Steam bad for Australia

Y

Yapa

Guest
Looks like steam will be bad for Australian customers. Here in Oz broadband is charged per mb. Users have set quotas a month (mine is 6 gig) and anything over that is charged rather high.

With steam constantly downloading this quota wont last long for most users, even when their playing single player. Dont think many aussies will want to pay extra on top of steam for their broadband charges to play HL2 related content.

70% of my 6gig a month is used for work purposes. I doubt with the current Australian broadband system many users will be playing on the steam network. :(

Any other aussies out there? what do u guys think about this?

Yapa
 
i don't see how you could even afford an hour of gaming a night then.. thats constant bandwith aswell...

and i THINK you'll be able to tell steam NOT to download without permission, that is updates and all that other stuff. plus i think you can exit off of it, and only get on while playing a game
 
If you buy the retail version of HL2 then there won't be a problem, as all Steam will need to handle is the standard multiplayer systems, and the occasional patch and free content provision.

It'll rarely become a problem when capped users decide to buy outright over steam when they are at the end of their limit.

But the most damage done would be with monthly subscriptions.

It's all kind of meaningless anyway, as Steam will allow you to regulate the amount of bandwidth it uses on you.
 
Switch to a different provider. Australia does have unlimited ADSL providers, even if they are a little dodgy.

Or at least switch to one that does not charge when you go over the cap. For example, I'm with IInet and all up, I have 18gb quota on a rolling 30days. If we go over, we get capped to 72kbps.

I've never been over. It helps that we get access to alot of free stuff, including alot of not so legal stuff. *cough* ;).
 
Yes but how much do you pay for 18gig a month? around $140 a month, its on whirlpool.net.au....

Doubt most australians would be able to pay that much for the internet. Im with netspace and have free traffic in the vix, get all my free *cough* there :)

Still I doubt many aussies will be getting the steam version of the game.

Yapa
 
I'm from Australia. I'm with Ozforces who are a unlimited provider. People complain about them but I've never had issues.

Another point to make is my steam downloads are very slow in general. Maybe Steam need a server in Australia aswell?
 
its the same for myself in canada (ontario) but if you pay enough extra (with certian isp's) they will do away with that and give you unlimited (and im on a 3mb dsl line mmmm) but its $$
 
Originally posted by Yapa
Yes but how much do you pay for 18gig a month? around $140 a month, its on whirlpool.net.au....
Yapa
Click to expand...

No, $80 a month.

And then I go havles with my dad so $40 :)

And it's actually 16gb, not 18gb. Sorry for that confusion. 2gb extra ain't much anyway.
 
Originally posted by shapeshifter
its the same for myself in canada (ontario) but if you pay enough extra (with certian isp's) they will do away with that and give you unlimited (and im on a 3mb dsl line mmmm) but its $$
Click to expand...

Not for me, who the hell is your provider that has a bandwidth cap and while are you still with them when there are so many alternatives?
 
oh my .. it makes me feel good that im paying $50 for my unlimited bandwidth. thank god we don't have anything like that in US
 
no my isp has bandwidth caps, but like I was saying you can opt not to have them (and the price increases a bit becuase of this) almost all isps in my area are capped, this is one of the few that is not, and the only one in my area that offers 3mb service with no caps.
 
Originally posted by LoneDeranger
oh my .. it makes me feel good that im paying $50 for my unlimited bandwidth. thank god we don't have anything like that in US
Click to expand...

You can get unlimited ADSL over here in Australia for about that price. But at the moment it wouldn't be as fast (256, or 512kbps) and it is still abit dodgy for some people (Cheaper service) .
 
Unfortunately the way 'unlimited' ADSL ISP's work in Australia is this:

The ISP offers unlimited accounts, they purchase bandwidth off a wholesaler such as comindico or telstra. Say we're talking 512kbit plans here, the ISP will purchase 512kbit of unlimited data from the wholesaler. But they will only purchase this one lot of bandwidth for every (something like) 30 customers who sign up for this unlimited plan.

Now this usually works in other countries, where you'll have some very low-usage users on the plan sharing with a few high-usage users. However in Australia, Telstra's aggressive marketing usually takes all these low-usage (new, undeducated people :p) and signs them up for their own plans (at stupid prices, and incredibly low data allowance caps).

This means that MOST of the people who sign up for these 'unlimited' plans are all people who will be wanting to use the service A LOT. And thus the system fails :p
Of course once quite a few people have signed up to one ISP's unlimited plan, they might 'shuffle' the users around so that each group of 30 or so users sharing the 512kbits, will have an even mixture of high and low usage users. But by no means will you ever get the whole 512kbits all to yourself :(
 
That's how it works "in theory". But if you have a better provider (ie. Dart) then it works. They just have a 10mbit pipe and when it goes over 70% usage they buy a new one, lowering the overall usage. I get 512kbit constantly, which is about 54kbyte constant, which is about a hundred gigs a month, or more. So bleh. But steam runs pretty shit here in australia.
 
Yeah, it'd be great if we got a content server and even better if it was something like pipenetworks so that I could get it all free :)
 
I think you'd have to be an idiot to purchase HL2 via Steam in Australia. In fact I think the whole idea of d/ling the game is pretty lame. I much prefer to have a CD but that is just me.

Yeah, apparently Steam won't eat up bandwidth while your playing MP aside from updates for a game eg DoD.

I wished I lived in France, unlimited full speed ADSL for very, very low prices.
 
Originally posted by wormstrangler
Yeah, it'd be great if we got a content server and even better if it was something like pipenetworks so that I could get it all free :)
Click to expand...

That would be cool, i'm on IINet but i'm only using about half of my limit at the moment so i'm not that worried. I just hope the speed won't be too bad to the US or they have local servers for steam.
 
Hey hey, thsi is amazing. All these fellow iinet users. im only on the 256 plan, but thanks to AUSIX(vix)/PIPE in melbourne i pull about 15-16 gigs a month. Hopefully they will set up some hl2 multi game servers on ausix.

Broadband does suck in aus, stupid telstra.
 
you should turn it off when you are not playing games.

that really sucks... im glad they dont charge anything in the US. It is about 39$ per month for unlimited use with very fast speed download and ok upload...
 
Im on optus 3 gig, and plan to change to Internode sometime this month before the huge MP hit half life 2 does to my cap.

My clan mates all have internode and they say it is the best, as it has pretty much the same setup as telstra ie a big free file server and servers which dont add to your download limit.

Steam is something im not looking forward too, ie the thing forcing a huge file down my throat any time they decide to upgrade a game model.

God help anyone with a download limit.


*Edit - AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE
 
Broadband in australia did hit some really nasty periods when the two largest providers suddenly switched from virtually unlimited to 3gb's fortunately there is now light at the end of the tunnel with isps like iinet and *some* of the new unlimited isp's that are actually working to a reasonable level.
Check out www.whirlpool.net.au for all your aussie isp needs :)
 
I highly recommend you get an unlimited plan
im with internode 1.5mbit and i couldn't be happier
but if your not interested in changing isp then just get the boxed half life 2

oi oi oi
 
Unfortunately here in Perth I don't believe there are any of these 'good' unlimited providers. Dodo is the only one I know of. If I were going to change to an unlimited ISP, they had better be peered with WAIX for me to even consider them. ;)
 
Ausgamers is hosting a steam server which should be fast but not free for me. Some people in VIc will get Steam updates free.
 
I'm from Melbourne, Aus and am on the Optus 3gb plan (ends late this year) As soon as my contract is up I'm gonna move to OZforces. If any one is using that please tell me whether its good or not.
 
Sorry but about Steam:
Has it been updated yet? Has anything been changed? I haven't got it so I have no idea...
 
Just to reiterate i strongly suggest reading that whirlpool webpage's forum before going for any of the unlimited isp's as far as i know all the comindico(ozforces, dodo) etc still have a lot of problems in specific areas and the best way to find that out is to read whirlpool. If i was going for an unlimited isp right now it would be dart as they have recently moved of comindico onto connect, and aside from that they seem to have great support with staff posting daily in the whirlpool forums to adress problems.
 
oh my .. it makes me feel good that im paying $50 for my unlimited bandwidth. thank god we don't have anything like that in US
Click to expand...

Oh, it's coming... it already hit Canada, and US ISPs are all *very* interested.
 
Originally posted by =Coy0te=
I'm from Melbourne, Aus and am on the Optus 3gb plan (ends late this year)
Click to expand...


PLEASE elaborate???
 
Spare a thought for those of us who are stuck on Telstra's service. 3 gig traffic (both downstream and upstream are included) and then $160 per gig over your limit. Unforunately I, like many other users, are forced to use Telstra as a broadband provider.

It is good to hear Ausgamers are planning on hosting a steam server, however I wonder if Telstra/Bigpond plan on doing something similar? I believe OzForces are planning on hosting one as well.
 
Im sure that the great guys at gamearena(telstras game service) will do there best to get some kind of steam mirror or atleast mirror the steam content but i guess it all depends on how feasible this is with however it is setup at valves end.
 
hey M8, com to the UK hehe.:cool:

the braodband her is :sniper: fast
 
you are all right. the broad band situation in Australia is really serious. It's getting to the point where something really has to be done. Telstra and Optus sold the people of australia out. They just didn't plan for it properly. They really couldn't give a shit about the people that use their services. They lay the cable out indiscrininatly, then, only if you're lucky to get access to a cable they charge a fortune for it and give you limited service in return. I lived is Ryde, 20mins from the centre of Sydney. When I was there the cable was available only on one side of the road. I mean what kind of service is that? And consumers can't really do anything because the competition just isn't there to switch to. I hope it gets better there 'cause it was pretty serious. I think the cable tv companies deserve to carry alot of the blame as well.
 
Originally posted by VoiD
Im sure that the great guys at gamearena(telstras game service) will do there best to get some kind of steam mirror or atleast mirror the steam content but i guess it all depends on how feasible this is with however it is setup at valves end.
Click to expand...

HOWEVER


you get the massive file download servers, as well as free game servers that dont add to your cap.

Optus gives none of that, the only advantage is shaped to modem speeds when you blow your capp.

Ive given up, ill have Internode DSL by the end of the month. Oh the joy of unlimited downloads. Weeeeeee.
 
Ahh yeah gamearena is great in that regard and its the only reason i am still with telstra even though ive been out of contract for 2 years. I am not a big downloader im mainly a gamer and use at most 3gbs a month so it was never a problem, however if gamearena cant not sort something out with steam and steam downloads large amounts of content then i will probably finnaly make the move to one of the isp's with a more reasonable limit.

And just to add to that i agree optus are even worse then telstra since they are too lazy to even setup there game servers to be a free service almost every other isp can manage that.
 
Ahh dont worry ive checked out all plans and i am considering a swap but, to me its not really worth the hassle unless i really need to switch although i might do it on principle soon if telstra dont atleast look like they are considering getting there act together.
 
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