How does Steam employ DRM?

[MetalDooley]

That would be a good point....if it wasn't completely and utterly untrue.

Same here, the offline mode works.

"It works for me therefore no problem exists and anyone who says otherwise is lying"

Sorry but while offline mode may work fine for you that doesn't mean it works for everyone.I have the exact same problem Anachronism has as does my brother and several of my friends.If I try to start Steam while not connected to the internet I get a message telling me it's unable to launch Steam because it can't connect to the network.The only way I can get offline mode running is to launch Steam online and then select the "restart in offline mode" option which kinda defeats the purpose of an offline mode to begin with and the second I log out I get the "unable to connect" BS again

Simple fact is that for me and a lot of other people Steams offline mode is pretty much broken

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

You can't launch the games except through Steam. It does have an offline mode, so connectivity isn't a problem, but it does mean Valve can take your games if they want, and occasionally they do. Not very often, but I still think it's ridiculous that Valve should be able to render your whole library unplayable on a whim. That's why I don't particularly like purchasing through it.

 

[nevarran]

Same here, the offline mode works.

"It works for me therefore no problem exists and anyone who says otherwise is lying"

I did not said that, did I?
I was curious, I tried, and it worked perfectly. And I said, maybe there was a problem, but they fixed it.
Maybe the quoted message confused you, but I just felt no need to completely quote a post that stays just above mine.

 

[MetalDooley]

I did not said that, did I?

Sorry I should have specified that that line was aimed at the other person I quoted who has basically accused two people in this thread of lying because they said offline mode doesn't work for them

I was curious, I tried, and it worked perfectly. And I said, maybe there was a problem, but they fixed it.

If it works for you then great.Just because you didn't experience a problem doesn't mean it's not real though.The fact that there are still people complaining about not being able to use offline mode properly means there still clearly is a problem and they haven't fixed it

 

[thesilentman]

Steam activation is required for some games and you can't really run games that use Steamworks without cracking the copy (which may or may not be legal where you are) or playing in Offline mode.

Oh, and offline mode works. I've done it for a few months and I can confirm it. Sure no multiplayer games, but I can still play my singleplayer games.

That would be a good point....if it wasn't completely and utterly untrue.

Same here, the offline mode works.

"It works for me therefore no problem exists and anyone who says otherwise is lying"

Sorry but while offline mode may work fine for you that doesn't mean it works for everyone.I have the exact same problem Anachronism has as does my brother and several of my friends.If I try to start Steam while not connected to the internet I get a message telling me it's unable to launch Steam because it can't connect to the network.The only way I can get offline mode running is to launch Steam online and then select the "restart in offline mode" option which kinda defeats the purpose of an offline mode to begin with and the second I log out I get the "unable to connect" BS again

Simple fact is that for me and a lot of other people Steams offline mode is pretty much broken

A fact is a term that is true for everyone regardless of what happens. Just throwing that out there as perspective is indeed important when we discuss.

Steam's Offline mode is pretty much broken is not a fact. It works, and I recommend that you take a further look at how to fix it. I wouldn't call it broken per se, more fussy.

Then again, Steam is not perfect as the whole client sometimes glitches on me and I am not happy about that. -.-

I think its more a generalization, when people rally against "DRM" they are meaning intrusive copy protection systems that maul even the most law abiding users like Origin, StarForce, Always-Online.

It may be an artificial distinction but I think in peoples minds a real one does exist between "DRM" and "Copy protection" even though they really are the same thing.

God I hope this post makes sense as I am half asleep at the moment... xD

Actually, that makes a whole lot of sense considering the attitude against DRM and the attitude against Steam. Steam is DRM, but you don't see people getting pissed (most of the time; I mean Origin level pissed) as much.

 

[MetalDooley]

A fact is a term that is true for everyone regardless of what happens. Just throwing that out there as perspective is indeed important when we discuss.

Steam's Offline mode is pretty much broken is not a fact. It works, and I recommend that you take a further look at how to fix it. I wouldn't call it broken per se, more fussy.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a fact is "something that truly exists or happens,something that has actual existence".Steams offline mode not working for a lot of people is something that truly exists or happens so yes it qualifies as a fact

I've looked up how to get it running and have followed every tip on Steams own help page on how to get offline mode running.It still doesn't work for me.This is not a case of it not working once and me declaring it broken.I have genuinely tried to get it running but no luck

Oh, and offline mode works. I've done it for a few months and I can confirm it.

Yes it works...for you.Just because you haven't experienced a problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist.Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

As an example loads of people complained that Fallout:New Vegas was riddled with bugs and glitches,some of which were gamebreaking.I put around 70 hours into that game and didn't experience a single bug or glitch.Does that mean they didn't exist and all the people complaining were making shit up?No it doesn't.The bugs and glitches were a real thing but only some people experienced them.This is the same situation.Offline mode works fine for some people but not for others

 

[thesilentman]

A fact is a term that is true for everyone regardless of what happens. Just throwing that out there as perspective is indeed important when we discuss.

Steam's Offline mode is pretty much broken is not a fact. It works, and I recommend that you take a further look at how to fix it. I wouldn't call it broken per se, more fussy.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a fact is "something that truly exists or happens,something that has actual existence".Steams offline mode not working for a lot of people is something that truly exists or happens so yes it qualifies as a fact

I've looked up how to get it running and have followed every tip on Steams own help page on how to get offline mode running.It still doesn't work for me.This is not a case of it not working once and me declaring it broken.I have genuinely tried to get it running but no luck

Oh, and offline mode works. I've done it for a few months and I can confirm it.

Yes it works...for you.Just because you haven't experienced a problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist.Why is that so hard for some people to understand?

As an example loads of people complained that Fallout:New Vegas was riddled with bugs and glitches,some of which were gamebreaking.I put around 70 hours into that game and didn't experience a single bug or glitch.Does that mean they didn't exist and all the people complaining were making shit up?No it doesn't.The bugs and glitches were a real thing but only some people experienced them.This is the same situation.Offline mode works fine for some people but not for others

Yeah, I saw something that really wasn't there. Sorry about that. I actually agree, but I think I must have not been paying attention or something.

Once again, sorry. It wasn't really my intent to pick a fight. >.>

 

[MetalDooley]

Yeah, I saw something that really wasn't there. Sorry about that. I actually agree, but I think I must have not been paying attention or something.

Once again, sorry. It wasn't really my intent to pick a fight. >.>

No need to apologise dude.If everyone agreed with everyone else this forum would be a dull place

 

[votemarvel]

The issue people have with DRM is that the only people who have to put up with it are those who do buy their games. Yet a pirate has no such restrictions, leading many to think that on some occasions the pirates are actually getting the better version.

It's like those unskippable anti-piracy adverts they had on DVDs. The only people who saw them owned a genuine copy. A pirate version either let you skip or removed the ad entirely.

Steam is exactly the same. Why does my copy of The Walking Dead require Steam in order for me to play it? I am required to prove I didn't steal the game every time I play, yet if I did steal it then I'd have no worries about those checks.

 

[rbstewart7263]

The ways in which this is bad for you are various, some of the most obvious being:
- You can't use Steam (Login into your Account) at once on more than one computer, this means that if you have a sibling or a child and want him to play any specific game while you play something else this isn't possible

This part isn't entirely true. I share my account with my brother sometimes and you simply have to go offline mode before he logs in. You can't play online, that's for sure but you both can play 2 single player games without any problems (the one logged in can play online if he wants). Then again, you couldn't both play online with the same game in the CD-KEYS era anyway. So you can both play on the same account at the same time, just not online.

OT : I didn't know you had to reauthenticate every 2 weeks to stay in offline mode. Nice to know. Other than that, Steam isn't unconveniant as much other DRM are, that's probably why so much people can deal with it without going on an anti-DRM rampage.

So if I moved to my mothers who doesnt have internet I would be screwed?

 

[Ulkjen]

Forgive me if I sound like a tool, but I honestly want to know.

I don't think it's any secret that DRM and similar topics tend to crop up when talking about video games. Whenever this happens, in addition to wondering how EA can be so dumb, I almost invariably see someone labouriously trudge into the discussion, mention how all the plebs are such twits for liking Steam even though Steam has DRM, and promptly leave without answering any responses or elaborating on precisely what they meant.

Anyway, my question to The Escapist is thus: how does Steam employ DRM, and how/why is that a bad thing?[footnote]I know that DRM is bad. I just want to know specifically about Steam.[/footnote]

So, yeah. I don't meant this question as any kind of defense or anything - I just want to know what's what.

First, a lot of games on Steam require Steam to run them. There are exceptions. For example, I can run my copy of ARMA2 w/o having steam running.

Second, its a bit of a hassle to make steams Offline mode work correctly. You have to set it up to save your login data. If you do not, and you ever have no internet, Steam will not have your login data to, well, login.

Third, people hate on popular stuff. Deal with it. ;D No seriously! There is no reason to hate steam. Steams never done anything bad to you (mostly. I've heard a few cases of people with bad customer service experience but really, not many). At most its done is prevent you from logging in because you did not set it up right! Most often people get angry with steam because of ID-Ten-T errors.

The worst problems I have had with steam are usually just the Item server not working for TF2. Or how some games have Steam Server Browser implemented into them being the only way to find servers... which doesn't always work when Steam decides to have a fit.

TL;DR: Steam is DRM because its often required to play many of its games. Not all, but most. Personally, the benefits outweigh the negatives. Like how drinking a glass of milk is good for you even though its crazily fattening. The benefits outweigh the negatives. Unless you're lactose intolerant... but i doubt anyone has an adverse allergic reaction when they look at Steam.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Well, when you buy a retail copy of most PC games, you have to register it to your Steam account, making your physical copy untradable/unlendable.

This not entirely true. There are a few companies that routinely do that (Bethesda comes to mind, and Valve kind of goes without saying) but most publishers either use a less restrictive DRM[footnote]like SecureROM, which in its basic configuration is little more than a disc check. For example, Morrowind used SecureROM in that configuration, as did a lot of more recent games, but I know off hand that the disc check in Morrowind was SecureROM. It had further optional restrictions at one point, which were used in a few games like the first Mass Effect, but that was a customer support nightmare, so that feature doesn't get used much anymore.[/footnote], or, like EA and Ubisoft, develop their own crazy one time use DRM.

This is all talking about boxed copies, though. Most new games that are sold through the Steam store use Steamworks, it's pretty much only a few really old titles that nobody wanted to bother to update that can run without the client also running, short of cracking the DRM. Steam is in and of itself DRM, it's only less onerous than the DRM on the Xbox One in that it has frequent massive sales[footnote]because of the all the competition on the platform -- Microsoft won't have that incentive[/footnote], and in that its offline mode, though incredibly unreliable, lasts a lot longer than a day when it's working properly. Which is not often.