Why having to buy a game using programs like steam SUCKS

[1776iscool]

I personally hate this new movement to get all of your games downloaded, and I'll tell you why.

When you just have a CD everything is simple and you are unlikely to have all of your data erased. Though when you buy something on steam not only will you eventually have your game files erased, if you lose your password and username you can never play the game again. I almost lost my account and I have MANY times lost my game files. I thought that when steam backed up my game files it would put them in a secure location. But when I uninstalled steam they erased the backup files. WHY?!

Not to mention, steam couldn't connect to the cloud for WHATEVER reason so my files could not be uploaded. And when I reinstall a game I can't tell which files it wants me to download from the cloud! It doesn't tell me which files are which! Are the older files the files that I tried to back up? Or would that be the newer files?! All of my progress in Morrowind got erased because the many layers that steam has to keep it's users' data safe FAILED. There was never any problem with CDs.

[suksas]

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Цитата допису suksas:

Doesn't blu ray fit 50gigs of memory? I'm pretty certain disc capacity for curent games is still there.

Agreed, but it's more difficult and that's why they keep it online, sadly.

Not difficult. They making physical version that connect to steam already. They just dont want to pay for bluray licence and then there is the fact that pushing bluray on pc wouldn't be easy just like it wasn't easy to push dvd originally. No one is willing to try it at the cost of their profits.

[1776iscool]

Цитата допису suksas:

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Agreed, but it's more difficult and that's why they keep it online, sadly.

Not difficult. They making physical version that connect to steam already. They just dont want to pay for bluray licence and then there is the fact that pushing bluray on pc wouldn't be easy just like it wasn't easy to push dvd originally. No one is willing to try it at the cost of their profits.

Makes sense.

[1776iscool]

Цитата допису Start_Running:

CD's are great.. until they get scratched, damaged, lost. I prefer steam though I will admit it's an even trade. The pluss side is I have suffered farm more loss due to damages than I have to lost passwords.

It's not just lost passwords, I've actually had sites forget that my profile existed. Plus steam is not specific and it forces you to learn things the hard way. I thought that the backup files for my game would be storred online, but no it was storred in the steam folder and were deleted after steam was uninstalled. This is just one example of steam's strings. You can not play any game without steam rubbing it's fingers all over it. I like steam but it is too nosy.

[Start_Running]

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Цитата допису Start_Running:

CD's are great.. until they get scratched, damaged, lost. I prefer steam though I will admit it's an even trade. The pluss side is I have suffered farm more loss due to damages than I have to lost passwords.

It's not just lost passwords, I've actually had sites forget that my profile existed. Plus steam is not specific and it forces you to learn things the hard way. I thought that the backup files for my game would be storred online, but no it was storred in the steam folder and were deleted after steam was uninstalled. This is just one example of steam's strings. You can not play any game without steam rubbing it's fingers all over it. I like steam but it is too nosy.

But it's also quite convenient. I mean as far as DRM goes it's better than those securerom BS that we used to get. and as your collection gets larger the convenience grows. I'd rather deal with one steam account than lugging around 300 game disks.

[1776iscool]

Цитата допису Start_Running:

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

It's not just lost passwords, I've actually had sites forget that my profile existed. Plus steam is not specific and it forces you to learn things the hard way. I thought that the backup files for my game would be storred online, but no it was storred in the steam folder and were deleted after steam was uninstalled. This is just one example of steam's strings. You can not play any game without steam rubbing it's fingers all over it. I like steam but it is too nosy.

But it's also quite convenient. I mean as far as DRM goes it's better than those securerom BS that we used to get. and as your collection gets larger the convenience grows. I'd rather deal with one steam account than lugging around 300 game disks.

But it would be much nicer if steam allowed you to play it's game with or without steam and didn't horde everything in different files that get moved around.

[Start_Running]

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Цитата допису Start_Running:

But it's also quite convenient. I mean as far as DRM goes it's better than those securerom BS that we used to get. and as your collection gets larger the convenience grows. I'd rather deal with one steam account than lugging around 300 game disks.

But it would be much nicer if steam allowed you to play it's game with or without steam and didn't horde everything in different files that get moved around.

You do know that:

A.) That's something the developers control. Not Steam
B.) Many games on steam can be run directly from the exe file which bypases steam entirely.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Цитата допису Quint el Pizote Estacionamiento:

Not much way around it though. Carry around a flash drive AND buy DRM-free, I guess?

Well they could just let you download your games offline, that's certainly not impossible. They don't want to do that though likely because they want to spend their time on being "current". Which brings me to my original point, they're pushing the new format and they're not paying attention to the problems that come with it. Maybe one day it will be solved.

How could you download your games if you're offline, though?

Short of setting up a LAN portal near everyone, that's not really possible.

It is realistically possible for them to let you do whatever you need to with the game data after you get a download of it, though. Which is what I think ought to be the case.

Obviously, some publishers/developers will be concerned about piracy. Well, I'll have to decide how much I want their games, in those cases. Otherwise, I've decided to make it a point to buy DRM-free when possible. Hey, at least it cuts down on my Steam wishlist.

Цитата допису Start_Running:

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

But it would be much nicer if steam allowed you to play it's game with or without steam and didn't horde everything in different files that get moved around.

You do know that:

A.) That's something the developers control. Not Steam
B.) Many games on steam can be run directly from the exe file which bypases steam entirely.

Item B.) doesn't work for all games and is not indicated on a Steam store page. I personally checked it for some of my Steam games, but there's no way for me to tell its status before I buy a game.

[Start_Running]

Цитата допису Quint el Pizote Estacionamiento:

Цитата допису Start_Running:

You do know that:

A.) That's something the developers control. Not Steam
B.) Many games on steam can be run directly from the exe file which bypases steam entirely.

Item B.) doesn't work for all games and is not indicated on a Steam store page. I personally checked it for some of my Steam games, but there's no way for me to tell its status before I buy a game.

Did you ever try, you know, asking on the game's forum?
Again. It's up to devs whether or not they make use of it or allow it, as is their right (kinda).

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Цитата допису Start_Running:

Цитата допису Quint el Pizote Estacionamiento:

Item B.) doesn't work for all games and is not indicated on a Steam store page. I personally checked it for some of my Steam games, but there's no way for me to tell its status before I buy a game.

Did you ever try, you know, asking on the game's forum?
Again. It's up to devs whether or not they make use of it or allow it, as is their right (kinda).

Yes, and it doesn't necessarily get a response.

It's also basically like asking "is your game piratable". So I can understand devs being hesitant to answer it.

What I can do quite easily, however, is checking whether the game is available on GOG, or available on Humble Store as DRM-free (or DRM-free + Steam key), or GamersGate as DRM-free, etc..

[Start_Running]

Цитата допису Quint el Pizote Estacionamiento:

Цитата допису Start_Running:

Did you ever try, you know, asking on the game's forum?
Again. It's up to devs whether or not they make use of it or allow it, as is their right (kinda).

Yes, and it doesn't necessarily get a response.

It's also basically like asking "is your game piratable". So I can understand devs being hesitant to answer it.

What I can do quite easily, however, is checking whether the game is available on GOG, or available on Humble Store as DRM-free (or DRM-free + Steam key), or GamersGate as DRM-free, etc..

I have yet to not get a reply on that. If devs were worried about piracy they would have modified it to not work that way.

[laff]

It's not hard to recover your account, especially when you can use your payment details as a reference. Even easier if you were to add your phone number to your account.

Цитата допису robloxhihellorobloxhi:

Not to mention, steam couldn't connect to the cloud for WHATEVER reason so my files could not be uploaded. And when I reinstall a game I can't tell which files it wants me to download from the cloud! It doesn't tell me which files are which! Are the older files the files that I tried to back up? Or would that be the newer files?! All of my progress in Morrowind got erased because the many layers that steam has to keep it's users' data safe FAILED. There was never any problem with CDs.

Sounds more like you uploaded a fresh install 0% save game data to the cloud and overwrote your existing save game data. Your progress would've still been lost after uninstalling the game with a disc unless the developers moved the save game files to your docs and didn't delete it upon uninstall.

Also, installing games with CDs can take forever. DVDs not so long. You can lose your discs. Your discs can get damaged and it only takes one not to be able to install it. You typically have to manage your games yourself and keep them up to date on your own. There were always plenty of problems with discs, like requiring a disc drive.

[Magikarp]

As steam started to once more suck again harder and harder since roughly the last one-two years, ive already started to reduce my business with them wherever possible. GOG is an amazing alternative, and slowly companies start to trust them with new games, and bigger publishers force you to use their launcher anyways, so since steam overprices everything, i just started to order from amazon and circumvent steam. Only buy on Steam now if there is a realy great offer. Works for me.

[Start_Running]

Цитата допису Magikarp:

As steam started to once more suck again harder and harder since roughly the last one-two years, ive already started to reduce my business with them wherever possible. GOG is an amazing alternative, and slowly companies start to trust them with new games, and bigger publishers force you to use their launcher anyways, so since steam overprices everything, i just started to order from amazon and circumvent steam. Only buy on Steam now if there is a realy great offer. Works for me.

Yeah GoG is nice but their refund policy sucks. Guess you have to cut back somewhere eh?

[Tsal Vlaxitov]

Цитата допису TonyFelony:

You can always go to a store and buy the disc version of the game is that is your issue.

My introduction to Steam was buying Stronghold 3 (feel free to laugh) at the store "on disc."

The disc was only a prompt to download Steam to download the game..

It was mega misleading, and that was my first impression of Steam.

The video game industry as a whole is trying to convert from being a product to a service.

Because products generally payout once, and you can find ways to keep charging for a service.

[Tsal Vlaxitov]

Цитата допису Start_Running:

Yeah GoG is nice but their refund policy sucks. Guess you have to cut back somewhere eh?

GoG 30 day policy.

https://www.gog.com/support/website_help/money_back_guarantee

Steam has a 2 hour policy via monitoring how long a game client is open.