I hate Steam.

[pmv]

Originally posted by: gtd2000

At the moment you can buy cheaper Steam games in Poland (part of the EU) so I'd assume if they banned the use of keys sold in the Polish market, used anywhere else in the EU they'd be breaking some sort of law..?

That's an interesting question. Given that EU law specifically allows employers to import 'cheaper' labour from Poland to the richer countries, it would be blatantly inconsistent if they _don't_ allow consumers to import cheaper products. It would be interesting to see what happened in such a case (because personally I am very suspicious of the EU, it tends to be a friend of big business, e.g. the proposed blank media levy).

 

[Gothgar]

I think there is a very small minority that "hate" steam, it is probably user error

 

[gtd2000]

Originally posted by: pmv

That's an interesting question. Given that EU law specifically allows employers to import 'cheaper' labour from Poland to the richer countries, it would be blatantly inconsistent if they _don't_ allow consumers to import cheaper products. It would be interesting to see what happened in such a case (because personally I am very suspicious of the EU, it tends to be a friend of big business, e.g. the proposed blank media levy).

I'd have thought that applied to the US more than the EU, off the top of my head at least especially with the DRM etc?

I mean you can download files legally outside of the US for your own use - it's just the sharing that breaks the law (unlike the US?)

You can circumvent RPC freely (unlike the US?).

I remember they had the blank media levy in place when I lived in Canada but I'd not heard anything about it on this side of the pond.

Wasn't the EU fighting MS pretty hard regarding the Media features built into their operating systems which supposedly doesn't promote competition?

From my own perspective it's as barking mad as Sony/Pioneer/JVC/Alpine etc., complaining that Ford or GM supply vehicles installed with their own ICE systems.

There was reportedly a proposed bill in the US to outlaw people building their own personal computers.

Perhaps I'm being biased but it appears there is more slant towards big business elsewhere?

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Steam = win, no problem maxing my bandwidth.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
I think there is a very small minority that "hate" steam, it is probably user error

Yeah, fuck rights. Not wanting to give away rights and control is user error.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Lonyo

Originally posted by: Gothgar
I think there is a very small minority that "hate" steam, it is probably user error

Yeah, fuck rights. Not wanting to give away rights and control is user error.

*those* people who blindly love and support steam ... they are the ones that are so like sheep
--everyone not in their flock MUST suffer from user error

My hat is off to Gabe if he is the con artist that can inspire religious devotion from fans .. for nothing special
--Steam is a vapor; and like a vapor it will evaporate and be gone someday

Your faith is sorely misplaced

 

[NoWhereM]

Originally posted by: apoppin
*those* people who blindly love and support steam ... they are the ones that are so like sheep
--everyone not in their flock MUST suffer from user error

It's not blind love. You are right, Steam is DRM and you can't sell your game after you buy it. But some of us see certain benefits by having some games on Steam that outweigh the detriments.

I can't lose or scratch a game disk, the game is locked into my account. If I fly out to see my brother in Nevada I can still play any game I have on Steam by installing my Steam account on one of the five computers in his house. If and when I move again all I need to bring my Steam games along is a piece of paper with my account information on it, boxing up the other 100 plus games I have is going to take some work. Also, while game updates can be a hassle for some it is a benefit to others.

Right now I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy the Unreal package deal they have on sale. I already own every single game, but I had almost every single game included with the ID game package when I purchased it on Steam. It's just nice to have those games in my Steam account. I don't have to get the box, install the game, and keep swaping disks to play, all I have to do is install the game through Steam and play whenever I want.

 

[apoppin]

not for you perhaps

i was *specifically* addressing the ones that say all of us that have issues with with Steam are screwed up

 

[4537256]

Originally posted by: coreyb
consoles ftl. ive had a ps3 for a while now and havnt beat or even really played any of my games. however, i play roughly 30+ hours a week on my computer.

well thats you, consoles have many advantages that can outwiegh the disadvantages such as demo's, ability to rent, far less maintenance and tweaking, resale value, no reinstall of OS b.s., less online cheating and hardware is cheaper.

dont get me wrong, i love my pc games but i only choose very specific titles for it, i have to be weary of DRM issues, bugs, control problems, video drivers, sound drivers...whew, sounds too much like work. if it passes those, then i pay for it and enjoy the graphics and precision aiming of mice assuming its not just a console port with the same textures.
but hard to beat a $25 gamefly subscription and play what games i want, for as long as i want without tricks to keep it running good.
steam has its own advantages similar to buying/downloading console games online, but when it doenst work for ya, it leaves a scar.

 

[idiotekniQues]

Originally posted by: dguy6789

Originally posted by: A Casual Fitz
Another vote for Steam being sweet...OP fail.

Agreed. I get between 1 and 2MB/sec when I download stuff from Steam.

when i had FIOS, i also got between 1 and 2MB/sec

 

[Metyneskar]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
The same Steam that told me I wasn't connected to it while playing TF2, so I couldn't access my backpack and switch weapon loadouts, but I could play TF2 and use Steam Friends?

I believe this is an issue of the server not being properly connected to steam, rather than the user. Restarting updates when launching a game is an interesting bug. ive never seen it do that. Regarding self-updating, theyre infrequent and usually only take a few minutes (And Im on a crap dsl connection that maxes at 150kb/s).

As for the OP: "Steam" "malware" Dohohoho! I can see the arguments for being unable to resell games and the games often being more expensive than retail, but what functions of steam could be construed as malware? The data collection? Its not like it tries to market you or records anything beyond how your computer is handling things, which I imagine is partly responsible for VALVe's excellent optimization.

Edit: Hmmm... must notice additional pages before replying....

 

[Ackmed]

Originally posted by: apoppin
not for you perhaps

i was *specifically* addressing the ones that say all of us that have issues with with Steam are screwed up

I said that the topic posters was user error. A typical whining post, posting off the seat of their pants. Its also silly to "hate" a piece of software. I didnt say anything about any other issues. So stop your game of putting words in people mouths, as you always try to do. Its tiresome, and you need a new act.

The fact is, steam was very buggy when released. And it was not greeted well. Almost all bugs have been fixed, and its well received now.

DRM is another issue completely. Most games have it. Not being able to resell games, is big to some people. Not so to others. I never sell used games, so it doesnt affect me. Not having to go searching for a patch, or have a disc in, is great for me. Not having to take discs with me over seas, or be bothered with DRM and no-DVD patches, is a huge bonus. Getting ready to go on yet another tour, and steam is much easier for me.

Another fact, games, movies, music, etc are all going digital distribution. Its on consoles for games, and PC for games. You can still buy the hard copy, so stop crying about it. Nobody forces you to use steam. If you've bought a game that uses steam, and didnt notice it, thats your fault. Another reason its user error on the topic posters fault.

So in short, stop crying, and vote with your wallet. Its as simple as that. And Im done talking about it.

 

[Dkcode]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
I'm downloading my 3+gb TF2 file at 22.5kbps. Yet another problem with this horribly conceived, terribly executed piece of malware junk.

Discuss.

Just backup your game files then sweetheart.

 

[Red Irish]

Originally posted by: Ackmed

Originally posted by: apoppin
not for you perhaps

i was *specifically* addressing the ones that say all of us that have issues with with Steam are screwed up

I said that the topic posters was user error. A typical whining post, posting off the seat of their pants. Its also silly to "hate" a piece of software. I didnt say anything about any other issues. So stop your game of putting words in people mouths, as you always try to do. Its tiresome, and you need a new act.

The fact is, steam was very buggy when released. And it was not greeted well. Almost all bugs have been fixed, and its well received now.

DRM is another issue completely. Most games have it. Not being able to resell games, is big to some people. Not so to others. I never sell used games, so it doesnt affect me. Not having to go searching for a patch, or have a disc in, is great for me. Not having to take discs with me over seas, or be bothered with DRM and no-DVD patches, is a huge bonus. Getting ready to go on yet another tour, and steam is much easier for me.

Another fact, games, movies, music, etc are all going digital distribution. Its on consoles for games, and PC for games. You can still buy the hard copy, so stop crying about it. Nobody forces you to use steam. If you've bought a game that uses steam, and didnt notice it, thats your fault. Another reason its user error on the topic posters fault.

So in short, stop crying, and vote with your wallet. Its as simple as that. And Im done talking about it.

There are a number of errors in your post:

1) Steam is simply another form of DRM. DRM is not "another issue entirely".

2) Steam does not always remove other forms of DRM on the games they lease (i.e you will often find Securom on games downloaded via Steam). You are wrong when you say that you "do not have to be bothered about DRM".

3) How is it the user's fault when Silent Hill Homecoming states nowhere on the box that Steam/Internet is required?

4) You are wrong to criticise "typical whining posts": as a user, you only stand to benefit from any concessions obtained from the company.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: pmv
(because personally I am very suspicious of the EU, it tends to be a friend of big business, e.g. the proposed blank media levy).

WTF? Quite the opposite.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: Dkcode

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
I'm downloading my 3+gb TF2 file at 22.5kbps. Yet another problem with this horribly conceived, terribly executed piece of malware junk.

Discuss.

Just backup your game files then sweetheart.

I've done that now, honey bunny. I had to redownload all of my games to recover from a HDD failure.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: mindcycle

Originally posted by: 4537256
Consoles ftw.

Sadly that's becoming more and more true nowadays..

Proper keyboard and mouse support for console games would go a long way is persuading me to go to console gaming exclusively, since I can resell console games without any issues. Problem is, I believe consoles will go the route of PSP Go digital downloads (basically a console version of Steam) eventually too.

 

[Lonyo]

I'm almost playing TF2, only Steam hept trying to update CoH whenever i joined a TF2 server, making my connection unusable.
So I renamed the CoH folders and files so it thinks the game isn't installed.

SO I restart Steam and load up TF2, go into the server browser.
Oh, now it's downloading a Steam client update instead, lagging my game so I have to wait for that to download.

THANKS STEAM.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I didn't read the whole thread, but you people do know that if you save your .gcf's in the steam folder to a backup location (another HD, computer, DVD/blu rays if you want, whatever) you will only have to download the updates upon a reformat right?

It's really simple and saves 30gb+ downloads worth of game data. Just an FYI.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: gorcorps
My downloads are normally around 200kbps, so it sounds like it's you. But of course keep blaming steam all you want if it makes you feel better. Maybe next time you'll go out and buy the disc so you won't have to download the whole fucking game in one shot.

No sympathy, it's your fault any way you look at it.

200kbps = 200 kilobits per second = horribly slow
200 kb/s = 200 kilobytes per second = decently fast

Learn the difference.

 

[tviceman]

EDIT: WOOPS should've quoted a message to someone saying they think physical media is superior to steam.

Yes, it will. When you have 1 click installs, auto updating, never having to worry about scratched or lost physical media, hearing your dvd drive spin and whine, switching out cd's between games, then I think Steam wins. At least in my book.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

i LOVE steam. my only gripe is that i can't resell games after playing them, but PC games resell poorly anyway. super simple awesomeness. steam downloads as fast as my download stream will go.

 

[IHATESTEAM]

Because i go out and spend 50 some dollars on a new game (Fear 2). I can't even install a brand new game without an internet connection to steam?!?!?!?! finally get steam all loaded up. the game takes over an hour to install.. then steam decides to update the game before launching, this takes 2.5 hours... then i try to launch the game and there is a Steam Error code 53.. suggested solution is to Re-Install!!! With steam i cant even access the games i have without the internet because the freakin broken program is obsessed with updating! needless to say the game still wont work, and steam still sucks.
Edit/Delete Message

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps
My downloads are normally around 200kbps, so it sounds like it's you. But of course keep blaming steam all you want if it makes you feel better. Maybe next time you'll go out and buy the disc so you won't have to download the whole fucking game in one shot.

No sympathy, it's your fault any way you look at it.

200kbps = 200 kilobits per second = horribly slow
200 kb/s = 200 kilobytes per second = decently fast

Learn the difference.

Normally I see the difference in programs and online denoted by a capital KB vs lower-case kb. KB is kilobyte and kb is kilobit and same thing with mega, MB vs. mb. I have never seen them differentiated the way your showing.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: gorcorps
My downloads are normally around 200kbps, so it sounds like it's you. But of course keep blaming steam all you want if it makes you feel better. Maybe next time you'll go out and buy the disc so you won't have to download the whole fucking game in one shot.

No sympathy, it's your fault any way you look at it.

200kbps = 200 kilobits per second = horribly slow
200 kb/s = 200 kilobytes per second = decently fast

Learn the difference.

This is NOT correct.
kbps = kb/s
kBps = kB/s