Steam - opinions and experiences survey

[LondonLad 13]

No, please not Steam because...

users need to have a choice. With this type of choice it's down to how the customer wants to purchase their copy of 'ARMA x'.

I understand having one distribution method would make development releases, patches, beta's so much easier to manage but people are different, and with that so are their decisions/choices - Hence my reply.

p.s. I'm a STEAM user, but not one that is a fan of how BIS have implemented their version of ARMA2/ARMA2:OA - If I were new to STEAM with this game as one (if not) my first purchases I would have through they STEAM platform for delivering games was one left to be desired - Please take note as I know I'm not the only one to raise an eyebrow in the delivery of the ARMA product to STEAM - It needs to be improved for any future versions.

[Leon86 13]

there is one advantage to steam, it would keep this guy out :D

[Jazzadazza 10]

I voted no because of many reasons..

The main few are:

mods. There are some members of the clan/squad i am in with steam and its been a major hassle with mods to try and get them to work.

updates. I dont like the idea of having to download GBs for updates were with a disc copy I only have to download a few hundred MBs.

I prefer having a disc just because a disc isnt as vunrable as a HDD.

[Tonci87 163]

NO for gods sake!!! The Reasons had been spoken out already

[KeyCat 131]

I really hope you do not make future products Steam only!

I understand some people are satisfied with Steam but I'm not one of them and prefer they way you handled things in the past, i.e Steam for those who want and Sprocket/hardcopy for others.

/KC

Edited February 25, 2011 by KeyCat

[larsiano 12]

I voted NO, why?, as community leader i have spend days and days of my life trying to get CO to work for steam users because of its "special installation folder" etc.. Half of the members have a boxed Arma2 and steam OA or visa versa and sinds i dont have a steam copy myself its allways guessing how to make it all work (makes me look stupid too). This problem also brought to mind that steam currently has to much power and to little "why the hell do you need it".

I am however happy with the other DLC sources like Gamersgate that just give you the full "ISO" without any hassle they also have allot better availabillity. CD's should be a thing of the past but some members will not have anything to do with DLC versions simply because they get used to buying the actual box in the store

[Mr. Charles 22]

Guys, you do not have to be online to play steam games, you just need to log in Steam once on the internet, then you can run Steam in Offline Mode

[celery 8]

Guys, you do not have to be online to play steam games, you just need to log in Steam once on the internet, then you can run Steam in Offline Mode

Except that eventually Steam wants to go online again. At least mine did in offline mode, exactly when my internet connection was busto, which kind of defeats the whole purpose.

[ProfTournesol 956]

Thanks for asking, but that would be a mistake on your own. PC gaming is shrinking and you must be able to sell this game to every single potential customer, whatever purchasing way they may like : DL, DL with autoupdates like steam, DVD in shops, on Internet or with carrier pigeon etc.

[SWAT_Glock 10]

No one company should have control over all the games that are online. That is where Steam is heading IMO. Please keep the choice for the gamer. I do not mind the digital downloads from sprocket or even if BIS sold the downloads directly.

[jtec 0]

I voted yes. All i can see are plus points for BIS and for myself. Cost will be so much less for BIS which would help hopefully in development of either new engines or advancements. Piracy would also be cut due to the signing in of steam and verified data. Hopefully hacked games would also be limited due to the game actually being bought and activated via steam making multiplayer a much more happier experience. DVD's are fastly becoming a thing of the past, look at the music and film industry now, everything is moving to digital format. I seriously dont understand why people like hard copies :confused: You could say "well i get a hard copy of the manual, a map or whatever" but all those things are easy to print from pdf formats. Come on people Digital copies are the future :D

In the longrun we the customer will reap the benefits of this decision. I dont care for cd, dvd or blueray and feel all they do is clutter. Steam all the way :D

[Zipper5 74]

Steam has made no impact on stopping piracy, nor cheaters. Take a look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for a prime example.

[Wolfrug 0]

I voted no. I think it's awesome you can sell Arma 2 and your future games via Steam, and I definitely think you should keep doing that, especially as it's so successful. Steam is great for fantastic deals and very useful for not having to lug lots of discs around, and it also doubles as DRM and can, I guess, also provide anti-cheating capabilities (via VAC). So all around a good deal.

But frankly, I don't think Steam-only is a terribly good idea. Unless it's a smaller sized, independent game that wants to forgoe non-digital distribution all together, I think it just adds an unnecessary encumbrance to the whole operation. I've got my DoW 2 and Civ 5 DVDs right here, and I might as well start using them as 50€ coasters now after they've been 'activated' in my Steam account. This is, to be frank, a bit frustrating. So yeah...a big 'no' to Steam only from me.

That is of course unless you have no other option, but I hope things aren't going that bad for you. I heard from Gabe Newell's own mouth that putting a product on -75% on Steam increases the net profits of sales by over 40x. Maybe you should try that? ;) I know a few who'd jump on the chance of getting a cheap copy of the game that way...

Regards,

Wolfrug

[KeyCat 131]

In the longrun we the customer will reap the benefits of this decision. I dont care for cd, dvd or blueray and feel all they do is clutter. Steam all the way

If - God Forbid - Steam would become the only option for us PC gamers then I say... think again!

Come on people Digital copies are the future

The Sprocket/GamersGate/etc. versions are as digital as Steam and IMHO better options.

/KC

Edited February 25, 2011 by KeyCat

[EDcase 87]

NO

I want (and will pay a bit extra) to have a box with DVD.

I don't want to run more software in the background. And reading about peoples problems with it put me off completely.

If it had to go digital then 'Sprocket' would be better.

Edited February 25, 2011 by EDcase

[twisted 128]

i say no.

steam is good but i prefer sprocket. i can support BIS plus download and keep the game on a backup drive.

non-steam is much easier to update and lends itself to the betas big time - and i enjoy getting and testing the betas. delayed updates as happens with steam will suck.

[EricM 0]

Voted "I'm not sure".

I'm ok with digital download (though an option to have a backup disk sent at a cost would be ideal) and I like the idea of autopatching, but I dislike Steam intrusive software, and the idea that in a couple of year's time I may not be able to play with this for whatever reason.

I bought all my recent Arma Games through Sprocket and was happy about the fact that I knew the money would go to the right people, and that I have no other strings attached.

I understand that business wise, Steam is THE place to be for PC gaming nowadays, and that physical retail is on the way of the dodo, so that I'll keep getting Arma even as a Steam Only game, but that's clearly my least favoured option.

[Kristian 47]

I'd rather get all games as hard copies, simply because I own all OFP, ArmA1 and 2 games and expansions available on discs. :)

IF they made ArmA2 / future game COMPLETELLY working with steam (Multiplayer connecting, firends, updates, achievements) and so on, I might aswell buy it from there. :)

[Big Dawg KS 6]

NO

I want (and will pay a bit extra) to have a box with DVD.

A lot of people don't realize, but there are a lot of games that require Steam that you can still purchase in a box with a DVD. You don't necessarily need to buy games that use Steam through the Steam store. You could still have your box and hard copy.

I feel that a lot of votes here are useless because the majority of people I see posting have a lot of misconceptions about Steam. Community members' attitudes toward Steam IMO are more destructive then the actual decision to move excusively to Steam. So while switching may be nothing but beneficial to the game and development process itself, I feel that many people would simply refuse to accept it (of course there's also the possibility that people like the game so much they would be willing to change their attitudes after being forced to use it).

IMO a better approach to this would be for BI, from a developer's perspective, to list the pros and cons of switching and clearify some of the misconceptions.

Anyway, if you guys (BIS) were to integrate ArmA 2 with Steam and Steamworks, you'd have to make sure it doesn't make it harder to run mods or use mod tools. But I'm sure that it would be easy enough to do this. So keeping that in mind, I would support integrating the game with Steam if it made the developer's jobs easier. From what I have seen with many other devs, using Steam (fully integrating their games) has been very beneficial for them. And what's good for the devs usually translates to being good for the game.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Big Dawg KS

[celery 8]

A lot of people don't realize, but there are a lot of games that require Steam that you can still purchase in a box with a DVD. You don't necessarily need to buy games that use Steam through the Steam store. You could still have your box and hard copy.

That's actually the worst effect Steam has on the industry: games bought elsewhere still require it to run, and because the game is then Valve's property and not yours, you cannot sell the game and the box becomes garbage, because very often it doesn't even contain a manual.

[ProfTournesol 956]

A lot of people don't realize, but there are a lot of games that require Steam that you can still purchase in a box with a DVD. You don't necessarily need to buy games that use Steam through the Steam store. You could still have your box and hard copy.

I feel that a lot of votes here are useless because the majority of people I see posting have a lot of misconceptions about Steam.

Please, if Maruk meant something else than what we all understood about moving or not moving toward STEAM, i think he would have mentionned it.

[EricM 0]

A lot of people don't realize, but there are a lot of games that require Steam that you can still purchase in a box with a DVD.

That's certainly the worst of both worlds...

[mr_centipede 31]

I voted no. I bought a boxed CIV 5 and it required steam. It took long enough for me to install steam app itself, before I can install the game. Took it offline, then patches for CIV 5 comes out, and I needed to put steam online again. But got problem cannot connect to steam network or whatever. Some says it firewall or router. open some port or whatever.... but I am not that tech savvy to weed all this hassle. So in short, CIV 5 is the first game I bought that required steam, and I vow it would be the last...

I am too stupid and too lazy to make steam work... too much of a hassle.. so voted NO

[Big Dawg KS 6]

and because the game is then Valve's property and not yours.

Software is a form of IP. You (as a customer) cannot own it in the same sense you can own a physical item. Yes you can own a disc, but the software on it is still rightfully the property of the developers. What you purchase is essentially a liscense to use it. That's my opinion anyway.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Big Dawg KS

[Deadfast 43]

A lot of people don't realize, but there are a lot of games that require Steam that you can still purchase in a box with a DVD. You don't necessarily need to buy games that use Steam through the Steam store. You could still have your box and hard copy.

Which makes it even worse in my opinion. If I buy a game on a DVD I want it to work using just that DVD. In this case Steam(works) is a hassle.