Steam will kill pc gaming

[Pi Mu Rho]

*sigh*

Again, failure to address a single point. Begone, troll.

 

[Jadewolf5675]

screw you just cos urs works and our dont dosent mean u can try and justify that its a "GOOD" THING TO FU CKING USE U cun t!!!!!

VALVE HAS THIS GUY BRAINWASHED!!!! QUICKLY,, GET THE INSTRUMENTS OF REINLIGHTENTMENT!!!!!!

YOU--ARE--RETARDED

 

[Jadewolf5675]

By the way, I <3 Steam

 

[baron insig]

i tihnk the Phrase which should have been used was

" Steam will kill All Pc Pirating "

Steam is a perfectly fine platform
Admitadly in its Early stages it was really buggy and i agve up on it when it took 3 hours to join a cs server / 6 months later i went back and it was fine

Shut your cake hole Dont snub it till you tried it

 

[Cheezhead]

I think that steam should be optional, not necessary. Then everybody could be happy. I personally think it's a load of crap b/c my gaming pc is offline and the game that I have been waiting for years to play will run, but steam won't.

 

[Seraphim]

I love Steam. Keeps the piracy down, you know.

 

[ltzgonemad]

It should be optional as Cheezhead said. I dont want to get online whenever I want to play HL2. At least it should be optional for single-player games, such as HL2. Or at least have the player verify the game, THEN he/she can log out of Steam but play HL2. That would be best IMO.

 

[dragonflyr]

well ... i don't have all day to read thru all these posts (just like I don't have all day to install a game I paid good money for), but after seeing stuff about "whining" and people questioning others computing/tehnical skills and all this crap about only the "minority" of people having probs ....

Here's the point:

Steam is probably fine if you fit into their perfect mold: Your PC is connected DIRECTLY to the net via BROADBAND. Everybody else is, like, screwed.

If your on dialup. If your gaming PC is connecting via a proxy, your just completely effed.

I am an adult who has worked the last 8 years in the IT industry. Sadly, I live in an area now with only diapup access. I connect to the net via a proxy sharing a dialup connection. i bought the game to PLAY OFFLINE. I have bought other pieces of VERY expensive software for high end audio applications. They make me jump thru a few hoops for activations keys, BUT atleast it is done via email and/or web based ... no big deal .. 20 minutes later I'm up and running.

To be FORCED to use a seperate application to activate, AND then still download LARGE files to unlock/complete the install is TOTAL crap!! To hear people taking HOURS to get to the point of playing is amazing. To hear people giving suggestions of beringing machines to other locations to complete an install is insane.

Talk about being PUNISHED for making a legit purchase.

I am NOT a privacy fanatic. I do not steal games. I legally own a bunch of games. What Valve and Steam have put me thru is total abuse. I BOUGHT the game with total excitement of being able to expirience the game. That has now been totally killed. I'm sick of looking at the friggin box.

I have an internet connection .. but evidently not the kind of connection steam thinks I should have.

I have a PC that can run the game .... if I could only authenticate.

Sorry .. but all you Steam lovers just don't seem to understand that it is not fair to be put thru all of this after BUYING the damn game!

Steam... Never again.
VALVe... screw you.

see ya....

now very content to wait for GT4 for my PS2.

 

[dogboy73]

I love Steam. Keeps the piracy down, you know.

It keeps everything down

 

[Darkn3ss]

Right. Anyone who disagrees with your negative view of Steam is a fanboy. Of course!

I mean, the fact that you've failed to explain what exactly Steam's supposed fundamental flaws are, and that your only form of "proof" is that people have posted on forums with complaints is just laughable.

Well here's my list.
Perhaps you've seen it posted here before...

1. It crashes allot
2. It hangs when I shutdown, if I don’t close it first.
3. It takes too long to validate files
4. It invades my privacy
5. It doesn’t have a good alternative for people without broadband
6. Offline mode is obviously a jury-rig
7. I have no choice but to use it
8. I believe it will try to control content and force me to buy things I don’t want. (software bundles)

Let me add a few more...

1. It's too easy for a hacker to reek havoc on me personally by messing with my account until Valve puts me on the ban list.
2. Contrary to a previous post there is no way of controlling drive and path location for installs. One can only control where Steam is installed.
3. Reportedly it keeps our games updated, but without a trackable history, how do we know its really working. (yes, I know you can look in the monitor, but that's gone after shutting down Steam once.)
4. It decides when to download these patches based on its requirements not mine

 

[dragonflyr]

agree totally with Dark ...

Steam totally takes control of something I own and does whatever the hell it wants when it wants.

If I BUY a legal copy of a game, I should be allowed to install it on a laptop and play it OFFLINE in the friggin Sahara desert if I want ... bugs n' all! Let me update the game when I want to. Let me freakin' start PLAYING the game when and how I want to.

This is like buying a car with CASH, getting it in your driveway and then realizing that you need to order a steering wheel .... AND then be forced to call the manufacturer and "log in" every time I want to drive it.

BULL.

Sorry ... but there is no upside to this. The game will still be hacked, even if it is just playable "offline". Somehow, someway, someone will crack the game.

and now VALVe has given me ALL the incentive in the world to root and cheer for these hackers to succeed.

There HAD to be a better, more user-friendly way to treat their paying customers.

 

[Flyingbig]

Well here's my list.
Perhaps you've seen it posted here before...

1. It crashes allot
2. It hangs when I shutdown, if I don’t close it first.
3. It takes too long to validate files
4. It invades my privacy
5. It doesn’t have a good alternative for people without broadband
6. Offline mode is obviously a jury-rig
7. I have no choice but to use it
8. I believe it will try to control content and force me to buy things I don’t want. (software bundles)

Let me add a few more...

1. It's too easy for a hacker to reek havoc on me personally by messing with my account until Valve puts me on the ban list.
2. Contrary to a previous post there is no way of controlling drive and path location for installs. One can only control where Steam is installed.
3. Reportedly it keeps our games updated, but without a trackable history, how do we know its really working. (yes, I know you can look in the monitor, but that's gone after shutting down Steam once.)
4. It decides when to download these patches based on its requirements not mine

1:\ Never crashed on me once
2:\ If you shutdown without closing down steam it gives you the option to end program, just hit end program, funny enough. You should alwys close down steam when you have finsihed playing a game.
3:\ Utter Rubbish, your being too picky.
4:\ Privacy?! Not on the same page with ya on that one, you scared of people seeing what game your playing
5:\ If you are into gaming in anyway then you should have a broadband connection, very cheap to get and essential to any gamer. If you don't have a broadband connection its your own fault. Don't blame the world for moving on and not waiting for you to catch up.
6:\ Who cares about Offline, my connection is always on by default.
7:\ Thats like saying your forced to use an ingame menu, get over it dude. It takes no longer then 30 seconds to launch Hl2 from steam.
8:\ No prove of that in future, for Counter-strike to be part of the HL2 package and only cost £40 is amazing value for money.

Can't be arsed to counter your later points although looking at your last point it is valid. Steam shouldn't update when it feels like it and should let me play the game even if i don't want to update. I am sure it forces gamers to update if they want to play the game. Could be wrong though.

 

[dragonflyr]

hey flyingbig ....

what the hell is up with AHOLES giving people crap who don't have broadband because ITS NOT EFFING AVAILABLE!!!!!

dude ...

":\ If you are into gaming in anyway then you should have a broadband connection, very cheap to get and essential to any gamer. If you don't have a broadband connection its your own fault. Don't blame the world for moving on and not waiting for you to catch up.
6:\ Who cares about Offline, my connection is always on by default."

What the hell kinda DUMBASS statement is that??!?

hey Flyingbig ... in case you don't know ... broadband isn't available to EVERYONE on the planet!!!

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Well here's my list.
Perhaps you've seen it posted here before...

1. It crashes allot
2. It hangs when I shutdown, if I don’t close it first.
3. It takes too long to validate files

1. 
   
   Right, it doesn't do any of those things for me. I asked for a list of fundamental flaws - inherent problems with the software, issues that affect the majority of people.
   

   [*]It invades my privacy

   
   Subjective - it doesn't invade mine.
   
   

   [*]It doesn’t have a good alternative for people without broadband

   It's an online content delivery system, of course it doesn't. Retail is the alternative.
   
   

   [*]Offline mode is obviously a jury-rig

   How is it?
   
   

   [*]I have no choice but to use it

   If I want to play games, I have no choice but to use Windows.
   
   

   [*]I believe it will try to control content and force me to buy things I don’t want. (software bundles)

   Again, entirely subjective. Steam can't "control content" - it can't remove what you already have or add to it without you enabling it do so. As for software bundles, what are you basing that on? HL2 was sold in 3 packages - standalone, with HL:S and DoD:S, and with HL:S, DoD:S and a load of merchandise.

Let me add a few more...

1. It's too easy for a hacker to reek havoc on me personally by messing with my account until Valve puts me on the ban list.

1. 
   
   That's really clutching at straws.
   It's too easy for a hacker to wreak havoc on my PC until the FBI put me in jail. If someone else has that level of control over your PC, you have bigger problems than your Steam account.
   
   

   [*]Contrary to a previous post there is no way of controlling drive and path location for installs. One can only control where Steam is installed.

   
   This is true, but I don't see it as a large issue. I can see it affecting people with smaller drives, though. Maybe it's something Valve ought to look at.
   

   [*]Reportedly it keeps our games updated, but without a trackable history, how do we know its really working. (yes, I know you can look in the monitor, but that's gone after shutting down Steam once.)

   
   Steam only updates when you restart it or tell it keep a game up to date.
   
   

   [*]It decides when to download these patches based on its requirements not mine

Turn off automatic updating for your game, and it won't update until you tell it to.

 

[Flyingbig]

what the hell is up with AHOLES giving people crap who don't have broadband because ITS NOT EFFING AVAILABLE!!!!!

dude ...

":\ If you are into gaming in anyway then you should have a broadband connection, very cheap to get and essential to any gamer. If you don't have a broadband connection its your own fault. Don't blame the world for moving on and not waiting for you to catch up.
6:\ Who cares about Offline, my connection is always on by default."

What the hell kinda DUMBASS statement is that??!?

hey Flyingbig ... in case you don't know ... broadband isn't available to EVERYONE on the planet!!!

Where you live then? The desert? If so thats what you call unlucky dude. In the UK everyone has access to a certain type of broadband. If not then they can have a dialup connection that doesn't charge you depending on how much you use the internet but rather a one of payment a month. So where do you come from and why does offline not work for? I have never tried it but i imagine if i wanted activate offline mode it would work. I'd be surprised if something as simple as that doesn't work.

 

[WickedSick]

Steam is crap for most of the reasons already mentioned in this whole thread.
Also prevenenting pirates .... lmao
check here what Vengeance says (cracked retail version) (also note, that Emporio had the Steam release already cracked the first day it was launched)

Maybe I get banned for posting this link. Dunno. Nothing illegal by itself. Read about the steam section in the nfo from Vengeance. Interesting stuff. I bought HL2, but you can be sure I'm going to download this cracked release so I can play the game and have my mind in peace without having to worry about ****ing steam.

 

[Spartan]

I loathe Steam as well. Hopefully it won't become popular.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Steam is crap for most of the reasons already mentioned in this whole thread.
Also prevenenting pirates .... lmao
check here what Vengeance says (cracked retail version) (also note, that Emporio had the Steam release already cracked the first day it was launched)

No they didn't. They cracked it after it was released. Then had to redo it when it didn't work.

Maybe I get banned for posting this link. Dunno. Nothing illegal by itself. Read about the steam section in the nfo from Vengeance. Interesting stuff. I bought HL2, but you can be sure I'm going to download this cracked release so I can play the game and have my mind in peace without having to worry about ****ing steam.

Yeah, they emulate Steam....your point?
Note - they say that they disabled online play. No, online play won't work without going through Steam, so you're SOL for playing any mods.

 

[WickedSick]

dunno if the emporio release worked or not. I bought my HL2 retail on tuesday 16th and I remember having seen the same day at night that emporio had it released. While installing HL2 and during the whole authentification procedure, I was more than once tempted to throw the whole crap away and just download the pirated version. I finally managed to get it working though.

For me I don't care about online play. I'm a hardcore UT fan and I never played HL online, except at the beginning some DM. It's just too slow. For multiplayer, I sticked since the beginning to UT (now UT2k4) because the gameplay (and the controls) is just incredible and demands real skill (not some bitching sniping camping). But that's not the point here.

Steam was for me for sure a one time experience. Should there be any future games following the same path, you can be sure i won't buy any but just download them.

By the way I think it's important that gamers express their opinion and don't swallow everything they get imposed. Eventually the games are made for us and for our entertainment. This surely went a step too far (at least for me) and gaming went too much to the background.

 

[Warbie]

Something must be done about Steam immediately as it may already be too late.
Pc gaming has been fighting a loosing battle with game consoles for many years, and now that the best pc game is being squeezed through the sh*t grinder call Steam I fear the end is near. Console games are plug n play, for the most part, and only the hardest core pc gamers are going to put up with crap like Steam to get to their games.
Is there anyone left a Valve who cares about pc gaming? I plead with you. Do something about Steam now, or abandon it to the sh*tter from which it came.

Steam will kill pc gaming as we know it, forever.

What rubbish - Steam is the future.

Before long we'll be getting all our games/moives/music through similar systems (Blockbuster Video and Virgin Megastores are going to vanish). The notion of actually buying (or even owning) physical media will seem incredibly archaic (just as using notes and coins to purchase things is starting to now)

PCs with super fast connections will be as common and tv's, and the whole house will be connected (the lights, the fridge, the car etc) All our electronic entertainment will be downloaded onto our uber multifunctional pc's in the blink of an eye \o/

Some ppl have been having a few difficulties with Steam, which must be annoying. But on the whole, I think it's performed extremely well. It's a sign of things to come - so get used to it

 

[Spartan]

Before long we'll be getting all our games/moives/music through similar systems (Blockbuster Video and Virgin Megastores are going to vanish). The notion of actually buying (or even owning) physical media will seem incredibly archaic

Storing everything on a hard-disk is all fine and dandy as long as the hard-disk doesn't fail (and it WILL fail, eventually). To counter-act this, you'll need to keep making backup copies of your data (several terabytes at that point, probably). You also need to make sure that everything remains backwards compatible (wishful thinking). It seems to me that simply purchasing shit from the store is a whole lot easier.

PCs with super fast connections will be as common and tv's, and the whole house will be connected (the lights, the fridge, the car etc)

Yup, that's probably the future. Then we'll have to install virus scanners and firewals into our microwave owens. Mankind's downfall has never before been so obvious.

All our electronic entertainment will be downloaded onto our uber multifunctional pc's in the blink of an eye \o/

Blink of an eye? It's going to take some time until we can download several gigabytes per second.

 

[Warbie]

Maybe 'in the blink of an eye' is an exageration - at least for the near future. But it'll be sooner than we think, and 'fast enough' even sooner.

As for HD space - data will be streamed onto our pcs and not stored (and why I said that 'owning' games/music/movies would seem archaic .... it just won't be necessary, a waste of resources)

But HD's will get far larger, cheaper and more reliable.

 

[CR0M]

And we'll all have silver robots in our houses to do the vacuuming.

 

[Warbie]

And we'll all have silver robots in our houses to do the vacuuming.

That's just silly - we'll use poor ppl.

 

[DrkBlueXG]

I agree that it will make a trend like this on PC Gaming and ultimately kill the pc gaming market due to 3rd-party boot programs which will result in firewall backdoor glitches and mayhem to follow.
Spyware and Adware will also linger in it's footsteps.
But anywayz...
Who DIDN'T see this coming eventually?
Just remember that if it's free...there is always a catch.

 

[^Ben]

*NOTE*

Online play has been disabled, so buy this excellent title if you want to
play online. Valve deserves it.

I gotta admit that is "noble" of them atleast its not emporio who just try to **** over valve.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Somehow, I doubt it was from altruistic motives.

 

[^Ben]

Yah true that

Anyway it's mods that will carry HL2 well into next year.

 

[kensan]

I have been reading all the bitching about steam, and was going to join the fray with my own, when I guess it dawned on me: a) the system requirements specified on the box that an internet connection is required and b) this game just does not run well (yes, YMMV).

The main insight to a) is that I knew online authentication would be used, and I guess I agreed to that when I purchased the game, knowlingly or not. However I wouldn't even be bitching about a) if...

...b) the game does not run well. It took a long time to install, decrypting game files and what not. (Mind you, I bought the cd, and I expect to pop in the cd, copy a bunch of files, and just jump in and play!) It takes a long time between level loads, with no progress feedback, unlike for example doom3. The stuttering problem. Sound doesn't work in 5.1 mode, only in headphones mode. (ONce again, doom3 works just fine in 5.1 mode!) And throwing in a random bit but, I couldn't even control where hl2 was installed to. It harcoded it to program files\blah blah blah. Cmon!!!

I think it all boils down to, did a qa department REALLY sign off of this product, and if they did, what machines were they testing this on? I for one have a sony vaio, a recent one that comes from the sony factory with a 3.2 GHz pentium chip, 1GB RAM, an ATI x300 128MB card, for reference, a cable modem that works just fine in all my other apps / browsers...

Did a QA Lead actually sign off on this sluggish frustratingly slow loading, poorly running, poorly configurable game?

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

and yet it runs fine on my XP2800, 768Mb, Radeon 9700 Pro system.

It's nothing to do with system specs

So saying it's frustratingly slow loading and poorly running* is purely subjective - it obviously isn't that way for everyone. Whatever the issue actually is, Valve are looking at it and working on a fix. If nothing else, they have a damn good reputation for supporting their products.

*poorly configurable is pretty accurate. I'd like to be able to install the individual games in different locations

 

[Gilthanaz]

Steam has to die

I've been silent for long enough - but this steam s**t has to go. Its a buttplug, its a pain in the arse, literally. All i ever want is to BUY a game (which i did), put the CD/DVD in, install it, and play it.

Of course, i knew you need a working internet connection to register it or something, but no one ever told me that this steam s**t checks everything on every single goddamn game start.

I live in a country where bandwidth == money, so its of totally no use for me that steam allows you to buy this or that online and _download_ it. Its hard enough for me, who is hosting many things for communities _for free_ to live with a 10GB a month hard traffic limit (hard means - 10GB are used up, they disconnect me, no more internet this month).

So, this saturday, i was over my limit, my connection was shut down, i can't play. Well, okay. I can live with that. Monday i call there, order additonal 5GB for 40 US$ (yes, bandwidth IS very expensive here!), and play. And then i have to do some work... and get food... pick up my gf at the train station... and then i want to play again, after my gf went to bed.

And what do i get? Some bullshit like "Steam error: This game is not available, please try again later."

Well, know what? It IS available, because i BOUGHT it on DVD for GOOD money. And its right there, on my HDD, for crying out loud.
So, what is it? Whats the friggin' problem? Its there, its installed, the key is valid, i've played before, ... WHAT IS IT?

Steam is bullshit. Its a chain on the neck of gamers. And the best is: I could have downloaded the game, a hacked version that works PERFECTLY even without a goddamn internet connection a dozen times already, and i didnt. Because I BUY my games!

And what do i get? Steam-crap of a friggin not-working shit-fun-killing thingy.

Steam has to die. End of story. Those who say different, have no clue. I haveth spoken.

 

[^Ben]

Yeh, ok.

Set steam to not automatically update your games.

Offline mode, use it.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Steam has to die. End of story. Those who say different, have no clue. I haveth spoken.

Well, shit. Might as well close up the forums, folks. Gilthanaz has spoken, and no-one is allowed to say different!

Heaven forfend that there might actually be people out there who - GASP! - don't have any problems running Steam?

 

[Gilthanaz]

Thank you for your entertaining reply. Well, of course iam aware of the fact that there might be a lot of people who do have no problems running steam. In fact, i just talked online to a few people who wondered why my copy doesnt work, yet they just started the game (And of course we all have a legal copy).

But, this does not help those for who it does not work. Dont be so selfish that you think just because it works for you, it is okay. It Is _not_ okay to make it a requirement for a game that one has a internet connections.

Thank you,
Gil

P.S.: And, of course, you are welcome to close this thread with a big fat "Okay, he is right, steam sucks" sign in the end. I would not stop you to do so, and i'am quite sure that a very lot will accompany me in my decision and believes.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

I can only assume that you haven't actually read this thread, then. Otherwise, you'd know damn well that I don't think Steam is perfectly ok just because it works for me.

However, you have to accept the converse - Steam isn't inherently broken just because it doesn't work for you.

and it is entirely ok to make an internet connection a requirement - if you don't like it, vote with your wallet. At the end of the day, Valve decide what they do with their game. Your choice is whether to buy it or not.

 

[Gilthanaz]

Too bad for that choice. I bought it. Who could know the service is so shitty that even *I* could do better. Still, i think it is the wrong way to go to make people *have* have an internet connection to play games. This, definitly, is a bad idea. I dont mind CD Keys or anything, really ... not even that you might have to call somewhere to tell your CDKey and get a valid Play-Key then... who cares. But its very very annoying if it does not work at all.

However, i will now re-read the whole thread (i do of course admit that i only read the few first pages and not all of it), and try and ideas that came up in it.

No need for heat - yet i think steam is a bad idea

- Gil

 

[^Ben]

It was on the box, if no one buys HL2 then they will know that steam does not work and will disband it.

You bought it, you agreed to it.

And systems like steam are the future so get used to it.

 

[Gilthanaz]

^Ben, no offense, but ... you dont really believe the crap that just fell out of your primary facial opening, do you?

(Or, in this matter, you typed with your fingers (and probably the thumbs, too)).

 

[^Ben]

Oh yah i forgot, because you have a problem, anyone who actually likes the idea of systems like steam are immediatly filled with crap?

 

[Gilthanaz]

The idea itself is rotten.

One thing, and that should about sum it up:
People who stole the game can play it without problems.

People who bought it can't. At least some. And some is too much.

- Gil