Steam's Lack of Care Towards It's Members Vs Developers

[Dethesius]

Well, suffice to say that Steam's support has me pretty well... Steamed, it says a lot for how massive hub companies like Steam can make theirs without really giving two $#!%s about the people who are keeping them in business.

My experience:

Happened upon a game in the list of new starts. There was a pricetag on it - some prebuy gear or something once you reach a certain level. It wasn't much, a few bucks.

Stalcraft

Granted, at the time I didn't know the game was F2P. What I saw was a listing that had a pricetag - but that's not the point of the story, yet it's a big deal for some reason. <-- Developers hyper focused on this

I get in the game, play around a bit. Really digging the game! There are a few skins for gear. Now, normally in games that offer skins of this type, you would think they apply and come off, as in non-perma. However, there were NO information on these packs what so ever. Hindsight, go youtube or some dumb like that because that's all we ever want to do is watch someone playing a game to understand a game. This is not at all my style. Represent your game. Give it information. Don't leave your players in the dark.

I dump some cash into a couple of skins with a little extra to buy more if I like the way these go.

It wasn't at all what I expected. The skins were perma (along with some precise, specific thing you have to do and in only this way - as the dev later says, to get them back but only on specific gear). No where in the game is any of this information readily available.

So I ask for a refund.

Support says no. I bought it. Sorry. Them's the breaks.



Fine... I write up a nice little summary of my experience in the game in my Review, as is every steamer's right. The Dev comes back and says...

Game is free. You lie. You spent the money already on stuff in the game so you don't get a refund. You already used it! This is not how this works! Pretty much exactly what he said, sans my little paraphrase there.

The guy was a full blown bull headed ♥♥♥♥ out of the gate. If I had to visualize it, he came at me in a rush! He wasn't happy at all. So much so that he singled me out in their forums and perma banned me.

PERMA BANNED! What does this do?

Well, it stops me from posting in my OWN DAMN REVIEW! So the dev can keep coming at me with lies and complete BS in my own review and I can't respond because I'm banned in THEIR forums.

So I contact Steam.

Steam staight up tells me that they've given Stalcraft developers full and complete jurisdiction and have zero say over my own FKIN review!

MY own review. Mine... My own account that has zero to do with Stalcraft developers.

So since then... Being pissed as hell.. I spent the money in game because it's there and I can't get it back so what am I supposed to do with it? I use it on a 3 month pass and then the couple of weapon and armor skins I grabbed that started all of this BS.

The Developer was refering to me using the items and spending the credits on the 3 month. Of course I would. Who in the hell wouldn't? I did it because they refused me a refund so I'm damn sure going to play it. But the developer has his timeline all wrong and refuses to budge on what he thinks is what.

Not to knit-pick but the same developer made a comment in their forums saying that they were making no money from the western version of stalcraft and their primary source was Russian funds. He said it in his own forum. I have a screen cap and copy to prove it - yet in my own review he calls me out for making this all up and playing like I'm making all of this BS up.

Why would I waste so much time and energy unless they're the issue. Furthermore, since I've been in game and only after this has taken place - I'm getting the $#%# kicked out of me every single time I'm logging into the game by people with the name "More Cry" and similar. It feels an aweful lot by design - especially when these people can pick you out of a random hidden spot at will. You report but I really don't think that's going to do anything. Like I said.. I get the feeling that this Dev takes things really personal and goes out of his way to try and do everything he can to keep me closed up. I believe the only reason I'm still active in the game is because I put a good chunk of money in there to start and if I get banned (recording every session) it'll open a bigger can of worms?

I don't know. What I do know. This is NO WAY to treat someone. Especially when I'm the one supporting your little russian remake. I've never seen so much toxicity from a developer before in all my years of gaming.

And I know that steam doesn't seem to care. They shut me down so fast I couldn't even respond. They don't want to deal with it. They close the ticket and they're done. You can't even talk to a real person anymore.

It makes you want to lash out so hard that YOU'RE the bad guy. What is wrong with ppl

[Aachen]

Yeah, it’s unfortunate you were unaware of the nuances of https://store.steampowered.com/steam_refunds/

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Valve has nothing to with games they don't make. Take it up with the developers/publishers. They are solely responsible for their games and even the prices of their games.

"Steam" didn't do anything.

[Dethesius]

Originally posted by C²C^Guyver |NZB|:

Valve has nothing to with games they don't make. Take it up with the developers/publishers. They are solely responsible for their games and even the prices of their games.

"Steam" didn't do anything.

Why wouldn't they? They're hosting the game. It's their software. Stalcraft only starts at stalcraft when I click PLAY.

Major difference.

[C²C^Guyver |NZB|]

Originally posted by Dethesius:

Originally posted by C²C^Guyver |NZB|:

Valve has nothing to with games they don't make. Take it up with the developers/publishers. They are solely responsible for their games and even the prices of their games.

"Steam" didn't do anything.

Why wouldn't they? They're hosting the game. It's their software. Stalcraft only starts at stalcraft when I click PLAY.

Major difference.

The game isn't Valves' software.

https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store


Read through that.

partners = developers and publishers

[Satoru]

And people wonder why Support doesn't read the wall of text people send insisting their refund request is 'really honestly unique and i totally deserve a refund'

[Malfunctioning Robot]

so you bought something that clearly outlined it had no refunds to begin with, you admit you did so without educating yourself on the product at all, then made a nuisance of yourself even further and are now throwing a tantrum because they don't want you around.

Seems like the system is working perfectly to me

[Satoru]

Note that you were not 'ripped off'

This is like reading the 'no shoes no service' sign at a restaurant, and then being angry they cancelled your reservation because you were wearing sandals

You ironically are lying because you are claiming a F2P game is 'not free' when it is. You're only making this bizarro land claim because you have buyer's regret for making NON REFUDNABLE in-game purchases.

Then you proceeded to trash talk and lie about the game. While the developers very calmly and politely corrected you multpile times. Like no one is reading your review and thinking you are nothing other than an insane 'gamer' who is whining they got banned because for some reason you're angry the developer game you a sane and polite response to your critiques.

Like you literally don't understand geography apparently because you think Kazakhstan is part of Russia.

So yes you were banned from their game hub, for what one basically can surmise is functionally trolling their forums, spreading misinformation, and just being an overall toxic human being.

Even Steam Support didn't reverse your ban, THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING

Its always funny when people give 'proof' of things that show literally the opposite thing they claim is happening


I mean its sort of hilarous you complain about the 'toxic player base' while your even tiny amount of post history is you literally being toxic to everyone possible.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Satoru:

And people wonder why Support doesn't read the wall of text people send insisting their refund request is 'really honestly unique and i totally deserve a refund'

Seems to be likely targeting the primary region of purchase & language support, which isn't the first time I've seen this given current events.

Originally posted by Dethesius STALCRAFT Review:

I flat out caught you in a lie. You said yourself. YOU said yourself that you were funded by russia - MAJORITILY.

Region of high amount of users purchasing a game supported in their language doesn't mean government funded. Income from regular people is just that.

OPs review also mentions

Originally posted by Dethesius STALCRAFT Review:

- It's pay to play because on STEAM it's $25. There is NO free option on steam. On your website it's free but this is steam - not your website. Steam players don't know ♥♥♥♥ about your free to play. Do you honestly think I would prefer to buy it when it's free somewhere else? That... is a scam!

But the store page says Free to Play, with a notation of in-app purchases, so I don't see where OP thinks the game is $25?

If anything, it seems Steam Support made a decision not to get involved, and the decision seems to be very correct given the entire review.

Always know the condition (agreement/restrictions) of in-app purchases, DLC/in-game items/skins before making a purchase especially when the platform notes once you do so, the transaction is done.

[PocketYoda]

My only response to this is stop using steam.. If the company is willing to promote these sort of developers, and views you are better off avoiding it completely.

More people that do this the more the company "might" take notice and crack down on these types of Developers..

[Malfunctioning Robot]

yeah those 80% positive scams. And all those clearly demarcated refund restrictions at checkout

[nullable]

"Ignorance is my style. And I'm 'Steamed' that Valve won't accommodate me. Don't they know willful ignorance is a get out of jail free card?"

I mean good luck. I can understand that you're upset, and I can imagine why. No one likes their assumptions turning out wrong and not aligning with reality. But that's all self-inflicted. And no one owes you anything for careless or reckless behavior.

Given your cavalier comments it also raises some skepticism that you'd have bothered with warnings, tutorials, tooltips, info on the game's store page or anything that you couldn't just click through as fast as possible. I'd give it 50/50 at best. You made it clear you missed a lot of stated info and weren't gonna look anything up. Not much of a position to defend IMO.

[Komarimaru]

Originally posted by PocketYoda:

My only response to this is stop using steam.. If the company is willing to promote these sort of developers, and views you are better off avoiding it completely.

More people that do this the more the company "might" take notice and crack down on these types of Developers..

Doesn't matter if you played it on steam, epic or the games own launcher, free to play games rarely if ever offer refunds on currency and items.

You just have a chip on your shoulder due to valve stopping windows 7 support.

[Nx Machina]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1818450/STALCRAFT/

Note: It states "Install Game" as in Free to Play - as in Add to Library

It even shows it is Free to Play (no price tag) - https://ibb.co/Kb2g2jL

But please do post a screenshot where on Steam it is $25, after all that is your claim from your review: "It's pay to play because on STEAM it's $25. There is NO free option on steam".

https://steamcommunity.com/id/Dethesius/recommended/1818450/