GDC 2010: Gabe Newell Bashes DRM

[Jennacide]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

Offline mode works fine for me, I don't know what's wrong with you

Yes but the problem he is having that you have to be connected to go in offline mode.

Only recently you have, which they've stated time and again this was a bug they're trying to fix. The most recent Steam patch (yesterday) fixed it for me on the Beta UI. Offline works fine, it requires that the game has been verified with the Steam account server ONCE. So if you say, install L4D2 from a retail disc and never go online, then yes Offline Mode won't let you play it. Once Steam connects online with L4D2 once and validates it's serial it adds something to your offline file to let it be played.

The whole Ubisoft fiasco is funny too, because they wanted to make something like Steam and claim that Steam doesn't stop pirates well enough. Gee, what happened today? Oh, right, Ubisoft Launcher got cracked for AC2. Har har Ubisoft. The pirates had to win, or we'd all lose.

 

[reg42]

Gabe Newell? One of the guys behind steam? ... Okay then.

 

[funksobeefy]

I think the greatest thing about this post about steam DRM and Valve head honcho is that he is playing World of Warcraft in the picture.

If you really dont want companies to have intense DRM restrictions, then don't buy their games. If you buy the game but then complain the company doesn't care, they still have you money. Make a point to not buy their game and get all your friends to not buy it. Protests have yet to actually work but if every one did it on a personal level then I think it will work.

 

[The DSM]

Gabe speaks the truth.

DRM is going to decrease PC gaming if it ends up being too restricitve.

 

[Eatbrainz]

DAMN! His computer monitor is HOOGE!

 

[Kinichie]

Steam is a form of DRM, yes. But only for the first time you connect to steam using that computer. After that, I've had no problems with Offline mode for any game. I have more problems when steam is Online.

The thing with steam, as opposed to other forms of DRM is that it ISN'T tit-fucking annoying.

Examples;

Batman Arkham Asylum. My housemate at the time was playing the game. I turned on the 360 and his Windows Live account signed in automatically (on the 360), kicking him to the Main Menu INSTANTLY. He lost about 5-10 minutes of progress, not much, but still gave us both something to rant about.

Grand Theft Auto 4: Bought this on steam over Christmas, only to find that Steam is no longer the prime DRM, but Rockstar Club(?) also has to be running aswell as Games for Windows Live. No wonder the game runs bad when there is so much hogging the RAM. And the DRM is still on my computer and I uninstalled the damn thing!

However, not saying Steam doesn't have it's moments. Sometimes when I try to launch a game, I get the message "Game is unavailable at this time". Seriously, what does this mean?!? Has Borderlands taken a holiday from my hard drive? Is Half Life 2 no longer a playable game? Have my crazy Antics in Garry's Mod caused steam to question my sanity and prevent me from destroying more Combine Soldiers with elaborate devices? The game is sat there, ON THE HARD DRIVE. Fully validated, it just doesn't work because it's having a tea break.

 

[Legendsmith]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

They fixed that.

I only had to read the title header and the first sentence to agree with it.

Ex.:

Ruse is a great RTS game that I love and would buy in a heartbeat....however it's got Ubisoft's new DRM that requires you to be connected to their servers 24/7 when playing the game otherwise you cannot play it. That I do not mind for the multiplayer part, but for singleplayer campaign or skirmishes against the AI, I find that utterly ridiculous. It's a great game and many in the open beta have said the same thing: "would have bought if it wasn't by Ubisoft with the dreaded DRM".

That's why I'm not getting it.

 

[Spitfire175]

Just thought I'd share this [http://manzano.nncdn.com/nn/0/873/533/o_561503.gif] with you guys.

Way to go, Ubisoft.

 

[HateDread]

Just thought I'd share this [http://manzano.nncdn.com/nn/0/873/533/o_561503.gif] with you guys.

Way to go, Ubisoft.

Don't normally quote, but...

Perfect.

 

[Withard]

Best thing about this thread is the posts that like to tell us Steam is a form of DRM....but as if they are onto some kind of breakthrough.

"STEAM IS DRM!"

well done...Now discover fire please.

 

[smithy_2045]

Steam is still DRM no matter how you cut it. The chains rest lightly on you but they are still chains.

The point of DRM has never been to stop piracy because you would think that at about 10 years of abject failure they would have given up by now. The point of DRM is to kill the second hand market which costs publishers much more money than piracy ever could. And Steam, along with other digital download services, kills the 2nd hand market.

I highly doubt that the point of DRM has never been to stop piracy.

 

[Enigmers]

Well, don't be too sure. My old StarCraft CDs are so worn out that they are barely usable. Same goes for many of my old games. Digital Distribution doesn't have that risk. Before you say anything, yes I do take care of my games, but 10-15 years of swapping CDs DVDs in and out of drives does in fact have an effect on your CDs. Furthermore, CD/DVD media has a limited lifespan.

You can register them online via battle.net and download them.

Best of both worlds, really. (Digital and Physical)

 

[Squilookle]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

ex-ACTLY

Steam is far from painless, that's for sure. Give me a cardboard box, freshly printed manual, and a cd key code anyday.

 

[DrScoobs]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

except it doesnt require the internet.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

except it doesnt require the internet.

Christ... what I was getting at was it's a dodgy piece of software. If you don't start offline mode when you have an internet connection, you wont be able to go into offline mode, which I think is frankly ridiculous. I understand why they do this - but if I open up my laptop ready to play Garry's Mod or ME2 when I haven't opened it up in offline mode beforehand while I was in an area with internet connection youcan see why I get annoyed.

/Mordin Solus rant.

 

[DrScoobs]

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

except it doesnt require the internet.

Christ... what I was getting at was it's a dodgy piece of software. If you don't start offline mode when you have an internet connection, you wont be able to go into offline mode, which I think is frankly ridiculous. I understand why they do this - but if I open up my laptop ready to play Garry's Mod or ME2 when I haven't opened it up in offline mode beforehand while I was in an area with internet connection youcan see why I get annoyed.

/Mordin Solus rant.

you can go into offline mode when you have started it with internet connection. go to file then click go offline. there ya go. steam is now offline.

 

[Mr.Governor]

seriously ep 3 is shiny and you keep toying us with it.

please make the game...

please...

Gabe is still a jerk for not making HL 2 EP 3 already.

Sorry but
Portal 2>Ep3

Gabe Newell, the one who gives me an offline mode that requires the internet? yeah. Shut up Gabe.

lies

 

[Th37thTrump3t]

And here we have the sanest man in the world!