Why so many objections to Steam?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Magnulus" <magnulus@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:WwuAe.70358$du.28157@bignews1.bellsouth.net...
>
> I also don't like the fact that, despite the lower costs for Valve, they
> don't pass any of the savings onto the consumer. 55 dollars for a game
> that
> is pure profit for Valve is IMO a losing proposition for consumers. We
> aren't talking about Garage Games here, which sells their downloaded games
> for 10 bucks or so.
>


Excellent points.


> PC games are too expensive already, there's an upwards price trend. I
> personally cannot afford to spend any more than 30-35 bucks on any game.
> Paying 50-60 bucks for a game that makes playing it a hassle is just not
> worth it.
>


Totally agreed.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 19:56:13 GMT, john.dsl@verizon.net (John Lewis) wrote:

>On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 19:22:37 GMT, Memnoch
><memnoch@nospampleaseimbritish.ntlworld.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>>It just so happens that when I had installed and validated Half-life 2
>>>for the first time and played it some, later I could not play it for
>>>weeks because I moved to a new apartment and did not have an internet
>>>connection there for a few weeks.
>>
>>Fortunately I haven't been in that situation but if I was at a pinch I could
>>set up my mobile phone to act as a modem to the internet just so I could get
>>online. Extreme lengths but it would work.
>>
>
>
>
>Bend...bend... just a little further....not quite.. try again....ahhh,
>just right...........

I'm not suggesting I would but it would be possible. In my particular
situation, which is home use, on a desktop PC permanently connected to
broadband Steam is not an issue. Now if your situation is different that's
another thing. Don't try and penalise people for not finding fault with a
piece of software that does what they want it to.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 21:03:36 GMT, "redTed" <redted@NTL3mbfinally.com> wrote:

>> Just know that Hulk is getting very angry right now, and the more Hulk is
>> downloading, the less Hulk can play. Steam just showed me a message where
>> it says:
>>
>> "Ready to play in approximately 8117 minutes and 44 seconds"
>>
>> And I'm not joking either.
>
>The Hulk was not known for any great intellect.

Which one? Apparently there were something like 4 of them and one of them, the
grey one I think, kept most of his mental faculties. But then its all comic
book bollocks anyway isn't it!?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:37:17 +0930, GFree <gfree678@gmail.com> wrote:


>Well, I can trap you there with a simple fact: most games force you to
>keep the CD/DVD in the drive as part of the copy-protection code. The
>company is therefore *forcing* you to keep the disc there otherwise you
>can't play (short of using cracks of course). You want to play something
>different? Hunt down the disc, hope it can be read by the drive and hope
>that SecuROM or whatever's being used does not trip up and prevent you
>from playing the game.
>
>My point is, if you're not gonna play Steam-based games because of how
>Valve want you to play, then you have to admit to not playing the vast
>majority of games based on the annoying CD/DVD checking copy-protection
>schemes currently available.

Annoying ?

I have many PC games. Not one has failed because of the CD/DVD
copy-protection. But again, I run first-class CD/DVD roms and burners
( all acquired at a far less than first-class price..no retail, all
OEM versions... ).

John Lewis

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:59:43 -0600, "Hank the Rapper"
<xflopgoon@REMOVEyahoo.com> wrote:

>riku wrote:
>> Problem with free email accounts: they are usually temporary unless
>> you keep on checking them regularly. I think free Hotmail accounts
>> expire in a few months if you don't log into it to check your mail.
>>
>> Sometimes our life keeps us out of gaming for months, or checking some
>> free email accounts regularly just to keep them active. If your email
>> address expires, you'll be in trouble if there's some other trouble
>> with your Steam account (you forgot the Steam password, your account
>> was hijacked (because you use the same password everywhere to remember
>> it more easily 😉 etc.). See: http://tinyurl.com/ax2am
>
>You are right about that. I think if you haven't checked a hotmail account
>within 30 days it is canceled, 90 days with Yahoo. Still it's easy to check
>once a week.
>

Yes, email Gabe to send you an auto-reminder.

John Lewis
>
>

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 21:53:36 -0600, "NightSky 421"
<nightsky421@yahoo.ca> wrote:

>7. Buy and download a game and where is your printed manual? If you're
>paying premium dollars for a game, shouldn't you get some printed
>documentation with it?

http://www.half-life2.com/manual/HL2_quickrefcard.pdf

Hit print.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
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[Guest]

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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 19:22:37 GMT, Memnoch
<memnoch@nospampleaseimbritish.ntlworld.com> wrote:

>>I have a 2MBit ADSL, and I find Steam restrictive and inconvenient in
>>many ways, because it requires me to validate online my single-player
>>games. I raised the concerns concerning this in another message, do I
>>need to repeat them just for you, or are you able to find them
>>yourself?
>
>No, you don't need to repeat them. I just don't see a problem with the way it
>works as is. As I said in another reply to you earlier, that I have just
>posted, I would be perfectly happy if it worked the way YOU want it to. It
>doesn't so live with it or move on. Either that or seek therapy of some kind.

Pay attention:

1. What is this thread about? Someone asks what problems people see
with Steam. You have a problem with people answering his question?

2. Do you always feel consumers are not entitled to raise issues with
products? They should just be happy with what they get? Before you say
"You can always vote with your wallet", in HL2's case one can't, plus
it is good to raise these issues because of course more and more game
publishers would like to have systems which check up on you more and
more, and put restrictions on e.g. the second-hand sales etc. like
Steam does. Heck, if they were to decide, we would be paying monthly
payments even for our single-player games. They just don't think the
time is right yet for ventures like that, although there have already
been some console presentations which

If Microsoft suddenly decided that next Windows version will have a
monthly $50 fee for use, would you just say "Just be happy with what
you get, or seek therapy of some kind."? Remember Circuit City DIVX?
Fortunately it had a viable alternative (normal DVD players) which let
you watch all the same movies as CC DIVX, so consumers were fully able
to vote with their wallets.

Public awareness is a good thing (too bad Steamkiller is doing such
pisspoor job with it, his messages make no sense whatsoever, and he
genuinely seems to be a stupid person with very low IQ. I mean that
sincerely, and no I do not think it is just because English is not his
native language.). Like I said in another thread, it seems most new
Steam users are simply unaware of the restrictions Steam puts on
selling/loaning/giving away Steam games and the risks of having to
rely on Steam servers even for single-player games. You don't realize
these (potential) problems when you are purchasing or playing the
game.

>I know some people have reported this behaviour and fortunately I haven't seen
>it. I can play offline.

I haven't checked the offline mode lately so maybe they have fixed YET
ANOTHER problem that made the offline mode non-functional in certain
situations (the first one being the "offline mode expiration timer").
Who knows how many other hidden offline bombs Steam has? This is
exactly one of the reasons I don't just throw my hands up in the air
"Oh well, works for me, at least for now.".

 

[Guest]

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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 23:23:44 GMT, Memnoch
<memnoch@nospampleaseimbritish.ntlworld.com> wrote:

>I'm not suggesting I would but it would be possible. In my particular
>situation, which is home use, on a desktop PC permanently connected to
>broadband Steam is not an issue. Now if your situation is different that's
>another thing. Don't try and penalise people for not finding fault with a
>piece of software that does what they want it to.

You should be more open-minded and not try to restrict discussion of
the valid issues with Steam, just because in your particular case you
haven't had problems so far. The whole Steam system is prone to
problems like this due to requiring online validation even for
single-player game installations.

 

[Guest]

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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:40:26 +0100, "Shawk"
<shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote:

>> Cracks are illegal, and may easily contain viruses or trojans.
>> Changing your Doom config settings don't have similar risks.
>
>We weren't talking about risks or legalities. 'No difference morally' is
>what I said.

Sorry, but that is not all there is to it. First, about the risks. The
risk of getting trojans or viruses from game cracks is very real. I
don't know why you try to dismiss that.

Second, as making and delivering cracks etc. is illegal, I bet you
will see it becoming harder and harder to get cracks for your games,
especially from "verified" sites like Megagames etc. I bet such sites
will start dropping like flies (if they haven't already) when DMCA
rules become more commonplace all over the world, like Euro-DMCA. Then
you'd be looking for cracks in e.g. p2p networks etc., and have even
higher probability of getting trojans/viruses.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:44:21 +0100, "Shawk"
<shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote:

>You are hopefully now making a backup that includes all the updates just in
>case this ever happens again? Been there, done that, lucky to have
>broadband so just d-loaded whole game. I do *now* have a backup though.

How often do you take new backups? Do you have auto-update disabled,
or do you rush to abort the update in case it takes place when you
start the game?

 

[Guest]

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On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:42:23 GMT, toadie05@sbcglobal.net wrote:

>well unfortunately it just might be.. especially if software
>developers can make more money for themselves and not the publishing
>companies.. within a year or two i expect at least maybe 20-30% of all
>PC games will be made available this way and i suspect that figure to
>be much higher on the next-gen consoles. It's a sign of the times i

Then again, the consumers were able to stop Circuit City DIVX (which
was basically "pay-per-view DVD"), so maybe not all is lost?

I wonder how many people bought CC DIVX? How many movies did they buy
for it? I also wonder whether they are now happy with their purchase,
considering the company behind the product went bankrupt? (gasp! How
can that be? Companies like Valve can never go out of business,
especially when they introduce new content delivery systems to the
market?)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:54:06 +0930, GFree <gfree678@gmail.com> wrote:

>NightSky 421 wrote:
>> Anyway, I am opposed to Steam and will lay out my issues with it as follows
>> and without insulting anyone who disagrees...
>
>*cracks knuckles*
>
>> 1. You cannot download patches/updates except through Steam
>
>Yes...? Explain how searching and downloading individual patches,
>checking to make sure they're the latest ones and for the correct
>version of your game, is somehow better than letting Steam update to the
>guranteed latest version?

Sometimes the latest patch is not the best one, at least for some
systems. One might want to keep some of the earlier patches around in
case they work better. How can you get any of the earlier patches from
the Steam system afterwards, if the update goes awry? The current
"Steam game memory problems" that some people are experiencing don't
apparently take place on earlier Steam/HL2 versions.

>As for needing to reinstall, since the games
>are permanently patched after updates all you need to do is backup the
>games and they'll be good to go.

That is true pain in the ass.

>> 2. Online activation
>
>Done once.

Steam had had at least two bugs or features that required several
activations. The "offline expiration timer" and the "automatic updates
locks you out of offline mode". Who knows how many other similar
features there still are hidden somewhere, or even introduces with new
Steam updates?

Also, if you want to re-install the game (e.g. when buying a new
machine), you apparently need to activate it again.

>> 4. What if Valve shuts down one day? How will you be able to play or
>> update games using the service?
>
>I won't, and I don't care. By the time that happens I'll be married and
>my gaming life will be over.

Funny, I started playing more games when I got married.

>Either that or there will be plently more things to choose from. I don't
>hang onto a game for that long.

So because this is not a problem to you, it can not be to anyone else
either?

>> 5. What if you want to sell Steam-based games?
>
>Sell the account.

1. And lose all the other Steam games as well on that account.

2. If you start the big hassle of creating a new account for each new
Steam game, can the new owner change the account name to something
more suitable to him, like "GFree_Halflife2" or whatever he wants, to
differentiate it from all the other thousands of Halflife2-dedicated
Steam accounts out there?

>It's is true though that you can't sell-off/transfer
>individual games, and that's a drawback that needs to be addressed.

Yes. Already close to year ago or so Walter Mitty (one of the most
vocal Steam proponents at least back then) suggested that it will most
probably be possible in the future to transfer games between Steam
accounts. He apparently based his prediction on the Steam support
forum where Valve people wrote they are looking into it.

Afterwards, Valve offered the option of unregistering and moving your
Steam game to a new account, but the fee is $10 (Steam support pages
have conflicting information about this, but at least earlier they
charged this), you need to send your CD/DVD jewel case to Valve
offices, AND this applies only to the CD/DVD version of Steam games
(in this case CD/DVD version of HL2), not Steam games bought through
Steam.

Apparently that was Valve's solution to the restriction. How
convenient, they get $10 for each second-hand Steam game sale (or even
if one wishes to just give his game away, or move it to another
personal Steam account, for example for his son), and it is a major
pain in the ass to the seller.

See this: http://tinyurl.com/a5zk7

>Digital Distribution is here to stay. It's far too tasty for businesses
>to ignore.

Then again, we should not need to take any restrictions with it just
because it happens to be digital distribution. I think you can buy
legal mp3 music from various sites (like cdon.com) without technical
restrictions like not being able to transfer the tune to your mp3
player or your other PC, or requiring you to validate your mp3 online
when you do this.

Yes, there must be a way to restrict casual piracy even with digital
distribution, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. I would hate it
if my music collection would become useless just because the company
where I bought the music goes bankrupt.

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:43:43 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:

>I wonder how many people bought CC DIVX? How many movies did they buy
>for it? I also wonder whether they are now happy with their purchase,
>considering the company behind the product went bankrupt? (gasp! How
>can that be? Companies like Valve can never go out of business,
>especially when they introduce new content delivery systems to the
>market?)

I bought the HL2 Silver package, have played HL2 three times, had lots
of gaming enjoyment from it and the other games in the package. I have
already had much more value from it than most other games I buy and if
Valve go bust tomorrow, it wouldn't bother me greatly from a personal
cost angle. As others have said, in the unlikely event Valve go bust
and I still want to play the games, there are cracks available for
Steam.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

 

[Guest]

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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:50:06 +0100, Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.>
wrote:

>As others have said, in the unlikely event Valve go bust

For a two-hit wonder? What happened to Origin, Westwood Studios,
Looking Glass Studios, Microprose, Sierra, Akklaim etc.? How long have
you been a PC gamer? One year? PC game companies come and go, even the
most successful ones.

>and I still want to play the games, there are cracks available for
>Steam.

For individual Steam games, you mean? Or do you mean current "Steam
cracks" will also work for e.g. Sin Episodes, and other future Steam
games that may appear?

See my other posts about the issues with cracks. Have you used any
Steam crack yourself? I haven't.

 

[shawk]

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"riku" <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote in message
news:4jn9d11ndld4djgr63h3cmvflb2gubq5db@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:40:26 +0100, "Shawk"
> <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote:
>
>>> Cracks are illegal, and may easily contain viruses or trojans.
>>> Changing your Doom config settings don't have similar risks.
>>
>>We weren't talking about risks or legalities. 'No difference morally' is
>>what I said.
>
> Sorry, but that is not all there is to it.

Depends what you are talking about. The discussion was about morals. In
that discussion then that is all there is to it.

First, about the risks. The
> risk of getting trojans or viruses from game cracks is very real. I
> don't know why you try to dismiss that.

I dont remember trying to dismiss that. In fact I said 'checked for
trojans'. There are a lot of good tools out there - no-one need ever become
victim to a virus or trojan.

> Second, as making and delivering cracks etc. is illegal, I bet you
> will see it becoming harder and harder to get cracks for your games,
> especially from "verified" sites like Megagames etc. I bet such sites
> will start dropping like flies (if they haven't already) when DMCA
> rules become more commonplace all over the world, like Euro-DMCA. Then
> you'd be looking for cracks in e.g. p2p networks etc., and have even
> higher probability of getting trojans/viruses.

Yes it's illegal. That's a different discussion and one on which I agree
with you.

Ref it becoming more difficult to find cracks again I agree with you. We
are talking about HL2 however and a crack for that is already available.
Should Valve disappear then (and only then) I'd consider using it *IF* I was
still interested in playing the game and hadn't moved on bigger and better
things. The only game I ever go back to time and time again however is AOE2
and that is likely to stop when the 3rd game comes out this year.

Lot of if's - I dont think that Valve will crash and burn and I dont think
anything in this conversation will ever become relevant.

 

[Guest]

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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:58:13 +0100, "Shawk"
<shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote:

>First, about the risks. The
>> risk of getting trojans or viruses from game cracks is very real. I
>> don't know why you try to dismiss that.
>
>I dont remember trying to dismiss that. In fact I said 'checked for
>trojans'. There are a lot of good tools out there - no-one need ever become
>victim to a virus or trojan.

If antivirus software really worked reliably, then there would be no
infections. Sometimes it may take week(s) before new viruses are
entered into most common antivirus databases, and it is not like
antivirus applications know all existing trojans either.

>Ref it becoming more difficult to find cracks again I agree with you. We
>are talking about HL2 however and a crack for that is already available.

As you probably know already, HL2 will not apparently be the only
Steam game.

>Should Valve disappear then (and only then) I'd consider using it *IF* I was
>still interested in playing the game and hadn't moved on bigger and better
>things. The only game I ever go back to time and time again however is AOE2
>and that is likely to stop when the 3rd game comes out this year.

Funnily, some of use have lots of older PC games on our shelf that we
like to get back to. And that includes even PC (or console) games I
haven't properly played yet. Sometimes you see a good deal about a
game you always wanted but couldn't find anywhere anymore and buy it
even knowing you won't be installing it the same day.

>Lot of if's - I dont think that Valve will crash and burn and I dont think
>anything in this conversation will ever become relevant.

A lot of wishful thinking there on your part. See what happened to
Origin, Westwood Studios, Microprose, Sierra, Akklaim, Looking Glass
Studios etc. What makes you think a two hit wonder (Valve) is immune
to problems these companies had?

 

[shawk]

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"riku" <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote in message
news:h0o9d1p6eippeiti829cpbb5uvbge95hc2@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 17:44:21 +0100, "Shawk"
> <shawk@clara.co.uk.3guesses> wrote:
>
>>You are hopefully now making a backup that includes all the updates just
>>in
>>case this ever happens again? Been there, done that, lucky to have
>>broadband so just d-loaded whole game. I do *now* have a backup though.
>
> How often do you take new backups? Do you have auto-update disabled,
> or do you rush to abort the update in case it takes place when you
> start the game?
>

I have Steam and HL2 blocked in the firewall to see how long before it
demands to be updated and becomes 'unplayable' as some people have claimed
here. I dont want to argue against them until I know one way or the other
who is correct. (Been a couple of weeks now with no probs).

When I'm not experimenting then I'll go back to allowing the game to
auto-update. If I lose everything through some major crash or whatever then
I have a backup that is a couple of months old. It will require updating to
present day but the backup will mean that there is less to download - which
is why I do it. If there are a lot of large updates over the next few
months (and I'm not expecting any - most bugs have been resolved and the
last updates have been small tweaks or free maps) then I'll probably backup
again - that suits me though this answer may not satisfy pedants in this
group.

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:25:32 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:

>For a two-hit wonder? What happened to Origin, Westwood Studios,
>Looking Glass Studios, Microprose, Sierra, Akklaim etc.? How long have
>you been a PC gamer? One year? PC game companies come and go, even the
>most successful ones.

I have been a PC gamer since CGA graphics were all the rage. I know
about the companies that went bust, and at the moment Valve aren't
following a business model that is likely to put them in the same
position, if anything Steam will make them stronger if it takes off.
If they do go bust it will be in a matter of years, by which time I
won't care if I can play HL2 or not.

>See my other posts about the issues with cracks. Have you used any
>Steam crack yourself? I haven't.

No I haven't, why would I? Steam works just fine and dandy for me.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

 

[Guest]

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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:33:34 +0100, Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.>
wrote:

>On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:25:32 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:
>
>>For a two-hit wonder? What happened to Origin, Westwood Studios,
>>Looking Glass Studios, Microprose, Sierra, Akklaim etc.? How long have
>>you been a PC gamer? One year? PC game companies come and go, even the
>>most successful ones.
>
>I have been a PC gamer since CGA graphics were all the rage. I know
>about the companies that went bust, and at the moment Valve aren't
>following a business model that is likely to put them in the same
>position, if anything Steam will make them stronger if it takes off.
>If they do go bust it will be in a matter of years, by which time I
>won't care if I can play HL2 or not.

It isn't only about HL2, and it is not only about you.

Some of you seem to feel that a few year old games don't matter
because newer games always do it better. Yet, I haven't found RPGs
that do it better than e.g. Fallout 1-2 or Planescape: Torment. How
old were those games, again?

Also old action games like Quake and Half-life saw lots of gameplay
for them years after the release, even with single-player mods. Same
for System Shock 1-2, Ultima 4-8 etc.

But as long as you don't care... Do you feel the same about movies?
You never watch few years old movies, because newer is always better?
You don't buy DVD movies to your collection, and if you did, you
wouldn't care if their usability would depend on the existense of the
DVD publisher? Or music? It is ok if your music collection becomes
useless if cdon.com or whatever place you bought your music from goes
bust?

>>See my other posts about the issues with cracks. Have you used any
>>Steam crack yourself? I haven't.
>
>No I haven't, why would I? Steam works just fine and dandy for me.

Yet, you seem to know for a fact that they work flawlessly and how
they work.

 

[CCCC]

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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:36:15 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:

>Sorry, but that is not all there is to it. First, about the risks. The
>risk of getting trojans or viruses from game cracks is very real. I
>don't know why you try to dismiss that.

Can you point me to a single case of a crack that was infected .

I get NO CD cracks ASAP and have NEVER gotten any viruses or Trojans
and if I do my trusty firewall and virus scanner would must likely
alert me.

 

[CCCC]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:21:53 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:

>If antivirus software really worked reliably, then there would be no
>infections.

You're making an assumption that everyone uses good VP or any at all.
I can't tell you how many clients I have with "always on" Internet
connections that have zero Virus protection or a firewall.

 

[CCCC]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 07:12:18 +0100, Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.>
wrote:

>On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 21:53:36 -0600, "NightSky 421"
><nightsky421@yahoo.ca> wrote:
>
>>7. Buy and download a game and where is your printed manual? If you're
>>paying premium dollars for a game, shouldn't you get some printed
>>documentation with it?
>
>http://www.half-life2.com/manual/HL2_quickrefcard.pdf
>
>Hit print.

Read number 7 again.

 

[shawk]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

"Hulk" <Hulk@100TONS.spam> wrote in message
news:db2vgq$75e$2@phys-news1.kolumbus.fi...
>
> Can I do that by burning it to a DVD-R rom perhaps? (which I'd prefer
> over backing up it into a hard drive)
>

I did a backup to the hard-drive and then just burnt that to a DVD deleting
the HD backup later to save space.

See the link below (it's a genuine Steam link but was too long)

Hope it helps.

http://tinyurl.com/7m57j

 

[Andrew]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:36:18 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:

>It isn't only about HL2, and it is not only about you.

No, but my opinions are my own. You shout at/about people defending
Steam, well I am just trying to counter your wholly negative take on
the subject. It is up to people to make their own mind up based on
their own requirements and balanced facts.

>But as long as you don't care... Do you feel the same about movies?
>You never watch few years old movies, because newer is always better?
>You don't buy DVD movies to your collection, and if you did, you
>wouldn't care if their usability would depend on the existense of the
>DVD publisher? Or music? It is ok if your music collection becomes
>useless if cdon.com or whatever place you bought your music from goes
>bust?

I have a bunch of VHS tapes sitting in my loft gathering cobwebs as I
don't want to go back to the inconvenience of analogue media. Despite
having quite a few DVD's, I am looking forward to the day they are
obsolete too. Physical media is a PITA sometimes, especially when it
gets corrupted.
--
Andrew, contact via interpleb.blogspot.com
Help make Usenet a better place: English is read downwards,
please don't top post. Trim replies to quote only relevant text.
Check groups.google.com before asking an obvious question.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action (More info?)

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 13:13:36 +0100, Andrew <spamtrap@localhost.>
wrote:

>On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 11:36:18 GMT, riku <riku@none.invalid.com> wrote:
>
>>It isn't only about HL2, and it is not only about you.
>
>No, but my opinions are my own. You shout at/about people defending
>Steam, well I am just trying to counter your wholly negative take on
>the subject. It is up to people to make their own mind up based on
>their own requirements and balanced facts.

It always goes the same. First the Steam proponents claim there are no
real issues with Steam, but when they are presented, the only defence
you have is "Well, they don't matter to _me_, I don't care about the
issues.". Then you go on suggesting that it should not matter to
others either, after all who in their right mind would want to play
years old PC games, or play PC games after getting married? Imagine
that.

I just corrected another one of your ilk in the RPG group, where he
went to claim that the only people who would be against Steam are
those who want to pirate the game and cheat online.

I think it is nothing but extreme narrow-mindedness trying to act as
if the issues were not real and that they should not concern anyone.
Good for you if you don't care about them. I am open-minded enough to
believe that you really think that way.

>>But as long as you don't care... Do you feel the same about movies?
>>You never watch few years old movies, because newer is always better?
>>You don't buy DVD movies to your collection, and if you did, you
>>wouldn't care if their usability would depend on the existense of the
>>DVD publisher? Or music? It is ok if your music collection becomes
>>useless if cdon.com or whatever place you bought your music from goes
>>bust?
>
>I have a bunch of VHS tapes sitting in my loft gathering cobwebs as I
>don't want to go back to the inconvenience of analogue media.

Then again, their usability does not depend on the existence of the
publishing company of the video tapes, but the availability of the VHS
recorders.

Ps. Did you notice how you didn't answer my question at all?

>Despite
>having quite a few DVD's, I am looking forward to the day they are
>obsolete too. Physical media is a PITA sometimes, especially when it
>gets corrupted.

The durability of physical media, especially something like DVD
movies, seem to far exceed the lifetime of PC game companies. The PC
game market is very volatile, unlike DVD media.