Why Steam is bad for you

[deanej]

I don't call the OS a third party service. As for your other stuff, if the software is directly related to what I'm trying to do, it's not considered "third party" for my argument. Thus java, Flash (btw, I'm not considereing web pages applications, though the requirement to have many plugins is not something I like), Foxit, and AV are not considered third party for this argument. Furthermore, if your ISP requires that you install extra software, get a new ISP. Steam doesn't help make my civ5 experience better; it's simply required.

I will concede with Sandboxie, but note that I also use it for keeping my computer virus free and that it's not required.

 

[kmvoss]

Didn't bother to read much of the thread, but I've been a steam user since 2004. I love it, and will continue to use it as long as it is around. It is a great program for gamers. I wish all games were released on it.

 

[Maniacal]

I meant ISP not on installing software, but you have to dole out monthly payments to them or they will cancel your service, and ISPs have indeed throttled speeds without proof of wrongdoing and could spy on all of your internet activities. Which is a lot worse than Steam, which is free, doesn't spy on non-steam activities, and won't cancel your internet. The things I listed were all software stuff required in order to do something else.

 

[Senethro]

Civ4 came out in 2005 and only had a simple disc check. And "everybody else is doing it" does not make it right.

For anyone at risk of thinking this guy is reasonable, he wants a disc check so he can run the entire game in a sandbox (a virtual computer within a computer). He is so security minded that he believes anti-virus software cannot be trusted. I'm amazed he ever connects to the internet, even to repeat endlessly how Steam is bad and we're signing over our firstborn to them.

Moderator Action: Flaming
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[SuicideMW]

I love Steam and never had a problem with it in the three years I've used it.

I think more companies should start using it.

 

[Bobisback]

I for one have a whole list of things I hate about steam, for one it is always connecting to the internet and downloading crap for civ 5, what if I do not want a patch? what if I removed the movies so it would skip them? No steam whats to go off and download the movies or download a stupid patch that I do not care about anyway updating something that is worthless to me. If a patch comes out for civ 5 then fine I will download it, after i look at what it changes and decide if I even want it.

Then there is the fact that it installs the game to some crazy location.

Also one time i tried to play and it told me that Civ 5 is unavailable!!! unavailable??? I bought the game how is it unavailable???? I was just playing it like 2 hours ago on the same computer???

And then there is the system resources it uses. It uses 45mb of ram???? 45mb what the hell could it possibly be doing with 45mb of ram???? my total system running idle only uses 150mb!!! (I guess not that I need the 45mb but haha still it is annoying)

Well thats a couple of things I have some more but ready to go to bed.

See ya all,
Bob

 

[mamba]

Too many Steam zealots on these boards arguing for the merits of Steam. But just yesterday I encountered something that just reinstates the obvious fact that extra uncalled for software is bad for you:

I see a lot more anti-Steam zealots, in fact I hardly ever see any Steam zealots.
As you are one of the anti zealots, my guess is that your perception is scewed.

 

[mamba]

Let's see. I'll even go well beyond your 7 year figure. I've played:

[-snip- 5 games -snip-]

So even with a considerably expanded time span, my number is still far less than 200. Then again, those on the list that I've played, I've generally played to death (except Railroads, but that was due to system issues).

so, you simply do not play many different games (but those you play to death). And this is relevant how ?

 

[mamba]

Wait, that wasn't quippy enough... Has Steam gone and figured out how to create a non-deterministic Turing machine of some usability? Because I have many practical applications for such a device and would be interested in purchasing said technology.

Non-deterministic is easy, it is guessing the right answer that is difficult

 

[BloodCelt]

I've had it for years and other then its very rocky and unpromising start with HL2. I found steam to be a much less problomatic DRM (and Shopping tool) then the alternatives like Starforge or Securom.

But yes, Steam did eat my baby, so it does have the evil factor you have to deal with.

BC

 

[mamba]

And if valve goes bankrupt, what then? I believe you cant install it without "permission" from the valve server. *Thats* why people dont like steam.

That's why a few paranoid people don't like Steam.

What if your disk has read errors ? I find that a far more likely scenario....

Not that it matters thanks to torrents.

see, you even provided the answer to your own question

 

[mamba]

So you're going to ignore his problem.

Yes, based on his own experience, it is what most people do pretty much all the time.

 

[mamba]

Could I see your source of zillions of people saying this? And you would take these zillions of people's word over those of us who have been using steam for a lot longer then some of you and who have told you (several of us have) that you don't have to auto update your game.

Maybe you should check it out yourself since you seem so willing to take these zillions of people's word (since it supports your complaint) and not take our word for it (since it doesn't support your complaint). You keep holding onto this argument because it gives you justification to hate something you don't seem willing to understand. Steam is not bad like some of you keep claiming. It's just different and it affects change to your routine.

They're in the civ5 to use steamworks thread. Not sure where, but that's what happens when you have a 50 page thread. http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=363630

Ok, anti-Steam zealots using the unproven (and verifiably false) statements of other zealots as proof. Just great.

As Novem said, you choose to believe this as it fits your agenda, instead of actually finding out that it wrong first hand, as that would force you to admit that you are wrong.

 

[mamba]

There is a simple way around this. Some people create a different steam account for each game they buy, then they sell the account (username and password) or give it away to whomever they want when they are done with the game. Seems like a decent workaround.

No, it is not decent, I do consider this a flaw in Steam. But then it does not bother me much as I rarely ever sell a game, I just throw it out.

 

[mamba]

Am I just too old and computer illiterate to handle Steam?

If you manage to install a game, you will have no issues with Steam either. All you need to do is double click its installer and download the game off it (or register it in it if you bought the DVD, never did that, when I use Steam, I buy it there too, so not quite sure what would be needed in that case).

All the 'what if' cases pretty much do not exist outside the minds of some zealots.

 

[mamba]

And then there is the system resources it uses. It uses 45mb of ram???? 45mb what the hell could it possibly be doing with 45mb of ram????

No idea, but my webbrowser frequently uses a multitude of that. In the grand scheme of things, 45mb is 1% of my RAM on my notebook, less on my PC. In other words, it is not even worth mentioning.

 

[Maniacal]

I for one have a whole list of things I hate about steam, for one it is always connecting to the internet and downloading crap for civ 5, what if I do not want a patch? what if I removed the movies so it would skip them? No steam whats to go off and download the movies or download a stupid patch that I do not care about anyway updating something that is worthless to me. If a patch comes out for civ 5 then fine I will download it, after i look at what it changes and decide if I even want it.

As has been said many times, you can easily disable automatic updates.

Then there is the fact that it installs the game to some crazy location.

It installs it to the Steam folder, hardly a crazy location. It could, however, prompt you as to where you'd like to install it, but there is a way to get it to do that.

Also one time i tried to play and it told me that Civ 5 is unavailable!!! unavailable??? I bought the game how is it unavailable???? I was just playing it like 2 hours ago on the same computer???

No idea, this happened to me once with a game, it was some bug. It was fixed after a 1 minute search and asking a friend on Steam. This isn't a common occurrence.

And then there is the system resources it uses. It uses 45mb of ram???? 45mb what the hell could it possibly be doing with 45mb of ram???? my total system running idle only uses 150mb!!! (I guess not that I need the 45mb but haha still it is annoying)

Unless you have like half a gig of RAM or something, its insignificant. There are a number of constant processes running that are uneeded. Also, for me, Steam usually runs at about 12 to 15 megabytes of RAM when it is minimized to the system tray, and during games. I have 2 gigs of RAM and most computers now have 3 or 4 or more these days. Google Chrome, a very light-weight browser, takes up about 30 megabytes when its doing nothing and has nothing loaded!

 

[FarmerHE]

Looks like SafeDisc's wikipedia page has been expanded since I last looked at it. Anyways, that's what Sandboxie is for.

Sorry for me laughing

But you are seriously sugesting that its better install a sandbox either as a dualboot (Slows down start time of the game) or as a virtual machine (Reduce the amount of computer power left for the game and often gives worse graphics performance) and have no problem with this compared to install a simple program that even gives me some added benefit of auto patching my games...

Agreed you could just do that but it still gives another 3rd party program that needs to run (And in fact we have alot of those already mostly as drivers but they are still processes that need to run)

 

[dannythefool]

Steam doesn't help make my civ5 experience better; it's simply required.

It helps make mine better because it provides an ingame web browser via shift-tab.

 

[Xiao Xiong]

Steam is of zero value to me EXCEPT in its role as a digital cardboard box.... the idea that it should take me more than 10 seconds and that I should have to "read about" how to open a frakkin' cardboard box in order to get at what I actually purchased is pure lunacy.

What you are saying here is this is too hard for you: Right click on game, properties, updates, do not update. You are saying you mod your games heavily and you cannot figure that out? Give me a break.