Rebellion and impulse

Rebellion uses Steamworks for multiplayer. You'll need Steam for the full game.

even if I bought it on impulse I'd still need steam?

Yes, Steamworks is part of the game code, its required.

No matter where you buy the game, you have to use steam. That is the evil of steamworks.

that's a bit of BS then, why did they change the multiplayer system from trinity to make us use steam?

By using Steamworks for multiplayer and updates it reduces costs and programming load from Stardock and Ironclad. Integration with Steam insures that game updates will be easy to roll out and insure that everyone gets them in a timely manner. Steam multiplayer is fast and stable and means less time figuring out bugs in the network coding. It makes it easier to invite your friends into a match. It makes it easier to track usage data for future improvements. It gives them more time to focus on actual gameplay stuff rather than upkeep stuff.

Basically it makes life easier for the developer and makes multiplayer smoother for us, but some people just hate Steam for no apparent reason and so are upset.

The reason I don't want steam is because first off i already have impulse, second I never had any trouble getting updates quickly and reliably for SoaSE (or any of my other games) from impulse in the past, and third why should I have to install another client whose benefits seem to be only multiplayer side when I'll almost always play this game offline except when I play in a LAN?

In short it seems I just wasted $28 which is a shame since i was really looking forward to this expansion.

Because its less work for Ironclad, which means either a)more helpful features or b)comes out sooner.

So it's basicly they think as long as it comes out fast and is easy for them I should just go with it?

Anything that makes the developers life easier is good for us because its less mundane work for them and more actually progressive work. This is good for the same reason the mass adaptation of the Unreal and Havoc engines are good; less repetitive work means more original work. They managed to improve the graphics quite a bit in Rebellion, as well as new phase space effects for each race. Maybe they wouldn't have had time to do that if they had to retool the networking manually.

This will be my last post since i don't think my point is coming across very well and i dont want this to turn into a flame thread or such.

I'm not concerned with what the devs have to work with or how boring/repetitive/mundane it is because they get paid to do it. I dont care in any great way how improved the graphics have been since i thought the graphics were very well done in the first place, and I dont care very much for the phase effects since as I mentined above, I thought the graphics were good as they were.

I'm not a sucker for just any game that looks pretty and one of the reasons I'm so fond of the series is because it was more than just pretty colors, it fills a gap in my collection and I enjoy the gameplay. I also don't mind waiting if what I'm waiting for is worth it and don't see why others can't/won't do the same. Ease and speed should not be the most important thing to the devs. I think that if that is what is now accepted then I wouldn't care to have this new expansion anyway.

The way I saw it when I first came to this forum and learned about the game was a group of people that made something not because it was easy but because they wanted to put out a quality game for people to enjoy and play over and over again. SoaSE was and is an amzing game in my book but if the devs are now taking the easy road simply because it takes less time or effort etc etc then this is a series I'll no longer care to be a part of.

All this of course is just my idealistic opinion, take it as you will.
Agent X

Easier does not equal lazy. It lets them focus on more important stuff. I said this several times.

agentx, a lot of people agree with you. Some people aren't going to be happy about steam, and the Devs knew that very well. I don't see why the people who like steam feel they need to make you think its not a big deal.

Really this horse has been beaten to death though, I'm sure every pro and con of this has been mentioned here.

So let me get this straight, as near as I can tell, the only reason you (agentx) don't want to use Steam is that you already have Impulse.

Whoop-dee-doo, I always used Steam before I came across Sins and StarClad in general, and I was more than happy to get Impulse just to buy/update their games, why is it a problem exactly? You can just run Steam in offline mode anyway unless you want to update the game.

Steam brings the game to a larger audience, and Steamworks allows numerous improvements to online mechanics, as has already been stated. Putting it on Steam was a good move.

Sorry if I sound bitter, but I swear, if these "I hate Steam" theads keep popping up it's going to be just as bad as the whining about the game not being on Steam and people having to use Impulse years ago.

They'll go away faster if you ignore them.

If people find steamworks to be a attribute that in their mind that reduces the value of the product, then they will probably be displeased once they find out it uses it. In this case it sounds like he already bought the game before realizing it, and I think Stardock should have done a better job at notifying people that steam would be necessary as we did not know that information when they first started taking preorders. But that's all in the past, I think Stardock will take back the preorder if you say you didn't know it needs steam and would like your money back rather than use it.

I never said I hate steam, just that I won't be bothered going though the hassle of using it for 1 game. I only used impulse because thats the only way you could update sins, which i was fine with, and have since bought several games on it. The bulk of my games though are hard copies with a small number bought from direct2drive. My point all along is that it doesnt make sense for me to download, install and run/use yet another client since i'll have only 1 game on it.

Frankly I'm just sick of being told how to run/play/use/mod my stuff that I bought and paid for. I dont feel i should have to use X client for this game now and Y client 2 years later for the same series especially since I've never used steam before or plan to in the future. Which brings me back to running a new client for a single game. No thanks, I'll go without.

@spastic: i never said it was because they were lazy

@Goafan: thanks for that link, I'm gonna look at it now

EDIT: @Goafan: yes i already have a ticket in explaining as much and I'm hoping they understand

Meh. I think Steam is going to win the digital distribution contest in the long run. (Ironclad more or less agrees, it seems.) I usually look at it like this: 2x daily deals means it's more likely for me to get a deal on something I like.

possibly but i dont have much interest in games anymore, not many things that I find that fill a gap in my collection. bought kingdoms of amalur on release and liked it, bought ME3 and was greatly disappointed. so I'm rather put off new games atm and rebellion and farcry 3 are just as disappointing. It's all leaving a bitter taste in my mouth quite honestly.

So you did it for the basic game, but you won't do it for the massively improved stand-alone-expansion.

Nope! That was back before i had to use ANY client, now i used impulse and have been, more or less, forced to use origin (because of amalur and ME3). the only saving grace is that i have a few games on impulse and several games on origin (registered not bought), im not using a 3rd just for one game and i'm not buying more games (since i havent seen any good ones) on steam just to justify using it.

Further more from what i've been reading all the stuff that is sooo great and sooo amazing is more about multiplayer than anything else and i've stated before save for LANs i dont do multiplayer

And Impulse you can delete without lost functionality to the game. Steam doesn't work that way.

How about we sum it up as such: Some like it and some don't. Hopefully he can get a refund.

Wait, so you were willing to download Orign for a game you knew was going to disappointing but you aren't willing to download Steam for a game you have already purchased? What kind of awful world do we live in?

no i already had origin from back whe it was ea d/l manager or w/e, and no i didnt know ME3 was gonna be a let down or i wouldnt of bought it

Agent, I'm a veteran of the game and community and, sadly, am feeling more and more the way you do. I have my favorites (games and mods), but given our common ground, I advice you to enjoy the classics and find other hobbies to fall back on.

Whatever you do, hope you find enjoyment in it.

I can see where its annoying if you don't already have it, but it just seems to me like a silly reason to not buy a game.