What do I get for buying it at a store?

[GlobularFoody]

Buying from Steam has many benefits, what will be included in the retail box version? I really see no reason to download a game that I'm going to make a DVD backup of when I can skip that and just buy it for the same price at a store. I think this is the only thing that bothers me about having ot use Steam. I still have my Civ 4 pre-order edition that came in a really cool "book" style box with a nice spiral-bound manual. Are those days gone?

 

[SomethingCronic]

Don't feel inclined to make a dvd backup. If your PC dies or you format the disk, when you re-install steam it will give you the option to download and reinstall Civ V for you, unlimited. You can also backup direct to disk once it's installed.

If you buy the game at a store I think the only advantage is you'll get the manual. Judging by Civ IV it wasn't very good... I got 99% of what I needed to know from these forums than I did from that

 

[GlobularFoody]

Don't feel inclined to make a dvd backup. If your PC dies or you format the disk, when you re-install steam it will give you the option to download and reinstall Civ V for you, unlimited. You can also backup direct to disk once it's installed.

If you buy the game at a store I think the only advantage is you'll get the manual. Judging by Civ IV it wasn't very good... I got 99% of what I needed to know from these forums than I did from that

I'm aware of what Steam does, I burned Dirt 2 to a DVD after downloading it. I'm just wondering if there are any extras like the bonus civs that are coming with the Steam version? The price is the same so if the retail box only has the game then it would be stupid to go out and buy it.

 

[Mercade]

There has been no information whatsoever about the contents of the box, but we can safely assume that it will conclude a DVD and a manual. Whether it'll be a 1 cm thick manual or a 3 mm thick manual is anybody's guess. Other than that, apart from possibly a tech tree or so, don't expect anything in the box and don't expect any extras for buying the game in a retail store.

Personally I intend to buy the game on-line in a box (play.com or so), but of course that's for everybody to decide personally.

 

[Jugalub]

I'll be buying a physical copy online (from Amazon probably) as that will be the cheapest route for me. I'm not sure what's happening to the Deluxe version in the UK though.

 

[Auncien]

All versions will likely require connection to and likely downloaded content from the Steam service so there really is no reason to purchase a CD copy unless you want a paper manual.

Also, the only reason to make a backup of a Steam game is to prevent yourself from having to re-download the files later. As others have stated all such games are tied to a user account and can be downloaded later as many times as you want. Further, having a backup of a Steam game won't help if your access to that license is revoked for some reason as the game will not activate unless Steam allows it to do so.

 

[oynaz]

Buying a physical copy would prevent Steam from revoking the license. That would be theft in most countries.

Not that they would revoke it unless you did something really stupid anyway.

 

[Auncien]

Buying a physical copy would prevent Steam from revoking the license. That would be theft in most countries.

Not that they would revoke it unless you did something really stupid anyway.

I am not licensed to practice law and the following is not legal advice.

The majority of mainstream game licenses are, in fact, revokable by the developer / publisher. Pick just about any Terms of Use document and read it. Yes, Terms of Use in a game represents a legally binding contract (in the U.S.) if you have paid a fee to use the game. Paying a fee for the use of a product does not have any influence on how long you get to use your license. That is determined by the terms of the license (the Terms of Use).

If value has changed hands between two parties (consideration) then they have a contract. The terms of use is that contract and these have been upheld in the courts. Users should always read these. They are important.

EDIT: What I'm getting at here is that yes, your license can be revoked if the Terms of Use of the product OR the publishing service state that this can happen. A "license" to use a game is a specific legal term. It's a partial transfer of rights between the developer and / or publisher and an end user. It's not just something that game makers came up with. It has proven foundations in law.

I'm not trying to indicate that people who use any specific service or product WILL lose the license to play their game, I'm just stating that there's no point in making a physical backup as a hedge against such an event as this would not help given that a license can be revoked remotely.

 

[Mercade]

Buying a physical copy would prevent Steam from revoking the license. That would be theft in most countries.

Not that they would revoke it unless you did something really stupid anyway.

I am not licensed to practice law and the following is not legal advice.

The majority of mainstream game licenses are, in fact, revokable by the developer / publisher. Pick just about any Terms of Use document and read it. Yes, Terms of Use in a game represents a legally binding contract (in the U.S.) if you have paid a fee to use the game. Paying a fee for the use of a product does not have any influence on this.

If value has changed hands between two parties (consideration) then they have a contract. The terms of use is that contract and these have been upheld in the courts. Users should always read these. They are important.

In most situations the reading of the license agreement is moot. You don't get to read them until you open the CD and you don't get a refund once you've opened the CD. Moreover, internationally there's almost no recourse in most cases when you're talking about enforcing the license. Let's say (just for the sake of the argument) that Dutch law makes a license irrevokable unless the court agrees to void a license due to infringement at the request of an offended party. In practice your game is controlled by an on-line registration system that dodges Dutch jurisdiction.

So all you can do is buy the game, install and play and commune with your diety of choice your wish that the on-line registar doesn't pull the plug on your license.

Now I'm sure that some people would enjoy debating the legalities and subtleties, but I don't think that's what this thread it about.

 

[ukcivfan]

I will buy a physical copy for no other reason than that I just don't like the idea of steam.

I would rather pay 5 - 10 quid more and get the full game in one go - rather than having what feels like an entry level product. Oh well

 

[Auncien]

Let's ask 2k Greg.

2k Greg, what will users get in a boxed copy of Civilization V that they will not get in the Steam downloaded version?

2k Greg, will ALL versions, including those purchased in brick-and-mortar stores, include Steamworks and the requirement to log onto Steam in order to use the game?

Thanks and looking forward to playing Civilization V.

 

[Ahriman]

2k Greg, will ALL versions, including those purchased in brick-and-mortar stores, include Steamworks and the requirement to log onto Steam in order to use the game?

Asked and answered; yes.

For those worried about Steam going out of business; if they did so and the service was going to disappear, they could just have everything go into perpetual offline mode (or you could do it manually yourself), so you'd still be able to play your games.
[Though, you might not be able to reinstall them.]

 

[Gamemaster77]

Well I am really hoping that it doesn't come it stupid little CD case that you could buy at the store for a buck. I would like the nice large box, with the nice 200 page manual from Civ3 (can't remember what the civ4 one was like). I would even pay like 5 dollars extra for it.

 

[Jugalub]

2k Greg, will ALL versions, including those purchased in brick-and-mortar stores, include Steamworks and the requirement to log onto Steam in order to use the game?

This section of the forum is really getting bad as people aren't willing to even search or look around in the slightest. This question must have been asked and answered well in excess of 100 times now.

If a game employs Steamworks then the Steamworks APIs are a fully integrated part of the game, i.e. Steam is an integrated part of Civ V.

 

[PieceOfMind]

All versions will likely require connection to and likely downloaded content from the Steam service so there really is no reason to purchase a CD copy unless you want a paper manual.

I sort of agree with you, but for the customers where it matters, the difference could be between downloading several GB worth of data compared with downloading mere tens or hundreds of MB of a patch. That could be important depending on how much quota you have on your internet plan (if you have limited quota) and how the bandwidth is with steam servers. I know I typically get a max of around 100kB/s most of the time with other demos etc., typically closer to 30. Especially at release, it might even be worse.

 

[Alki]

All versions will likely require connection to and likely downloaded content from the Steam service so there really is no reason to purchase a CD copy unless you want a paper manual.

Also, the only reason to make a backup of a Steam game is to prevent yourself from having to re-download the files later. As others have stated all such games are tied to a user account and can be downloaded later as many times as you want. Further, having a backup of a Steam game won't help if your access to that license is revoked for some reason as the game will not activate unless Steam allows it to do so.

Well no, Steam will probably be expensive - the RRP of €49.99 or whatever, I'm sure I will be able to find it cheaper at play.com and many other online retailers.

 

[migkillertwo]

Unless I can get it for much cheaper pre-owned, I definitely plan on buying it from Steam. I have two computers, a laptop and a desktop, and I'd like to be able to play Civ V while traveling without having to bring a bunch of disks to play.

 

[ori]

it will almost definitely not work pre-owned since Steam licenses are not transferrable - likely one of the main reasons for this kind of DRM scheme is to prevent re-sales.

 

[migkillertwo]

I can't buy a copy of Civ V pre-owned?

 

[ori]

correct.