This SteamPowered/Steamworks argument really is killing me. For those who are against it why? It is no different than installing software and really having install EA updater or Windows Games for Live or Impulse, but the COLD HARD FACT IS, that you do NOT have to have it running or be LOGGED IN at all to play your game.
You assume that we allow any of those things to run or be installed as well, I don't allow anything to autoupdate itself or run in the background. Also you'll find that stardock products do not actually require you to ever have impulse if you buy the retail box. Thats only if you wish to create an account and tie your serial to it, allowing you to download it anytime you want. It's similar in concept, only its optional.
When a game "requires Steam" they mean for Activation purposes, just like most of the new games, out there require you connect at least once and that will be on the box, but thats it.
Somewhat true, but it also requires you to create an account with them, which I have no motivation to do otherwise. Also as active military I spend much of my time with no internet connection at all, period. So any game with online activation automatically loses mad points in my book.
Steam actually has many advantages that you are not aware of, and to watch you make and jump all over it with out trying it, or you "say" you try it, but you never dig in and find that there is a simple "run game while off-line mode" so that no Internet connection is required is nuts.
I've tried it, I don't like it. And while there is an offline mode, it doesn't address the previous problem. I need to be able to order discs, and then install and use my product from the disks. If it were optional like impulse then it would garner a lot less complaining I think.
Steam offers many more positives than negatives. Once Civ 5 is installed and you activate it, you now will NEVER EVER need that Civ 5 DVD to install your game again. You can throw it out or nuke it or do what ever.... you don't have to have the CD in the drive, you don't have to have a permanent connection to the net like Ubi soft, its not like that.
Perhaps you hadn't noticed but Civ often didn't require the disk anyway. Civ II only disabled the music if you didn't have it. Civ IV with the most recent patches doesn't even ask for the disk at all, and no I haven't done anything other than a clean install and the official patches.
If you were to travel for a few weeks to see your cousin cross country, you could log into Steam, and guess what.... download the game to his computer..... yup... no problems or questions asked. You could play it and with the new cloud saving, if you saved your game on the cloud, you could load your saved games from anywhere.
Then when you leave, you just remove the game from his HDD and go back home an all is well. It just ruffles my feathers when people do not read the whole deal on Steam and how it works. It allows games to not have any DRM, it allows you to install them AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT, you can save games to a cloud, you don't have to worry about losing a CD-KEY like I did with the Original Mass Effect like I did and have to send them in your CD and wait 4-6 weeks for them to process it and send a different and scratched CD back and have to go through hell, this time having them rush it in 2 weeks.
To me, Steam listens to its users and tries to incorporate the best of what it can while working with the game publishers to come to a happy consensus.... I love having all my games in one spot... if I want to install one I bought 3 years ago... guess what.... its STILL THERE... My Half-Life 2 is still there and that was released in what 2005????
I can see where some might like that, and if its optional I wouldn't mind. Personally I prefer just to keep the disks.
The only reason to question steam is for that initial activation and believe me we do understand YOUR concern, but it is a one time deal that doesn't take long and once its done its done.
Quite, but as you say once its done its done, I had a family member install my copy of Empire Total War while I was gone, (came in during a deployment) and they didn't realize it permanently associated itself with their account, and now its done, I'll never be able to install it using my own purchased disks.
You have to look at it this way, would you rather you play many games, and have to shuffle a boat load of CD's in and out of your drive all the time (lose them occasionally unless your really anal and still they get scratched.... here is where they need to start added that blu-ray hard guard to DVD's... to having to activate one time for a minute connected to the net where NO personal information is sent???
Then you go click on the game, click run off-line and you are done.... no more... no more putting the CD/DVD in the drive, no move losing your DVD or having your kid or dog use it as a Frisbee... An electonic copy is there just for you...
I'd rather have the choice. I can see where some people might like it, but for me it simply isn't practical, so there are numerous games that I will never purchase or play simply because they tied themselves to this, denying my right to install and use a product from purchased media.
Consider this: Civilization is probably my favorite game franchise of all time, I have purchased every single base civ game, and most of the expansions, often both pc and mac versions over the years, but with this single simple change I will have to consider long and hard before I purchase it. Make it steam-free and I'll buy it in a heartbeat, even at the special edition price. Heck I'll even pre-order if I know its installable by itself. (only reason I had empire was because I didn't realize it would require steam when I pre-ordered it)