Mass Effect 3 Gives Steam a Miss at Launch

[Brownie101]

Yea, I pre-oredered it. Yea, I pre-ordered the Special Edition. But I'd already decided I was going to play it twice, maybe 3 times like I did with ME2 and then uninstall every trace of Origin.
I mean, I only got it because it's to be the finale to what has thus far been a great series. I'm still vehemently against EA for several reasons, first and foremost being their torture and butchering of the Command And Conquer line. And they don't even have the decency to let the franchise die in peace.
This is the last purchase I am sure I will be making from EA because screw them.

 

[meowchef]

As long as my saved game from the first two games still carries over from the Steam versions... I could not possibly care any less.

 

[rofltehcat]

What a load of BS. Restrictive patching on Steam? Surely, what is keeping back the patches for BF3 (steamless) since weeks isn't origin, EA's policy or consoles. My steam games update like crazy. If the patching was as restrictive as for consoles or more restrictive (and intrusive) than building an own game updater, developers wouldn't patch that often.
In contrast, steam seems to actually be one of the easiest and quickest ways to distribute patches.

Seriously EA, what is wrong with you. Just tell everyone that you want to promote your own digital distribution platform. But why the bitching and backstabbing? Sour much?

But don't worry. I'll buy ME3... eventually when it is on sale for 10 bucks at gamestop or via international reimport because it sure as hell isn't worth 60 bucks to me. 60 is console prices and you are even cutting out the retailers and then again using your own distribution system. It should be more like 35 that way. But I'm sure you'll like the 0 or 3 bucks you make of used sales and reimport.

 

[Bradeck]

Well, can I just shutdown the Origin startup processes using CCleaner, deactivate my network card whenever I want to play to go offline, then play? Afterward I would manually go and shutdown Origin processes (including shared ones) before reactivating my network card. That way, Origin would never be able to send my information to EA.

Upon installation Origin does a cursory scan of your system. It also checks your registry for conflicting programs, or blocked areas. Same with most virus scanners, or updaters. Steam does it too, but it asks you if it can the first time you install it, and if you say no, it doesn't.

Well, I don't have anything to hide, so it's not an issue, but still a bit unnerving and it is something of a violation of my privacy "rights."

You're right, most people don't have anything to hide, from EA. However, what EA chooses to do with that info is not being discussed. Suppose they sell that information, which in turn gets handed to or picked up by data smugglers. What if you name files with the same name as your pssword? What if you use the same password as your atm pin? This is where it gets hairy.

 

[balberoy]

I am a PC gamer and what EA does is comletely useless.
It's a marketing desaster, costs customers and has a lasting impact on EA and Bioware.

To play Bioware games you need a Bioware account AND Origin. Yeah nice guys.
Hope they know why I stopped buying games from Ubisoft.

And to make that clear, as long as I have to use "Bioware Points" I will never buy anything else then "Complete/Ultimate Editions" on any game.
And I won't buy any game as long I need Origin.

CYA EA,
has been no nice time since very very long.

 

[balberoy]

Sry for two posts,
some kind of error.

Can someone erase this one maybe?

 

[Gather]

And Valve SHOULD get a cut of the DLC sales. Valve/Steam is paying to host the content, paying to advertise it and deliver it to you. Why wouldn't they get a part of the profits?

Think if it like a regular store. If Mass Effect DLC was sold at Best Buy, they get a cut.

Except that Mass Effect DLC isn't being sold on Steam. It's being sold on a separate website; bandwidth and all.

Valve just wants the DLC available on steam in addition to wherever else EA wants to sell it. No one forces it to be purchased through Steam. If its carried there, it can be downloaded from Steam's servers. Valve wouldn't get any profit from DLC purchased elsewhere. The Mass Effect DLC purchased with Bioware points, Valve gets none of that.

Which comes full circle to explain why Valve is the greedier corporation. Valve saw a chance at profit being missed (DLC sales) and wanted a cut so they worked on a system that allows you to buy DLC from Steam as well as games. Then they enforced it because they wanted to ensure that cut will stay theirs.

Games that are not "steam exclusive" (Anno 2070 and Tropico 4) you have bought through Steam now and in the future will require you to buy the DLC from steam in order to work which lets them get a "cut" out of the DLC sales; a substantial one if Steam is of any decent size. Games that are "steam exclusive" (Fallout New Vegas and Saints Row 3) will work but will send a cut to Steam as well as the original website you bought it from (An assumption but Valve strike me down and prove me wrong if this is false).

 

[Doom-Slayer]

"connect directly with our consumers." "restrictive terms of service" "limit how developers interact with customers"

Notice the wording. There was a huge uproar a short while back about the wording in the Origin terms of service; And concern that EA through Origin would be monitoring activity that people would prefer not be tracked or information spread/sold. EA doesn?t want to use steam because it restricts EA's ability to disturb customer privacy.

That, and they cant use their "Bioware points". They want to sell DLC straight through the game and not through Steam, basically cutting Valve out of sales, and obviously Valve said no.

So lets see the list

-Can sell private info to advertisers.
-Slow memory hogging platform.
-AND now they being greedy self entitled children.

Nice EA...

 

[ScorpioT]

You know if ME3 was available for preorder on Steam, without any Origin-spyware bullshit, I would have already bought it. Hell, if the retail version did not require Origin, I would have bought THAT in an instant, without Steam even. Guess I'll have to find some other way to enjoy the series.

And about Valve DLC policies - it was a nightmare to purchase DLC from Bioware with their "points". I prefer to just click the buy button on steam and pay from my personal wallet there, saves a lot of time and trouble.

 

[Kanatatsu]

I'd normally play this on PC but now I will be buying it second hand for a console. Fuck you EA.

 

[Bradeck]

You know, I wish that this would all unfold in a public forum, in 2012, where EA has a kind of "developer fight" with Valve. EA will begin by touting SWTOR, ME3, and BF3, and how awesome it is.

EA - "Valve, your time is over! You're an old has been, with nothing left to offer! We are now the masters of the gaming industry! You have nothing! SUCK IT VALVE!"

Gabe just sits there, calmly, and quietly. Then, without a word, he opens a briefcase and takes out a small box. On the box, is written, "HL3". EA shits a brick house and runs.

 

[Doom-Slayer]

Considering that both Origin and Steam are essentially malware if you don't opt-out of data distribution and spyware even if you do (because data-mining continues anyway), it's impossible to give one a pass and not the other.

Except Steams EULA says that they will not give identifiable infomation away to 3rd parties without your permission and Origins says they can do whatever they want with it..EVEN after they changed it. Because of the wording absolutely nothing changed, since all they do is claim they are using the data for the bennefit of Origin and they are fine.

Oh and EA's "You can sue us policy" which you have to agree to when you use anything of theres.

Quite simply... no.

-snip-

Its also a problem of how the DLC is used with the game. Basically it meams Steam is selling a product that seperate to Steam can download more content, than Steam hasnt checked or even verified. It means they cant give customer support to that game anymore bcause hey "You have content that we didnt supply and we dont have", you cant sync you game properly or work with the Steam cloud because once again, Steam doesnt know how to interact with that data.

While selling DLC on Steam is partly to do with money ,Id have to say its just for convinience and common sense. If you have bonus content for soemthing or an extra part..you go to the store where you bought the original object, its not like Steam is asking for something that is out of the ordinary. And by EA coming out and saying "Actually no...you can sell the GAME..but then customers can buy anything else straight through us, not you..but the customers, oh theyll still use your servivce for the game and get all of the bonuses, they just pay us directly for the extras".

Id call Steam greedy if hey were the ones complaining, ie if they were the ones that actually created their policy in response to EA. Otherwise..they have a simple enough policy, and EA has tried to bypass it to make more money, and Valve said no. End of story really.

 

[VulakAerr]

Not really sure what the big fuss is about. Seems to be the way PC gaming is going, so sign me up for Origin. I'm really not sure where all this misplaced loyalty to Steam comes from. Sure it's a decent enough service but it's no better or worse than Origin.

In fact, I'd rather follow a service whose parent company actually puts out a decent game more than once every 2-3 years.

Can't believe people are getting shitty over the fact that you need to remain connected to play multiplayer. Are you stupid? Yes, I know LAN parties still exist, but they shouldn't, because they smell fucking terrible.

 

[Sandytimeman]

dammit, I wanted to play this game...oh well guess I can't until it comes over to steam T_T. I refuse to install origin on my computer.

 

[Sandytimeman]

Not really sure what the big fuss is about. Seems to be the way PC gaming is going, so sign me up for Origin. I'm really not sure where all this misplaced loyalty to Steam comes from. Sure it's a decent enough service but it's no better or worse than Origin.

In fact, I'd rather follow a service whose parent company actually puts out a decent game more than once every 2-3 years.

Can't believe people are getting shitty over the fact that you need to remain connected to play multiplayer. Are you stupid? Yes, I know LAN parties still exist, but they shouldn't, because they smell fucking terrible.

its not loyalty to steam, but not wanting the malware filled pinata that is Origin on my computer. The thing literally records every website you go to, everything you do on your computer, and sends that data back to EA.

I will not use origin until those types of features are turned off.

 

[Leninv3l]

Origin's to far behind to cover the ground that Steam has. And i'm fine with that, Steam can be a nuisance, but Valve doesn't suck ass and try to screw us out of cash.

 

[Otaku World Order]

I did pre-order Mass Effect 3... for PS3

Honestly, EA needs to have it drilled into their skulls that if they want to compete with Steam, they actually have to work for it instead of tryin to jam their hideous Origin service down our throats.

 

[balberoy]

Which comes full circle to explain why Valve is the greedier corporation. Valve saw a chance at profit being missed (DLC sales) and wanted a cut so they worked on a system that allows you to buy DLC from Steam as well as games. Then they enforced it because they wanted to ensure that cut will stay theirs.

Games that are not "steam exclusive" (Anno 2070 and Tropico 4) you have bought through Steam now and in the future will require you to buy the DLC from steam in order to work which lets them get a "cut" out of the DLC sales; a substantial one if Steam is of any decent size. Games that are "steam exclusive" (Fallout New Vegas and Saints Row 3) will work but will send a cut to Steam as well as the original website you bought it from (An assumption but Valve strike me down and prove me wrong if this is false).

You forget that Steam has to support those games with a large network. And if you buy the DLC on another Shop for Steam, Steam still has to maintain this DLC. So essentially they had to pay and support something they made no money with.

Sry but you cant await you get things for free!
Do you think Server Maintanance and an infrasturcture like Steam is cheap?
Sry but you point is economicly invalid.

 

[Ariyura]

"Playing Mass Effect 3 multiplayer will require a constant connection."

Well there's plenty of other games to play anyway, looks like ME3 can wait.

It's a multiplayer mode they are talking about. Multiplayer. Online. Think about it.


---


Oh well, and so it goes that I won't be able to play yet another game because of EA's "problems" with Steam. I'm sure as hell not paying US60 (game) + 40 (delivery to where I live) for the physical copy and not touching Origin as it is f-ed-up in Hong Kong.

As I've read on other sites, I think it means it requires a constant connection to Origin if you are going to be on multiplayer. If you are only going to play the single player part of Mass Effect than you only need to run Origin once.

 

[Metalrocks]

if you guys still buy games that require origin, you tell pretty much ?A that they can get away with crap like this.
doesnt matter if you sandbox it or not.

just think about it for a moment.