Steamed!!!!!!

[SpencerH]

There was mention in the other thread (who knows where that has gone) that they (valve?) were able to log the number of hours you played a game. If that's true, that is a 'game ender' for me. I'll be damned if I'll install what amounts to a trojan on my PC in order to play a game.

[Aro]

There was mention in the other thread (who knows where that has gone) that they (valve?) were able to log the number of hours you played a game. If that's true, that is a 'game ender' for me. I'll be damned if I'll install what amounts to a trojan on my PC in order to play a game.

They ARE able, I think...
Every time I start Steam I can read: "Civ IV - 12 hours played", and "Warlords - 35 hours played" or "BTS...." well, you get it. And I don't know if this info is stored here, inside my computer... Or outside.
I admit, it's annoying... Even for me, and I've been using Steam for years, without any complains.

[rah]

It's no worse than having to install windows on your machine to play it.

[SpencerH]

It's no worse than having to install windows on your machine to play it.

Feel free to point out the windows component that logs your program usage then sends it to microsoft without your permission. From what has been said here, steam appears to install a rootkit, a potentially malicious program, controllable by someone other than me, that I currently prevent from entering my PC with strong antivirus protection. Why on earth would I deliberately install such a thing on my PC just to play a game? I havent bought TW since the switch to Securom. If this is true, I wont buy CIV 5 and I'll try to persuade others to do the same (for what that's worth). This bull**** has to be stopped.

[rah]

Unfortunately it will do no good and deny you the fun of playing a new CIV. I have lots of software I don't like that updates my computer. It's the cost of doing business. If your biggest problem is that it keeps track of how much you're playing games, I don't think that so bad that I'll deny myself the experience. Heck, grocery stores track what you buy so they can tailor marketing pitches, through coupons. Credit card companies use your purchases to trigger marketing activities. Are you going to stop using loyalty cards at supermarkets to pay more just to hide what you're buying? Are you going to stop using credit/debit cards?

[Asher]

I couldn't agree more. Steam is forced on people and it pisses many of us off who don't want to login and give the bastards our email accounts. Worse they say they won't do something, like sell our email addresses, but it is all subject to change without notice and who even knows if his third party will still be around 10 years from now? I still play Civ2 and that came out in 1994 or so. Will Steam still be around after that much time has passed?

You're such a pointless drama queen, Oerdin. You act like Valve is some no-name untrustworthy shop operated out of Barbados, or some kind of email harvesting scam.

[Asher]

There was mention in the other thread (who knows where that has gone) that they (valve?) were able to log the number of hours you played a game. If that's true, that is a 'game ender' for me. I'll be damned if I'll install what amounts to a trojan on my PC in order to play a game.

LOL. You can't be serious.

[Asher]

Feel free to point out the windows component that logs your program usage then sends it to microsoft without your permission.

It's called the Customer Experience Improvement program. It not only does that, it also sends the data you are using and how you use it. Which buttons you click and when. Your IP and computer name and username.

Every time you start typing characters in your web address bar in any browser, it sends those characters to Google/Bing/Yahoo/etc before you even hit "enter". Every site you visit through them is tracked. Vast majority of websites, including Apolyton, have third party advertiser cookies that actually track which websites you visit then report back (for targeted advertising purposes).

You worrying about Steam knowing how long you've played a game is laughably pathetic in the grand scheme of things.

[Asher]

For the record, if you play in offline mode you don't connect to the Steam servers at all. This means no forced updates, no hours played tracked, etc. So you can stop crying now.

[Ukerric]

Note that, despite being Offline, your playtime gets tracked. It's just not uploaded to Valve until you go back Online.

[Asher]

Why would anyone concerned about this ever go online? Isn't the point that going online with Steam is utterly evil?

Go online once to activate it then never go online while you build a collection of tinfoil hats to wear.

[Ukerric]

The motto is "you never know".

(For the record: every time I tell myself I've spent enough with steam, they tempt me with an offer. I managed - barely - to resist getting Mount&Blade: Warband this weekend... that's the real objection to going online: they tempt you. All the time)

[Asher]

FWIW I've also heard if you make a Steam entry by "Adding a non-steam game" then browsing to the EXE of a Steam game, it launches the game sans Steam and sans tracking.

[SpencerH]

Unfortunately it will do no good and deny you the fun of playing a new CIV. I have lots of software I don't like that updates my computer. It's the cost of doing business. If your biggest problem is that it keeps track of how much you're playing games, I don't think that so bad that I'll deny myself the experience. Heck, grocery stores track what you buy so they can tailor marketing pitches, through coupons. Credit card companies use your purchases to trigger marketing activities. Are you going to stop using loyalty cards at supermarkets to pay more just to hide what you're buying? Are you going to stop using credit/debit cards?

What you say is true and I'm not denying the pervasiveness of this invasion of privacy. I am saying that I try to minimize this bull**** as much as possible in 'real life'. I dont use loyalty cards. I dont shop at stores where I'm asked my phone number, or I refuse to tell them. My PC may have a few holes I'm not aware of, but I take the time to pretty much cripple or shut down the crap that installs and/or runs in the background without my permission.

We've got to draw a line somewhere and I'll be damned before I'll pay for the privilege of giving someone else access to my PC. On the less ranting/soapbox side, it seems as though the game info may be stored as a simple cookie until a valve connection is established rather than stored within a hidden exe. That means we should be able to wipe it prior to allowing online mode for patches. I can live with that so long as the re-registration is not too much of a problem (I assume the game authentication will also be lost).

[Asher]

You are not giving anyone access to your PC.