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

I kinda wish I woulda got Zombie Driver. Scott Sharkey's review on 1up.com made me want it. Oh well, maybe next year. :)

[quote name='MSI Magus']Just glad it seems a few of you really like the idea.[/quote]

I'll definitely be here. :)

What baffles me about the AO thing, especially in the States, and about media in general here, is that violence of the most graphic and intense sort seems to be totally okay, but anytime there's sex or nudity, there's a HUGE fuss over it.
 
[quote name='Jesse_Dylan']
What baffles me about the AO thing, especially in the States, and about media in general here, is that violence of the most graphic and intense sort seems to be totally okay, but anytime there's sex or nudity, there's a HUGE fuss over it.[/QUOTE]

Didn't you know? BOOBIES ARE EVIL!!!
 
[quote name='thebusoftheundead']Didn't you know? BOOBIES ARE EVIL!!![/QUOTE]


Indeed they are... when I first saw your name I thought it was theBUSToftheundead... then I saw the bus and made the ATHF connection... video games have made my mind dirty... darn that Zombie Driver with all its innuendo...
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']If you want to try out Star Trek Online, check out your local Target stores. They have 99 cent pre-order packs that grant you beta access (and a five dollar coupon for the game). Probably the way of least-commitment to try it out (until they release a demo or something).[/QUOTE]

Really? I'll have to look into that. Too bad I don't have a target anywhere near me.
 
Glad to see a thread dedicated to steam! Ever since picking up my first weekend sale, Assassin's Creed, I've been buying them almost every time, and its always exciting to see the new ones, so I"ll spend at least once a day on steam watching out for the new deals, or even the exciting ones like $2.50 for TF2 during Halloween...you guys remember the first sale that got you hooked?

As far as the topic on AO games, anything that removes the heavy influence Walmart has on the creativity of the developers and direction of games is a great thing, not to mention I never resell my games, so if a major shift to online distribution (which it seems that is the future anyways) only seems to be a positive thing. I hated steam back when half-life 2 came out, but its changed a lot since those days...
 
I know it's a long shot... but anyone have a gift Copy of TF2 or The Orange Box Left over from the sale?

I will pay more then the sale price but I don't want to shell out $20 for JUST TF2 :(
 
[quote name='Kenrik']I know it's a long shot... but anyone have a gift Copy of TF2 or The Orange Box Left over from the sale?

I will pay more then the sale price but I don't want to shell out $20 for JUST TF2 :([/QUOTE]

do NOT shell out $20 for TF2.. it's been as cheap as $2.50, seen sales at $10 more than once before too. But to answer your question, no I do not, sorry! Did you just miss out on the holiday sales?

btw, ppl asking about having gift copies available, did people like buy some cheap games as gifts, send them to an email but never had them claimed? Is this a way to keep games for trading etc if you already own the game on your steam? If so..interesting.
 
[quote name='aznguyen316']do NOT shell out $20 for TF2.. it's been as cheap as $2.50, seen sales at $10 more than once before too. But to answer your question, no I do not, sorry! Did you just miss out on the holiday sales?

btw, ppl asking about having gift copies available, did people like buy some cheap games as gifts, send them to an email but never had them claimed? Is this a way to keep games for trading etc if you already own the game on your steam? If so..interesting.[/QUOTE]

No I kinda ignored the Orange Box because I have it for the PS3... But I found TF2 on the PS3 has massive frame rate issues and now is when I'm kicking myself for not getting it.
 
Just played a round of CS: Source thanks to a gift pass from CAG... pretty awesome... I suck. Got my butt kicked and shot on site a lot. Alot had to do with not having any mouse right now except my mouse bad...lol

Took me a while to figure out how to have something other than a pistol for my starting weapon.

People are crazy though.. one shot head shots...I need to find a casual CS group.. will keep this game on my radar if it goes on sale again.
 
Anyone interested in a list of Steam games that can use the regular nocd patches/exe's? It's kind of in the grey area of the Steam rules, but I've had to do this to get mods to work for games like Oblivion and Morrowind. I've got a fairly decent list of the ones that do work already.
 
I have a question about gifting, if you buy a game for yourself can you later gift it to someone else? Say I finish Torchlight or Trine and don't plan on playing them and want to give them to a friend, would that be possible?
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']I have a question about gifting, if you buy a game for yourself can you later gift it to someone else? Say I finish Torchlight or Trine and don't plan on playing them and want to give them to a friend, would that be possible?[/QUOTE]

No, only non-redeemed gifts can be transferred to someone else.

If at checkout you purchase for yourself, that's the end of that and the game will forever be linked to your account. So if you did want to give someone else the game, you'd have to also give them your account information and password.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']I have a question about gifting, if you buy a game for yourself can you later gift it to someone else? Say I finish Torchlight or Trine and don't plan on playing them and want to give them to a friend, would that be possible?[/QUOTE]

Can't do it.
 
[quote name='bsmith918']Can't do it.[/QUOTE]


Hmmm, you'd think they would be working on fixing that. I mean I understand the logic to an extent, you don't want to make it easier for one person to buy a game and then have multiple people play it off that one copy, but I think the bulk of their games are better online multiplayer so everyone would want their own copy. Those games that don't fall in that category should be easily gifted I think since most of their customers are likely already dedicated gamers who wouldn't be giving away games they liked and planned to play again.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Hmmm, you'd think they would be working on fixing that. I mean I understand the logic to an extent, you don't want to make it easier for one person to buy a game and then have multiple people play it off that one copy, but I think the bulk of their games are better online multiplayer so everyone would want their own copy. Those games that don't fall in that category should be easily gifted I think since most of their customers are likely already dedicated gamers who wouldn't be giving away games they liked and planned to play again.[/QUOTE]

It creates a 'used copy' market though, they would lose a TON of sales. Not to mention squatters who buy them during holiday sales and eBay them later.
 
[quote name='Hydro2Oxide']It creates a 'used copy' market though, they would lose a TON of sales. Not to mention squatters who buy them during holiday sales and eBay them later.[/QUOTE]


Well that already exists for physical games, I don't think they should be immune from the issues faced by physical distributors/retailers.

I mean I don't mind with a game I bought 75% off, but I don't think I will be paying anywhere near full price for anything on their site unless I know 100% it is something I want to keep forever. So in a way they still lose customers that way.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']Well that already exists for physical games, I don't think they should be immune from the issues faced by physical distributors/retailers.

I mean I don't mind with a game I bought 75% off, but I don't think I will be paying anywhere near full price for anything on their site unless I know 100% it is something I want to keep forever. So in a way they still lose customers that way.[/QUOTE]

You should drop the issue. The problem isn't with Steam, it's with the publishers. Impulse/Stardock, D2D, GFWL, Blizzard's developing DD service, other DD services should all be affected, so it's not specially a Steam issue and could be addressed in another redundant, pointless "Shouldn't we be allowed to trade/sell PC games" thread. Better yet, blog it.
 
[quote name='kilm']You should drop the issue. The problem isn't with Steam, it's with the publishers. Impulse/Stardock, D2D, GFWL, Blizzard's developing DD service, other DD services should all be affected, so it's not specially a Steam issue and could be addressed in another redundant, pointless "Shouldn't we be allowed to trade/sell PC games" thread. Better yet, blog it.[/QUOTE]


It's not all that serious, it's the same issue affecting MP3s and Digital Movie Downloads. I was just hoping that with their "Gifting" option and "4 Pack" option they might be a little more innovative or free with the trading issue. I mean this is a Steam thread and I think that option would make Steam a ton better is all.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']It's not all that serious, it's the same issue affecting MP3s and Digital Movie Downloads. I was just hoping that with their "Gifting" option and "4 Pack" option they might be a little more innovative or free with the trading issue. I mean this is a Steam thread and I think that option would make Steam a ton better is all.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, their gifting and 4 pack applies to new and unused games. Trading new games, maybe. "My unused L4D2 gift from a 4 pack for your unused Borderlands gift from a 4 pack." Make an interface rather than the current trust/on faith basis. Maybe. Big maybe.

Again, the used games thing is not a Steam issue, it affects all DD services and they can't do anything about it. Thus, drop it or blog it.
 
[quote name='kilm']You should drop the issue. The problem isn't with Steam, it's with the publishers. Impulse/Stardock, D2D, GFWL, Blizzard's developing DD service, other DD services should all be affected, so it's not specially a Steam issue and could be addressed in another redundant, pointless "Shouldn't we be allowed to trade/sell PC games" thread. Better yet, blog it.[/QUOTE]

In the end, it won't happen. At least not in the way 'those that wish' to gift would like.

The developers as a whole are learning from past mistakes and at the same time trying to thwart, as much as possible, pirated copies of their content.

The method that STEAM and others like it are using seems to be working and at the same time giving other developers confidence about the PC gaming market.
 
I mean, I definitely understand why it is not Steam's fault and why the current system is working so well. I'll even go as far as saying this tight control over your digital content is probably the reason Steam is able to do their super sales and independent games have been able to thrive on the Steam network.

So in that sense I think Steam is doing it the best way out of all digital download services out there.

I'm much more tolerant of the big brother type control over things I own when it translates to such deep savings on a pretty consistent basis.

I think that is the main reason I will never like iTunes.. not only do they try to control your content, but they also charge the most out of all music services out there.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']I mean, I definitely understand why it is not Steam's fault and why the current system is working so well. I'll even go as far as saying this tight control over your digital content is probably the reason Steam is able to do their super sales and independent games have been able to thrive on the Steam network.

So in that sense I think Steam is doing it the best way out of all digital download services out there.

I'm much more tolerant of the big brother type control over things I own when it translates to such deep savings on a pretty consistent basis.

I think that is the main reason I will never like iTunes.. not only do they try to control your content, but they also charge the most out of all music services out there.[/QUOTE]

iTunes is for ppl that want to spend more and get less, on purpose.

Now, let's resume to our STEAM programing ;)
 
Yes, I hope they put the Sherlock Holmes Awakening Game on sale again this year... looks to be my type of game. Coincidentally I did not realize the OP was updating the original post with news and questions of the day. Very cool.
 
[quote name='jp0213']Anyone interested in a list of Steam games that can use the regular nocd patches/exe's? It's kind of in the grey area of the Steam rules, but I've had to do this to get mods to work for games like Oblivion and Morrowind. I've got a fairly decent list of the ones that do work already.[/QUOTE]

KOTOR for one.

You need to crack it to get custom resolutions.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']An Adults Only(AO)rating is considered the kiss of death in the industry because currently no retailers(gamestop, walmart, best buy etc)will carry an AO rated game. If a developer wished to release an AO rated game be it a porn game or be it just that it has over the top violence/sexual content do you think that Valve should buck the Trend and carry the game on steam?[/url][/QUOTE]

Also note that that the reason you don't have AO console games, is because the console manufacturers control the software licensing, and don't allow that. But yes, the reason you don't see AO PC games in stores is because of retailer refusal (not because their is a governing body over the platform disallowing it); just pointing it out.

Anyways, you may have heard that Rockstar recently (in October, if I recall) ported Manhunt 2 to PC, with all the filtering and censoring that they added to get the original console version down to an "M" rating removed, which of course landed this new PC version an AO rating. The only place to buy this PC version is on IGN's Direct2Drive, at the moment.

So, seeing as how all of Rockstar's other PC games are on Steam, but the AO Manhunt 2 isn't, makes me think that Valve probably isn't interested in selling AO-rated software. Circumstantial evidence, I suppose, but noteworthy.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']Also note that that the reason you don't have AO console games, is because the console manufacturers control the software licensing, and don't allow that. But yes, the reason you don't see AO PC games in stores is because of retailer refusal (not because their is a governing body over the platform disallowing it); just pointing it out.

Anyways, you may have heard that Rockstar recently (in October, if I recall) ported Manhunt 2 to PC, with all the filtering and censoring that they added to get the original console version down to an "M" rating removed, which of course landed this new PC version an AO rating. The only place to buy this PC version is on IGN's Direct2Drive, at the moment.

So, seeing as how all of Rockstar's other PC games are on Steam, but the AO Manhunt 2 isn't, makes me think that Valve probably isn't interested in selling AO-rated software. Circumstantial evidence, I suppose, but noteworthy.[/QUOTE]

It is sad to think their going to wuss out of this one.

On the whole steam not letting us own and sell our games, as someone else pointed out that would create essentially a used digital market. Yes on one hand that would mean we could name our own prices and we would see the price of games drop faster. However it also means steam and the developer both would make a smaller cut which my guess would lead to steam not having as many big sales and selling games for $50 instead of $60 at launch.
 
[quote name='HeSaveDave']Why can I find game servers through the Steam client but not in game?[/QUOTE]

On the bottom of the client is a button that says "Servers".
 
[quote name='Kaltic']On the bottom of the client is a button that says "Servers".[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that works. But when I load the game and try to find servers through the game interface no servers show up. :cry:
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']It is sad to think their going to wuss out of this one.[/QUOTE]
Well, I dunno if I'd put it that way, personally. I can totally understand why a retailer wouldn't want to carry that sort of thing.

[quote name='HeSaveDave']Yeah, that works. But when I load the game and try to find servers through the game interface no servers show up. :cry:[/QUOTE]

What game?
 
[quote name='HeSaveDave']Yeah, that works. But when I load the game and try to find servers through the game interface no servers show up. :cry:[/QUOTE]

Works for every game I got...which one do you have that this does not work for?
 
[quote name='HeSaveDave']Team Fortress 2 and Killing Floor. Router bypassed, firewall and antivirus off.[/QUOTE]

Click the icon in steam - click servers - check out filters.

screenshot if you can - upload it to tinypic - post here.
 
I know ill be killed for this but.....
*thinks TF2 is overated*

Dont hate yourself though for wanting a game thats expensive, thats how valve makes thier money. They have these big sales and then people are forced to sit and think "fuck if I wait on another sale it could be 6 months to a year" so you just buy it at a price you normally wouldnt.
 
QotD: What do I hate most about steam...

I'd have to say my inability to have a friend or family member to play may games offline (easily) I've got all these games but only I can use them.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I know ill be killed for this but.....
*thinks TF2 is overated*[/QUOTE]

I played TF2 when it was free for a weekend. I have many many many friends and family that play it.

I can not seem to enjoy it, yet I still play and enjoy TFC. I can't put my finger on it but it just bores me.
 
[quote name='CheapLikeAFox']I have a question about gifting, if you buy a game for yourself can you later gift it to someone else? Say I finish Torchlight or Trine and don't plan on playing them and want to give them to a friend, would that be possible?[/QUOTE]

No. I went through this in the other topic, but this is NEVER EVER EVER going to happen, and I'm convinced that anyone who thinks it will or should is an idiot because this would put a permanent death to Steam.

Steam puts games on sale. People buy games when they're dirt-cheap - say, Torchlight for $5. Someone gets the bright idea to stock up on games when they're marked down, and then sets up a third party website to undercut Steam's prices.

This has a few possible outcomes.
  • Games stop going on sale on Steam. Clearly, this is bad.
  • Steam attempts to limit the number of copies one person can buy of a given title. Since accounts and new IP addresses are easy to come by, this wouldn't stop anyone.
  • Steam begins enforcing their TOS and banning accounts for circumventing the store. This would create a colossal internet fury and would kill the service.
  • The gifting system dies entirely. Again, bad.
  • Steam dies entirely. I don't think I need to explain that this one is bad.

The way Steam is set up right now, there is no possible way to allow that kind of system without completely destroying the Steam service in whole or part in the process. Don't like it? Tough - it's a downfall of digital distribution. Either accept this as a limit of the digital distribution method and console yourself with the colossal amount of money saved via Steam's sales, or buy physical copies of your games and spend much more in the process.

The "used" idea is never going to happen either because there's no such thing as a used digital item. More importantly, there's exactly zero incentive for Valve or the publishers to allow people to undercut their prices. If you could get a "used" copy of Torchlight for $5, why would you ever buy the new one when they're identical?

[quote name='MSI Magus']I know ill be killed for this but.....
*thinks TF2 is overated*[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Megazell']I played TF2 when it was free for a weekend. I have many many many friends and family that play it.

I can not seem to enjoy it, yet I still play and enjoy TFC. I can't put my finger on it but it just bores me.[/QUOTE]

You're all dead to me. :nottalking:
 
[quote name='Megazell']I played TF2 when it was free for a weekend. I have many many many friends and family that play it.

I can not seem to enjoy it, yet I still play and enjoy TFC. I can't put my finger on it but it just bores me.[/QUOTE]

Heh nice to know im not the only one.

Also its surprising that not being able to access your games outside the steam client bugs people that much. Its not the response I thought I was going to get at all ;)

Edit - And to Gothic Walrus to me there is nothing worse then being forced to play an online game with no tutorial or anything. TF2 just fucking tosses you into the game with no explanation how to play. They either need to add a tutorial or an offline mode so you can at least learn how to play the game without other people yelling at you for not doing whats expected of your class.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Heh nice to know im not the only one.

Also its surprising that not being able to access your games outside the steam client bugs people that much. Its not the response I thought I was going to get at all ;)

Edit - And to Gothic Walrus to me there is nothing worse then being forced to play an online game with no tutorial or anything. TF2 just fucking tosses you into the game with no explanation how to play. They either need to add a tutorial or an offline mode so you can at least learn how to play the game without other people yelling at you for not doing whats expected of your class.[/QUOTE]

Given the number of tips and instructions the game throws at you at loading screens, at the start of the match, during the match, and on your HUD, I'd say that TF2 goes out of its way to make sure that new players have lots of fun. Besides, there are nice descriptions of each class on the choose class menu. You may have also missed the tutorial videos that play the first time you play a new gametype for most maps -- which I'm pretty sure can be watched again by pressing I or something.

As for an offline mode, it's an uncommon occurrence for ($20) multiplayer-only shooters, and especially so for TF2, considering that its class system must be hell to program bots for (and yet Valve is making bots, hey!).

Besides, there's always the option of asking people how to play. From my experience with TF2 over the past few years, it has one of the friendliest communities in all of gaming, and easily beats most, if not all, communities on Xbox Live. I'm fairly certain other TF2 players will back me up here.

I'd say that the only gripes I have with TF2's accessibility come from the new items. More unlocks means more confusion, but even then Valve has added a box that shows you what the new item is and its stats to the spectator view.

Apologies for the rant, but I'm of the opinion that TF2 actually represents a milestone in terms of accessibility in PC gaming, not to mention its innovations in using audio-visual cues to help players identify classes easily.
 
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[quote name='Mikerrrr']Given the number of tips and instructions the game throws at you at loading screens, at the start of the match, during the match, and on your HUD, I'd say that TF2 goes out of its way to make sure that new players have lots of fun. Besides, there are nice descriptions of each class on the choose class menu. You may have also missed the tutorial videos that play the first time you play a new gametype for most maps -- which I'm pretty sure can be watched again by pressing I or something.

As for an offline mode, it's an uncommon occurrence for ($20) multiplayer-only shooters, and especially so for TF2, considering that its class system must be hell to program bots for (and yet Valve is making bots, hey!).

Besides, there's always the option of asking people how to play. From my experience with TF2 over the past few years, it has one of the friendliest communities in all of gaming, and easily beats most, if not all, communities on Xbox Live. I'm fairly certain other TF2 players will back me up here.

I'd say that the only gripes I have with TF2's accessibility come from the new items. More unlocks means more confusion, but even then Valve has added a box that shows you what the new item is and its stats to the spectator view.

Apologies for the rant, but I'm of the opinion that TF2 actually represents a milestone in terms of accessibility in PC gaming, not to mention its innovations in using audio-visual cues to help players identify classes easily.[/QUOTE]

Cant disagree more. I just really feel that a player should never be dumped into a competitive online game, especially a team based one without any kind of tutorial levels or offline mod to get their feet wet in. But hey, I understand TF2 is a fav game for many people so its got to be good. Besides ill openly admit that I have panic attacks in pressure situations and even just playing online with other people can freak me out really bad....so im not the best case to go by ;)
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Cant disagree more. I just really feel that a player should never be dumped into a competitive online game, especially a team based one without any kind of tutorial levels or offline mod to get their feet wet in. But hey, I understand TF2 is a fav game for many people so its got to be good. Besides ill openly admit that I have panic attacks in pressure situations and even just playing online with other people can freak me out really bad....so im not the best case to go by ;)[/QUOTE]

No worries mate. TF2 players are all pretty laid back, so try hopping into a game some time and when you've started getting the hang of things, you'll wonder how a game can be so comprehensible despite having 9 classes involved at once.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Cant disagree more. I just really feel that a player should never be dumped into a competitive online game, especially a team based one without any kind of tutorial levels or offline mod to get their feet wet in. But hey, I understand TF2 is a fav game for many people so its got to be good. Besides ill openly admit that I have panic attacks in pressure situations and even just playing online with other people can freak me out really bad....so im not the best case to go by ;)[/QUOTE]

I do dislike that too, but TF2 is much more friendly to new users than compared to say..... Shattered Horizon. Why don't competitive online games have tutorials? I guess they are going off the "UT3 does and barely anyone plays it so if we don't have a tutorial then our game will be played" way of thinking.

EDIT: I do essentially play only competitive online games so most of the come naturally (once you play 1 or 2 the rest are very similar), but still do wonder why not add a tutorial. Its not like it would hurt the game.
 
[quote name='Mikerrrr']
Besides, there's always the option of asking people how to play. From my experience with TF2 over the past few years, it has one of the friendliest communities in all of gaming, and easily beats most, if not all, communities on Xbox Live. I'm fairly certain other TF2 players will back me up here.[/QUOTE]

I disagree completely. I tried playing it on Xbox Live when it first came out for the 360, and I got yelled at the entire time I was trying to learn how to play. I was thrown right into the fire with no idea what I was doing and kept getting yelled at while I tried to figure it out. Not a very good design IMO. I got it a few months back on PC as part of the Orange Box (mainly just wanted Portal), and I have yet to play it for that very reason.
 
[quote name='Mikerrrr']No worries mate. TF2 players are all pretty laid back, so try hopping into a game some time and when you've started getting the hang of things, you'll wonder how a game can be so comprehensible despite having 9 classes involved at once.[/QUOTE]

I did and while I struggled to try and figure out the controls I had people yelling "why arnt you healing me you idiot" and a ton of random stuff when I tried playing the non medic classes.
 
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