Regarding The Steam Can o' Worms

[krasny]

Don't forget you can play Steam games off line, once you have installed them.

Bit of a bummer for those without ANY internet connection, but they're only a tiny minority.

Also you won't need Steam to download the game. You just need it to register and patch it. For example I bought two Steam games (Napoleon: Total War and Dawn Of War 2) on silver discs, and they installed right off the disc, needing Steam only to register the games. Everything went smoothly.

What would be utterly crappy would be if CV required Games For Windows Live. That would be a deal breaker for me. Or even more messed up, a DRM scheme similar to the current Ubisoft pernicious shag of bite. Or just as messed up, a scheme that limits installs.

In short unless you have NO internet what so ever, don't worry about Steam. People on dial up can just buy the game from the store. Which I'm going to do anyway, because I'm a frequent reinstaller.

 

[HamTard]

Someone without ANY internet wouldn't be able to post here and complain about it.

Even if you're a frequent reinstaller, you can burn a backup disc of the Steam download, there is an option to do that to save bandwidth.

 

[krasny]

Some people have internet at work but not at home. Thus they could post here. But I suspect the number of blind Civvers may exceed those with no internet at home.

 

[NovaSilisko]

What would be utterly crappy would be if CV required Games For Windows Live.

I flinched. Thank you for putting things into perspective.

 

[Suho1004]

Do you mean that I won't need to run Steam every time I play the game (as long as I'm not playing online multiplayer)? I've been hearing conflicting information, and I'm a little confused.

 

[NovaSilisko]

Do you mean that I won't need to run Steam every time I play the game (as long as I'm not playing online multiplayer)? I've been hearing conflicting information, and I'm a little confused.

You need to run steam. But steam itself can be run without being connected to the internet. AND you can play multiplayer without having steam connected.

 

[Avs]

I have a feeling this is needed every thread:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=363634&page=14

Elizabeth 2k

You'll be able to play on a laptop without internet - you won't be able to access the online components (of course) but we know that the game is very portable and people want it everywhere. I, too, am one of those folks who plays Civ on airplanes (and vacations.)

 

[Tylerryan79]

Whats wrong with gfwl? I have fallout 3, i believe thats gfwl, put the disk in, hit install, play the game? What am i missing? Btw i am that minority you speak of. No land line phone, no internet connection, but i have an iphone 3gs. However i plan on taking out my hdd and bringing it to my moms(or bringing my whole rig) so i can install from disk and activate my copy of civ V. If that doesnt work for whatever reason, well like i said my moms got the connection so theres other ways to play. Honestly they(fraxis) dont want me to play. I can only assume this, because the choices they made. I have a work around as stated but not everyone does, and i do find that unfair. Plus you know some1 out there will be pissed when they buy it and cant play cause they didnt read the box. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Suho1004]

OK, thanks. I was a little bit confused. It's difficult trying to wrap my head around something I have never seen before.

(Which I suppose applies to just about every thread in this particular forum, so it should be nothing new.)

I think I've got a handle on the basics, though.

 

[krasny]

GFWL has acquired a terrible reputation as a clunky and buggy form of DRM. Plus it's much less user friendly than Steam, for example there is no play offline option.

No doubt if Microsoft develop this abomination it will morph into something less buggy than a termite mound.

For people with no internet, I assume 2K wish them all a big "YUCK FOU!"

Moderator Action: Foul language and evading the autocensor - warned.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Shurdus]

This thread is made of fail as the info in here is repeated ten times over and then some all over these boards.

Of course there are some people who are not pleased with steam, just like some people do not like puppies or kittens. Firaxis can indeed give the people without internet a nice symbol combol made with a closed fist, with the middle finger open and pointing upwards - krasny described it better - and they do it with better wording and with better marketing reasoning behind them. If you do not have all the tools required to play, then you cannot play. What is the problem?

This whole issue seems to me like people complaining about a board game that requires a large table but they have no such table... If you do not have it, pick another game to enjoy, or go through the hassle to get the game activated by whatever means possible. You may not like it, but that is the way it is. No amount of complaining will change it.

 

[Taalen]

What would be utterly crappy would be if CV required Games For Windows Live. That would be a deal breaker for me

For me, that wouldn't have made any difference. Doesn't matter which useless 3rd party system you make your game require, it's a deal-breaker.

 

[Shurdus]

For me, that wouldn't have made any difference. Doesn't matter which useless 3rd party system you make your game require, it's a deal-breaker.

Then the game is not for you. No one will lose any sleep over it at Firaxis or in here. Shame.

 

[Chalks]

For me, that wouldn't have made any difference. Doesn't matter which useless 3rd party system you make your game require, it's a deal-breaker.

Steam is a useful third party system since it provides multiplayer infrastructure, contact lists, chat, content distribution, auto updates and DRM.

Directx is a useful third party system since it provides 3d graphics libraries.

Your hatred of one but not the other is irrational.

 

[Taalen]

Steam is a useful third party system since it provides multiplayer infrastructure, contact lists, chat, content distribution, auto updates and DRM.

Directx is a useful third party system since it provides 3d graphics libraries.

Your hatred of one but not the other is irrational.

Who's talking about hatred?

And let's see about the usefulness. Multiplayer infrastructure? Oh please. I'm pretty damn sure any game's multiplayer features are parts of the game, not Steam.

Contacts lists? Useful just how? Content distribution? Ok, having an organised place to find content works, though it's nothing major. Auto updates? I'm quite capable of updating my games myself, thankyouverymuch. DRM? Not very high on my wishlist either.

DirectX, on the other hand, offers quite vital functions while Steam doesn't offer anything that cannot be just as easily without.

 

[Chalks]

Who's talking about hatred?

And let's see about the usefulness. Multiplayer infrastructure? Oh please. I'm pretty damn sure any game's multiplayer features are parts of the game, not Steam.

Contacts lists? Useful just how? Content distribution? Ok, having an organised place to find content works, though it's nothing major. Auto updates? I'm quite capable of updating my games myself, thankyouverymuch. DRM? Not very high on my wishlist either.

DirectX, on the other hand, offers quite vital functions while Steam doesn't offer anything that cannot be just as easily without.

You demand "write it yourself" or "leave it out because I don't care" - but why?

You don't like steam because... because... because....? Because it provides features that you think they should write themselves? Because it provides features that you don't personally want to use but other people will enjoy?

Firaxis have decided to reduce their development time by several months by not developing all this stuff from scratch and using a free platform that provides it all for them.

And you think they should spend additional time and effort reinventing the wheel for what reason?

 

[Shurdus]

Contacts lists? Useful just how?

Not at all if you are the type who does not like to keep in contact with friends, or if you do not like to be able to ask your friends a quick question about a game mechanic that a friend has a better understanding of. Talking about these things on steam is fun and I found it to be helpful on occasion as well. If you prefer an isolationist approach then this indeed does not add much.

Content distribution? Ok, having an organised place to find content works, though it's nothing major.

This is where you are wrong. It is VERY major. It would mean for example that the very best mods are available to everybody rather than just the people willing to invest the time to hunt down these mods. Imaging the BUG mod being available to everybody rather than just the people of civfanatics. Again, if you do not care about mods or anything then that is cool, but having a platform where you can reach not just the hardcore fans but virtually everybody around the globe is a huge deal. Possibly the biggest deal of the features confirmed so far.

Auto updates? I'm quite capable of updating my games myself, thankyouverymuch.

Auto-updates are easier for the developer. Sure you can patch for yourself, but creating a standalone patch executable is more work for the developer. The less work they have to spend on this, the more time can be spend coding in order to abolish bugs. It may be a small deal to you, but it is a big deal for the people creating a patch. Therefore it is a big deal too, even though you stubbornly prefer to accpept comfort so that you can have more control.

DRM? Not very high on my wishlist either.

This is a big deal to Firaxis though. It is sound buisness to do get your property protected. This is not a fault of Firaxis, it is the way of the world.

 

[Chalks]

DirectX, on the other hand, offers quite vital functions while Steam doesn't offer anything that cannot be just as easily without

Games do exist that don't use DirectX. 3D ones too. You don't have to use DirectX to write your game, it just makes it loads easier.

You don't have to use a platform like Steam for your multiplayer, social and content distribution aspects, it just makes it loads easier.

Although writing your own 3d libraries from scratch is probably 3 years extra work and writing your own online systems is probably more like 3 months extra work, the point is the same: why wouldn't you?

 

[MrHan]

why wouldn't you?

cuz.

 

[Shurdus]

Games do exist that don't use DirectX. 3D ones too. You don't have to use DirectX to write your game, it just makes it loads easier.

You don't have to use a platform like Steam for your multiplayer, social and content distribution aspects, it just makes it loads easier.

Although writing your own 3d libraries from scratch is probably 3 years extra work and writing your own online systems is probably more like 3 months extra work, the point is the same: why wouldn't you?

I know, I quoted a post and then this tidy bit of info escpaed my attention and I editted it out. These are not my words mind you.