Is STEAM really a good thing?

Seriously, is STEAM all it is cracked up to be...or are there concerns about DRM?

We all know that everything has to stop working sometime, and I don't want to play games for a while only to find in the future that what I paid for is no longer available...

What about installs on multiple computers? Okay? Or no?

 

I currently have steam games installed on roughly 20 computers. It is fine as long as you log into your account.

 

I'm assuming that you don't have to be connected to the internet all the time to play, right? Because there are some times in which I wouldn't be.

IDK...I always have a distrust of things that require online activation. I hated when that because the next best thing for software.

 

I sometimes do use offline mode in order to play games such as trackmania. Personally I love steam but I prefer to have a hard copy as well.

 

Yes, you only have to be online when downloading the content and/or playing online. For single player games/modes there's an option to start Steam in "offline" mode.

Frankly, Steam is far better than any other DRM type out there (starforce, securerom, etc) requiring a disk to be in the drive.


edit---partial cut+paste of one of my previous posts:

Once you buy any game from Steam, it is linked via your steam name/ID.

Your steam name/password IS the copy protection.

As long as you keep them safe, you can log-in, download, and play any of your Steam games on any PC that meets the games minimum reqs.

 

Offline mode? What the...

Okay, so there is a specific mode one enters when offline...that actually scares me more.

 

Why would that scare you?

You can't really play a game's online mode when offline anyway...


Think of Steam like a single front-end for many games.

You start Steam (on or offline), a tabbed window (Steam) pops up. Under the "My games" tab, all your steam games are listed. Double-click on the one you want to play. The game will start whether you're online or not.

I wish I could add all my games to Steam. Many lack a no-cd crack, so I have to dig out the #$#% disk whenever I want to play it.

 

So what if I needed to install a game again, and didn't have access to the internet. What happens?

I'm asking because that question also answers my DRM concerns...

 

Wait until you have access to the internet...

Stream's great, but it doesn't have god-like powers to beam you a game without you being connected to their servers.

 

Agreed. Also right-click any game in your Steam folder and a "backup game files" option appears. You can select a DVD drive as the destination folder.

I've no idea if you need internet access to reactivate a game that you re-installed this way---never tried it.

 

Greg, if you want to give it a try, I'll give you my extra Steam copies of HL2 + EP1 for free.

By buying the PC Orange Box (which contained them) after I already owned HL2 + EP1, I have the option of "gifting" them to any 1 person.

Just sign-up for Steam (it's free) and give me the E-mail address you listed with them (I'd suggest using this site's PM for that)


Get the Steam client here:

http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php

 

Steam is fine, the DRM doesnt bother me.

Aslong as you have your credentials saved, you can go into offline mode.

You can also backup your games if you want to install them down the road.

 

As far as DRM schemes go, Steam is by far the best one I've seen. Where most DRM schemes just flat out withdraw rights and screw the customer - period - Steam is at least kind enough to have some perks attached to it. Automatic updating of games is nice for pretty much everything except Assassin's Creed, being able to download them wherever you are is nice...

I've actually rebought games on Steam for the convenience. Also being able to buy new games from home on the best download service in the business is choice. More than all of this, oftentimes games on Steam are cheaper than in store (Painkiller Gold was $9.99 when I bought it) and they do some kind of ridiculous sale every weekend (just picked up the id Super Pack for $35).

I used to hate Steam, but having used it for a while (bought the Orange Box) I'm forced to admit it's really quite nice. The games downloaded aren't even terribly abstracted either, making them easily accessible for modding.

 

This might be against NBR rules, but I am going to suggest it anyway.

I have never used steam, nor have I ever bothered to research it. But from what I read from this thread, you pay for games, then download them. You dont get a hard copy, and if you cancel steam account you cant use the game anymore?

In this case, this is what I would do:
If I paid for a game via steam, I would ***torrent*** a copy of the game just to have a hard copy, in case something goes wrong. It might still be illegal, but I find it justified since I already paid. Its up to one's own conscience about this one. You still don't get to use the game online(since a torrent copy wont work online for most games, cd key issues) but at least all would not be lost in case steam went bye bye or something.

PLEEZ DUN HURT MEH

 

I have actually reinstalled windows a couple of times when I had steam installed. All you need is the login details and then you are free to install the games. I had the disk to install the orange box, but CS:S just downloaded and updated straight away.

Even if you buy a hard copy of the orange box, it will require you to install steam and be connected to the internet in order to activate it.

But you do need the internet to use steam. Offline mode just means that the features that require the internet aren't available, like the server browser.

 

Lakjin - Steam isn't a subscription service, so there's really no reason to cancel your Steam account. But yes everyting is tied to your Steam ID.

Secondly, you can always back up your game files. Like newer copy protections (i.e. Bioshock) it will phone home once you install it to verify your game and account, but after that you can play it in "offline mode". This will allow you to play when not connected to the net. The good thing about Steam though is that it keeps all your games up to date.

You also don't lose any moddability, which was always my concern.

The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't allow you to install your apps to a different directory.

 

Valve has also stated that if Steam was to go belly up, they would release everyone's CD-keys.

 

STEAM is great, never had any problems with any DRM stuff or activation.

However, NEVER ever use the EA downloader, that thing is filled to the bring with DRM and fee's to re-download games, unlike STEAM.

 

That's my problem too...I purchased Half-Life 2, EP1, and the Orange Box from my local game store (I'm afraid of that newfangled downloading...a box/disc in hand makes me feel better) and then downloaded Half-Life Source...I liked having the games readily available on my internal HDD so I could play them whenever I popped my laptop out...

But then I bought Silent Hunter 3 and Call of Duty 2 through Steam and ran out of room on my internal HDD...

There were steps to move my Steam installation to the external HDD which I did (and which, by the way, didn't work...I had to do some manual registry editing...at least I didn't have to download/install the apps again)...but I couldn't choose some games to be on the internal drive and some to be on the external drive...they all have to be in the Steam Apps folder...and multiple drive installation with one operating system gives Steam a fit...

Some might say uninstall the one you've finished playing, but alas my OCD prevents me from doing that...so now, I have to plug in my external HDD when I want to play Alien Shooter (also downloaded from Steam)...

 

Steam is not a good thing. End of discussion.

 

Please elaborate, STEAM is a great thing and the community features with in-game overlay are awesome. You can easily keep track of your friends, chat with them (voice or text), join their game in one click and set up announcements and events in your own private groups.

Of course it's best to have the boxed version of the game but STEAM is a worthy substitute.

 

Regarding the STEAM DRM feature: When i travelled out of Singapore with my laptop..the Steam stopped working...it claimed my Serial KEY is Regional restricted...i was so annoyed.

then it doesnt work easily in offline mode..another big issue because u dont always play online games.

then it also needs the entire Steam app to load..it takes hell lot of time..almost like booting an OS.


Overall STEAM experience:
OTHER than that...my online Gaming was too good.... the Steam community overlay lets me chat with friends in-Game and have long Clan conference sessions.

I can easily checkout what my friends are playing & join their game.

STEAM is famous for cross-country CS/CSS/CZ/HL2 DM players..because with their some wicked programming ..the Lag is very less & pings are also much lower .

If u play Online on non-steam games..u ll notice the difference.



So give Steam a try if u plan to use your laptop in same country.

 

Mmm...regarding that regional restriction thing, did that happen this year? If it didn't, you might want to try it again. Steam had that for a short while because of countless people buying The Orange Box from Thailand for US$20. In the end, they removed it. However you should activate the game in the country that you bought it in, otherwise it's going to be hell to activate it when you are back in your own country.


Anyway, regarding my opinions on Steam...LOVE IT! Due to so many stupid issues with my notebook, I had to reinstall everything from scratch countless times. Steam just makes it all so much easier. Well, I suppose if you keep your stuff tidy it's not much of a problem, but I tend to forget to keep my games properly, and occasionally I would have to spend hours looking for my CD + CD Key.

1) Download Steam
2) Install it
3) Login
4) Pick whatever game you want and select 'Install'

With a 20mbps connection, I'm able to download and install TF2 in around 40 minutes. Since the rest of my games use the Source engine too, there's less data to download, and games such as Portal, Counterstrike Source and Half Life 2 take around 10 - 20 minutes to download and install. Simple and painless. No CDs, no CD keys, no installation setup. Just one button.

Steam also automatically updates your games for you, and lets you find your Steam friends easily.


The bad:
- Occasionally, there's some problem launching a game in offline mode. Guess you are out of luck here.
- Rarely, there's a problem launching a game in online mode.
- All your games are tied to just one account, so if anything happens to it, there goes everything.

 

Any games you have downloaded can be compressed and backed up to any location by Steam itself. The backups can even be broken into smaller chunks for easier burning to DVD or CD. At any time (after you deleted those games to save space, after your computer exploded, etc) you just run those backups and the games will be reloaded into Steam. The backups aren't deleted after restored, so you can just keep the backup forever.

So, I am not sure if you just don't understand Steam or whatever, but would you ever cancel your NotebookReview account? If so, then I don't know what to tell you. Steam is not a monthly service, it is an account that ties all of your games together. There is no fee other than what you pay when you buy each game. Why on EARTH would you need to torrent the game when you could just back it up? Just keep your login information and you'll never have an issue.

Please explain.


Anyway, I've been using Steam since HL2 came out. It was craptacular early on, seemed bloated for no reason. These days, Steam has become the premier digital distribution service for gaming. It has a simple interface, a fairly large store and a simple to use purchasing method. Your games are consolidated into a single tab, there is a robust community and community creation feature. Server browsing, friends lists, achievements, even modding are literally best in class.

If you a buy a game on Steam you own it forever for download whenever as many times as you like on as many computers as you like. After you download it once you can back it up for your "hard copy" so you can install it wherever and not wait for a download to complete. The installation process it clean, efficient, and extremely fast because Steam uses an imaging system rather than an installation system. This is why in almost all cases no registry changes need to be made if you move your Steam folder (except uninstalling/reinstalling the 2mb Steam client itself).

If Steam goes down they claim all users will be given proper keys to unlock all games in their accounts.

The worst argument I have heard lately is the "We all know that everything has to stop working sometime, and I don't want to play games for a while only to find in the future that what I paid for is no longer available..." when you consider the backup feature. Valve/Steam has NEVER pulled a game from Steam.

If you are comparing the purchased hard copy versus digital distribution that may not last forever, you might consider the fact that many games made 20 years ago wont even run on modern hardware without complicated emulation. Kind of means you are out of luck anyway. Then again, Steam packages older games with those emulators automatically so you can run them without hassle. Wolfenstein 3D and X-Com: UFO Defence both automatically load without any tweaking because Steam launches them within a built-in DOSBOX.

I ONCE had a problem with offline mode, 2 years ago. I couldn't get it to activate on a road trip. Subsequent trips (using XP or Vista), numbering at least 15 have proven whatever issue caused that has been remedied, at least on my end. If Steam can't see the internet, it will just restart in offline mode automatically. All your games are accessable (the ones loaded, anyway).

In other words, Greg, try it out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. If not, come here and feel free to rip me a new one.

 

Unless I'm reading this wrong...

So you can backup all the files using STEAM, install offline, and use your private key (ID/pass) without fuss? So you don't necessarily need onilne activation after the first one?

I'm picky about this kind of thing...it annoys me. But STEAM sounds like it isn't the evil thing I once heard it to be.

 

Why not try it out for free? My offer in post #11 still stands.

 

I've got free HL2 Ep 1 too... But honestly, I bought my games in the UK/Hong Kong/US via steam, plays fine anywhere, no problems, have been using steam for a few years now and I think its great. Although the in game friends chat thing isn't too friendly to older PC's with slower single core CPUs. You don't even have to use steam's back up, you can just copy and paste the whole flipping steam folder to your back up drive.

 

steam is not evil. it actually works well, and magically combines drm with convenience. other companies use drm to restrict your usage, but I find that steam uses drm to make the experience better overall. you can IM / voice your friends in game, get automatic patches, automatic game downloads... it really abstracts you from a lot of the hassle of installing and managing pc games in the first place, and I'll accept (and even encourage) drm if its going to do that for me.

keep in mind that steam is the drm exception to the rule. in general, the net effect of drm is on the end user is pointless hassle and restriction. i stand by steam inasmuch that it works well and adds convenience to the whole pc gaming experience.

no discs for gameplay - no nocd cracks needed
no patch hunting - automatic patching
no need to reinstall via disc - (no losing discs)
one click install process (even for multiple games)
unlimited installs / downloads + local backup option
steam encourages social gameplay with friends (similar to xbox live)
working steam drm replaces the nasty drm found on some titles (bioshock, others)

 

Yep, gotta agree with what's posted here, I love steam, works great, and makes it super easy to keep track of all your games... Highly recommend trying it out!

 

Steam is the best thing that ever happened to the gaming community.

 

I can not 100% be sure of this. I have installed games using the backup option before and played them just by logging in, but I've never done it in offline mode. Seriously, download the client (2MB, seriously) and take Tony_A up on his offer. Test it out yourself and if you hate it uninstall it. It wont leave uninstall trash or anything.

 

Steam is the best thing that ever happened to PC! Seriously as long as you have your steam ID then your all set and you can play anywhere with it...no discs no stress i know the offline play thing gets annoying but you can set it to allow you to play offline to

 

I love Steam, except the Offline feature has never worked for me (I cant play any games offline). If you have the internet readily available, and you game on a PC (which practically go hand in hang), Steam is the way to go.

 

I work far away in the northern part of Québec, about 4 hours from the nearest town. The first time I went there, I bought Half-Life Episode 1 (and other games) to pass the time, since it's playing computer games and/or watching TV.

There was no internet connection back then, and I found out it was impossible to play HL, even on single-player, without the connection.

Give me Gamersgate or Impulse over Steam any day.

 

yeah same here

 

You should really try steam first. It takes very little resources and the great reasons previous posters mentioned.

 

For some reason when I boot up my laptop steam takes about 50% of my cpu but after a few min it takes very little cpu usage

 

I guess the user's experience with Steam would ultimately depend on the availibility of internet in their region, as well as the speed of their connection.

I'm from Singapore, which is only 25km at it's widest, and this tiny little country has roughly 5000 wireless hotspots scattered all around. Both my home and school use broadband connections. Furthermore, I have mobile broadband offering speeds up to 1mbps. So, neither speed nor availabililty bothers me since I'm connected all the time, with speeds of at least 512kbps.

On the other hand I have a friend in Malaysia who absolutely hates Steam. I had to bug her so much to reinstall her TF2, because it takes her almost a day just to download all the files as Malaysia's internet isn't so fast.

 

You don't have to launch steam for a game you want to play 'offline'. Once the game is installed browse to where the game installed...somewhere under steam apps and just run the .exe. I had to do this for assassians creed b/c it wouldn't launch for me from the client until an update came out for it. That is an option too for offline play.

 

Steam is a great way to not only game for cheap, but also to network with other gamers you know. The only issues I have are that all the valve games Ive played aren't alt tab friendly which is a pretty big negative since I do run other apps while gaming.

 

Steam is what xfire tried to be

 

Another vote for steam here. I've been using it for at least three years now and it hasn't failed to stop me now. I almost wish I waited to buy CoD4 on steam so wouldn't have to drag around that ****ed box.

 

Steam is generally awesome. You'll see why after you start using it!

Scenarios:

1.) You're bored. You want to play a game, but nothing takes your fancy. You want a new game, but don't want to go to the effort of browsing for it on one of many internet sites, and waiting for it to get delivered... so you just buy it on steam! Instantly, it starts downloading, and assuming you have a good internet connection, you're playing in no time!

2.) You buy a new computer. You can't be assed to find all those CD's of all those games you have in order to reinstall them all. Good, because you don't have to! Just log in to steam, and booom, there they all are, downloading once again! Don't want to wait for them to download? Just copy the single game files (each game is contained within one handy .gcf file) from your old computer, and steam recognises that you have the files already!

Add to this reealllly cheap game prices, loads of cool xfire-like features, auto game-updating, and no crappy DRM except your username and password - and your onto a winner!

 

I wouldn't say "you're playing in no time" even with a fast internet connection. Most games are several GB's in size, and can still take a few hours to download.

 

The best thing about steam is the sales.

The entire Quake and Doom series were on sale together for only $35 this past weekend! About 30 games, for $35! Amazing! I got the entire Counter Strike series for $15, as well as audio surf for $5!

That's the best part! Also, knowing what games and servers your friends are playing in, and what games they have is awesome. A lot better than Xfire.

 

Anyone else run into "hl2.exe" errors alot? I usually have this happen when trying to play portal or HL2 (which is why after beating portal I only play tf2) and its quite annoying. Between that and the alt tab performance has turned me off quite a bit, but I still cant help but play some tf2 here and there.

 

Well duh!

Anyway, I like Steam as you can easily get access to all the quality games, and sometimes cheaply too.

If you are worried about activation and things like that, I gathered that a phone activation is possible?

 

I don't think phone activations exist for Steam. They don't have a phone number. Besides, how on earth would that work? There is no number or key to type in anyway.

Either way, not an issue.

 

It was something that came across me when I was at my boarding school - my friend brought his gaming rig (which had Half-Life 2 on) to his dorm with no Internet connection, but I think a phone call sorted that out...

I could be wrong though.

 

No phone support, however online support good and have even gotten refund for 1 game I purchased by error.

https://support.steampowered.com/

Been using Steam for long time, "off line play" and NO KEY DISK worth it. If your are in an area with poor internet speeds or service then buy the disk.