Steam is a two edged sword.
Pro:
On steam sales games can be VERY cheap
No CD/DVD to lose, get scratched etc.
It autopatches games
Easier to manage games
Cons:
Offline mode is pretty unstable, so you can't play games if you're not connected to the internet.
Usually offline mode works and I'm almost always online anyway, except sometimes when I use the Laptop on the move.
You can't give you games to anyone else or trade them in.
all in all the pros outweigh the cons for me, but only just.
Woot!! Just purchased! .. Maybe steams not so bad...
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Just fyi all the games I've played / enjoyed in last few years have all been small 'indie' titles that I could buy straight from the devs or from gog (kerbal space program, minecraft, frozen synapse, legend of grimrock, papers please etc.) So I've never had any reason to use steam until now.
I didnt like how I had to register for minecraft also, but in that instance I didnt have a choice either.
I didnt like how I had to register for minecraft also, but in that instance I didnt have a choice either.
I live in a small town and there aren't many options to pick up PC titles, I'd have to drive over an hour to get to a decent brick and mortar with any selection. Also I hate having to track down my disks and serials for my old games.. I wonder home many times I've said, "Where the #$%@ is the play disk now?" Been using Steam for 8 years and it's been very little trouble.
"Who do you think pays for all this rubbish? They're not gonna make their money back, you know, I told them, I said to them, Bernie, I said they'll never make their money back." - Eric Idle, Always look on the bright side of life.
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Mordin Ashe
- Posts: 85
- Joined: Sat, 2. Mar 13, 08:28
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CutterJohn1
- Posts: 563
- Joined: Sat, 27. Jun 09, 23:21
Steam has recently, due to actually having a bit of real competition from Origin, been putting some serious work into the client. One of their focuses is going to be offline mode. They are currently reworking it to function better, and also allow it to remain in offline mode forever.danskmacabre wrote:Cons:
Offline mode is pretty unstable, so you can't play games if you're not connected to the internet.
Usually offline mode works and I'm almost always online anyway, except sometimes when I use the Laptop on the move.
You can't give you games to anyone else or trade them in.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11 ... efinitely/
For myself.. The biggest con I can think of for steam is the complete lack of a refund mechanism, and inability to determine which drive my games are going to be installed to.
Last edited by CutterJohn1 on Fri, 15. Nov 13, 07:27, edited 1 time in total.
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myztkl-kev
- Posts: 242
- Joined: Tue, 12. Nov 13, 04:47
My biggest problem with the Steam store is the prices. Ironically, in Sweden the boxed version starts at €42, while the digital-only Steam version is €49.99. Since you get a Steam code anyway with the boxed version, why would you want to pay more and not get a box or printed manual?
Steam always seem to rip off customers in the EU because of their regional pricing tiers. €49.99 works out as $67, I'm pretty sure the game doesn't cost that in the US.
Steam always seem to rip off customers in the EU because of their regional pricing tiers. €49.99 works out as $67, I'm pretty sure the game doesn't cost that in the US.
Last edited by JimmiG on Fri, 15. Nov 13, 07:29, edited 1 time in total.
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CutterJohn1
- Posts: 563
- Joined: Sat, 27. Jun 09, 23:21
People like to own things. If you have a game on a disc(pre steam), you own it. Its yours, and can never be taken away from you.SunofVich wrote:I do not understand the wanton hatred of Steam. I can understand way back when it first came out because I heard that it did... things... to people PC's.
A game on steam stays up at the whim of valve. They can, per their TOS, ban you at any time for any reason. Now, granted, they don't do this for no reason, since it would kill their business, but the fact remains that you are no in control.
You can choose which drive to install your games, I've been doing it for quite a while now, from what I understand it was a popular request and Steam put it into the client.CutterJohn1 wrote:Steam has recently, due to actually having a bit of real competition from Origin, been putting some serious work into the client. One of their focuses is going to be offline mode. They are currently reworking it to function better, and also allow it to remain in offline mode forever.danskmacabre wrote:Cons:
Offline mode is pretty unstable, so you can't play games if you're not connected to the internet.
Usually offline mode works and I'm almost always online anyway, except sometimes when I use the Laptop on the move.
You can't give you games to anyone else or trade them in.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11 ... efinitely/
For myself.. The biggest con I can think of for steam is the complete lack of a refund mechanism, and inability to determine which drive my games are going to be installed to.
90% of my games reside on my D: drive in a folder named "Steam Games on D", the other 10% are on my C: drive which is also where the Steam client is installed.
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CutterJohn1
- Posts: 563
- Joined: Sat, 27. Jun 09, 23:21
I've used this little program for moving Steam games from/to SSD/HDD. http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
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Dwayne_Matheson
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Mon, 3. Jan 11, 03:12
+1 for this program. Works like a charm!flaicher wrote:I've used this little program for moving Steam games from/to SSD/HDD. http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
I dislike steam very much and do not use it.SunofVich wrote: I do not understand the wanton hatred of Steam. I can understand way back when it first came out because I heard that it did... things... to people PC's.
Why?
I do not like to install apps I do not need.
When I purchase something, I want to own it.
Steam up is like an adware, constantly coming up with add window.
I want to store an iso of the game.
I do not want to be locked into 1 folder for all my games.
+ some small little things.
Basically the app forces me how I shoud use my computer and treat my assets.
The idea of Steam is ok, implementation is awful.
I don't think you need to worry about steam shutting down and loosing all your games. With the amount of money they are making and the fact that there will always be new games made, they will never shut down.
And in case you do something that gets your account banned from Steam you will still be able to access your games, you just won't be able to buy new games with that account or use multiplayer features.
And in case you do something that gets your account banned from Steam you will still be able to access your games, you just won't be able to buy new games with that account or use multiplayer features.
Been using Steam since HL2 came out and while I prefer to buy stuff as a box (especially if there's a CE or steelbook available) I do like that I can queue up all my games after an OS refresh and go do something else. Steam's servers/CDN normally appear to provide content (bacon?) at the maximum my internet connection can handle (around 10MB/s or 80Mb/s). I had about 50GB of games download and install the other night while I was out of the house at an osteopath appointment.
Offline mode "issues" have been identified as an issue by Valve rather than "by design" to force people to login but apparently it's a complex thing to solve (hopefully not as complex as Eve's POS coding which was heavily enmeshed with the NPC branch of coding ... )
Agree that the Steam sales are the biggest "con" to my addiction to PC games.
Offline mode "issues" have been identified as an issue by Valve rather than "by design" to force people to login but apparently it's a complex thing to solve (hopefully not as complex as Eve's POS coding which was heavily enmeshed with the NPC branch of coding ... )
Agree that the Steam sales are the biggest "con" to my addiction to PC games.
I still not like Steam that much, but I gradually accepted that there is no way around it (unless you walk the "dark side" to play games, witch I wont).
I must admit that Steam sparked porting games to Linux (because there is a Linux Steam console coming). That earned some sympathy from me, although I realize this was just an economic decision and not some kind of charity or idealism.
I must admit that Steam sparked porting games to Linux (because there is a Linux Steam console coming). That earned some sympathy from me, although I realize this was just an economic decision and not some kind of charity or idealism.
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Hardscript
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Mon, 16. Mar 09, 10:32
meh, i still hate steam. freakin thing won't even let me install games where i want them. i certainly don't want to browse a steam directory for my games, nor tie myself to its launcher. gamesaves are also placed in odd places. and you need to move the whole steam directory if you have an ssd and can't afford to put all the games on it. sorry, but too much pain for no gain. i'll be happy when the no-steam download is available from egosoft (hopefully not in 7 years:P). i asume they have a contract preventing it's release too soon, though.
