOTE]
Not sure, sorry. Might end up as some sort of preorder bonus for Mafia II, for all I know.

[quote name='freddy_']Isnt batman goty already out? http://store.steampowered.com/app/901433/ says goty...[/QUOTE]
Dunno about Sweden, but it's not out here in the USA, at least.
 
Valve posted some changes to the drops in TF2, but since there is no TF2 forum anymore, I'll just post it here:

Link

Today we're shipping some significant changes to the item drop system.


  • Previously, we rolled randomly at intervals to see if you got an item drop. Now we roll to determine when your next item drop will occur. So you're guaranteed to find items at fairly regular intervals. The bulk of drop complaints we've received in the past have been from players having unlucky streaks, where they didn't find any items for weeks. That won't be possible now.
  • We've significantly increased the rate at which item drops occur, compared to the previous average interval.
  • There's now a maximum amount of playtime per week in which you get item drops. Playing beyond that amount won't find any more items. The amount varies, but if you play an hour or so a day you're good. Some of your unused time will rollover to the following week, so if you're an intermittent player you'll also be fine.
What are the net effects of these changes? Here's the quick summary:



  • If you're an idler, you're going to find fewer items than you were prior to this change. Sorry. On the bright side, there's less reason to idle, because it won't earn more than players who are playing regularly.
  • Everyone else will find items more frequently, and with greater regularity.
We're still thinking about how to allow you to influence your drops. When we see discussions on the forums, people often ask why we don't tie it to some in-game performance (like your scoreboard position, or number of kills, etc). Many players understand that if we did this, idle servers would simply change into servers running plugins that generate those in-game events frequently (as we saw in the Soldier & Demoman WAR!).

There's another side of it that we care about just as much, which is the message it would send to all the players who don't want to idle. Any in-game performance metric we chose would result in there being specific maps, classes, tactics, and so on that resulted in more drops. We really don't want that to happen. When it's simply playtime, you're free to play the game however you like. If you love Payload, you can play Payload maps without worrying about whether you're earning less drops than the guys playing Arena maps. Community mapmakers don't have to worry about whether their maps earn item drops fast enough. Similarly, server operators can configure their servers however they like, without worrying about reducing the rate at which their players are earning drops. In short, while it's far from perfect, not tying to in-game performance is a lot less poisonous to your minute-to-minute game experience.

I haven't been playing very much lately, but I knew that there were some problems with item drops (players getting a TON, players getting nothing, idlers, etc). So this sounds like a pretty good system.
 
Thanks for the inside info on forthcoming releases.

I am quite excited for the L4D2 DLC. Like, twitchy.

I am not a fan of the new UI. It's too sluggish on my admittedly older system.
 
[quote name='dfg']I am not a fan of the new UI. It's too sluggish on my admittedly older system.[/QUOTE]

It's an imperfect solution, but try the "Small Mode" (View -> Small Mode). It still does the main thing Steam needs to do (launch your Steam games, natch), and it uses practically zero system resources.
 
[quote name='speedracer']*If* you like the genre and *if* you're ok with retro, you'll like it. I played it new and I played it a few years later and loved it again. I went in a different direction with the RPG elements the 2nd time and the gameplay was totally different.

I think it's very worthy at the $2.50 price. I passed last steam sale and wished I hadn't.[/QUOTE]
Alright, think I got some thinking to do...

[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Dunno about Sweden, but it's not out here in the USA, at least.[/QUOTE]
Sweet, we got something before US for once ^^
 
How does purchasing through PayPal on Steam work? I've got the money on my account, but when trying to make the purchase, it still wants me to link a credit card to the account?
 
[quote name='halfbent']How does purchasing through PayPal on Steam work? I've got the money on my account, but when trying to make the purchase, it still wants me to link a credit card to the account?[/QUOTE]

I've used paypal a couple of times, from what I remember you select the paypal option and when you checkout a web page opens for paypal and you login then click accept for the payment. It process it real quick then Steam pops up saying thank you for your purchase with the button to for going to the "My Games" tab to install it.
 
can someone point me in the direction of a general noob faq/guide for tf2?
the guide linked in the steam forum doesnt exist, and im pretty lost on a lot of the game. rolls, hats, etc.
 
[quote name='KaOTiK']I've used paypal a couple of times, from what I remember you select the paypal option and when you checkout a web page opens for paypal and you login then click accept for the payment. It process it real quick then Steam pops up saying thank you for your purchase with the button to for going to the "My Games" tab to install it.[/QUOTE]

It says I have to link a credit card, or use BillMeLater; it's not actually letting me use my paypal balance to pay for it. That's where I was confused. =\
 
[quote name='paz9x']can someone point me in the direction of a general noob faq/guide for tf2?
the guide linked in the steam forum doesnt exist, and im pretty lost on a lot of the game. rolls, hats, etc.[/QUOTE]

Paz9x, check these out, they may be helpful:
http://tf2wiki.net/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.teamfortress.com/

As far as hats, they don't add anything other than flavor (just a new look). Weapon drops are being changed, and currently they are random anyways. Just head in, and try a few different classes. I found you can be most effective as a new player, going medic and just following others, until you get a hang for the maps. (make sure to hit "2" to equip the heal gun, and heal too). I recommend checking out 2fort and payloads as a way to gain experience, and avoid arenas (only due to the downtime of waiting for respawn, although arguably better players will make you better by losing to them, so ymmv).
 
So I'm looking at Drakensang: The Dark Eye (or is it The Dark Eye: Drakensang? whichever). I always wanted to love the originals (released in the US as Star Trail) but was too young.

Anyway, Amazon has it for less than $10. My sweet spot. :) I'd like to pick it up, but then I see it on Steam and think... gee, I'd rather have it on Steam. But it's, of course, $20 on Steam.

Which leads me to my least favorite thing about Steam; it doesn't try to compete with retail pricing. Maybe can't. And, of course, my age-old jabber about how I wish we'd get a discount on Steam games since the publisher doesn't have to pay for freight, the box, DVD pressing, manuals, shelf space...

So will I get it on DVD, or will I just hope Steam eventually lowers the price? Guess there's always the holiday 2010 sale.

I'm eying Mount and Blade : Warband as well and hoping for a weekly deal or something on it.
 
I'm sure it'll go on sale sometime, Jesse. Steam does have price drops too, but they're typically slower than retailers. I'm hoping for sales on Bionic Commando and Dark Void, myself.
 
[quote name='DukeEdwardI']Seems that L4D2 is on sale since The Passing DLC was just released. $20.09 for a single copy, $60.29 for a 4-pack (which comes out to $15.07 per copy). Here's the thread in the main deals section:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259295

Hoping this isn't the weekend deal though. I love L4D, but I kinda want something to go on sale I don't have and am slightly interested in. Lead & Gold please?[/QUOTE]

Lead and Gold was like $13 if you pre-ordered. I don't think it'll go down to $9.99 this soon. The game isn't really that great anyways. They've still yet to add dedicated servers, which they said would be implemented on the 5th of April. The player-base is also really small. I can jump on at 6PM and there will only be 30 people playing.
 
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