ArmA 3 on Steamworks?

[enad 11]

I was just thinking, and I've talked to Dwarden about this before, but if any BIS Dev is reading this, could a Steamworks integration with ArmA 3 be possible?

I really think it will improve the MP scene, not that I'm much of an MP person, but the server filter hardly ever works for me so joining a coop match or whatever is always a pain, having steamworks would make it simple. Friend makes a server, click join game in steam chat and you're in.

Also, having Ingame steam chat not mess with the game would be nice :rolleyes:

I'm sure there will be a lot of people who are against steam, and are frankly ignorant or uninformed, if you don't have Steam, you should get it. Steamworks would require you to have Steam, but it's not like Steam is GFWL, it's not intrusive at all, and once you log in you can x out of everything and just play your game, no extra log ins or crap like that. Plus ingame chat is a major plus for me. I know all of this can be done without actual Steam integration, but I honestly think it could seriously improve the MP functionality.

Anyone else have thoughts? And please refrain from stupid "Steam sux!!11 tryna steal mah moniezz"

Just post why you think it would work or why you won't think it would work.

[Devil Dogs SF 13]

I don't like playing on public servers, although Steam does make it easy to play whenever I play little friend filled coop games. As long as Steam doesn't restrict addons or mods in any way whatsoever, I'm all for Steam integration.

[bhaz 0]

+1

They already maintained two different versions at release. Not sure if that's true now since Steam isn't even required to launch anymore, but it sounds simple enough to include.

[metalcraze 290]

Anything that requires me to run an additional software (especially if it's a resource hog and a DRM) together with a game is a big no no.

[enad 11]

Anything that requires me to run an additional software (especially if it's a resource hog and a DRM) together with a game is a big no no.

See this is where everyone goes wrong. Steam is hardly a resource hog if that's what you're trying to get at and there is no separate DRM besides the one that comes with the game. Once you log in with Steam, click auto login and you won't have to deal with it again until you choose to log out. Having Steam Integration can only improve the Multiplayer functionality, that's it.

[ArmAriffic 10]

NO STEAM, I completely hate it I don't know why but I just do. Steam should stay optional and not force someone to play with it!

[jdmt 12]

No. BIS shouldn't dump Sprocket, I love Sprocket. ArmA II + Steam is a joke, mods are a mess, updates are worse.

[enad 11]

NO STEAM, I completely hate it I don't know why but I just do. Steam should stay optional and not force someone to play with it!

Maybe you should try it, because there's no reason to hate it really. It's got epic sales EVERY day and makes MP easy with steamworks titles and the chat feature is the main reason I use it. Not really related to ArmA 3, but over the Christmas sale I bought 24 games for $65 exactly, good games too.

Maybe you should give it a try before saying NO when you don't even know why you don't like it.

[ArmAriffic 10]

Maybe you should try it, because there's no reason to hate it really. It's got epic sales EVERY day and makes MP easy with steamworks titles and the chat feature is the main reason I use it. Not really related to ArmA 3, but over the Christmas sale I bought 24 games for $65 exactly, good games too.

Maybe you should give it a try before saying NO when you don't even know why you don't like it.

I have try'd it, that's why I don't like it.

[happy 10]

please keep ARMA steam free!

[enad 11]

Can you guys mind reading the first post and give me a damn reason why, I hate when people just say no with no reason.

If you don't want Steam, tell us WHY. Because if you have no reason for BIS not to integrate ArmA 3 with Steam, then don't bother posting.

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

I despise steam. The only reason I use it is because I won a steam copy of OA. After all the issues I've had with it so far I'm considering giving up on it and buying a disk when I have the cash.

Why I think Steam should be optional, if used at all.

• Constant issues with the offline mode, which is a very big thing for me as I have limited internet access.
  
• If I tell it not to autoupdate, it does anyways. Even if I tell it not to 30 damn times. I wasn't able to play OA for 3-4 months because it started the update as I was in the middle of a move.
  
• Over half of the gameplay in the series is OFFLINE gameplay, whether a campaign, user missions, or in the editor. Steam requires an internet connection to start the game (Unless in offline mode, but you have to have internet to start offline mode) so people that don't have access etc. would not be able to use the game they just bought
  
• If steam is integrated it would mean having to use steam to patch the game, which basically means redownloading the entire game every time a patch is released. I don't have the time nor the bandwidth to do that.
  

[Steakslim 1]

I still wonder how "mods are a mess". I can understand a lot of complaints about Steam.....but the mods work the exact same way, the exact same fucking way. Only difference is the location of the ArmA folder is buried in the Steam directory. It's as simple as finding it (hint, it's in the section all your other games are installed to under Steam) and presto. And if you can't load your 50 some mods because the additional folders under Steam is making your target line too long, use a goddamn launcher.

Anywho, if you don't have patience around "patch time" for games, I'd stay away from Steam. That's the only real problem with it for the ArmA series is they are often a few days late, and they are rather large.

If steam running in the background (and that's assuming your not at a point where you can launch the game without running steam via beta patch or patched version that doesn't use diskcheck) and it causes a noticeable and unacceptable slow down of your system, I think Steam is the least of your problems, and I'm unsure how you are even running ArmA.

As for the Steamworks idea. I'm not entirely sure, because I doubt due to the divided community on the subject that BIS would dedicated to the idea of a Steam only ArmA 3. Now if they made it to where they had the Sprocket and Retail ArmA3, yet still had Steamworks for those with the Steam version as an extra perk for the hell of it, I'm fine. If you think the flames and nonsense about ArmA 3 are bad right now, imagine if they announced it to be Steam only. This forum would implode into a singularity.

EDIT: I should add as Darkhorse brought up, if you have limited monthly internet or bandwidth caps.....you should steer clear of Steam, as well as other thing similar to it.

Edited May 22, 2011 by Steakslim

[Big Dawg KS 6]

Unfortunately I think you're wasting effort Enad. People on these forums seem to think Steam is the most evil thing that was ever created. People start bitching at the mere mentioning of anything related to it. While some people have valid concerns, most of them are uninformed and too ingorant to change their minds.

[metalcraze 290]

See this is where everyone goes wrong. Steam is hardly a resource hog if that's what you're trying to get at and there is no separate DRM besides the one that comes with the game. Once you log in with Steam, click auto login and you won't have to deal with it again until you choose to log out. Having Steam Integration can only improve the Multiplayer functionality, that's it.

What if I don't want to log into Steam or have an online DRM which in case I won't have an internet when I will want to play ArmA in SP or over LAN won't let me to even launch the game?

I don't see why I need any of that just to have what you deem to be a better interface for MP which I don't think is true.

I actually fail to see what's so critical about Steam's server browser that isn't already implemented in ArmA itself

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

I don't have a problem with Steam, but I do have a problem with making a game Steam only. I was pissed when I found out the disk copy of Empire: Total War that I bought at Walmart required steam+internet to install. If BIS went in that direction, as big a fan as I am of them, and of the series, I wouldn't touch the damn thing.

Don't package anything steam related with the game, but make it fully compatible with it, and have a steam version.

[Steakslim 1]

ArmA's server browser is horrible. I avoid it to the point I exclusively use Spirited Machine's launcher as a browser.

And you can run ArmA in offline mode. Just verify the game cache and make sure you've ran it once before you do.

---------- Post added at 12:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 AM ----------

Unrelated but a friend sent this to me just now after googling "this guy looks legit".

[metalcraze 290]

But to run ArmA in offline mode you need to run it in online mode which makes no sense if there is no internet avaialble for any reason and you want to play it offline

DRM where you just rent the game will never be good no matter which excuses you find

And if you have another software for server browsing - then what's the problem? See you have the choice what to use now.

I want to have the choice too.

Edited May 22, 2011 by metalcraze

[Steakslim 1]

Uhm...if you had to go through the trouble of d/ling the game from steam...then you can go through the trouble of doing that small extra process before you go into offline mode after installing the game.

[metalcraze 290]

Read again. Carefully.

And why would I want to d/l it from Steam? Ah I forgot - Steamworks will leave me no choice.

[Cookieeater 10]

I despise steam. The only reason I use it is because I won a steam copy of OA. After all the issues I've had with it so far I'm considering giving up on it and buying a disk when I have the cash.

Why I think Steam should be optional, if used at all.

• Constant issues with the offline mode, which is a very big thing for me as I have limited internet access.
  
• If I tell it not to autoupdate, it does anyways. Even if I tell it not to 30 damn times. I wasn't able to play OA for 3-4 months because it started the update as I was in the middle of a move.
  
• Over half of the gameplay in the series is OFFLINE gameplay, whether a campaign, user missions, or in the editor. Steam requires an internet connection to start the game (Unless in offline mode, but you have to have internet to start offline mode) so people that don't have access etc. would not be able to use the game they just bought
  
• If steam is integrated it would mean having to use steam to patch the game, which basically means redownloading the entire game every time a patch is released. I don't have the time nor the bandwidth to do that.
  

If you despise Steam so much, why not just keep Steam in offline mode, then it's like Steam never existed at all. The only reason you use it is for Operation Arrowhead, so why not keep it in offline mode. You can still patch your game manually when Steam is kept in offline mode, it'll never autoupdate. All of your arguments are null.

I would love having Steamworks implemented into a game. The server browser for ArmA II sucks ass. The Steam server browser is loads more responsive, it has good filtering options, and it doesn't have the shitty opportunity to blank out on me and not give me any servers. It'd be a lot easier to communicate with friends inside ArmA III. It'd be a lot easier to join friends games in ArmA III as well. You could right click on a players name on your friend list and join their server immediately.

[ArmAriffic 10]

I despise steam. The only reason I use it is because I won a steam copy of OA. After all the issues I've had with it so far I'm considering giving up on it and buying a disk when I have the cash.

Why I think Steam should be optional, if used at all.

• Constant issues with the offline mode, which is a very big thing for me as I have limited internet access.
  
• If I tell it not to autoupdate, it does anyways. Even if I tell it not to 30 damn times. I wasn't able to play OA for 3-4 months because it started the update as I was in the middle of a move.
  
• Over half of the gameplay in the series is OFFLINE gameplay, whether a campaign, user missions, or in the editor. Steam requires an internet connection to start the game (Unless in offline mode, but you have to have internet to start offline mode) so people that don't have access etc. would not be able to use the game they just bought
  
• If steam is integrated it would mean having to use steam to patch the game, which basically means redownloading the entire game every time a patch is released. I don't have the time nor the bandwidth to do that.
  

That and another thing is if the patches are big I can't play the game, for example my brother wanted to play L4D2 adn he couldn't because the damn patch was 1.2 gigs!.

Not everyone can download at 500 kb/s you know

And steam always has logging in issues for me, last time I try'd to use it I had to try three times and that is a pain in the ass

[Nicholas 5]

No. BIS shouldn't dump Sprocket, I love Sprocket. ArmA II + Steam is a joke, mods are a mess, updates are worse.

Mods are not a mess, they install and play exactly the same way, except within a different directory. Updates do seem to come in a bit slow, but BI allows you to update it manually as well. (That's what I did with the last update and it works fine with and without steam)

I'd say have advanced steam integration so people can easily hop into the same server their buddy is playing in by just clicking one button. Steam is not a resource hog in anyway, and if it is, it's probably time to upgrade your computer.

Only integrate with steam for those who those to do so.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

@Enad: Search for the older Steam related threads, including the official poll which eventually turned into a discussion (which is wasn't supposed to be initially). I'm not reposting my opinions again, Steam has been discussed to death already. Haters and lovers won't unite, pretty simple really.

[jdmt 12]

BIS makes more money per sale off of Sprocket, because they own it, why would they dump this?