ArmA 3 on Steamworks?

[runforrest 10]

Steam + ArmA? NO THANKS !

But on the other hand theres 2 years ahead until the game will be really playable, much can change in that time, so we will see...

[tuskin38 25]

I don't understand any of this steam hate, I've been using it since 2005 for Half-Life, never had any serious problems with it.

If Arma 3 on steam is anything like Arma 2 is on steam right now, mods will work fine.

I've never had trouble running mods.

[nuxil 2]

btw. looks like the majority of the people didnt want arma3 on steamworks.

http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?119472-Steamworks-add-it-in-or-not

sometimes they listen to us and sometimes we get totaly ignored :p

only positive thing i really can see by using steamworks. would be delta patching. other than that. its all negative reasons on my side.

[Maxzy 12]

Running a LAN in offline mode isn't a problem with steam, doing it all the time.

Ok, this is good.

And with your bad connection real multiplayer doesn't make any sense.

Maybe there is some misunderstanding, but when i say "we have a pretty solid Arma community in our small city" I mean there are at least 20 people constantly playing via LAN. Or you mean that LAN multiplayer isn't "real" and the only real one is on Internet?

[lordprimate 159]

Yea .. thanks for the Intel Bohemia... Looks like I will not be playing ARMA 3..

Edited February 21, 2013 by Lordprimate

[thnos 10]

Steam server disconnects? Are you sure you know what you're talking about here? I've not had a server disconnect on steam. I've had many a disconnect in Arma2 and dayz but it wasn't because of steam. You might get disconnected from your friends list but that doesn't remove you from any game.

IF STEAM EVER WENT OUT OF BUSINESS:

"Gabe has already stated in the past that some sort of patch would be released to remove Steam authentication.

Although at this stage you could say that Steam has become too large to go under. If Valve ever ran into difficulty (not going to happen) then I am sure another company would be interested in taking Steam onboard alongside its users."

Steam does not respect the UE laws (including boxed version with Steamworks DRM) and the customers and it is for this reason that the Federation of German Consumer Association, has now filed an official complaint against Valve.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/185823/Consumer_group_targets_Valves_digital_resale_policies.php

The promises of valve is not worth much, for me.

[dsi24 12]

Steam does not respect the UE laws (including boxed version with Steamworks DRM) and the customers and it is for this reason that the Federation of German Consumer Association, has now filed an official complaint against Valve.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/185823/Consumer_group_targets_Valves_digital_resale_policies.php

The promises of valve is not worth much, for me.

You can already sell your DotA2 keys on the Steam Market :)

[pauliesss 2]

[irony]Who cares if ArmA3 is Steam only ?[/irony] We just want to play the ALPHA! :cool:

[starky396 1]

Seems like the DayZ outbreak again. I respect each sides opinions, but everybody is dealing with this so immaturely. if you don't like the steam overlay or even steam at all, write a letter to BIS and let them know what you think. If you like steam, then don't start bashing on other people's opinions. Seriously, how can THIS break up the community, I thought the ARMA community was a mature community.

[Praelium 0]

You can already sell your DotA2 keys on the Steam Market :)

Those are invitations, though. Games actually linked to an account cannot be resold. Not that it bothers me, I'm fine with Arma III being Steamworks exclusive.

[almanzo 144]

Yes, there are some restrictions when you own a game on Steam. It's a valid point, and one of the reasons why I'm careful about buying games through Steam, though I still don't see any point in trying to boycott it entirely.

Basically I only buy games through Steam if I'm either 100% sure I will be keeping them (in this case it's a no-brainer), or if they're massively reduced in price (i.e. on sale), or when I've checked out enough reviews and videos to be sure the game is worth it.

This is one of my main issues. BIS have been very clear on consumer rights up til this point, but with a full steam dependancy, they are leaving that policy. For me and many others, that is a real issue. At least it holds some symbolic value, and it's the reason I try to buy most of my games on GOG.com, despite their somewhat unreasonable prices. I like their policy. I am afraid that STEAM is building up to become a much to large unit in the game industry. We do not need a gate keeper with monopoly status as a publisher/distributor. It's bad for the media we so much enjoy. But at the same time, I do not have any issue with STEAM because it's STEAM, only due to their size. Check out my last post before the one you replied too. I own allmost 200 games on STEAM, I am far from boicotting them. Giving STEAM exclusivity though, is something I strongly opose. I hope Steam don't get to much influence on BIS on how to do their business and development. It might happen, in the same way publishers growingly push developers into certain ways. Thank god for crowd funding. There is a reason BIS broke with Codemasters back in the days as well, let's not forget that.

Point is, I fear this is a very clear sign that BIS is thinking new. That they prioritize new markeds and are aiming for a bigger audience. To be able to do it, they need to make it approachable and dumbed down. I know I am not alone in that regard. Yet again, I cincerly hope to be proven wrong, and yes, I'll buy ARMA III. But after the Iron Front incident, I am a bit skeptic of the way bis seem to be moving.

[W0lle 1042]

As I said in another topic... At least ArmaIII being Steamworks may get rid of the dumbest and most backward fellas around.

Thank you for calling me (and others) dumb and backward. You leave this thread now.

[jerryhopper 285]

[irony]Who cares if ArmA3 is Steam only ?[/irony] We just want to play the ALPHA! :cool:

And what makes you think you wont need steam for that?

the devblog clearly states about the 'patching issue' that steam is the way to go.

[purepassion 22]

To be able to do it, they need to make it approachable and dumbed down.

Approachable definitely, I personally make that as a requirement for me. Dumbed down, no, not at all. The game is in no way whatsoever being dumbed down and a wider audience does not hurt anyone:) Except it could get harder to be a Arma hipster :mad:

My take on steam will follow later

[Lokyi 10]

This issue has always been contentious, so there's always going to be love/hate arguments. The basic thing even with Arma2 on Steam, it's NOT necessarily a matter of just getting it and modding it and playing it, we've spent countless hours with some of our guys just trying to get them running mods correctly so that they can play with us.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on using Steam, however, like I stated earlier and was misquoted, I would like BIS to let us know how Arma3 is going to handle mods using Steam, and dedicated servers. I don't want the opinion of some clown who doesn't know the facts, I just want... the facts.

[kualus 1]

I personally want to stay away from Steam, as I'm boycotting Valve for reasons which would spark off topic arguing. Good to see that I'm not alone in wanting to leave Steam out of ArmA 3.

[pauliesss 2]

And what makes you think you wont need steam for that?

the devblog clearly states about the 'patching issue' that steam is the way to go.

Naah, Jerry, it was a joke. I would never leave ArmA3 just because it is Steam only. Honestly, I dont have any game on Steam, but I am more than ready to start with ArmA3. :)

[lordprimate 159]

As I said in another topic... At least ArmaIII being Steamworks may get rid of the dumbest and most backward fellas around.

and how do you propose that is going to happen... It stands to reason that a well known game provider like Steam would make its content more readily available to these dumbest, and most backward fellas.... Hmm, you may want to rethink that statement..

[Hicks_09 10]

Disappointing to hear that it's going to be shackled to Steam, its mandatory updates, iffy offline mode and general drm rankness. It's more irritating to have it shackled to steam particularly given as to how the other previous Op Flash/Arma titles are available drm free on gog. I guess it's worth hoping that down the line Arma 3 will be available - Steam and drm free though.

Until then, there's already Arma 2 and the host of mods available for it. No reason to consider Arma 3 in its existing state.

[Praelium 0]

Seems like the DayZ outbreak again. I respect each sides opinions, but everybody is dealing with this so immaturely. if you don't like the steam overlay or even steam at all, write a letter to BIS and let them know what you think. If you like steam, then don't start bashing on other people's opinions. Seriously, how can THIS break up the community, I thought the ARMA community was a mature community.

I think the reason for the drama is that many who are against Arma III being exclusive to Steamworks are that way for invalid reasons. Now, I'm not saying that there are no valid reasons, but some people here are getting upset over rumors and misunderstandings. For example:

Steamworks will hurt the modding community: There isn't much evidence to support this. In fact, many games that are currently released through Steamworks have very strong modding communities. There are also features that help make downloading, installing, and updating mods easier for gamers.

Steamworks requires automatic game patching: I've read this mentioned three or four times and it's not true. Steam users can opt out of automatic patch downloads through Steam preferences.

Steamworks will require constant internet connection: Except for a few individual situations (which I neither confirm nor deny), playing Arma III offline should not be a problem. Particularly, there have been complaints that losing connection to Steam may kick players out of a multiplayer server. However, I've been using Steam for a long time and I have never experienced this. If you have, post more information so we can figure out the variables that causes it. In addition, there have been people asking whether or not LAN will require an internet connect, but as far as I know that it totally up to BIS.

Steam hurts performance or kills my internet connection: I can't say I've experienced these issues but if you do then that's unfortunate. Sorry that Steam doesn't work correctly for you. It may be on your end, though, so perhaps reinstalling Steam or trying a number of other fixes can help.

I like to put the DVD in the DVD drive/I like to compress and save my files in a certain method/I like having the manual/Etc.: I'm sure BIS understands that gamers take small pleasures in doing lots of stuff like this, but clearly moving towards Steamworks is a business decision. They work to develop successful games, so it makes sense that their decisions would reflect that priority. To expect BIS to make changes just to cater to these things is silly.

Overall, I just want to say that many people in this thread are overreacting. Now, I'm not saying that implementing Steamworks will be perfect, but can we at least wait until actual, verifiable, replicatable issues specific to Arma III occur before complaining? Speculating with this must hostility is doing us no good.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Praelium

[jibemorel 10]

As I said in another topic... At least ArmaIII being Steamworks may get rid of the dumbest and most backward fellas around.

Sorry I just can't see how complaining about having less options is being dumb and backward.

[nodunit 397]

Curious, what about Sprocket?

Though it is nice to see the reasoning behind it rather than "hey guys we're going steam, just am".

Edited February 22, 2013 by NodUnit

[EvenLease 11]

I like that ArmA 3 will be a steamworks title, makes updating the game quite easy instead of the joke it is now.

Also, DLCs and other things will be easier to integrate. Cant wait for the release of ArmA 3! :)

[Maxzy 12]

In addition, there have been people asking whether or not LAN will require an internet connect, but as far as I know that it totally up to BIS.

So you're saying that there are steam games that allow LAN multiplayer in offline mode?

[-Snafu- 77]

One funny thing on this thread is that we have people who sang the praises of BIS for not being tied down to one distributor/distribution method. Now, with this news, some of those same people are defending this move saying it will be great. What?

I don't have a problem with Steam per se and I don't, at least didn't mind, Steam exclusive games but it's getting far too common nowadays. Arma 3 is the latest one to be swallowed up by something that's turning into The Blob.

To those who say "you're just whining". How is wanting to protect my consumer rights and options not good? How is being against the Steam dominance on digital distribution bad? Steam isn't even good value for money where I live. The more of a share it gets in the digital distribution market the more we, the consumer, get shafted since there's no real competition.

I'm a huge fan of what BIS have done with their games since I first played the OFP demo way back in 2001 and I was looking forward to Arma 3. Not so keen now though, unless it's really good.

Oh yeah, reading these bits in the blog post triggered a little alarm bell. That they haven't gotten much attention is surprising.

...we were not happy with how the project was going...do all we can to release Arma 3 in 2013.

Wow, what happened?