We don't.  I'm guessing I'm telling you something you already know but most rational people just don't bother posting "Steam is fine" because it wouldn't get them anywhere in this thread.  This thread is now owned by Steam haters and let them all gather and believe they are the majority.

In reality most people enjoy and use Steam with no problems, including Frogboy and other Stardockians.

That's true. The last time I used Steam was a disappointing and frustrating experience though. I far prefer Impulse. In fact the game that requires Steam (Empire:Total War - didn't realise it required Steam) hasn't been played more than a handful of times - I'd rather play Rome:Total War than have to deal with Steam.

I can't speak for everyone else here, but for me, it's because it's the most invasive form of DRM that's in use and possibly ever. I'd prefer a cocktail DRM of Tages and Starforce before I'd want a game with Steam as its DRM.

You realize that they can delete your legally purchased games at will, right? This is of great concern for someone like me, as I live in a region that gets cheaper games (due to high piracy) but I'm really from the US. If I try installing my game back on my parents computer, it can get deleted from my account. And you do know that they can revise their ToS at any time, and if there's anything you disagree with, you instantly lose your entire collection of games, right? So if Valve decides that they want to basically spy on you, your choice is to accept it while they Steam client is open (and thus your access to games) or lose your entire collection.

Granted Impulse, D2D, Gamersgate, etc could do the same thing, the big difference is that none of their clients have to be running to play the game. So let's say that Stardock wanted to know everything on your computer as per terms of their ToS. While I would stop purchasing from Impulse, for my currently purchased games, I could use the Impulse client to back up my purchases and only install it when I need to update or when I want to install a game already backed up. I could immediately uninstall after that.

So you're offering me automatic patching, a friends list, and store, all of which I can find other means for, all for the low, low cost of being a slave to Valve's whims? Well, it's a mighty tempting offer, but no thanks.

Whenever I think about Steam and hear people tell me to use it, it reminds me of this one political campaign I worked on briefly. Someone else was working the phones and got to this one guy. After giving the standard schpeel and then asking if we could count on his support, the man said, "(Insert candidates name)? I'd vote for Hitler before I voted for him!"

Any option that isn't Steam is a better option.

Steam is f'ing amazing, and I'm glad that SupCom 2 is going to be on it. Where else can I buy Left 4 Dead for $7.50 and KOTOR for $2.50 and begin downloading immediately? They have incredible sales on their bestsellers fairly frequently. It's convenient and saves me money.

 

If Valve started doing this en masse, they would go out of business overnight. They have a reputation to maintain if they want to keep their customers. I find this exceedingly improbable. Go put a tinfoil hat on.

 

You really have the gift of hyperbole. It's not a question of whether you can find other means or not. STEAM is wonderful because it conveniently does all of the aforementioned things that you'd have to look around for. You'll spend at least twice as long getting all of the things mentioned above from other sources. It saves time, which makes it wonderful.

This is not a rhetorical question, but you do realize that the original SupCom was released on the Xbox 360 as well?

People play it?

I think there is some justification in people's reaction to this decision. It's not so much that Steam, or Valve for that matter, is a horrible program, or company, it's more the fact that our choice is being removed - and choice is something PC Gamers value highly compared to their console counter-parts.

When using Steam Works, the game is essentially being shackled to Steam; you can't play it without Steam on your computer. This possibly wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for the fact that you need to have Steam running in the background in order to play your game, even in single player. Add to that the fact that Steam is (in)famous for hogging your system resources and background downloading for no apparent reason, and it's no wonder that PC Gamers - who spend thousands of dollars and countless hours configuring their systems, programs and games to meet their exact personal preferences - don't like the program, and don't like being forced to use it.

The business reasons - larger install base, guaranteed working multiplayer, instant updating - for using Steam are obvious, and it's no reason that more and more games are finding their way onto Valve's service. It is a good Digital Distribution Network and offers many features that appeal to both companies and gamers. It would be a great Digital Distribution network if it operated more like Impulse. Impulse Now, the tray icon client, is simply a brilliant idea and really shows that Steam hogs your system resources for no reason other than lazy programming. The fact that I can run all of my Impulse games without Impulse running also shows me that Steam is being forced down gamers throats rather than attempting to appeal to us. If Impulse had Steam's community and multiplayer features, frankly incredibly library of games and highly impressive discounts then I would simply never use Steam again because Impulse is better in every other regard; it's light weight, fast and simply non-restrictive.

I'll wait for the reviews and fan feedback for SupCom 2 before purchasing. I don't mind using Steam if I have to in order to play a great game, however I'd simply prefer not having to.

Exactly. I think you've mentioned this before in another post or an interview, however the lack of a standardised 'program' for the industry to use hurts the PC platform as a whole, and I completely agree. The closest we have to any kind of standard is Steam, and it's far too restrictive in it's application to be considering a standard. This has resulted in what we have now - every company forced to make their own 'Download Manager' or '[Company Name].net', or put up with the restrictions applied to them by third parties. And if Microsoft - by far the largest player in this - is unwilling to get the ball rolling, then I can't see this changing any time soon - at least not until Impulse Reactor is publically available because it rightfully isn't restrictive in it's use. Then again, maybe the Gameboy had it right with it's link cable design...

This is a crying shame. Everyone on the GPG forums is raising hell, and I'm disappointed as well.

Don't do this, Square Enix.

Since I am a bit slow. Could someone confirm this. When SupCom 2 comes out I will need a steam account to install and play Single Player (I dont do multi).

If I need Steam I am out of this game as well as many other ppl.

Steam may not be able to screw over my entire system, but it's perfectly able to screw my entire gaming collection purchased on it (or should I say, "subscribed" to).

Yes, Starforce was known to f- over some people's computers, but many people also had no issue. And my point wasn't to say that I actively WANT those forms of DRM but rather I'd take that over Steam. Ideally, all of those would be banished to the depths of Hades for their invasiveness.

And I should say that I've never had any issues with any form of DRM negatively affecting my computer. Perhaps I'd feel differently if Starforce had ruined a DVD drive or something, but I do know that if I buy a Steamworks game, I will be living in constant fear of losing my game.

Just because there were people who had no problems with a Starforce protection doesn't mean, that it should be desireable for anyone (including the publisher) to have or use it. Similarily a virus or trojan on your system might not ever do any harm to you, but you surely do not want it on your system either.

And I am sure that you may want to say the same about Steam .

 

That's not true, at least for the orange box. VALVe helped those poor souls who live in germany to get their uncensored content back, if they bought the game in a UK shop for example.

 

There is no risk involved for most people

 

Nothing wrong with that. The content distribution over Steam is a good thing for the developer and the customer. And XFire is a horrible, horrible application .

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Steam is perfect. I do agree that actions like removing access to your account if you log in in a foreign country (I don't know of any case yet where that happened, other than someone using a friend to buy a game cheaper for him) are very questionable of course and the thing I hate most is the regional pricing that they implemented a year ago or so. It's utterly ridiculous and the European Commission is reluctant to take any actions against it, without filing an actual lawsuit for example.