Allow customers to revert game version to a previous one (to avoid game breaking updates etc)

[SpiraTech]

Allow customers to revert game version to a previous one (to avoid game breaking updates etc)

My only suggestion for Steam in 20 years of using it. Well, that and better HDR screenshots.

Edit:
Yes, I know the functionality of different branches are there for devs or studios to provide, but imagine a situation where they disappear (it happens all the time with small and even large companies), do not know how to do this, or simply do not care enough to do this.

[Pscht]

A) Use the forum search
B) Ask the developers, THEY have to make a beta branch available

[SpiraTech]

Originally posted by Pscht:

A) Use the forum search
B) Ask the developers, THEY have to make a beta branch available

A. Do you mean as it's already suggested? Oh well.
B. Devs don't always care, companies can change, they can be bought out etc.

I guess you don't understand what Steam SUGGESTIONS are - it's for Valve to make changes to the Steam product, it's nothing to do with what is currently required.

P.S I tried searching and there are not many recent relevant posts that the search is providing.

[Pscht]

They won't do it if you don't ask. Valve is NOT going to force them.

[Brian9824]

Steam is not going to make previous versions OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SOFTWARE available. For all Steam knows those versions contain massive bugs like save corruption. It's not their product and Steam can't just do whatever they want with other people's software.

This is why its the DEVELOPERS responsibility to do this.

[SpiraTech]

Originally posted by Brian9824:

Steam is not going to make previous versions OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SOFTWARE available. For all Steam knows those versions contain massive bugs like save corruption. It's not their product and Steam can't just do whatever they want with other people's software.

This is why its the DEVELOPERS responsibility to do this.

So, picture this:

A customer buys a game - fully working and they are happy.

Dev updates the game breaking it and abandons their studio / company (or even if they didn't and just left it).

Game is broken.


As this has happened after 2 hours of game play, OR 2 weeks the customer cannot get a refund.


You reckon that this is fair?


p.s competitors do offer this revert function from what I can see.

Also, developers chose to publish on Steam so they need to follow the rules and guidelines, one of them could be that all versions of the game are made available unless due to legal reasons.

[BloodShed]

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

Allow customers to revert game version to a previous one (to avoid game breaking updates etc)

My only suggestion for Steam in 20 years of using it. Well, that and better HDR screenshots.

Ask the developers of the game(s).

Valve has already provided them withe tools.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/4547039255696769966

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

So, picture this:

A customer buys a game - fully working and they are happy.

Dev updates the game breaking it and abandons their studio / company (or even if they didn't and just left it).

Game is broken.

Citation needed for this made up scenario. When has a dev ever updated a game that broke it and then abandons their studio.



Here is another scenario, Steam offers the feature, users opt into old version of the software, their 5000 hour save is now corrupted and lost and all progress in game is ruined because steam let users opt into a version that had critical game breaking bugs.....

Do you think THAT is good? Games with save breaking bugs are FAR more common then your claim of a game being broken with an update and then abandoned.

Also not aware of any competitors that offer the old versions of the games, its something the developers do, so you'd have to cite your sources. Steam supports it and many games use it, but its not something Steam can do and would be legally problematic for Steam.

If a developer doesn't want to offer old versions Steam can't force them to do it as they don't own the game.

[SpiraTech]

Originally posted by Brian9824:

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

So, picture this:

A customer buys a game - fully working and they are happy.

Dev updates the game breaking it and abandons their studio / company (or even if they didn't and just left it).

Game is broken.

Citation needed for this made up scenario. When has a dev ever updated a game that broke it and then abandons their studio.



Here is another scenario, Steam offers the feature, users opt into old version of the software, their 5000 hour save is now corrupted and lost and all progress in game is ruined because steam let users opt into a version that had critical game breaking bugs.....

Do you think THAT is good? Games with save breaking bugs are FAR more common then your claim of a game being broken with an update and then abandoned.

Also not aware of any competitors that offer the old versions of the games, its something the developers do, so you'd have to cite your sources.

Ok, so they break the game via a forced update - they don't abandon their studio but they no longer care.

I have many examples of which.

Is this fair on the customer?

As for the save files, fair point - perhaps Steam could issue a massive warning in red regarding this. I'd rather this and a working game.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

Ok, so they break the game via a forced update - they don't abandon their studio but they no longer care.

Ok so you completely fabricated your claims.


Again, what you are describing wouldn't even be LEGAL. Steam can't make versions of other people's software available like that if they don't want it. Also people who claim the updates BREAK the game 99% of the time its just changes they don't like, not actually breaking the game

And again, what other competitors are offering that functionality like you claimed? Or was that not true either.

[SpiraTech]

Originally posted by Brian9824:

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

Ok, so they break the game via a forced update - they don't abandon their studio but they no longer care.

Ok so you completely fabricated your claims.


Again, what you are describing wouldn't even be LEGAL. Steam can't make versions of other people's software available like that if they don't want it. Also people who claim the updates BREAK the game 99% of the time its just changes they don't like, not actually breaking the game

What law is this against then please?

I don't believe you can mention competitors on the Steam forums, but one which has no DRM offers this function.

[Mad Scientist]

Ask the Developer/Publisher. They are given the option from Valve to enable Branches or to offer other methods such as their own launcher which would verify the purchase before allowing swapping versions.

It's all up to the Developer/Publisher.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by SpiraTech:

I don't believe you can mention competitors on the Steam forums, but one which has no DRM offers this function.

You can mention any competitors you want, and GoG doesn't offer every version of the software afaik, much like steam they offer the versions the developers make available (i might be wrong on that), but there is also a reason why 99% of games aren't on GoG.

As for the law Steam doesn't own the games on their store for most of them. They can't offer versions of software that the developer doesn't want to offer. They are selling them on behalf of the developer and the developer retains control over their titles.

Again, Steam already offers this functionality. They aren't going to FORCE it on developers as that alienates them and leads to developers leaving the platform for others who don't FORCE this type of stuff on them. Its one of the many reasons why GoG is generally unprofitable and doesn't have most games.

[William Shakesman]

Valve keeps all the previous versions of games, this is something they can do. You can already use the steam console to fetch previous releases.

The need for a revert feature continues to grow as we are seeing more devs use updates to reduce the quality of the game rather than improve it, but we are all at the mercy of Valve Time so I am sure the fix will not come soon.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Already possible...

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/4547039255696769967

tldr... Ask the game developers.

[SpiraTech]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Already possible...

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/4547039255696769967

tldr... Ask the game developers.

:nkCool:

I guess you didn't read my posts.