Old Steam Poll posts split and 'archived'

[Mightysword]

I respectfully disagree. I expect Steam could easily be smart enough to know whether the computer its running on is offline and switch itself accordingly

Which it does

And even if it doesn't, like I said it's inherently an online program, if your connect get shot to hell ...it's not really its fault. It tries to accomodate (and success most of the time), but you can't chew it for a problem on your end. It's like trying to play on a Machine that's below the minimum spec, if you can play and tolerate the performance ... cool, but if you can't ... well.

[Cycrow]

All the games i play now are via steam, my steam account shows some 600 games. I also use it for chatting and such with friends, as most are on steam as well.

Holy **** .... did you buy every tittle on steam or something? Is 600 are standalone game, or you counting DLC as well?

i dont know, each list seems to show a different amount. But i think the 600 includes DLC's and expansions.

i think about 450 single games, althou i lose track exactly how many

pretty much everything was bought during steam sales with a few exceptions, alot of them came from large game packs. So i buy the pack for a few games, and end up getting loads of extra. And as the pack was usually cheaper than buying the few games i wanted individually, it means all the extras are basically free

[TTD]

Perhaps most idiotic of all is you have to be online to go into offline mode?? [ external image ]

No, steam is an online app so there is nothing idiotic about it. The option is there for people who can't stay online permanent for some reason. But if you installed Steam knowing what it is on a computer that never has internet access, then it's not its fault.

I respectfully disagree. I expect Steam could easily be smart enough to know whether the computer its running on is offline and switch itself accordingly - rather than completely refusing to play the game merely because the user didn't know how or forgot to turn if off.

And add to that ... played online...went to bed... next morning no internet...can't play ~ requires internet to change to offline mode

I used Steam some time ago. Did not install on this rig until I decided to get the DLC for TC.

I am quite willing to use Steam for registration and updates.But most of my gaming is via the DVD installation since that happened.

[esd]

And even if it doesn't, like I said it's inherently an online program, if your connect get shot to hell ...it's not really its fault. It

Can't disagree with that, which is why there should be a totally-non-Steam version available as well for the many of us who don't have megafast whizzinet. X3TC's solution really was perfect in this regard.

That's the primary gripe here - not that XR will be available on Steam, but that it's a "likely" a Steam exclusive which means many of us will be ruled out for purely technical reasons that are beyond our reasonable control (ie, it's not like our rig is underpowered, but that what BT grace us with is).

[Observe]

Perhaps most idiotic of all is you have to be online to go into offline mode?? [ external image ]

No, steam is an online app so there is nothing idiotic about it. The option is there for people who can't stay online permanent for some reason. But if you installed Steam knowing what it is on a computer that never has internet access, then it's not its fault.

I respectfully disagree. I expect Steam could easily be smart enough to know whether the computer its running on is offline and switch itself accordingly - rather than completely refusing to play the game merely because the user didn't know how or forgot to turn if off.

And add to that ... played online...went to bed... next morning no internet...can't play ~ requires internet to change to offline mode

Precisely what I was referring to. Happened to me many times back in the day before I went ballistic on Steam.

[Mightysword]

Precisely what I was referring to. Happened to me many times back in the day before I went ballistic on Steam.

But we already state that it does automatically go into offline mode even if you don't set it ... so why are you complaining ...

[Cycrow]

Perhaps most idiotic of all is you have to be online to go into offline mode?? [ external image ]

No, steam is an online app so there is nothing idiotic about it. The option is there for people who can't stay online permanent for some reason. But if you installed Steam knowing what it is on a computer that never has internet access, then it's not its fault.

I respectfully disagree. I expect Steam could easily be smart enough to know whether the computer its running on is offline and switch itself accordingly - rather than completely refusing to play the game merely because the user didn't know how or forgot to turn if off.

And add to that ... played online...went to bed... next morning no internet...can't play ~ requires internet to change to offline mode

Precisely what I was referring to. Happened to me many times back in the day before I went ballistic on Steam.

people say this alot, but it seemed to work ok for me when i had no connection.

i lost my connection once (builders cut through my cable when redoing the driveway)
but it let me go into offline mode

but it did take abit of time to timeout the attempted connection, i wouldn't mind if it was abit quicker, but at least it worked.

i think some ppl just give up too quickly, they see it trying to connect, assuming its not going to work and kill the process, whereas if they had left it, it would have put them into offline mode.

its pretty standard to have a connection time out, its just steams is abit long

[TTD]

Yeah... I mean the logic is worse than using the Windows [Start] button to switch the PC off.

I go to a shop and buy a book.
Next day is Sunday.
The bookshop is closed.
I am not allowed to read the book until the shop I bought it from is open.

Well that is as close as I can get to the logic of Steam "offline " mode.

[Mightysword]

Can't disagree with that, which is why there should be a totally-non-Steam version available as well for the many of us who don't have megafast whizzinet. X3TC's solution really was perfect in this regard.

Oh agree, I'm addressing the comment about how "stupid steam is" which I believe is pretty unreasonable, not what you ahve been talking. Also, it really depends on how "limit" is your technical limitation is, so far I think the only people who can 100% write off steam for technical reasons are:

- Absolutely no internet, at all, ever. Then there is nothing you can do.
- You're on dial up, or low bandwith cap, and the game requires you to download the entire thing from Steam. - I don't believe this will be the case -


That's it. If your computer can go to the internet even only periodically, then you can play the games, most if not all of your problem have been offered with solution. Yes, you might not be as comfortable as a box copy or people with good connection, but IMO they are just annoyance that's not enough to write off a game. For example going back to what I was saying, even if you wake up in the morning and your internet is shot, and steam can't go into off line mode (which again, it does) - so what ? Wait for your connection to get back, then set it to offline, and you're good to go. You may be losing one morning or one day, but it's a game you will be playing for months or possibly years, is your moment of rage that significant.


Like I said I don't dismiss problem exists, I just wonder if it's really that big of a deal.

[esd]

That's it. If your computer can go to the internet even only periodically, then you can play the games

When combined with limited computer time (and the trickiness in having multiple copies installed - see TC S&M section, there's a thread about this very problem there now - and the problem that you cannot pause an update and then play, you have to finish the update), no, it becomes too much of a bother.

Games are there to relax me and entertain me. Not for me to have to do a bunch of workarounds and wotnot just to get it to work when I want, how I want. If a game makes it awkward to play, I just won't play it - Steam makes things awkward for me to play, so I don't buy things from there. If that means I don't play XR, then so be it. I know it's hard to admit, but there are other games!

Who knows, by release BT may have given me some fibreoptics. Highly unlikely, but at least it'd mean Steam-requiring discs wouldn't be a problem.

[TTD]

One thing publishers rely on or hope for in a game is it being addictive.

Addicts need their "fix" and become irrational if they don't get it.

I am not saying I am totally addicted to X , but there are few other games I am willing to spend so much time with.

I will try the "wait and see" for offline another time.
But if it takes longer to go to offline mode than it takes to make a cup of coffee,then I will probably stick with DVD installations etc.

[grbaker]

I would rather not use Steam.

Downloading games and patches from Steam just sucks.

Here in NZ there is no local Stream mirror yet. I pay international traffic rates (yes some backwards countries still pay per MB for downloads) ..

Worst game experience was Shogun 2.. Game disk just launched download from Steam... patched often from Steam - 2 to 12Gb updates... nothing worse than "I'll have a quick game of XXXX" only to find you have to wait 3hrs for the latest patch to download. Ahhhhhhhh

The amount of manual setting in Steam I have to set to stop rubbish like this (and reset them every time Steam updates itself).... I really don't like Steam...
...
BUT I will use it to play an Egosoft X game if I have to... (but I won't be happy about it.... )

[Nanook]

...
The end result will be either for or against Steam.
So the total votes for 1,2 and 4,compared to 3 will show not just for or against but show what some may use Steam for....

I believe you should combine the results from 1 and 3 vs 2 and 4. That's because if, indeed, Steam doesn't do just activations, then I'd say that for most, if not all, of those who voted 1 would have voted 3 instead. I voted 1 but if Steam truly doesn't do just activation, then my vote should've been 3.

[GCU Grey Area]

...
The end result will be either for or against Steam.
So the total votes for 1,2 and 4,compared to 3 will show not just for or against but show what some may use Steam for....

I believe you should combine the results from 1 and 3 vs 2 and 4. That's because if, indeed, Steam doesn't do just activations, then I'd say that for most, if not all, of those who voted 1 would have voted 3 instead. I voted 1 but if Steam truly doesn't do just activation, then my vote should've been 3.

That was my understanding when voting too. My main concern is whether I'm forced to download patches through Steam. If I am XR may not be a viable prospect for me. Activation is much less of an issue since there's far less transfer of data involved.

[TTD]

@Nanook

Although I see what you are saying, my poll is to see if players would use Steam ,if only part of it, rather than a blanket yes or no.

This is because it derived from a thread that discussed several aspects of what Bernd might have been hinting at.Those three being the main points.

There so many reasons for not using Steam,but I am asking how many would not allow Steam on their systems,at any cost, compared with those who might consider Steam under the three circumstances listed.

So thus far it seems to swing in favour of Steam.

I am pretty sure that if I just asked "Will you install Rebirth if it required Steam? y/n",then there would be more against Steam.
But I will let a Steam or non-Steam advocate put that Poll up if they wish.

[InFlamesForEver]

No, I wouldn't use it.
Not least because my download speed is so slow that it would be fast for it to be bought and posted to my house.

[OdinValhik]

It is very likely that X Rebirth will be using Steamworks, because our publisher is moving all recent games to this platform. This would of course not mean that you can only buy the game electronically via Steam, but that a boxed copy that you buy in a shop would have to be activated with Steam.

I know not everybody likes this, but for us as a developer this is great news, because it means that there is only ONE version we have to support and that all of our customers can automatically update to the latest version of the game. I can not overstate how big a deal this is from a developers point of view!

It may be hard for most of you active forum users to understand, because you would always see a new update and install it immediately, but unfortunately you are just a minority.

-Bernd

Hi friends,

"Not everybody likes this", or "you're a minority".

Yes, I guess we probably are, but we have been with Egosoft for many years, the game and your concepts have always been near to my heart. Trying to break out of your game niche, and the game-concepts, which in my mind are your marble, will be your demise, sadly.

I know this IS a publisher issue, but I need to ask, why do you think we can't have the DVD checks? Or at least, as some games did, have a DVD check AND activation *option* at least.

Is this concept mainly to restrict second hand sales? I have seen some retail DVD games, actually GIVING you the choice to select DVD check or activation, that's somewhat acceptable.

Please do give this thread a chance, DO NOT discuss piracy here, as I did mention the word, they may feel obligated to lock the thread, hereby I already did say that no no word

[Chris0132]

Steam is a perk to me, I generally prefer it to CDs. I usually buy things on steam and then tell it to make me an install program and then put that on an external drive so I can reinstall it later without having to download it again.

[shireknight]

The devs/distributors would naturally say Steam is used primarily because it gets rid of disk based copy protection which a lot of users hate (remember all the complaints on here with earlier X-games about securerom) and allows for easy distribution of patches but yeah you're right abolition of second-hand sales is also part of it and that's a good thing because of course the more sales the game makes the longer the series lasts thru further games in the series.

[BlackRain]

I really think people who hate steam are way over dramatic. I can understand if you just can't use Steam due to some strange issue but if you can use it but just don't want to, that's just silly.