DRM: Is Steamworks The Way to Go?

[Guest]

unfortunately some of us are still on dial up, so activating a game online is quite difficult. I guess between DRM and DLC its simply time to get out of gaming for good. To bad really, I enjoyed Fallout 3.

 

[mrmike_49]

[citation][nom]snore_zzz[/nom]unfortunately some of us are still on dial up, so activating a game online is quite difficult. I guess between DRM and DLC its simply time to get out of gaming for good. To bad really, I enjoyed Fallout 3.[/citation]

I've got dsl and ME1 (7GB) took SEVEN (7) HOURS to download!! But, it did dl sucessfully, no problems

 

[anthropophaginian]

Why Bethesda?! I love your single player games. I don't think single players should have to have online activations. I know steam can be handy but you'll lose a lot of respect points from me if you go down this road.

 

[Kelavarus]

Steam is retarded as DRM though. It's been cracked so many times. There's so many programs that let you use the game files from Steam and just run them, regardless of whether they're yours or not. I guess Steam is a step in the right direction, but not for developers/publishers.

[citation][nom]mrmike_49[/nom]I've got dsl and ME1 (7GB) took SEVEN (7) HOURS to download!! But, it did dl sucessfully, no problems[/citation]

... You say 7 like it's a long time. They just said Dial-up. There's no comparison at all, why did you bother to try?

 

[jasperjones]

DRM is evil. Steam might be one of the lesser evils but it's still evil.

The more Steam games you buy, the more you are locked into the system. What if, two years from now, you decide that Steam is crap and you don't want it on your computer anymore? Well, you can throw it off, but your games will stop functioning.

In effect, it's similar to iTunes. Shitty software, but it's the only way to play back content with Fairplay (i.e., Apple DRM) on a PC. I don't buy content protected with Fairplay which means I don't have shitty Apple software on my system.

 

[jerreece]

[citation][nom]LATTEH[/nom]tbh steam is the best way to go if you want DRM every one likes it and any one that plays PC games has an account so it doesn't matter!also i like steam it makes it easier when your reinstalling your OS (if you save the files for the games)[/citation]

Speak for yourself. I freaking hate Steam. Nothing like spending $50 on a PC Game, inserting the DVD, and then having Steam automatically revert to downloading the whole game. You end up having to look up a crack or work around to install off the DVD you just bought.

Pain in the arse.

 

[Pyroflea]

If companies are going to use DRM (which I hate, but that's not important), then Steam is the way to go, imo. I don't mind Steam at all, it's actually quite handy. I like not having to find 38 disks when you re-install your OS.

 

[ashkaji]

Good to hear. I remember when steam first dropped how HORRIBLE it was. Im not just saying this to troll, it was REALLY flippin bad from the get go.

But after they worked all the kinks out, it became amazingly good! Efficient, fast, and pain free. ++ I like this, and look forward to buying Fallout~

 

[Guest]

Steam is pirates worst nightmare? lol?

You just can't play online on official servers same as non-steam games.

 

[Trueno07]

What i love about steam are it's deals.

Dirt 2 for 10 bucks? Uh, yea i'll put up with Steam's DRM to have DiRt 2 dirt cheap.

 

[triculious]

here's hoping more companies will follow the thread

 

[CygnusX]

i like steam but i dont get why i have to pay 50 bucks for a game through steam that i can get at gamestop for 25... shouldn't it be the other way around ?

 

[jednx01]

I think this is a GREAT idea. Far better than Ubisoft's crappy way of doing things. For those of us who actually buy our games legally, this is a win.

 

[DawnTreader]

the only thing that might be better than steam is OnLive.

 

[elel]

It's nice having steam, but my dvd drive is still allot faster than my internet.

 

[Guest]

Ill be buying it from walmart still, since its less than 1 minute drive away and cost about the same.

I can have it installed and playing it in minutes rather than hours.

 

[doyletdude]

[citation][nom]snore_zzz[/nom]unfortunately some of us are still on dial up, so activating a game online is quite difficult. I guess between DRM and DLC its simply time to get out of gaming for good. To bad really, I enjoyed Fallout 3.[/citation]
Actually I think you may have misunderstood. If you buy the disc (which they will still sell the discs and eventually DLC comes out on discs too) you don't have download the game and can still install from disc media. To activate it even with dial-up takes a few moments to register your serial number with your account. The steam program is very tiny download. This doesn't spell the end of gaming for Dial-up customers. I hope this clarifies your concern.

 

[azconnie]

This is actually a good idea, even for me. I don't really like the idea of steam because unless the disk is in my hand, I don't own the product. I have always supported a central repository of game owner ship for anti-piracy purposes, and re-assigning the steam DRM to that end is simply genious.

As usual, I give well deserved props to Bethesda, and FO:NV gets a double batch.

Also, just for fun, someone needs to suggest Besthesda, and Bioware hit a joint venture. I'm just sayin...

 

[megahustler]

This is not about piracy. They know the game will be pirated anyway. It's about killing the second-hand game market. After you register the key on Steam, that game is locked to your account. Want to sell the game because you completed it and it has zero replay value, or just sucks? Well, you can't.

We seriously need a digital-age right of first sale for consumers. Why can I sell a used DVD movie or music CD, but not a computer game?

 

[razor512]

They forgot to mention that while it can be played offline, it wont be offline for very long, theres a limit to offline gameplay, and steam has to do it because no game publisher would work with them if they did not.

There is a time limit to how long you can go with out signing into steam before your games crap out. this is to prevent you from buying the game and having 500 friends log in and download the game then switch into offline and enjoy the game with out paying.

Also, what happens when steam dies? well so will your steam games.

Game makers need to go back to the offline activation where all you need is a cd key, or better yet, go back to just the cd check and ignore the cd key. the cd check is enough to prevent casual software pirating, but no current DRM method has worked against people who had the intent to pirate the game. so compared to the standard cd check and the crazy online and constant connection needed DRM, theres no difference in the piracy.

 

[jubalhharshaw]

Yeah, way to go! Steam is the choice of most gamers nowadays, I bought most of my games there, some at Impulse (other good choice for me too), and a few at the other digital distributors. Removing GFWL was also a great idea, I don't know if you know, but GFWL supports only 26 countries, those like me who doesn't live in one of these countries do not have access to all features of the games with GFWL, we can only create a local account to play offline or do another thing that I don't want to discuss here.

 

[thegreathuntingdolphin]

Actually, it is about piracy as well as killing the second hand game market.

Steam is actually amazing. I used to dislike it, but if you go through multiple computer builds or want to use your game easily on muliple pcs, it's a must. I like the fact I can play my games on my pc, my htpc, my wife's pc, my cousins pc when I am at his house, my dad's pc when I visit, etc etc etc. All I have to do is log in and download the game. I don't have to worry about keeping track of CD Keys or the CDs and DVDs.

DVDs and CDs are not perfect. They can get scratched or, worse, warped very easily (especially after a couple moves and several years). I still don't have many games over 10 years old that will actually play on my PC today. I have tried and only a few have installed (and those that did typically had problems).

Steam isn't perfect either, but it is convenient, has the best sales, and has great community support (it is one of my primary IM programs). Steam is loads better than disk checks, limited installs, and constant online checks. The patches also install automatically which is nice.

Also, the offline mode is getting better. I have a cousin who uses it in offline mode for 5 months at a time (his uni blocks most ports so he can't log in), and he doesn't have any problems playing games constantly offline the entire time, so I am not sure what this "limited offline" crap is.

 

[demonhorde665]

i've had steam since 2004 (or was it 03) when hlf 2 came out , never had a problem with it great system aand even though i intially only used it on valve games i bought at retail , on more reccent years i started buying games trhoguh steams online store (l4d 1 and 2 , mount and blad war band , the list goes on), ing enral i love it only reason i woudl want a physical game is if i jsut abgosultey want teh coletor's edition of a game. , (which i'm aimign for colletors on FO:NV

 

[razor512]

[citation][nom]thegreathuntingdolphin[/nom]Actually, it is about piracy as well as killing the second hand game market.Steam is actually amazing. I used to dislike it, but if you go through multiple computer builds or want to use your game easily on muliple pcs, it's a must. I like the fact I can play my games on my pc, my htpc, my wife's pc, my cousins pc when I am at his house, my dad's pc when I visit, etc etc etc. All I have to do is log in and download the game. I don't have to worry about keeping track of CD Keys or the CDs and DVDs.DVDs and CDs are not perfect. They can get scratched or, worse, warped very easily (especially after a couple moves and several years). I still don't have many games over 10 years old that will actually play on my PC today. I have tried and only a few have installed (and those that did typically had problems). Steam isn't perfect either, but it is convenient, has the best sales, and has great community support (it is one of my primary IM programs). Steam is loads better than disk checks, limited installs, and constant online checks. The patches also install automatically which is nice.Also, the offline mode is getting better. I have a cousin who uses it in offline mode for 5 months at a time (his uni blocks most ports so he can't log in), and he doesn't have any problems playing games constantly offline the entire time, so I am not sure what this "limited offline" crap is.[/citation]


limited offline depends on the game.

steam doesn't have full control over the DRM, if the company that makes the game sets certain rules, then steam has to follow them if they want the games on their store.

this is why some games sold on steam require you to enter in a cd key, and some even come with securom

Steam doesn't have full control over the rules of the DRM.



While steam drm may suck, steam is the most convenient game management solution since a simple log in is all it takes to get all of your games. I use steam because it is very convenient. I know I will be screwed if they go out of business but for now, I just stick with cheap games (waiting for prices to go down)

If you have a fast connection, you can even delete games to free up space then have steam redownload them when you need them again, and unlike other services like xbox live, steam doesn't cap your download speeds (but during certain times their servers do get bogged down by so many people downloading stuff from it).

When it comes to DRM loaded stuff, steam is the least intrusive for the most part.

 

[demonhorde665]

[citation][nom]Razor512[/nom]They forgot to mention that while it can be played offline, it wont be offline for very long, theres a limit to offline gameplay, and steam has to do it because no game publisher would work with them if they did not.There is a time limit to how long you can go with out signing into steam before your games crap out. this is to prevent you from buying the game and having 500 friends log in and download the game then switch into offline and enjoy the game with out paying.Also, what happens when steam dies? well so will your steam games.Game makers need to go back to the offline activation where all you need is a cd key, or better yet, go back to just the cd check and ignore the cd key. the cd check is enough to prevent casual software pirating, but no current DRM method has worked against people who had the intent to pirate the game. so compared to the standard cd check and the crazy online and constant connection needed DRM, theres no difference in the piracy.[/citation]


you're whole argument is based on premises that are false or insuffiecently supported to conclude that steam sucks

1. offline paly is not limited with steam
2. you are assuming that steam will eventually die , so far all the facts show that steam will only continue to grow so the likely hood of it ever dieing is zero , unless you are talking about end of civilization/the world , which in that case i doubt any one will have much time to screw off on comptuer games assuming any oen survives LOL
3. contrary to your triad about pirating , valves own games have the lowest pirated numbers out of the entire pc game indsutry , this is due to the fact that there is no retial version released of them that doesnt use steam , (can't count non valve games sold on steam becaue those games do have retail versions with out steam.)