How to filter out indie games ?

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AckaDacka Feb 20, 2016 @ 10:47pm

I do not care for indie or early access games one bit. I do not care anything about them, im only interested in games from well known established studio's how can i filter the steam results or remove the indie tag from the store ?

I have tried a bunch of stuff but its seems i can only filter it to find these things not remove them... Anyone know the answer ?

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Showing 1-14 of 14 comments

FFL2and3rocks Feb 20, 2016 @ 10:53pm

Every search category has a number, for indie it's 492. You can add a minus to the beginning of the number in the URL to exclude that category.

So for example if you search for indie games, you'll see 492 somewhere in the url. Add a minus to the beginning of the number in the url, so it will say -492, and it will exclude indie from your search.

AckaDacka Feb 20, 2016 @ 10:54pm

Originally posted by FFL2and3rocks:
Every search category has a number, for indie it's 492. You can add a minus to the beginning of the number in the URL to exclude that category.

So for example if you search for indie games, you'll see 492 somewhere in the url. Add a minus to the beginning of the number in the url, so it will say -492, and it will exclude indie from your search.

Hey thanks awsome tip. appreciated.

MasterManiac Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:16am

A good suggestion, but it doesn't seem to work for me. Of course, I'm likely just doing it wrong.

That said, Steam really needs to integrate this as a feature. I've simply given up on looking at sales due to the huge swathes of junk I inevitably have to click through. It's just not worth the effort (not to mention the depression at having to constantly be reminded of how far the industry has fallen).

It's literally turned me away from the storefront. I don't care how good the discounts are at this point.

Last edited by MasterManiac; Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:24am

XBL Laberbacke Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:20am

Easiest way is to go to your local gamestop instead of browsing Steam. Most games come without a disk anyway.

MasterManiac Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:23am

I...uh... What? I guess that's supposed to be a joke.

I don't know how it is elsewhere, but in my neck of the woods I'd say online retailers have pretty much got the market cornered for PC games. Local stores don't even bother.

Unless of course you need something World of Warcraft related. Then I'm pretty sure they've gotcha covered.

Queen Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:36am

11111

Forcen Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:54am

Indie is a weird word to use here. It's fine to not like a certain type of game but this is probably not the tag you want..
I guess the indie tag is the problem here, that word doesn't mean much now.

For example here are some games from some well known established studios: http://store.steampowered.com/app/242550/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/33460/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/327030/
Not tagged as indie^

http://store.steampowered.com/app/225080/
This is by starbreeze, the studio that made Chronicles of riddick, The Darkness and Syndicate(the FPS). Tagged as indie..
I guess they are independent but so are valve..
I guess that game might fit the thing you don't want but the "well established studios" thing doesn't really cover it.

If you want to you can filter out tags from the store here: https://store.steampowered.com/account/preferences
You can also do it from the "discovery queue" and the "new on steam" separately.
This won't filter them out completely but that is probably a good thing since the tags are not that great all the time.

I bet you would miss some games you might have liked and vice versa.
I guess we need better words for types of games now, this might be more what you want. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAA_(video_game_industry) (not really used in tags I think)

Last edited by Forcen; Mar 31, 2017 @ 7:55am

MasterManiac Mar 31, 2017 @ 8:16am

You give me two worthy games bearing the indie label and I'll give you two dozen pieces of absolute junk. Not trying to be contentious, I'm just saying it like it is.

If the issue is the "indie" label, then perhaps we need to be looking at a further, more granular means of classification. After all, I'd say the moniker is bringing everyone down at this point, by association. High quality studios with talent and dedication need to understand the risk of labeling themselves as "indie" now entails. Once it was a sort of badge of honor - now more dubious "developers" have usurped and sullied the title. To be "indie" is to be buried under a sea of low-effort trashware. It's a simple matter of fact.

The core of the issue is, it's a well-known concern that Steam is being absolutely inundated by inferior-quality shovelware masquerading as "indie" titles. These junk games flaunt their junk quality. You can't say that they don't. So, if that's how they wanna do it, then classify them as such. Give them a subclassification. It doesn't even have to be as...extreme as "junk."

In fact, I'd really say that it's about time such a proactive measure is taken. It's not fair that games made by passionate people are forced to share space with lolgame weekend "projects." If standards are raised, it's a type of quality control - less direct, but no less meaningful.

But at the end of the day, people like myself are simply tired of having to click through it. They want to market themselves as low-effort shovelware, then let them have their own category of it, and let it be something I can filter as easily as "FPS" "Strategy" "Adventure" and so on. Xbox (I know, it's Xbox - I'm not praising them as a whole, just an aspect) did this very effectively.

EDIT: Anyway, despite my rant, I am thankful for your suggestion. I hadn't known that was possible, and I'm glad for the feature. Just...sad that indie has become such a negative. At least it has for me.

Last edited by MasterManiac; Mar 31, 2017 @ 8:28am

Forcen Mar 31, 2017 @ 9:28am

Yeah, there is way way more releases of games now and there is definitly more "low quality" games on steam than there was before.

On the other hands I also feel that there are way more interesting games on PC now than there used to be, especially on genres new to lots of PC gamers like visual novels and JRPGs.

The wide selection of good games in all genres have gone way up recently, genres like space sims have gotten a revival and stuff like that.

Some times people see all the new genres they don't have an interest in and think that steam is full of "crap" now when in fact the selection just got wider.

I don't really use the store as a way to discover games, I follow media outlets that I know the general opinions and personalities of the people that work there like giantbomb.com , their videos and podcasts.

Maybe this will get better when they change the store and have a fee for submitting games and the only way to get that fee back is to earn it back in sales.

When you use the store be sure to hover the pointer the images and games and click that little button that appears and click "not intersted" or maybe "add to wishlists. Works on the store pages as well. The store isn't great at predicting your tastes yet but giving it more data can't hurt.

Valve knows that there is problems that happen when the number of new games on steam increases constantly and how it should be displayed on the store, they are working on it I'm sure.

If you decide to filter out "indie" games maybe revisit that tag once in a while, do a nice filter like this: http://store.steampowered.com/search/?sort_by=Reviews_DESC&tags=492&category1=998 (sorted by reviews)
and see what people like. Maybe exclude tags with genres you don't care for.
Now I see on that link that new stuff with good reviews get sorted pretty high. a filter for "been out for x months" would be useful. If you scroll down you get older well reviewed stuff, lots of quality games.

Rambly post, sorry about that.

Last edited by Forcen; Mar 31, 2017 @ 9:30am

MasterManiac Mar 31, 2017 @ 9:40am

Not at all. Thanks for being civil despite of my rant. I appreciate your suggestions.

#10

HEART Mar 31, 2017 @ 9:40am

Originally posted by MasterManiac:
A good suggestion, but it doesn't seem to work for me. Of course, I'm likely just doing it wrong.

You are doing it wrong...

Here is your "non-indie" link

http://store.steampowered.com/search/?tags=-492

#11

MasterManiac Mar 31, 2017 @ 9:43am

Originally posted by SilverSun Moon 0430:
Originally posted by MasterManiac:
A good suggestion, but it doesn't seem to work for me. Of course, I'm likely just doing it wrong.

You are doing it wrong...

Here is your "non-indie" link

http://store.steampowered.com/search/?tags=-492

Guess I can't complain. Well, I *can,* but not about a lack of a filter feature. Thanks again to both of you.

#12