The Steam Deal Thread V7 - The soda wars have ended, but the deals rage on.

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Welcome to the Steam Deal Thread V7! You can find link to past threads at the bottom of this post. Read post #2 of this thread for Steam FAQs and more.

Since the V6 thread, we've decided to leave regular minor sales out of the OP. This post will keep track of major sales (Summer sale, etc.), Steam deals available through other sellers (like Amazon), Preorder deals, and Group Buys.

I would still greatly appreciate help from you folks at home in keeping this smaller-scale OP up-to-date. This is a Wiki post so anyone can contribute. Wiki instructions:
Thanks for your help! If you notice a sale has ended, feel free to delete its line from the sale list. Of course, if you see something does need to be added, then kindly add it to the list.

Make sure your changes match the thread's format! For example, every game that's on sale is part of an unordered list. When adding a game to the list, copy an existing line and update the link, title, and prices. That way, the format stays correct. Do not list percentages off! We list the original price and the sale price here. If you have any suggestions for major changes to the post/thread, PM me (EastX) about them.

Steam Sales - Updated 5/20


CAG Threads Featuring Steam Games on Sale Elsewhere - Updated 1/9


Preorder Deals - Updated 1/10
Group Buy Deals - Updated 1/9/13
Several multiplayer Steam games are available in 2-packs or 4-packs. These packs offer a discount over buying multiple copies of a game separately. We also maintain group buy trade threads for several games, so please use those threads if you're interested in setting up a group buy.


Free Stuff - List needs updating with F2P games!
There are several free games and mods on Steam. These are a few choice ones; you can find a full list here. Note that free games are not permanently attached to your Steam account like actual purchases would be. You'll need to manually download a game again from the website if you uninstall it.


Steam around CAG

If you are interested in joining the Steam CAG Community or participating in a trade or group buy with fellow Cheap Ass Gamers, please do so in the dedicated threads and not in the deal discussion thread. In the dedicated threads you will find CAGers with the same specialized interest who will be much quicker (and happier) to respond than in the Deals thread.

Past Special Sales

Visit www.steamgamesales.com to check previous sale prices on Steam games. We do keep track of some older sales here though:

Steam Retail Key List

What is a CD key and where can I find it?

Steam's explanation and list of Steam-activatable keys

The CD Key is a serial number with a combination of 13, 18, or 25 letters and numbers - it can be found on a sticker inside your game's case or printed on the game's quick reference card. The CD Key acts as your proof of purchase for the game - Steam Support may ask for it if you need to establish your ownership of an account. It is recommended that you keep your CD Key in a safe place to ensure the security of your account.

Other Keys that can be redeemed on Steam (CAG tested & verified)
11.gif

  • The Ball (bought @D2D, tested by voken)
  • Supreme Commander Forged Alliance (gives both FA and original, bought @amazon, tested by vism)

Indie Bundles thread on Steam forums (link)

Past CAG Steam Deal Threads
 
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[quote name='Idiotekque']It's kind of a silly system. You get all the cards you can get in a day by doing absolutely nothing, then that's it. It's a nice concept, but it's a beta. It's going to change. I fully expect more participating games to come, and more card drops for the current games. I also expect that they'll remove the ability to idle games for drops, and tie drops to actual gameplay (at rare intervals at low chance), achievements (change to get a card upon each achievement, higher chance), or game progress (again, chance, but lower odds than achievements which cannot be repeated). So despite more cards being around, they'll take effort to get, and will be rarer to get. As of now you could possibly idle your game for an hour and get four cards. That's pretty much the definition of an unbalanced system in beta.[/QUOTE]

I think those are good suggestions, especially the achievement-based ones. This way people actually play the games rather than just idle them.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']I think those are good suggestions, especially the achievement-based ones. This way people actually play the games rather than just idle them.[/QUOTE]
Yeah... with the current system, it's like people just get a handful for free with zero effort, sell them or finish their sets, and are done. I can see the craze going on now, but with how limited and how easy they made things, I feel like the rush is going to slow down very quickly, and even if they introduce lots more games (each with 3-5 card drops), that's not going to keep the drive going very well. The continuous card drops from the F2P titles seems very expensive, and even considering those on Steam who do regularly spend that kind of money on the games, I honestly don't think that's going to keep things rolling.

Maybe if they reduced the $ amount for F2P card drops AND introduced a lot more F2Ps (non-Valve titles), I could possibly see the system staying the same. Otherwise, there has to be a shift in card drop procedure. I don't think I'm the only one who finds it stagnant and boring (besides being a quick, one-time cash grab).


EDIT: I could see Steam creating card packs for sale too. They'd have random cards that you couldn't get by playing/idling games, set uncommon/rare cards per pack, chance of extra rare cards, etc. Might flood the market, but seeing as they'd probably be $5 a pack and come with 5 or so cards, you'd still see commons going for $0.50 to $1 each, uncommons/rares for a bit more, etc. It's just a matter of time, imo...
 
[quote name='Idiotekque']Ah... you get TF2 items from idling if you have premium? Indefinitely, or is there a limit? How cheap is it to get premium (besides the Orange Box that has sales now and then)?

Sorry for all the questions, but the marketplace is interesting and I've never paid attention to it before. :p[/QUOTE]
The cheapest way to go premium is to buy anything from the TF2 Mann Co store. The cheapest thing you can buy there costs 49 cents.

The problem with this is that you can't buy anything from the store without having a balance in your Steam wallet. The minimum amount you can add to it is $5. You can use the $4.51 on games and gift them to other folks (or your main account) but you'll always have a few cents left over.

You can get anywhere from 4-10 items per account, per week. I have one main and three idle accounts and get about 5 ref in raw weapons / items every two weeks, plus the random hat / paint / duel / action thingy and boatloads and boatloads of crates.
 
Anyone who joined the trading cards group should now be invited. It sounds like they'll continue adding people daily. The batch of invites that just went out was 110k, so watching prices should be pretty fun tonight and tomorrow.
 
[quote name='louiedog']Anyone who joined the trading cards group should now be invited. It sounds like they'll continue adding people daily. The batch of invites that just went out was 110k, so watching prices should be pretty fun tonight and tomorrow.[/QUOTE]

Looks like it's driven the prices up around 10c a card.
 
For truth, you don't even need to have the game downloaded. Just start it up in something like Steam Achievement Manager, which merely sends the appcode to a Steam server, and you'll still get the cards. =\ It's very much in beta right now, and you can tell there's a lot of work to be done.
 
[quote name='Detruire']Looks like it's driven the prices up around 10c a card.[/QUOTE]

In less than an hour and it seems they've been trending upward before the invites went out. I'm interested to see what happens when all of those new accounts have accrued more than one or two cards.
 
Not sure how you're supposed to complete a set of 8 cards if you can only earn 4 in-game. Wouldn't you have to trade one of your 4 to get one of the remaining 4, putting you back where you started? Aside from paying money for them which can't be the only way to do it. Am I missing something?
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']Not sure how you're supposed to complete a set of 8 cards if you can only earn 4 in-game. Wouldn't you have to trade one of your 4 to get one of the remaining 4, putting you back where you started? Aside from paying money for them which can't be the only way to do it. Am I missing something?[/QUOTE]


Yep, that's the key, you pay $$$ and Gaben gets burger money.
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']Wouldn't you have to trade one of your 4 to get one of the remaining 4, putting you back where you started? Aside from paying money for them[/QUOTE]

That's about it actually. You can probably see now why Valve started the cards in the first place.
 
[quote name='asheskitty']Yep, that's the key, you pay $$$ and Gaben gets burger money.[/QUOTE]
In the trading card FAQ it says you complete the other 4 via your collecting skills. It should have said via your wallet I guess. Dumb. If you could collect em all without paying then I'd be motivated to try it. As it is now, I got my 4 and I guess I'll leave it at that.

Looks like they're (Portal 2 cards) all going for around 78 cents. Too little for me to sell mine, but too much for me to pay to complete.
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']Not sure how you're supposed to complete a set of 8 cards if you can only earn 4 in-game. Wouldn't you have to trade one of your 4 to get one of the remaining 4, putting you back where you started? Aside from paying money for them which can't be the only way to do it. Am I missing something?[/QUOTE]

But you can trade Portal 2 cards for HL2 cards, for example.

They're TRADING cards. You're supposed to trade for your favorites and complete sets of your favorites, by sacrificing the ones you don't care as much about.

What's the point if you can have them all?

It would be really amazing if this whole thing fed into an actual game and cards came out with new games that were properly balanced and integrated into the TCG, but even as it is now, I don't know why people would expect to be able to get all of them on your own. That's not the way trading cards work, unless you spend a ton of money. So in that respect these Steam cards are accurate.
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']
In the trading card FAQ it says you complete the other 4 via your collecting skills. It should have said via your wallet I guess. Dumb. If you could collect em all without paying then I'd be motivated to try it. As it is now, I got my 4 and I guess I'll leave it at that.
Looks like they're (Portal 2 cards) all going for around 78 cents. Too little for me to sell mine, but too much for me to pay to complete.[/QUOTE]


I feel the same way =)
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']But you can trade Portal 2 cards for HL2 cards, for example.

They're TRADING cards. You're supposed to trade for your favorites and complete sets of your favorites, by sacrificing the ones you don't care as much about.

What's the point if you can have them all?

It would be really amazing if this whole thing fed into an actual game and cards came out with new games that were properly balanced and integrated into the TCG, but even as it is now, I don't know why people would expect to be able to get all of them on your own. That's not the way trading cards work, unless you spend a ton of money. So in that respect these Steam cards are accurate.[/QUOTE]
Well my problem is I only have one game. I can only earn those 4 cards so I'm stuck paying.
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']
But you can trade Portal 2 cards for HL2 cards, for example.

They're TRADING cards. You're supposed to trade for your favorites and complete sets of your favorites, by sacrificing the ones you don't care as much about.

What's the point if you can have them all?
It would be really amazing if this whole thing fed into an actual game and cards came out with new games that were properly balanced and integrated into the TCG, but even as it is now, I don't know why people would expect to be able to get all of them on your own. That's not the way trading cards work, unless you spend a ton of money. So in that respect these Steam cards are accurate.
[/QUOTE]


Imo, if you going to bother with them, play to win! Gotta collect them all!
 
[quote name='Solid-Snake-Eyes']Well my problem is I only have one game. I can only earn those 4 cards so I'm stuck paying.[/QUOTE]

In theory there will be more games added, the value of the cards will drastically lower, and we'll be in a perfect world where people actually trade cards because they want to complete the set and have the badge for the game that they really like.

I don't know that will ever actually happen... but I think that's the idea.

[quote name='asheskitty']Imo, if you going to bother with them, play to win! Gotta collect them all![/QUOTE]

Then cough up the cash.
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']In theory there will be more games added, the value of the cards will drastically lower, and we'll be in a perfect world where people actually trade cards because they want to complete the set and have the badge for the game that they really like.

I don't know that will ever actually happen... but I think that's the idea.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I suppose so.
 
[quote name='Eldredpe']In theory there will be more games added, the value of the cards will drastically lower, and we'll be in a perfect world where people actually trade cards because they want to complete the set and have the badge for the game that they really like.

I don't know that will ever actually happen... but I think that's the idea.[/QUOTE]


While I agree with your sentiment, I don't think that's Valve's idea (otherwise they wouldn't have made them sellable through steam market). And honestly if only costs a couple bucks to complete a set that's a hellava lot easier than trying to trade the ones you don't want for the ones you have, with someone in the opposite situation.
 
[quote name='MrNinjaSquirrel']Am I the only one that now has the Pokemon theme in their head?

Gotta catch em' all![/QUOTE]


Uh, oh... now everyone's going to change to Pokemon avatars...
 
[quote name='asheskitty']While I agree with your sentiment, I don't think that's Valve's idea (otherwise they wouldn't have made them sellable through steam market). And honestly if only costs a couple bucks to complete a set that's a hellava lot easier than trying to trade the ones you don't want for the ones you have, with someone in the opposite situation.[/QUOTE]
Here's what's bothering me the most.

You only get five cards, right? Well, every game can have up to five badge levels.

So for example, in TF2, you get 5 cards free. Does that mean that you have to pay money, or trade, to get the other 40?

That's... awfully kind of evil.
 
[quote name='Kitsune Sniper']So for example, in TF2, you get 5 cards free. Does that mean that you have to pay money, or trade, to get the other 40?[/QUOTE]
Yes.
 
I think most people are missing the true* reason Valve implemented the trading cards. While I'm sure they enjoy the $0.04-$0.05 commission they make on each card sale, their real money is in selling the games themselves. For example, Solid-Snake-Eyes now has 4 Portal trading cards and nothing to trade. Sure they could buy the rest of the cards in the set, which would net Valve about $0.20. But then someone tells Solid-Snake-Eyes that s/he can spend $0.49 on a random cheap TF2 item and it will allow them to get 5 more cards, which can then be traded for the Portal 2 cards they're missing. So Valve gets $0.49 instead of $0.20.

So now that Solid-Snake-Eyes has completed the set of Portal 2 cards, he has 1 left over, since TF2 does 5 drops, and s/he decides s/he wants to complete that set now (maybe he got a cool profile background or 50% off Skyrim coupon when crafting the Portal 2 cards).

So they see that Half-Life 2 drops cards, and buys it (on sale because s/he's a CAG) for $2.49 which is cheaper than buying 4 cards in the marketplace.

Valve is doing this to help sell games, plain and simple. The commissions they make on their marketplace is just the icing on the cake.

Keep in mind - this is the CAG mentality of buying games. A normal customer may spend $3-$4 on a TF2 item, and $10 on Half Life 2.
 
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[quote name='Eldredpe']

What's the point if you can have them all?
[/QUOTE]
Consider the audience to your question. :lol:
 
I have not looked too much into the trading cards but have of course sold quite a few.

So do we only get a max of five cards each game just by idling? Like, indefinitely, not like that count resets daily?
 
[quote name='BrolyB593']So do we only get a max of five cards each game just by idling? Like, indefinitely, not like that count resets daily?[/QUOTE]
Indefinitely.
 
[quote name='jshackles']I think most people are missing the true* reason Valve implemented the trading cards. While I'm sure they enjoy the $0.04-$0.05 commission they make on each card sale, their real money is in selling the games themselves. For example, Solid-Snake-Eyes now has 4 Portal trading cards and nothing to trade. Sure they could buy the rest of the cards in the set, which would net Valve about $0.20. But then someone tells Solid-Snake-Eyes that s/he can spend $0.49 on a random cheap TF2 item and it will allow them to get 5 more cards, which can then be traded for the Portal 2 cards they're missing. So Valve gets $0.49 instead of $0.20.

So now that Solid-Snake-Eyes has completed the set of Portal 2 cards, he has 1 left over, since TF2 does 5 drops, and s/he decides s/he wants to complete that set now (maybe he got a cool profile background or 50% off Skyrim coupon when crafting the Portal 2 cards).

So they see that Half-Life 2 drops cards, and buys it (on sale because s/he's a CAG) for $2.49 which is cheaper than buying 4 cards in the marketplace.

Valve is doing this to help sell games, plain and simple. The commissions they make on their marketplace is just the icing on the cake.

Keep in mind - this is the CAG mentality of buying games. A normal customer may spend $3-$4 on a TF2 item, and $10 on Half Life 2.[/QUOTE]

No, I don't agree with this at all. If selling games were the main purpose of the trading cards they would have implemented them much differently.

Valve knows it has to generate revenue in other ways outside of game sales. Sites selling keys dig into their business. Indie Bundles dig into their business. When you have indie games ordering thousands of keys and selling them via indie bundles, Steam is reduced to a DL client and not a revenue stream and actually starts losing money on hosting those games.

The main reason for the trading cards is to promote their marketplace, get people to use it, and create additional revenue through it. Why else would they give everybody three invites AND make those available for sale? Up to this point very little has been eligible for the marketplace.

If they really wanted to sell games, they would have made the invites and cards tradeable only and they would have integrated them into new games, not games everyone has.

The reason games are limited to certain cards is to maintain scarcity/demand for purchasing the cards through the marketplace, not to sell more cards. As it stands right now it's impossible to complete all sets with just purchasing/playing games and it's cheaper to buy the cards you are missing than pay full price for games.
 
[quote name='louiedog']Free Steam codes for Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 here.[/QUOTE]

sweet, glad I passed on the sale! I haven't played the others though, will I miss anything important?
 
[quote name='MrNinjaSquirrel']sweet, glad I passed on the sale! I haven't played the others though, will I miss anything important?[/QUOTE]

I haven't played any of them yet but my understanding is that because there was such a gap between the 1/2 and 3 games in the series (and the third was made by a different firm) that the third one was designed in such a way that you should be able to jump in without having played the first two.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']The main reason for the trading cards is to promote their marketplace, get people to use it, and create additional revenue through it. Why else would they give everybody three invites AND make those available for sale? Up to this point very little has been eligible for the marketplace.

If they really wanted to sell games, they would have made the invites and cards tradeable only and they would have integrated them into new games, not games everyone has.[/QUOTE]

hit the nail right on the head totally agree with this, only letting us buy/sell trading cards in exchange for steam wallet funds was a smart move and it will them earn tons of profits since you have to spend that money you made from selling the cards back into steam, its a win-win
 
I took the boards advice and bought a TF2 item for 49 cents which upgraded me to premium. Then idled for a few hours and got a couple of cards. Sold those on the market for 50 cents each. Hoping to find something rare.
 
[quote name='melted77']I took the boards advice and bought a TF2 item for 49 cents which upgraded me to premium. Then idled for a few hours and got a couple of cards. Sold those on the market for 50 cents each. Hoping to find something rare.[/QUOTE]

I thought you had to spend $9 to get a card:whistle2:?
 
Today's deal is March of the Eagles at 50% off ($9.99 or $29.99 4-pack)

“he Who Fears Being Conquered Is Sure Of Defeat.” The war-game March of the Eagles focuses on the dramatic conflicts of Europe during 1805 to 1820. Explore one of the defining periods in European history with this experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy, Paradox Development Studio.
Genre: Strategy

New Weeklong deals here. I don't have time to type them up and nothing is really standing out to me.
 
[quote name='Tsel']Then how did he get 2 cards by spending 49 cents?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Detruire']$9 per extra drop slot.[/QUOTE]

You have to be considered "premium" on TF2 or DOTA2 to get any drops from the respective game. Buying an item from the in-game store (not the market) turns the F2P copy into premium.
 
When you're premium you get 5 free card drops. I've sold 4 so far since I don't think I'm going to be doing this whole collecting thing.

edit
To clarify it. You need cash in your steam wallet to buy an item from the Mann Co Store. Buy the cheapest thing ($0.49) and you get upgraded in TF2 to premium which opens 5 card drops. Hope this helps.
 
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