ArcadicGamer
Warlord
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2007
- Messages
- 259
Very funny. Steam check home when internet connection exists. You can't even play the games if steam detects updates being available until you allow updates. There probably are games on steam that reguire constant internet connections due to steam or 3rd party drm settings (I've read not all games support offline mode). Games have to be verified when installing and when setting offline mode (automatic probably but require internet connection). Backups probably can't be restored without connecting steam network either.
False. You can choose for any game to accept automatic updates. I played the SGOTM with STEAM while an updated patch was avalible for CIV4. Backups only require an offline-mode STEAM client to use. I had for a long time a 4 compy lan with CIV4 installed in offline-mode for playing LAN based MP games. Never any trouble.
As far as I know (I've read number of complaints about this) some of the older games are never patched and some games can take months to patch after developer releases the standalone patches. GOG games rarely need further patching as no more patches are coming to them, pathces are always already integrated to installer files.
It is purely up to the distributor to supply STEAM with any patches. As an example, Evil Genius downloads to version 1.01 on STEAM. My D2D version DL's to 1.0, and cannot be patched. The only games that experience delay with patching due to STEAM are older games that are not in high-demand. In many cases, due to auto-updating, STEAM users are the first to find out about new patches.
n other topics people claim that steam calls home the moment it finds open internet connection and if there are steam or game updates you must allow those first before you can play any games. Also have anyone actually tested if the offline mode has any time limits (will it demand connection at some point)?
Entirely bogus. It does check for updates when launching, but again you can choose not to allow automatic updates for any game in its launch settings. Refer again to my 4 computer lan, which ran for 2 years without any STEAM based internet contact, and still worked till i disasembled it when i moved.
As for reason for prefering standalone games and patches. Thats just the way I like them and I like to have controll over the process. Automatic updates can sometimes fail (last one was actually Civ4BtS patch; it got stuck and never completed and I had to do full reinstall. I also like to feel that I own and have controll over the games I've bought so I've cracked most games I've bought ever since I encountered first one probably around decade ago. I feel it's within my rights to do practically anything I wish with the software I've bought; It's mine the moment I handed over the cash. Only thing I don't do with them is distribute copies of the games I own, pretty much anything else goes.
I at one time had 5 copies of CS:S on my computer all in different modded states. I never need a no-cd crack when i lose my cd anymore. STEAM simply asks for my Username and Password and i can download TF2 for the 17th time this month. The only trouble i have ever had with STEAM downloads was with Call of Duty 4, in which so many people were d/ling it, the data became corrupted on the steam server i was accessing. It was easy enough to re-d/l it and i was ready to play.
There is only 2 downsides to STEAM i can list as an Active user of its product.
1. It is impossible (as far as legally) to regress to an older patch without personal backups. This was an issue for me once when trying to play a GOTM in the HOF section here. I turned off autoupdates and it never happened again.
2. They are a company and of course they are going to advertise. You will get the occasional popup after restarting steam telling you whats new, whats on sale and whats coming soon. Its a small price to pay to have total access to my games as much as i want.
There are 2 gripes i cannot stand about STEAM.
1. "I have to connect to the internet and logon" Unless the date is 1995, whats the problem? And further, you don't have to logon unless you close the app. Logging on is the new CD check of DRM. Once your loged on and STEAM is open, your net can drop. I went 2 days on my gaming computer without knowing my internet was down, and played STEAM games the whole time.
2. /tinfoilhat conspiracy. You know what i mean.