Steam's New Interface Hones In on Game Discovery, Customization

[Blackwell Stith]

Steam's New Interface Hones In on Game Discovery, Customization

With 1,300 titles having arrived on Steam in the last nine months, Valve's update aims to remove complications for players trying to find a new game to enjoy.

Valve is changing Discovery Update [http://store.steampowered.com/]" aims to take the challenge out of finding new games in the client's 3,700 title library, as well as alter its overall aesthetics.

The most notable changes from this update can been seen in the improved homepage via new filters and customization options. Steam users will now receive personalized game recommendations based on recent gameplay, past purchases, and suggestions from friends. Players will also be able to choose whether to display or hide things like Early Access titles, non-gaming software, and games they already own, as well as downloadable content for games in their library.

A new tool called Discovery Queue will provide a daily list of new, top-selling releases that users can browse and use to further personalize future recommendations. Through Discovery Queue, players will be able to add a game to their wishlist, follow updates for said game, or ignore it completely. Featured and popular new releases, alongside sales and recently updated games, will also be showcased on the main page.

Steam Curators [http://store.steampowered.com/about/curators/] is a new community aspect provided by the update, and centers around other Steam users who review and recommend game titles. Curators will be listed on the Steam homepage and individual product pages- which is where Valve advises users go in order to find curators with similar interests. To become a curator, a user (or group of users) can either start a new Steam Community group or be an officer/moderator of an already existing group. After that, users will need to make at least 10 recommendations on Steam. Valve encourages anyone to enlist; developers, journalists, artists, and even critics.

In a statement, Alden Kroll of Valve said, "We have made great efforts to increase the number of titles we can publish on Steam, which means more choices for customers. This update introduces multiple features and functionality to help customers explore Steam's growing catalog and find the games they are most interested in playing."

What are your thoughts on Steam's new update? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/22/6829015/new-steam-store-valve-discovery-update]


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[Vivi22]

Oh look; Valve is making it easier to discover new games and avoid the shit no one should ever pay money for. That exact thing they've been saying was coming for months if anyone had bothered paying attention. Can we cut back on the bitching over bad games getting on Steam now?

 

[Major_Tom]

It's fine, but why is it so blue? Can it be less blue?

 

[Sgt Pepper]

Only time will tell if this is a good thing but good to see Valve trying something new to improve Steam and certainly better than them policing releases, it's easy to say "That game shouldn't be allowed on Steam" but I think it's better that Valve stay neutral as a distribution channel rather than being self-appointed arbiters of "quality" (false advertising not withstanding as with The War Z).

 

[Baresark]

I messing with this last night. I find the interface really really annoying. That discover queue needs to be gone now. They should give us the ability to customize it, not throw more and more in our face. Also... their algorithm for throwing titles at you based on what you own and play sucks so damn hard. It manages to throw all the titles at me I actively avoid, and it keeps finding ways to show it to me. Just terrible. To me, it was fine the way it was. New releases scroll through, top sellers and deals are on the tabs. Nuff said. Now it's that plus 90 more things.... just awful.

 

[Silk_Sk]

As a consumer, I'm not terribly enthusiastic, but still happy with the changes. Time will tell if it will actually effect my buying habits. I was fine with the old layout and I'm fine with this one. The new features are simple and satisfying to use but I wasn't really feeling like I was missing them before.

However, I sincerely hope these changes can help developers of good games get noticed. I want to know what they think of all this in a few weeks. If they are excited about this, then so am I.

 

[Slash2x]

Jim Sterling has a curation page.....
http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6856736/
BEST IDEA EVER! You too can see what games are worthy of Jim.
*drops mic and walks out*

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

 

[Nergui]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

Jim Sterling is currently the third most popular curator behing Total Biscuit and PC Gamer.

 

[shirkbot]

Oh look; Valve is making it easier to discover new games and avoid the shit no one should ever pay money for. That exact thing they've been saying was coming for months if anyone had bothered paying attention. Can we cut back on the bitching over bad games getting on Steam now?

The bad games are still there, there's still unplayable garbage released every day, they're just not plastered all over everything anymore. And don't act like Valve's promises any more meaningful than that of any other company. Even if I'd heard the news before now, I wouldn't have let up until they actually did something. Now they have, and I did, until I read your post. Now I've resolved to double-down on my kvetching just to spite you

 

[Andy Shandy]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

That right there is what we call one of the mystical uses of the English language known as "a joke".

Moving on, it does tickle me that our very own Jim is the third most followed one.

My list of curators so far is TB [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/1370293/], Jim [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6856736/], NorthernLion [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6857052/], Jesse Cox [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6863163/],Maya Kramer [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6856325/], Mike Bithell [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6859518/] and finally, SavyGamer AKA Lewie Proctor [http://store.steampowered.com/curator/1545612/]

It's provided quite an eclectic list of games.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

Jim Sterling is currently the third most popular curator behing Total Biscuit and PC Gamer.

personally i no longer trust jim, if you want to follow him, more power to you

 

[Vigormortis]

Oh look; Valve is making it easier to discover new games and avoid the shit no one should ever pay money for. That exact thing they've been saying was coming for months if anyone had bothered paying attention. Can we cut back on the bitching over bad games getting on Steam now?

Are you kidding? Now they can display only the shitty shovelware! They'll have a constant stream of things to ***** about, every time they boot up Steam!

Just think of the explosion of new bad-game streams we'll be gifted with!

LPers are gonna have a field day with this update...

The bad games are still there, there's still unplayable garbage released every day, they're just not plastered all over everything anymore. And don't act like Valve's promises any more meaningful than that of any other company. Even if I'd heard the news before now, I wouldn't have let up until they actually did something. Now they have, and I did,

But what possible, detrimental effect does the existence of bad games on the Steam platform have on you and your personal gaming experience with the platform, though? I know this topic's been covered ad-nauseam around here but provided you're not being forced to buy them; and now you don't even have to know they exist; what does it matter?

Regardless, I do agree with you insofar as saying Valve's promises are no more inherently meaningful than any other companies; at face value, anyway. However, delivering on a promise is quite meaningful. Especially if it's within a trend of delivering on such promises.

This doesn't make having absolute faith in any future promises any less irrational, of course, but it does set a certain precedent.

until I read your post. Now I've resolved to double-down on my kvetching just to spite you

That hardly seems constructive. I've always preferred bombarding people with Sprite instead of spite. It's so much tastier.

But that's me, I guess.

 

[ElMinotoro]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

This recommendation is just like a broteam one. In fact I was disappointed to discover that this wasn't a long running joke in all their curation.

Seriously, this is pretty funny.

 

[Sight Unseen]

annoying. That discover queue needs to be gone now.

Optional component is optional... It's at the bottom of the store page, I can't even see mine from the top of the main page so it won't block your precious featured list.

They should give us the ability to customize it

The queue will be customized to you. If you have a game on it that you don't want then just click the "not Interested" button and it will go away...

Steam's needed something like the discover queue for a long time. Time will tell whether their chosen method of implementation will work well but it looks promising to me.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

This recommendation is just like a broteam one. In fact I was disappointed to discover that this wasn't a long running joke in all their curation.

Seriously, this is pretty funny.

kotaku is so bad i honestly cant even tell, just read the farcry 2 and civ 5 recommendations, unless those are jokes as well

they should take notes from bro team if they want to know how to funny

 

[Baresark]

annoying. That discover queue needs to be gone now.

Optional component is optional... It's at the bottom of the store page, I can't even see mine from the top of the main page so it won't block your precious featured list.

They should give us the ability to customize it

The queue will be customized to you. If you have a game on it that you don't want then just click the "not Interested" button and it will go away...

Steam's needed something like the discover queue for a long time. Time will tell whether their chosen method of implementation will work well but it looks promising to me.

It's not optional, you cannot turn it off. If you scroll down and plan on using any of the "New Releases" or "Top Sellers" Steam lists, then you have to see it. Clicking through it is the most annoying bit. It loads each steam page rather than giving you a list you can just choose an action from. If you read the rest of my comment, I talk about how the algorithm they user to decide what is on that list is screwed up and does not work anyway.

 

[Fox12]

"underrated gem"

a friendly reminder that kotaku's opinion is worthless

the way i see the, broteam and totalbiscuit are the main curators worth following

Jim Sterling is currently the third most popular curator behing Total Biscuit and PC Gamer.

personally i no longer trust jim, if you want to follow him, more power to you

I'll admit, I don't get the hate towards Jim. He just seems indifferent towards the whole thing. Why be angry at him and not, say, Yahtzee, who basically ignored the controversy? Now, moviebob on the other hand...

OT: But yeah, I'm really digging this new layout. I've already found multiple games I never new existed. Certainly an improvement.

 

[Sight Unseen]

annoying. That discover queue needs to be gone now.

Optional component is optional... It's at the bottom of the store page, I can't even see mine from the top of the main page so it won't block your precious featured list.

They should give us the ability to customize it

The queue will be customized to you. If you have a game on it that you don't want then just click the "not Interested" button and it will go away...

Steam's needed something like the discover queue for a long time. Time will tell whether their chosen method of implementation will work well but it looks promising to me.

It's not optional, you cannot turn it off. If you scroll down and plan on using any of the "New Releases" or "Top Sellers" Steam lists, then you have to see it. Clicking through it is the most annoying bit. It loads each steam page rather than giving you a list you can just choose an action from. If you read the rest of my comment, I talk about how the algorithm they user to decide what is on that list is screwed up and does not work anyway.

You can easily ignore it.. It's hidden away at the bottom of the page and doesn't take up much space.

On my first queue it gave me some reasonable selections. I'm not going to run out and buy any of them just yet but it allowed me to keep my eye on them and alerted me to some games that I wasn't really aware of.

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it needs to go away. Is it really that hard to ignore?

 

[Metalrocks]

like it as well. now it really only shows games i would be interested in. if they get my interest. so good to see full titles and not stupid early access titles.