Poll: My problem with Steam.

[viranimus]

Perhaps I am missing something. It is entirely possible considering my personal exp with steam is rather limited (I bought 2 games for a total of 8$ and got the rest free)

But 25gb of update files? Between 7 games? thats an average of just under 4gb per game. Im not familiar with any game that patches 4gb worth of files outside of valve games such as L4D which is adding content.

Also, would you not be able to run the games in "offline" mode to avoid being forced to patch the games, or given the fact that its already been installed and notified of a required patch is it too late?

 

[Merkavar]

I pay $50(AU) for 3GB (I know it's insane) and I just cant afford to download much, at the moment I have 7 games that are unplayable until I download about 25GB of game files.
That would cost about $420.

where the hell do you live lol. that is the worse internet deal i have seen in ages. i am really sorry for you.

my suggestion is that you steal a little bit of internet from all of your neighbours and download the games like that but judging by your internet plan you nearest nieghbour is probably 1000km away.

 

[Valiance]

I'm not saying that Steam should stop with the updates, just make them optional or something or make it so i can play my games even when their updating.
So in conclusion
Should Valve change the way that Steam downloads updates?

I agree 100%.

The way I feel is that I should be able to download them if I want to, but just play the damn game if I don't want to. While I understand some multiplayer games sort of REQUIRE updates to get to the most current servers, others DO NOT. For example, there are plenty of servers for older versions of Quake, Quake III, UT, and Battlefield 1942. At the same time, every one of these games have a singleplayer component that might be untouched by a steam patch, or might not be upgraded in a way that I care about. What I would be wanting in that situation is not to wait for ~15 minutes of downloading, but to just play the game 'as is' without downloading the update, or WHILE downloading the update.

I think that for every singleplayer game on steam, updates should be optional. And for every multiplayer game with a singleplayer component, updates should be optional. And for every multiplayer-only game, if the game allows us to play with an old version, let us. If it doesn't, make the update happen.

And at least make the update THE FINAL UPDATE. Steam's version of UT only updates to 436, when the most recent version is a fan-made patch of 451b, which is what 90% of the online servers use. And patching a steam installation is a bit different than any other install, so they should at least have some semi-complete instructions on that. I realize they can't support a fan-made version, but it wouldn't take much to do some research and display a link in the library page to the fan patch.

 

[Zaik]

What this really comes down to is the internet over on Australia is totally awful.

I do think steam should probably try to do something to work around the awful internet there if they don't, but fact of the matter is that at those prices, with the size of games these days, you could easily pay 3-4 times over for downloading one new game through steam. That's a total failure on your ISPs part.

 

[Dutchie_Diatribe]

Due to the amount of files I have on my laptop, mostly important stuff, I rarely have more than four or five GB of memory as it is. So installing games takes up even more of that. You do realise that you can just have one game installed on your PC, right? When you finish that then uninstall it (it'll keep the save files on Steam, or should do at any rate), then install the next game you want to play. Unless you play multiple games online with multiplayer, in which case I do sympathise, but in that instance I highly recommend you get a better internet plan and a better way of storing memory for your computer.

This isn't about hard drive space, it's about the updates that Steam is forcing me to download on my shitty prepaid internet.

 

[WrongSprite]

My only problem with Steam is how cheap it is. I have way too many games.

 

[Dutchie_Diatribe]

EDIT: and a NVIDIA 2850(?) 1 GB Graphics card

Yeah... is that a GTX? If so, you've leaped a decade forward. What was it like!?

Or you just mean Geforce 285 GTX (more likely). Awwwww.

That's it lol.

 

[Dutchie_Diatribe]

I'm not saying that Steam should stop with the updates, just make them optional or something

They are. Right-click on a game -> Properties -> Updates -> "Do not update this game". Too late for you now, though.

I pay $50(AU) for 3GB (I know it's insane)

I don't know how that's even possible... Even Telstra will give you 50GB for that price these days.

Are you serious? *Goes and checks Steam* Well now I feel like an idiot.

And my internet only cost so much because it's prepaid on Optus...

 

[Dutchie_Diatribe]

Perhaps I am missing something. It is entirely possible considering my personal exp with steam is rather limited (I bought 2 games for a total of 8$ and got the rest free)

But 25gb of update files? Between 7 games? thats an average of just under 4gb per game. Im not familiar with any game that patches 4gb worth of files outside of valve games such as L4D which is adding content.

Also, would you not be able to run the games in "offline" mode to avoid being forced to patch the games, or given the fact that its already been installed and notified of a required patch is it too late?

Well there's Counter strike that needs 4.5GB, L4D2 that needs 11.5GB, Zombie Panic needs 2.8GB, Alien Swarm needs 2GB, Gmod needs 3GB and Sol Survivor needs 500MB also there was Super Meat Boy as well but that only needed like 90MB so i bit the bullet and downloaded it. And yeah it's too late now I won't be able to play them until I get the updates.

EDIT:It's no use playing offline now and I'm pretty sure that the games that you buy through Steam you have to be online to play. The ones I mentioned anyway.

 

[Vault101]

I agree I was all out of internet by the time fallout new veags was out, I had to wait another day untill I could steal someone elses internet

 

[starhaven]

I like Steam.
I like the way all my games are run though the one program, I like that you can buy games through their built in store.
The only thing that bothers me about an otherwise fine program is the constant updates for it's games. Unlike some people I'm not blessed with a decent internet connection.
I pay $50(AU) for 3GB (I know it's insane) and I just cant afford to download much, at the moment I have 7 games that are unplayable until I download about 25GB of game files.
That would cost about $420.
Now I've payed for these games when I didn't have to. I could have downloaded them illegally but I didn't and how to I get rewarded for my non-thieving honesty?
By getting to sit here and watch my unplayable games be paused indefinitely in my download list.
I'm not saying that Steam should stop with the updates, just make them optional or something or make it so i can play my games even when their updating.
So in conclusion
Should Valve change the way that Steam downloads updates?

get better internet i pay $50 for 50gig you sir are being screwed or you are using wireless ethier way you need a new deal

i am also australian so if i can find a good deal you can to

 

[Chamale]

I have similar problems, sir. My tiny weakling laptop with a 120 GB harddrive keeps trying to download Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2, since I purchased them for my powerful Mac desktop. I'm thinking about taking Steam off of my laptop entirely, since Steam keeps filling the harddrive with games it can't run.

 

[suiluj94]

Does the $50 cover phone bill too?

 

[Dutchie_Diatribe]

Does the $50 cover phone bill too?

it's wireless prepaid broadband from Optus.

 

[suiluj94]

Yeah Steam is a massive pain in the ass on the prepaid broadband, I had one and it was ridiculous just trying to load Steam