My Great Steam Experiment! (now general Steam discussion)

[Huw the Poo]

Please read the entire OP before posting!

Following on from the lively discussion we all had regarding Steam recently, I have spent a few days thinking about the whole affair, and my position.  As a result I have decided to run a limited experiment with Steam.  And I do mean experiment.  I'll be following a few rules which I will get to in a moment, but first...

The aforementioned discussion got slightly heated at times, despite my best efforts; it seems some people just can't help but take another person's dislike for something personally.  To everyone in general, but those people in particular, I say this:  Never let it be said that I am not open-minded.  I freely admit that I learned some things about Steam that I didn't know before, thanks to that thread.  I have been - not completely - but partially swayed by those people decent enough to post constructive criticisms and comments instead of hurling insults and rhetoric.  Thanks to many of you, I'm willing to give Steam a shot and give my honest opinion.  If I don't like it I'll get rid of it (or at least stop buying games on it), if I do like it I will carry on using it.  I can't say fairer than that, right?

OK, with that silliness out of the way, here's the deal:

1. I will only buy games on Steam if they are cheaper there than anywhere else (I predict this will be the rule that prevents the majority of purchases).  This is for obvious reasons.

2. If Steam:
a. breaks a save;
b. does anything nasty to my system;
c. makes me jump through what I consider to be an unreasonable number of hoops to play a game;
d. locks me out of my account because I looked at it funny;
e. does anything else which greatly annoys me or makes it difficult or impossible to do what I want - that is, to just play the damn game...
...it will be uninstalled.  Without hesitation and forever.

3. I will judge Steam completely fairly.  If it's no bother, I'll continue to use it.  For a while, any time I use it I'll post in this thread about my experience.

4. Half Life 2 had better be a masterpiece.

Frequently asked questions:

Why are you doing this?

As said, the other thread told me some stuff I didn't know about Steam.  I'm not so stubborn that I will cling to my dismissal of the service when some of my arguments against it have been refuted.  The whole thing is just an experiment; I may buy a couple of games, get pissed off with it, and never use it again.  I may be pleasantly surprised and continue to use it for years to come.  At no point will it be the main way for me to buy games because if anything should happen to my account, a large part of my games collection will be lost.

Besides, at least now I will finally get to play Half Life 2, Civ 5 and Railworks (that was the other game whose name I'd forgotten a week ago).

May I be smug now?

No, you may not.  That would be the wrong reaction.  Instead you should be cheering me on, preferably by telling me about all the cheap-as-chips games exclusive to Steam that I've missed out on.

You're making a really big deal out of something most of us have been comfortable with for years.  Why should I care?

Because this is a discussion board for gamers.  If you still don't care, kindly stay out of the thread.  Thanks!

[Razgon]

*snickers smugly* ;-)

Thats pretty cool, Huw! I like the idea, and that you are willing to give this a chance! Kudos to you for that!

Let me know if you need any help or advice :-)

[morlac]

I had reservations about Steam when it started as well.  I did not jump right in but let it bake for a bit.  I have had zero issues and regrets and have grown to really like the service.  Kudos to you for being open minded and giving it a shot.  I hope it turns out for you as well as it did for me.

Prepare for rule #1 to take a painful bite out of your wallet over the upcoming holiday sale.  In fact If I were you I would just hold off unitll then unless you are dying to playc Civ 5, which might only have a slight discount.  They have two mega sales event during the year and you can get some silly good deals.  I have still not even played half of the stuff I bought during the Summer one and the next one is looming.  I can't remeber the last time I bought something full price off of there.

Anyhow, good luck and have fun!

[Blackadar]

Whatever.  This isn't an experiment.  Most of us have been using Steam for some time with no problem, rather than being hung up from using it based on incorrect and incomplete assumptions.  I do find it interesting that you can be such a obvious fanboy cheerleader on something as odious as Elemental's disastrous release and yet raise the standards of acceptability markedly on something like Steam.

Anyway, enjoy the Steam holiday sale because those are insanely good times for a gamer. 

[Sarkus]

Welcome to the 21st century?

[Purge]

I missed the friction - I do support open-mindedness and cheer you on.

One thing I would mention is that there is a fantastic backup feature, which will back up everything in steam if you let it, and that has made windows reinstalls relatively painless (and also allows you to restore to a different PC)

Once you restore the games, it will then go through and look for updates and apply any outstanding patches.

Not too shabby.

I would like to caution you of one thing though - if you lose a save game etc, before you hit the eject button you should be ABSOLUTELY certain it is Steams fault - IIRC I've lost save games due to patch updates which were the fault of the game developer. It had nothing to do with the platform.

I'm guessing the Steam Holiday Sale will happen on Dec 26. Hide your wallet. SRSLY. I don't want to think about how much money I spent last winter, and how many of those games I've now played and completed.

Here's the trainwreck of a Holiday Sale 2009 followed by a gigantic Summer sale 2010.

[Appollo]

I'm sorta with you, for only the second time I have got steam running and have bought Borderlands and it is downloading during my offpeak allocation so hopefully I'll finish it off tomorrow night and will own a game but nothing physical,

I did do it with Mass Effect but that never run right for some reason and I abandoned steam and went back to buying disks but I am sick and tired of high pricing and waiting a week for them to come via post so steam is now being given another shot

[Huw the Poo]

Step 1 - download and install Steam.  I expect my PC to burst into flames!  On the offchance that it doesn't, I'm sure I've spotted some kind of "games under £4" offer - seems like a great place to start.

[Creepy_Smell]

I'm a big fan of steam but still try to buy boxed versions. Only time I don't is if its cheaper on Steam. Lately I only buy target secret shelf box games or steam deals. Can't resist yestermonths games for $10 and have enough backlog to stay happy until they hit that. My steam exp might be helped in that I'm not fighting the download for new releases.

[CeeKay]

I just wanted to say good luck, we're counting on you.

[Huw the Poo]

The install was painless enough and I had a good, wary poke around in the settings.  I spotted that pesky cloud bollocks and zapped it!

I've been browsing the store, which has been a pretty underwhelming experience so far.  As feared, the prices are no better than anywhere else.  What I really want to do is just "browse all games" and then sort by price.

(Lots of browsing later)

I'm going to buy The Undergarden.  Looks like a lovely game and both my girlfriend and I want to play it.

[lex]

I only use steam to play my games and I don't use any of the online features.  So, if you are looking to go that route, some suggested settings in steam:

1)  verify your steam account, in case you ever fall for a phising attempt
2)  unclick the automatically log you into friends under Friends tab
3)  set favourite window to 'library', unclick 'Notify Me' and run steam automatically under Interface tab
4)  unclick enable steam community in game under In-game tab

you can also set steam cloud (ie to save to cloud or not) for individual games which have that feature

And most problems I've had with Steam went away after a reboot or trying to run it again.

[Huw the Poo]

Lex, thanks for the tips.  Also, many thanks to Cragmyre who made good on his promise and gifted me a copy of Half Life 2!  I'll get stuck into that tomorrow.

I just realised my thread title might be a bit misleading and, ultimately, disappointing.  I'll change it.

[Gratch]

Here's the trainwreck of a Holiday Sale 2009 followed by a gigantic Summer sale 2010.

Trainwreck?  I thought there were some great deals there.

[Big Jake]

Trainwreck as regards to our wallets, I think.

And Huw, I should think point #4 will be no problem.  HL2 was an AMAZING game.  The most likely problem is asking yourself, 'When the heck does HL3 drop?"

[CeeKay]

Trainwreck as regards to our wallets, I think.

And Huw, I should think point #4 will be no problem.  HL2 was an AMAZING game.  The most likely problem is asking yourself, 'When the heck does HL2: Ep3 drop?"

FTFY.

[CeeKay]

oh, and Huw, if you like HL2 I have an extra copy of Half Life 2: episode 1 that I got with the Orange Box if you want it.

[Tscott]

I'm going to buy The Undergarden.  Looks like a lovely game and both my girlfriend and I want to play it.

It's a cute game with not much to it, but may have some technical problems.  There's been several updates to it as they try to sort it all out.  When I first got it, it was crashing every five minutes.  I set my sound down to 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD quality) and the crashes stopped.  But then the updates kept adding new wrinkles- lately the music is cutting out mid-level for me, and this is a game that lives and dies by its atmosphere. 


Also if you're getting HL2, consider getting The Orange Box for $30- it's got HL2, HL2:Ep1, HL2:Ep2, Portal and Team Fortress 2.  All very much worth playing.

[Purge]

Trainwreck as in my wallet went off the rails and it took two weeks to right itself.

As to the orange box, I'd just wait a bit. The next big sale will undoubtably have them for cheap.

[Caine]

yeah, that's the big problem with getting anything now that isn't already reduced.  the sale is coming and last year, it was huge.  anything you buy now may just go on a crazy sale then and you won't feel all great that you spent so much more on it.  i would check out the demo's, search out the freebies and get a good list of games which can be registered on steam.  imo, having the option to register a game i bought on d2d and use steam instead is a huge bonus and i have in fact forgotten i had bought a game because it wasn't in my steam catalog.

also, you can use it as a launcher for your non-steam games and clear up your start menu/desktop. 

[Huw the Poo]

Well CeeKay, if that copy of Episode 1 is indeed spare, I'll gladly take it off your hands - thank you very much!  How have you guys got spare copies of anything anyway?

It's a cute game with not much to it, but may have some technical problems.  There's been several updates to it as they try to sort it all out.  When I first got it, it was crashing every five minutes.  I set my sound down to 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD quality) and the crashes stopped.  But then the updates kept adding new wrinkles- lately the music is cutting out mid-level for me, and this is a game that lives and dies by its atmosphere. 

I played it for half an hour last night and it was working fine.  I really like this new "zen gaming" category that's sprung up and The Undergarden is a fine example of it.  I wasn't concerned at all with whether I could solve all the puzzles, I was just enjoying the atmosphere and watching all the flora bloom.  It's a gorgeous game.

[CeeKay]

Well CeeKay, if that copy of Episode 1 is indeed spare, I'll gladly take it off your hands - thank you very much!  How have you guys got spare copies of anything anyway?

it's yours, just let me know your Steam name.  oh, and don't forget to join the GT Steam community.

[Turtle]

You know, I'm really interesting to hear the opinions of someone playing Half-Life 2 + Episodes for the first time in this day and age.

Huw, you willing to take one for the team and give us your impressions? If you like it, I'll pickup a copy of the episodes for you.

[Reemul]

I also have a copy of HL2 available as gift if anyone hasn't played it yet. Just let me know been sitting there for a long time now.

[Arkon]

I have not played HL2, but that is primarily because I thought the original HL was mediocre at best.  I never could understand all the gushing over it, but then I think FPS games just aren't for me anymore despite my previous love for them.

[Gratch]

Trainwreck as in my wallet went off the rails and it took two weeks to right itself.

Ah, that I agree with. 

[Aganazer]

In other news, I have made the decision to start wearing socks! After 37 years of cold feet and a deep seated fear of anything long and tubular I have finally decided to try them. If I get the heebee jeebees even once or if they bite me I will lock them back in the drawer.   

[Huw the Poo]

You know, I'm really interesting to hear the opinions of someone playing Half-Life 2 + Episodes for the first time in this day and age.

Huw, you willing to take one for the team and give us your impressions? If you like it, I'll pickup a copy of the episodes for you.

Heh, thanks but there's really no need to do that - I'm actually getting slightly embarrassed by all the free stuff coming my way!  Sure, I'll gladly post impressions of HL2 as I play.  Hopefully I can stave off my severe gaming ADD long enough to actually finish it...

[Tals]

Huw

Great to see you are giving it a go. What's your tag would love to add you in. On a note re the pricing, it would be a misconception to think it was a bad thing to pay more for the game on Steam on behalf of the developer (not sure if that is your view ). Any game you buy on steam will gender interest amongst friends with similar gaming tastes.

Also remember you can plug your AI War CD Key into Steam to activate it on Steam.

Games i'd recommend at the moment. Poker at the Inventory (Tell Tale Games) - £2.50, good fun with Poker where the fun is the dialogue. £5.50 Clones really next Lemmings style game.

As others have said the Holiday sale should be around Christmas time and they really are outrageous prices!

[baelthazar]

Good deal Huw! The only way that you'll regret this decision is how much money you spend on "oow, that looks cheap, I'll get it" games.

[The Grue]

I just wanted to say good luck, we're counting on you.

I can't wait to see all the results in this thread.  Here's hoping you have nothing but smooth experiences with Steam.  I didn't get into it until somewhat recently, but I can say that I am glad I did.  I really love the service.

[Punisher]

Well CeeKay, if that copy of Episode 1 is indeed spare, I'll gladly take it off your hands - thank you very much!  How have you guys got spare copies of anything anyway?

When you buy certain games and bundles on Steam, they can come with free games. Sometimes they are games you already own on Steam, so Steam let's you transfer ownership of that free "extra" game to someone else.

Also, I like the cloud. It is especially useful for running Steam on multiple computers and for re-installs...
Haven't had any problems yet.... I probably buy 90% from Steam now... Just like not having to look for discs.. Especially if I get an itch for an older game again.... Also, since most games aren't coming with decent manuals anymore, there is no incentive to buy a boxed one...

[morlac]

.... Also, since most games aren't coming with decent manuals anymore, there is no incentive to buy a boxed one...

Well except for that reselling your used games thing.  I don't do it often but the option would be nice.

[Huw the Poo]

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys.  I have HL2 downloaded and installed, now just have to wait for everyone to go to bed so I can play it in peace.  Can't wait!

Good deal Huw! The only way that you'll regret this decision is how much money you spend on "oow, that looks cheap, I'll get it" games.

You're not kidding!  I've been reading through those sales threads with mounting horror.  Although the Steam Wallet is a nice feature; if I'd tried this earlier in the year I'd have put some cash in there ready for the Christmas sale.

To be honest I have no problem with the client so far, apart from really minor niggles.  Things like it saying I've only played The Undergarden for four minutes when it was actually half an hour.  I can't really fault the client at all.  It's nice that games install in the background, although the trade-off, of course, is that you can't specify where to put each game (unless I missed something).

Punisher - I'm as much a collector as I am a gamer.  There's no way internet delivery will supplant retail as my main method of getting games, as long as retail is around anyway.  But for indie games or sales I'm fine with it.

[Huw the Poo]

OK, Steam has a significant advantage over the other services.  I've just been browsing the store and downloading demos, then browsing some more while the demos download and install in the background.  Not even Impulse can do that, and on this point, at least, Steam is a clear winner.

This whole downloading and installing in the background thing is a lot more convenient than I realised.  It's one thing to hear other people talk about it, but quite another to experience it for myself.  After finishing with the store, I clicked on the library and there, waiting for me, is a group of demos waiting to be played.  I was wrong to downplay the convenience - it's awesome.

Pricing.  I never expected this to be a positive, and I was right about this one.  Full price games are often £30 which, in the UK, is a ridiculous price to pay for a game even on initial release.  The new Call of Duty is £40.  If I shop with online retailers like Play and Amazon I can get 95% of day one releases for no more than £20, so even if I weren't a collector I'd still do that.  I like convenience, but I prefer money.

Having said that, Steam is no worse than any other DD service when it comes to price.  As I said in the other thread, pricing has never been a major issue for me with Steam.  Impulse doesn't even have CODBLOPS; they have COD4:MW and it's still £25.  Suck my balls!

[Razgon]

Weekend sales, and their Christmas sales are really where you can get a good bang for your money, so to speak - Christmas especially is insane... 1 and 2 euro offers for many many games and lots of 25/50/75 percent off games or even packs of games.

[Reemul]

Yeah i rarely if ever buy full price on steam. However weekend, midweek and seasonla sales are always awesome and much better than what you can get online or instore.

Steam is just one of the many ways to get the games you want at the price you want.

[Sarkus]

I have not played HL2, but that is primarily because I thought the original HL was mediocre at best.  I never could understand all the gushing over it, but then I think FPS games just aren't for me anymore despite my previous love for them.

You should give HL2 a try.  I'd argue it's quite a bit different then HL1, if for no other reason then the lack of jumping type puzzles in HL2.  HL2 is much more of a story-driven pure shooter with some vehicle elements added. 

[Octavious230]

Weekend sales, and their Christmas sales are really where you can get a good bang for your money, so to speak - Christmas especially is insane... 1 and 2 euro offers for many many games and lots of 25/50/75 percent off games or even packs of games.

The Christmas sale made me want to curl into a ball. There was so much goodness at such a good price. I'm thinking of blocking steam until the holidays are over.

[Cragmyre]

Even with my EGADD, HL2 is one of the few I've finished - in fact I've played it twice through once the episodes were released.  I'll be starting it up yet again because they now have Steam achievements, so I'll work on that goal