DRM free offline installers

[Ozimandeus]

To everyone at Steam and Valve, I love you. I was an early adopter to your service, back when steam was only an installer for Half Life 2. Recently I came to the realisation that the more than 10,000 GBP of games I have purchased through your service, could be at risk of loss.

If your service died, so would my access to a library spanning 20 years. As a result I've begun to buy major games in my library on GoG.com. Downloading the offline installer they provide for every game, and saving this onto my backup system. Part of my thinking is that I want my kids to inherit my game library, and once again your terms prohibit that also. The offline installers that GoG offer, make that dream a reality.

For the first time in 20 years, yesterday, I purchased a game from new solely on GoG.com (STALKER 2). Then I was struck with how crazy this situation is. Steam/Valve COULD provide DRM free variants of games that have already done so on GoG.com. Thus adding value to your service, and providing a real boost to digital preservation of video games.

Over the years we have all suffered at the hands of various DRM systems that cause issues and performance drops to games. Surely it is time that Steam/Valve took the lead and helped to address this issue?

[eram]

steam has never been only an installer for half life 2. Steam was a patcher for counter strike 1.5 beta and then all the other gold src games before hl2 came out.

anyway.. steam has advertised itself as a broadband service since 2003, that may never change. Your installers will be downloaded and installed via steam. If you need an offline installer stay with GOG

[xBCxRangers]

That would be awesome OP

[HikariLight]

DRM is copy protection designed to ensure you are playing a copy of the game you bought a license for.
That is the ENTIRE reason Steam exists.
The Store was added later on, but Steam started as a DRM for Valve's games.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

If your service died, so would my access to a library spanning 20 years. As a result I've begun to buy major games in my library on GoG.com. Downloading the offline installer they provide for every game, and saving this onto my backup system.

It is decently well known if they shutdown it is planned everyone could download their libraries and the need for the client would be removed unless the game itself still had its own developer chosen drm.

Nothing to worry about anyway, realistically.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

DRM free offline installers

To everyone at Steam and Valve, I love you. I was an early adopter to your service, back when steam was only an installer for Half Life 2. Recently I came to the realisation that the more than 10,000 GBP of games I have purchased through your service, could be at risk of loss.

If your service died, so would my access to a library spanning 20 years. As a result I've begun to buy major games in my library on GoG.com. Downloading the offline installer they provide for every game, and saving this onto my backup system. Part of my thinking is that I want my kids to inherit my game library, and once again your terms prohibit that also. The offline installers that GoG offer, make that dream a reality.

For the first time in 20 years, yesterday, I purchased a game from new solely on GoG.com (STALKER 2). Then I was struck with how crazy this situation is. Steam/Valve COULD provide DRM free variants of games that have already done so on GoG.com. Thus adding value to your service, and providing a real boost to digital preservation of video games.

Over the years we have all suffered at the hands of various DRM systems that cause issues and performance drops to games. Surely it is time that Steam/Valve took the lead and helped to address this issue?

Game devs are allowed to provide you with DRM free copies of games they make. It's not mandatory to require Steam for the game to be played.

Most just don't though.

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games_on_Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38523697-DRM-FREE-GAMES/

https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7540156-DRM-Free-Games/

[eram]

i dont think any of them offer an offline steam free installer. the game can be drm steam free.

[AustrAlien2010]

The website you're advertising also won't help. Unreal Tournament was removed from all stores.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

Surely it is time that Steam/Valve took the lead and helped to address this issue?

No.

Different stores are allowed to run in different ways.

What you want is a change in legislation and licensing.

[eram]

(off topic)

Originally posted by AustrAlien2010:

The website you're advertising also won't help. Unreal Tournament was removed from all stores.

Tim Sweeny gave the ok to internet archive to host them
https://x.com/internetarchive/status/1858944521993941425

[Ozimandeus]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

Surely it is time that Steam/Valve took the lead and helped to address this issue?

No.

Different stores are allowed to run in different ways.

What you want is a change in legislation and licensing.

Well that would be nice, but in the absence of that, Steam could make an agreement to offer offline installers for any game that is x old. If they made that agreement with any dev/pub that wanted to use steam as its store, then Valve would have the leverage to ensure digital preservation actually happens.

Bear in mind, that if GoG can offer an offline installer, then there is no technical or legal reason not to be able to. In fact, GoG having offline installers sets a precedent, does it not?

[Ozimandeus]

Originally posted by AustrAlien2010:

The website you're advertising also won't help. Unreal Tournament was removed from all stores.

I wasn't intentionally advertising. See other post ref UT.

[HikariLight]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

No.

Different stores are allowed to run in different ways.

What you want is a change in legislation and licensing.

Well that would be nice, but in the absence of that, Steam could make an agreement to offer offline installers for any game that is x old. If they made that agreement with any dev/pub that wanted to use steam as its store, then Valve would have the leverage to ensure digital preservation actually happens.

Bear in mind, that if GoG can offer an offline installer, then there is no technical or legal reason not to be able to. In fact, GoG having offline installers sets a precedent, does it not?

Steam cannot offer something for games they do not own.
The games on GoG are that way because GoG only sells DRM free games (that means the devs set it up that way).
A storefront cannot alter games they do not own.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

No.

Different stores are allowed to run in different ways.

What you want is a change in legislation and licensing.

Well that would be nice, but in the absence of that, Steam could make an agreement to offer offline installers for any game that is x old. If they made that agreement with any dev/pub that wanted to use steam as its store, then Valve would have the leverage to ensure digital preservation actually happens.

Bear in mind, that if GoG can offer an offline installer, then there is no technical or legal reason not to be able to. In fact, GoG having offline installers sets a precedent, does it not?

No, it doesn't. GoG has had offline installers ever since they existed, which is a long time now. It's DRM-free stance is ALSO why GoG is still a small scale store that usually later on gets big releases, if they go there.

Again, different stores are allowed to be run in different ways. Steam, Epic or any other store does not have to provide this just because you want it.

They all have their own advantages, use them for that. For me the main value in GoG is the older games.

[The End]

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

DRM free offline installers ... Then I was struck with how crazy this situation is. Steam/Valve COULD provide DRM free variants of games that have already done so on GoG.com. Thus adding value to your service, and providing a real boost to digital preservation of video games.

It's up to the developers/publishes of the games to make them DRM free, not something Valve can decide to do.

How about posting to the publishers/developers and let them now about your idea.

[Ozimandeus]

Originally posted by Mad Scientist:

Originally posted by Ozimandeus:

If your service died, so would my access to a library spanning 20 years. As a result I've begun to buy major games in my library on GoG.com. Downloading the offline installer they provide for every game, and saving this onto my backup system.

It is decently well known if they shutdown it is planned everyone could download their libraries and the need for the client would be removed unless the game itself still had its own developer chosen drm.

Nothing to worry about anyway, realistically.

Imagine if Steam went bust tomorrow, I can assure you that the appointed liquidator would shutdown every steam server on planet earth that afternoon. You would have no legal re-course.

Imagine you died tomorrow morning, your kids would not have any rights to the licences you have purchased. With an offline installer, they could continue the legacy. Without one, they could not.

Whilst I am sure I am in the minority on this, as I am old, and see less time ahead than behind. But I want to be able to give my Grandchildren a bit of the past.