Add Stand-Alone PDF Files + A PDF Viewer To The Steam Store

[𒐪⎝ Epylector ⎠𒐪]

Now I know this sounds a little weird as an idea at face value, but this does relate to gaming.

Every major tabletop roleplaying game has a corresponding PDF of all of their rules/items/classes/monsters etcetera.

I would like to be able to access those all inside of the Steam store, and potentially enjoy Steam sales attached to those games' rulebooks.

It would be convenient to be able to open them inside Steam, and be able to view them via a Steam-based PDF viewer.

Thus, I recommend Steam sell PDFs in the Steam Store and have a method of opening and viewing PDFs inside the Steam app. I know you can sell DLCs alongside games such as PDFs, but I am specifically suggesting PDFs be sellable as a stand-alone non-DLC item in the store. A separate PDF section may become necessary too.

This way, I can open Steam itself rather than fish PDFs out of my folders, view these PDFs inside of Steam instead of having to own and open an extra app, and consistently get these PDFs at a good price.

Steam already sells D&D games and other tabletop-themed games so this would be a logical next step of just offering PDFs for these tabletop games. Might also widen Steam's appeal to more tabletop gamers in general and incentivize tabletop game devs to sell their PDFs on Steam too.

[Azure Fang]

There is literally no need. Once PDF became an open format, it was adopted by major browser publishers. You already have a reader in one form or another if you're using a computer in 2021.

That said, Steam does not sell Dungeons & Dragons supplements and never will. It sells tabletop simulators and emulators that have non-PDF, proprietary modules. Valve experimented with expanding into additional media and it did not end well. The same is not likely to happen unless the supplements are converted into DRM-capable executables or into a proprietary format only readable by Steam, both rendering the necessity of PDF support moot.

Also, another EpycWyn suggestion. Time to drink.

[𒐪⎝ Epylector ⎠𒐪]

Nguyên văn bởi Azure Fang:

There is literally no need. Once PDF became an open format, it was adopted by major browser publishers. You already have a reader in one form or another if you're using a computer in 2021.

That said, Steam does not sell Dungeons & Dragons supplements and never will. It sells tabletop simulators and emulators that have non-PDF, proprietary modules. Valve experimented with expanding into additional media and it did not end well. The same is not likely to happen unless the supplements are converted into DRM-capable executables or into a proprietary format only readable by Steam, both rendering the necessity of PDF support moot.

Also, another EpycWyn suggestion. Time to drink.

Video failed because it eats too much space and too few people use it -that is a fair assumption of what 'media' you are referring to since that's the most major one that failed for Steam in recent memory.

Gamers WILL use PDFs, or at least will want them as a back-up if they don't have the physical books and instructions with them. Plus since the PDF is hosted on the Store and not being uploaded by users of Steam, it won't cause bandwidth issues like users uploading videos did.

I can name 50 times I just looked up a PDF online that I would have gladly purchased on Steam if it was an option. There are sales being lost here on something genuinely gaming-related that could easily be recouped if the PDFs were merely on Steam.

I don't want to have to open an extra program, I want to be able to just open the PDF through the Steam app I always have open rather than have an extra program, even if it's the browser, open just to view the PDF. It is more consistent, quality-controlled and convenient to just put a simple PDF viewer code into Steam so I can view those files. It would be an excellent quality-of-life feature too depending how sleek and well-designed the PDF viewer is.

It is too presumptuous to say what Steam will never do, you are not the prophet of Steam, it's a business run by humans who do what they want.

[Gwarsbane]

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

:wizard::emote_book: Every major tabletop roleplaying game has a corresponding PDF of all of their rules/items/classes/monsters etcetera.

That has nothing to do with Valve.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

:Discount_120: I would like to be able to access those all inside of the Steam store, and potentially enjoy Steam sales attached to those games' rulebooks.

Then go ask the developers of one to put it in Steam. But why bother when browsers can already do it as mentioned.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

:invisiball: It would be convenient to be able to open them inside Steam, and be able to view them via a Steam-based PDF viewer.

No it wouldn't. Steam doesn't have to be a "does everything" program.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

:PlusOneClick: Thus, I recommend Steam sell PDFs in the Steam Store and have a method of opening and viewing PDFs inside the Steam app. I know you can sell DLCs alongside games such as PDFs, but I am specifically suggesting PDFs be sellable as a stand-alone non-DLC item in the store. A separate PDF section may become necessary too.

Valve is not an ebook publisher. There are more then enough locations for that. If you want stuff like that to be sold on Steam, then contact the IP owners that are setting them in other places and ask them to talk to Valve....

And then after a year when it fails they will be removed for sale on Steam, just like the movies on Steam were removed because they were over priced and so many more places you could rent them for cheaper. Personally I'd pay less to get the movies on Blu-ray or 4K and then no one can tell me where and when I can play it.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

This way, I can open Steam itself rather than fish PDFs out of my folders, view these PDFs inside of Steam instead of having to own and open an extra app, and consistently get these PDFs at a good price.

You can open it in a browser, its just as quick and better. Again don't need a "does everything" program.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

:MG_dice::MG_dice: Steam already sells D&D games and other tabletop-themed games so this would be a logical next step of just offering PDFs for these tabletop games. Might also widen Steam's appeal to more tabletop gamers in general and incentivize tabletop game devs to sell their PDFs on Steam too.

Then ask the developers of the games to talk to the IP owns to get permission to sell or giveaway the PDFs via DLC for those games.

Valve won't ask them to do it, thats up to people who want it to convince the IP owners its a good choice.

[Mad Scientist]

What an unoriginal idea since Operating Systems and browsers have the ability to read PDFs without installing anything for a long time now.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

Video failed because it eats too much space and too few people use it

How extremely out of touch. Video does just fine, PDFs are for overly specific things, like manuals. It's that kind of over-blanketing statement that is really telling and makes it as if people are on dial-up instead of broadband. Video can be very small for a very good quality, a good number of my pdf files are as large as a 40+ minute video file. I even have manuals that are as big or bigger than said files.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

Gamers WILL use PDFs, or at least will want them as a back-up if they don't have the physical books and instructions with them.

Which can be downloaded from the sites of the people that made said manuals or books, where Steam doesn't have to get involved.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

Plus since the PDF is hosted on the Store and not being uploaded by users of Steam, it won't cause bandwidth issues like users uploading videos did.

There is zero reason to host PDFs on the store. It's not Steams obligation to give you everything you want.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

I can name 50 times I just looked up a PDF online that I would have gladly purchased on Steam if it was an option. There are sales being lost here on something genuinely gaming-related that could easily be recouped if the PDFs were merely on Steam.

"you not doing this overly specific thing that would barely be used would give you lots of money, steam!" for something that is typically free in many cases, or linked to you when purchased or otherwise included within the digital distribution if you bother to look in the folders.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

I don't want to have to open an extra program, I want to be able to just open the PDF through the Steam app I always have open rather than have an extra program, even if it's the browser, open just to view the PDF.

Steam IS the other app, since your OS/Browser can open it.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

It is more consistent, quality-controlled and convenient to just put a simple PDF viewer code into Steam so I can view those files. It would be an excellent quality-of-life feature too depending how sleek and well-designed the PDF viewer is.

Another "change how you work to suit my wants", why do what has already been done & supported for ages? Also mixing PDFs with anything chromium especially when being larger amounts of pages will not mix well at all for performance.

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

It is too presumptuous to say what Steam will never do, you are not the prophet of Steam, it's a business run by humans who do what they want.

Quality > Quantity.
Any business knows it's quality over quantity.

Steam doesn't have to get involved in everything to be successful, plus branching out becomes too much of a pain especially when your suggestion can easily be done by a Dev as a free or paid dlc without changing anything at all.

Nguyên văn bởi Azure Fang:

Also, another EpycWyn suggestion. Time to drink.

Good example of why quality is better than quantity.

Nguyên văn bởi Gwarsbane:

Again don't need a "does everything" program.

For once I'd like to see someone else suggest something, that's actually beneficial to Steam & Customers.

[Aachen]

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

Video failed because it eats too much space and too few people use it ....

.... Gamers WILL use PDFs, or at least will want them as a back-up if they don't have the physical books and instructions with them ....

I’d like to see your support for these statements; they seem hilariously inconsistent with my experience of people’s preferences.

[Brian9824]

Absolutely no point to this whatsoever, as it's been mentioned every modern computer already has it built in.

[Lily McFluffy Butt]

Another self-serving suggestion by EpycWyn. Unless you haven't upgraded in 10 years, you don't need this.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

I have seen PDFs being sold on itch.io (there's some pretty neat tabletop RPG stuff there) but not on Steam.

Anyhow, I always suggest people use their own standalone PDF reader programs instead of built-in PDF readers in browsers, because the former are more fully-featured while the latter are always sorta iffy. So I wouldn't find any use for such a feature, personally.

[Menzagitat]

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

I don't want to have to open an extra program, I want to be able to just open the PDF through the Steam app I always have open rather than have an extra program, even if it's the browser, open just to view the PDF.

You know that the Steam app is also a browser based app?
Technically they could open the PDF using an open source solution.
But you also want quality

Nguyên văn bởi EpycWyn:

It is more consistent, quality-controlled and convenient to just put a simple PDF viewer code into Steam so I can view those files.