Valve, why all the "extras"?

[myggen]

Open Letter to Valvesoft

- Letter from a concerned END-USER

Dear Sirs,
To whom the future of gaming concerns, gamers and producers.

At last one of the most awaited games is here. Of course I mean HL2. No further introduction needed. As many, many others I pre-ordered the box and rushed home at first opportunity to install. What had been most awaited, turned to wonder and then to disbelief. I’m not talking about technical flaws or the game itself. The game is superb. I’m addressing sales policy and tactics. Let’s take it from top:
1) I bought a box because I wanted a box product – a DVD I could hold in my hands. Oldfashioned, but there you go. First thing in installer is you have to create a STEAM account. But I don’t want that! HAD I wanted STEAM I had signed up ages ago. I am simply too nitty gritty to allow dozens of happy little programs to occupy my taskbar for whatever good reason.
Finding I have to create a STEAM account is disappointing at least.

2) After installation I also had to wait for some time for the “servers to get ready” to approve my purchase. I can imagine! Everybody’s registering like maniacs. I’m amazed that the servers didn’t flat out crash. Congrats on that. However, I find it disturbing I have to “log in” with my already purchased game. After all, I already bought it, didn’t I?
I can hear defenses about piracy etc. but really, I think you want my email so you can push me stuff through STEAM.

3) After the initialization I get update message from STEAM. “HL2 now playing”. How interesting! But I know that, so why annoy me?

4) I also keep getting a purchase receipt. Also very handy, for once, or even handier on email.

5) The STEAM login also displays various ads. I had one for a German bank. Since I live in Denmark it reveals:

a. STEAM add engine is stupid OR
b. No adds were sold in Denmark OR
c. Adds are sold to a totally wrong target group.

All three possibilities are amateurish and make me resent the concept.

Conclusion:
I have a great – no fantastic – game to play – with a totally rotten invasion of my pc.
I strongly feel that when I pay bucks for a game I DON’T want ads. Earn your money on the game, guys.
Don’t force people into STEAM for the wrong reasons, it will only backfire on you.
Only HL2 will let you get away with this. Come up with something even slightly less, and I’m out of here.
I feel somewhat betrayed and regarded as a marketing meal. I said yes to the game, I didn’t say “Abuse my time with ads”. If you want me to look at ads, make the game free. It looks innocent, but whats next step in some freaky marketing brain?

Please stop this Microsoft-kind-of-we-have-to-install-explorer-and-show-off-our-own-stuff-constantly-thing.

Myg

 

[Dedalus]

Steam is there to prevent piracy. you can't blame valve for wanting to protect their assets. and i'm still a little confused, how does Steam affect the quality and gameplay of the actual game? that one requires a bit of head scratching i think..

you're criticising Steam after having experienced it for less than an hour, when others (myself included) have used it since the early days, and it's been getting better and better. also, where on earth are you seeing these ads? i haven't seen any ads apart from the occasional teeny-tiny banner on the Steam Monitor. head over to the ad aware website and scan your pc for spyware.

if you're still upset with Steam, then just return the game and don't bother. it's the future of distribution if you ask me. thousands of people have purchased, installed and played HL2 (all through Steam) without a hitch.

 

[cadaveca]

Steam is there to prevent piracy. you can't blame valve for wanting to protect their assets. and i'm still a little confused, how does Steam affect the quality and gameplay of the actual game? that one requires a bit of head scratching i think..

you're criticising Steam after having experienced it for less than an hour, when others (myself included) have used it since the early days, and it's been getting better and better. also, where on earth are you seeing these ads? i haven't seen any ads apart from the occasional teeny-tiny banner on the Steam Monitor. head over to the ad aware website and scan your pc for spyware.

if you're still upset with Steam, then just return the game and don't bother. it's the future of distribution if you ask me. thousands of people have purchased, installed and played HL2 (all through Steam) without a hitch.

I agree with your post...but if steam was there for piracy, why is the disk still needed to play for retail versions? Doesn't make any sense to me!

 

[Dedalus]

I agree with your post...but if steam was there for piracy, why is the disk still needed to play for retail versions? Doesn't make any sense to me!

for cd music maybe?

i dunno, i didn't buy retail

 

[Jabberwocky]

the disk is needed to play for retail version because vivendi requires it- it's one of THEIR anti-piracy measures. they won't ship games that don't have this measure put on them.

 

[asdasd]

The point is all this anti-piracy protection are hurting those who bought the legal game... Anyone who got an illegal version doesn't have to go through all this trouble to play the game.

 

[quik]

No ads here.

 

[Bluestrike]

Ads? Since when does steam have ads?
Didn't see any here yet

 

[hi_ted]

1. Steam isn't that big an issue. You open it up, it connects (if you're offline, it asks you for Offline mode), you click on Games - HL2 and away you go.
2. Piracy takes money away from the developer. You should be happy that Steam cuts back on the amount of piracy so Valve can receive the money they earned.
3. Are you going to complain about the colour scheme too??
5. Steam does not have ads. You have Adware, usually transmitted by visiting porn sites.

 

[icspeedracer]

steam is okay... not my big problem... wish they come out with a patch so that retail people don't need to use their disc to play after authenticating.

 

[chimpmunk]

I want won back, the goold old days...

 

[The Mullinator]

The only thing I don't like about steam is that it is somewhat ugly, and it doesn't work all that well with my university connection. However I have to say I certainly do like it, its the first system of its kind and I get the feeling Valve hasn't really started taking full advantage of Steams potential yet.

For those who still want the "good old days" I say this: Times are changing, it was inevitable that a system like Steam would start to take over when it comes to playing games. The old days are gone and going back to them probably won't work. Steam may not be the greatest program yet but then again just think of the reason why, its the first system of its kind. It will get better, Valve's future depends on it.

 

[chimpmunk]

Steam may not be the greatest program yet but then again just think of the reason why, its the first system of its kind. It will get better, Valve's future depends on it.

Poor guys...

 

[Zento]

I'm sure in the near future lots of companies will use Steam-like software to distribute. Maybe game publishers.

 

[WhiteZero]

Ya know, many versions of Windows XP makes you either register online or call into Microsoft.

People got over it. You will too.

 

[EVIL]

Steam has many flaws and it could have gotten alot worse, I think seam will get many improvements over time and releasing HL2 was also a great test to see the flaws that need to be fixed. I product a good future for steam because it has the posebillity to be a great tool

 

[SunHawk]

Ya know, many versions of Windows XP makes you either register online or call into Microsoft.

Microsoft knows what telephones are for and has staff who can answer them.

Valve doesn't.

You can validate your software with Microsoft by phone, by fax, by email, by mail.

Valve can't.

Microsoft has customer service staff to help people who buy their software...these people also have telephones.

Valve doesn't.

Microsoft has offices in many countries.

Valve doesn't.

Microsoft provides telephone support to its customers.

Valve...doesn't seem to know how to do this.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Steam is there to prevent piracy. you can't blame valve for wanting to protect their assets. and i'm still a little confused, how does Steam affect the quality and gameplay of the actual game? that one requires a bit of head scratching i think..

you're criticising Steam after having experienced it for less than an hour, when others (myself included) have used it since the early days, and it's been getting better and better. also, where on earth are you seeing these ads? i haven't seen any ads apart from the occasional teeny-tiny banner on the Steam Monitor. head over to the ad aware website and scan your pc for spyware.

if you're still upset with Steam, then just return the game and don't bother. it's the future of distribution if you ask me. thousands of people have purchased, installed and played HL2 (all through Steam) without a hitch.

Why don't they just do what Troika did for bloodlines. If a disc is being copied, it passes over intentional bugs to the copy. These include performance bugs as well as cops spawning everywhere and such