So I just installed Steam once again.

[Fireaxe]

I like Steam for much the same reason I liked the old battle.net (that is to say, not the new one that came with Starcraft2/Diablo3, which sucks). The friends function works nicely, the chat works, the server listings work well, it takes up pretty much no grunt on my PC (far less than Firefox for instance).

Plus the sales are nice.

 

[Deathlyphil]

My only problem with Steam is that extreme paranoia that one day, perhaps by some freak accident, Valve can't continue to support Steam, and they have to shut down, taking my games with them. Other than that, I love Steam. It takes up almost no noticeable power from any decent computer, all my games can be downloaded at any time, and I don't have to worry about any game cases taking up space on a shelf or drawer (as much as I'd sometimes love to). Also there are deals on new games that even the console versions don't have, patches download automatically, and it's an easy way to keep friends on and see what games they are playing.

Also, can someone tell me, if I upgrade to Windows 8.1 from the free upgrade on the Microsoft store page (I have windows 8), does it wipe all my games and drivers and such? Or would at least most of them still work since it's still technically Windows 8?

Gabe Newell has said several times that if Valve has to shut down for any reason, they will patch all their own games so you can still run them without Steam. Non-Valve games are a different matter though.

As for upgrading Win8, it *should* just be a point upgrade. Which means all your files, settings, games, etc, should not be affected. If not, then it will give you a warning that you are about to wipe all your data.

 

[TehCookie]

I got DMC4 last christmas and it didn't work. I still use the games that actually work on it, but I refuse to buy anything more. Steam isn't as cheap as everyone seems to think, I can get games just as cheap used. Used games also have the physical game.

That is most likely a problem on the client side, I haven't seen any threads saying that it doesn't work, and I also have it working. Hardware? Windows 8? (windows 8 fucks up everything in the history of mankind)

No, Steam isn't very cheap outside of their insane deals. I usually get my games from GMG or other places.

The cracked version runs fine, so it's not the game or my computer. Only when I try to run it through steam it fails. I'm not a PC expert, but that looks like it's entirely Steam's fault.

I got DMC4 last christmas and it didn't work. I still use the games that actually work on it, but I refuse to buy anything more. Steam isn't as cheap as everyone seems to think, I can get games just as cheap used. Used games also have the physical game.

But you're forgetting that PC gamers haven't had used games since the mid 00's
Back when CD keys were the only DRM that existed... and online passes were unheard of...

Read down a little bit. And I miss the 00's of PC gaming, because games would work anytime anywhere. If you got a broken game you could find a patch and it would stay patched instead of uninstalled by Steam.

I got DMC4 last christmas and it didn't work. I still use the games that actually work on it, but I refuse to buy anything more. Steam isn't as cheap as everyone seems to think, I can get games just as cheap used. Used games also have the physical game.

I'm pretty frugal, and I know how to seek out the best deals for games. I can tell you that you are totally wrong. I'm able to buy entire fucking publisher libraries for 30-80 dollars DLC and all. Many of those games work outside of steam client. You can't beat that. The Humble Bundles make that plunge even further.

Condemned sold for less than a dollar and a half this Halloween. Great game. Can't beat that kind of pricing. Unless you buy a CD in a sleeve on ebay maybe...

First of all how do you know I'm wrong where you don't know where I shop? Due to the economic depression and being in a shithole city the shops around here are as cheap as eBay, and Condemned goes for like $2 all year round and you get a case and CD. Also why do you even bother bringing up the humble bundle or games that work outside of Steam? They're irrelevant.

 

[Denamic]

Having been heavily dosed with steam deals throughout the years, I think I've built an immunity towards them. I'll still splurge on games when I've no budget for it now and then, but I won't spend ALL my food money on games any more. I didn't even buy a single game this Halloween.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

I think TehCookie and some other users here have highlighted a critical flaw here in Steam: It's not user-friendly for non-technical people. In other words, if someone without the technical skills runs into a problem with a Steam game, they have no idea on how to fix it and instead blame Steam for the complications. The usual fixes are hidden behind one too many clicks, or Steam does not inform them of the options they could take to attempt to fix it. Best way to fix the non-technical user problem? Make a one-click Auto-troubleshoot that runs the game through a series of known fixes and workarounds for common and specific problems.

Also, TehCookie: You probably need to do an integrity check on your DMC4 content. Right-click the game in your Library, go to Properties, move to the Local Files tab, and click "Verify integrity of game cache..." It will do some checks on your file to see if there is any corruption, and if any files are corrupt it will re-download those files.

Alternatively, also click on "Browse local files" and find the executable in the file browser that pops up (it may be in one of the folders). Right-click it, select "Properties", go to the Compatibility tab, and check "Run this program as Administrator". Hit OK, and try the game again.

(Above is the sort of thing I'm talking about - How would a non-technical person know to do that?)

 

[romxxii]

I don't get these complaints about Steam being a resource hog. It only takes up 64MB while active, 24 in the background. Maybe if you're one of those poor saps who still make do with 4GB or less, but not when you have 8GB of RAM. Besides, in my experience there are bigger resource hogs than something that can't even take up 100MB. Chrome, for instance, can take up several gigabytes if you leave too many tabs open. Flash is another big offender.

 

[romxxii]

My only problem with Steam is that extreme paranoia that one day, perhaps by some freak accident, Valve can't continue to support Steam, and they have to shut down, taking my games with them.

If we've learned anything from the impending GFWL shutdown, it's that publishers will just migrate to a different platform. WB has already given me a Steam key for my old retail copy of Arkham City, and I'm guessing the same will happen with Valve should the time ever come.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

Flash is another big offender.

Flash is, without a doubt, the strongest offender. It's very much the reason Firefox, Steam, and a few other browser-style apps are noted as resource hogs, and Adobe doesn't seem to think that perhaps at this point it's better just to rebuild the engine from the ground up so that it's much more efficient.

 

[TehCookie]

First of all how do you know I'm wrong where you don't know where I shop? Due to the economic depression and being in a shithole city the shops around here are as cheap as eBay, and Condemned goes for like $2 all year round and you get a case and CD. Also why do you even bother bringing up the humble bundle or games that work outside of Steam? They're irrelevant.

1. What shithole do you live in that sells tons of legit used PC games in conditions that are worth buying? I haven't seen that in over a decade anywhere
2. Many games downloaded through steam client work outside of steam, meaning you can just make a backup of that and do whatever with it.
3. Humble bundles have had steam games for a while. I think I got Dead Island, the entire Saint's Row 3 package plus Saint's Row 2, both Sup Coms, Metro 2033, and a bunch of other games I like for a total under $20.

1. Did you even read the thread? I have more than once platform and go for the best deal. It's on the first page!
2. If you crack it which is questionably legal, but if I'm going to do something illegal anyways why would I pay them money? Unless there's some other way you know I don't.
3. Humble Bundles also have them DRM free as well as the Steam keys. Unless it's from crappy publishers, but I haven't seen many forced DRM games on there.

Though I have an unrelated question? Why are Steam fanboys so rabid? It's always like how dare someone not enjoy what they like.

 

[Best of the 3]

Valve is the only software distribution company I've heard of that hires psychologists. I think there's some Skinner Box going on with Steam. I personally don't buy from Steam because I don't want an omnipresent sentient gatekeeper between me and my games.

Think? It's pretty obvious, even more so with those new game card things that you can now randomly unlock. I think that comes under more of Skinner/behaviourism with reward schemas. Interesting if you want to look it up. Me and a friend of mine were talking about the psychology behind what Steam has done recently with all their changes with levels and unlockables. It's very weird yet it works.

OT: I like steam. I buy some games from it, I use it when I play other games to talk to friends. It's handy for me so I have no problems with it.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Does Windows 8 also insist on updating your graphics card drivers, randomly presenting everything in gloriously unwanted 3D?

I've been using Windows 8 and 8.1 since they came out, respectively, and I really wonder what you could possibly be talking about...?

This [http://i.imgur.com/UEMw4gA.png] maybe?

I have been sitting on a stack of Windows 8 licenses from day one, but I only kept the RC installed in its own, well secured virtual box. The annoyances I identified were still in the final product, so I held off updating any machine with Windows 8. Now that I could no longer enjoy my freedom, I made this week Windows 8.1 week. Windows 8.1 is a 3 GB download once one has installed Windows 8. I think that sucks. I still think Metro sucks. I still think a lot of the changes in Windows 8 suck, as in huge, hairy moose balls. And yes, I do think that the vanilla experience of Windows 8 updating drivers by itself is bound to give a lot of people severe headaches. I've been working on Windows for 20 years straight, and there were several iterations that, for various reasons, sucked. Windows 8, to me, is one of those iterations. I like the sleekness of things under the hood. The return of the magic button in 8.1 is very welcome, especially with its right-click usefulness.

And yet, left to its own devices, after just half an hour any and all games presented themselves in nothing but 3D with the 3D settings section being wiped from the video preferences. Why? Because Windows 8 silently installed the most recent driver. While I know what to do, I know and have to work with a lot of people that don't. It's little stunts like this one that put a dent in people's experiences with the product... and, in the end, it costs early adopters money by messing with their productivity. And even if it is just for games, it's not all fun and games, as a quick browse over to the Steam (and other) forums suggests. People blame everything and everyone before they realize it's the default settings of their fancy new OS. I find it difficult to just accept that. In fact, I am entirely unwilling to accept that.

Thanks for the help, though.

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

I dont like having advertisements dropped on to myscreen uninvited.

Settings ---> Interface ---> uncheck the notify me about new deals box.
set favorite window library

Was that so hard?

I dont use the community functions

And you can't intellectually deal with the the fact that those features take up a grand total of 2-3% of an interface screen during the half second it takes to launch a game?

and have no interest in the cards

Then you're a fool. I made 14$ selling those dumb cards. It's extra money to buy new games, given to you for playing games.

 

[WeepingAngels]

My only problem with Steam is that extreme paranoia that one day, perhaps by some freak accident, Valve can't continue to support Steam, and they have to shut down, taking my games with them. Other than that, I love Steam. It takes up almost no noticeable power from any decent computer, all my games can be downloaded at any time, and I don't have to worry about any game cases taking up space on a shelf or drawer (as much as I'd sometimes love to). Also there are deals on new games that even the console versions don't have, patches download automatically, and it's an easy way to keep friends on and see what games they are playing.

Also, can someone tell me, if I upgrade to Windows 8.1 from the free upgrade on the Microsoft store page (I have windows 8), does it wipe all my games and drivers and such? Or would at least most of them still work since it's still technically Windows 8?

Gabe Newell has said several times that if Valve has to shut down for any reason, they will patch all their own games so you can still run them without Steam.

Seen people make this claim many times, never seen the actual quote though. Do you have the actual quote?

 

[loc978]

Back when I bought Portal to see what all the fuss was about (and I did see. Love the Portal series... and only the Portal series among Valve's games), I balked at Steam... with good reason. It was a bug-ridden mess full of advertisements you couldn't shut off (back then). I considered it malware (due to relatively recent improvements, I no longer do).

However, even back then...

I tend to very much dislike any non-productive program that wants to run 24/7 without any proper benefit or justification I can get behind.

...that has never been true. Steam has always had a very clearly labeled option to not start up with your computer. It defaults to "on" the same as every other program with an instant messaging component since about 1998... the ability and sense to turn those off is what separates average baby-boomer computer literacy from the world war 2 generation's average computer literacy.

My experience with Steam lately has been all positive. Gaming under Linux (both native and through an emulation layer) has been easier than I ever thought it could be, back before I used Linux. It's also been more stable than any gaming I've done since XP SP2. Can't wait for the rest of 'em to kick Microsoft to the curb.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

I have but one warning, my friend:

Christmas sales are coming...

 

[Vigormortis]

Settings ---> Interface ---> uncheck the notify me about new deals box.
set favorite window library

Was that so hard?

I've found that the vast majority of the complaints I hear regarding Steam can be solved by getting the complainer to simply open the damn options menu.

Seriously....when did the ability to navigate a basic drop-down menu become something that's considered "tech savvy"?

And you can't intellectually deal with the the fact that those features take up a grand total of 2-3% of an interface screen during the half second it takes to launch a game?

Not even 2-3% if you leave yourself offline in Friends, leave Steam in offline mode, or change the skin Steam uses.

Then you're a fool. I made 14$ selling those dumb cards. It's extra money to buy new games, given to you for playing games.

Exactly.

For those that are so inclined, the trading cards and other meta-gaming features Valve added in the past year are a fun and engaging bit of challenges.

For those that aren't, they're a source of free money. Money earned by simply playing the games you want to play.

I still can't fathom why people are bitching about the trading cards. I really can't.

 

[Vigormortis]

Seen people make this claim many times, never seen the actual quote though. Do you have the actual quote?

Even if it weren't true, it doesn't matter.

When you buy a game off Steam, you own the game. At least, in the same fashion you "owned" those games going as far back as the 90's.

See, here's the thing:
If you're buying software via digital distribution, and you're not downloading and backing-up those games onto a hard-drive, DVDs, or other storage medium, than you are being incredibly irresponsible with your purchases.

Not doing so is the equivalent of going to Gamestop, paying for a game, and asking them to keep the disk behind the counter until some unknown future date when you may or may not return to pick it up.

Or, if you don't keep back-up copies stored locally (as in, solely relying on downloading from Steam after the initial install), then that's the equivalent of buying your game from Gamestop, taking it home for a bit, then returning to the store and asking them to keep it for you until you want to play it again.

Sure, they may be obliged to keep that copy available to you, but if they go belly-up and your copy goes with them, then that's on you.

Every time I purchase a game from Steam, I immediately download it and create a back-up of the game to one of my external hard-drives. That way, even if Valve magically "goes away" in the near future, I still have all of my games.

I really wish more people would realize this. I really get sick of hearing the "but they can take away all my games at any time!" bullshit.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I've personally never had a single problem with Steam itself, after about 3 years of use.

Can't connect to the internet? Play offline. Yes Steam still has to run, but it's not much of a memory hog anyway.

Then you get a reasonable amount of games exposed to you (not so many that it all becomes a blur), on top of that getting the games themselves and any DLC for your games is an absolute piece of cake, and to put the cherry on top your games will always be updated (if you choose for them to be).

I know that Steam has it's share of problems for a lot of people, and I do sympathise, but for me it's perfectly fine.