A View From The Road: An Uphill Battle.net

[John Funk]

A View From The Road: An Uphill Battle.net

Battle.net 2.0 is slicker and more integrated than GFWL or Steam, which is its biggest weakness.

Read Full Article

 

[Shrewsbury]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

 

[John Funk]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

Has it been updated since, uh, Sunday? Because that was the last I've used it, and Steam is still really clunky for me. It's an overlay.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

On the other hand, that blue sci-fi skin isn't going to look right with Diablo 3.

*cross fingers for game-specific skins*

 

[Darktau]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

I am using it, and is it just me or does it also use a lot more CPU (But crashes less?)

 

[Darktau]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

Has it been updated since, uh, Sunday? Because that was the last I've used it, and Steam is still really clunky for me. It's an overlay.

Its a Beta opt in thing, its kinda cool

 

[Swaki]

ive heard that steam 2.0 should be slick (did i use that right?), and i must say im quite happy with the shift tab socializing tool, it was a pain in fallout 3 but other than that it works great, and i like that it looks about the same as it always have, and while the in game chat might seem well and all in blizzard games that require team speak and encourages socializing it would be awful in rpg, and i try and imagine my steam games with a built in chat and in most cases it would make it crowded and unpleasant to look at.

 

[Shrewsbury]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

Has it been updated since, uh, Sunday? Because that was the last I've used it, and Steam is still really clunky for me. It's an overlay.

Yeah, it's a Steam beta, you opt in with the Settings box. Take a look.

 

[Jared]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

Has it been updated since, uh, Sunday? Because that was the last I've used it, and Steam is still really clunky for me. It's an overlay.

Yeah, it's a Steam beta, you opt in with the Settings box. Take a look.

I wanna see what this is like too! =D

 

[Shrewsbury]

Also, I tend to assign the Steam Overlay key to the Application Menu key. It's not exactly being used for anything else.

 

[DazZ.]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

Has it been updated since, uh, Sunday? Because that was the last I've used it, and Steam is still really clunky for me. It's an overlay.

It's just a UI update, buttons in different places, slightly different colour scheme and a clock has been added to the overly. Everything about responsiveness and the clunky parts you talked about here are all the same as before.

 

[dagens24]

I find Steam to be un-intuitive and, as such, prefer battle.net. I am contributing to this thread.

 

[Woodsey]

Have you tried the new Steam UI Update? It's a crapton slicker than the original Steam.

I am using it, and is it just me or does it also use a lot more CPU (But crashes less?)

Can't say I've found it any more intensive, although its a bit more flashy looking so I wouldn't be surprised if it a little. Its also a beta, so you know.

It is a lot faster, intuitive to use and with added features that are actually useful.

Steam is great, I love it. The problem with GfWL and everything else (bar the fact that most of them don't work) is that I don't want 500 of the fuckers using up my CPU when they all have to load at the same time.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Is it not possible to simply create a less intricate version for use in other games? Sort of a generic BN 2.0 app that works pretty much the same as Steam but interfaces perfectly with those games (aka Blizzards) that do fully support the system.

 

[DancePuppets]

I'm hoping that the rumour I've heard about Steam coming to Mac turns out to be true as it would probably increases developers' interest in using the Mac as another gaming platform.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Let's be honest about Steam here: as convenient as it is for buying games, and as much as I love it, Steam is pretty clunky as a social tool. Its presence in any game comes as an overlay that you can theoretically bring up at any time with Shift+Tab (though it isn't as responsive as I'd like), and it never quite feels like a cohesive experience.

It's presence OUT of any game also works. Which easily beats Battlenet.

Then you have purchases, achievements, feedback, and ...

John Funk actually runs the StarCraft II beta through Steam, just to make his Steam friends jealous.

So it's clunky because you... use... it... all the time.

Which you can't with Battlenet... because... it's integrated....

Yet it's slicker....because....it only has to deal with....one thing...

 

[microhive]

Is it not possible to simply create a less intricate version for use in other games? Sort of a generic BN 2.0 app that works pretty much the same as Steam but interfaces perfectly with those games (aka Blizzards) that do fully support the system.

Which would somewhat make it unfair for other developers since Blizzard games will have superior online integration specifically to their games.

 

[John Funk]

It's presence OUT of any game also works. Which easily beats Battlenet.

Then you have purchases, achievements, feedback, and ...

John Funk actually runs the StarCraft II beta through Steam, just to make his Steam friends jealous.

So it's clunky because you... use... it... all the time.

Which you can't with Battlenet... because... it's integrated....

Yet it's slicker....because....it only has to deal with....one thing...

Nooooot that hard to understand, dude. I use Steam because I have no other option (and the new Battle.net 2.0 is only available in a closed beta, which means I don't have all my steam friends on it). What's hard to grok about that?

Pound for pound, Battle.net is better.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Pound for pound, Battle.net is better.

Battle.net's pound buys WoW and Starcraft.

Steam's pound buys over 1,000 games, other games that can be added and all the stuff MSN can do.

And all your steam friends can't use Battle.net 2.0....

I can understand your love for Battle.net, and I'mma gonna let you finish, but Steam has the most games supported in the whole world. And all those friends who might not be playing Battle.net.