I'm never buying another Valve game

[Dinner]

I for one won't buy games which include intrusive copy protections like steam. Then again I don't buy FPS games so I'm not really the target audience.

[I Am Jeff]

Steam is the biggest peace of garbage. It wastes valuable cpu cycles and memory space. Do they really think people will buy games without getting a hardcopy of the game? This whole idea of downloading a game is dumb, I always want a hardcopy of the game for my protection.

Something I forgot to add, I think the major motivator for steam was the ability to do direct downloads, thus bypassing the publisher allowing for more profit for the game dev. I am all for bypassing the publisher, but I must have a hardcopy of any game I buy (which you only get for the $90 package that steam offers IIRC).

[BustaMike]

Originally posted by I Am Jeff
Steam is the biggest peace of garbage. It wastes valuable cpu cycles and memory space. Do they really think people will buy games without getting a hardcopy of the game? This whole idea of downloading a game is dumb, I always want a hardcopy of the game for my protection.

Something I forgot to add, I think the major motivator for steam was the ability to do direct downloads, thus bypassing the publisher allowing for more profit for the game dev. I am all for bypassing the publisher, but I must have a hardcopy of any game I buy (which you only get for the $90 package that steam offers IIRC).

I can understand wanting to have a hard copy, but buying the game online through steam is actually better than having that copy in terms of accidentally losing or breaking something. You break or lose a disc, you're screwed. Not so if you buy it online.

[Skanky Burns]

I like buying stuff online. If you get a key sent to you, just keep that email and no matter what you will have a copy of the game available regardless of what happens to your computer.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by BustaMike


I can understand wanting to have a hard copy, but buying the game online through steam is actually better than having that copy in terms of accidentally losing or breaking something. You break or lose a disc, you're screwed. Not so if you buy it online.

Dont companies send out a replacement if you provide proof of purchase? Its like the cost of postage to get it done. Ive never tried because I dont smash CD's to pieces with a jackhammer, seriously how do people break a CD so easily?

[Kassiopeia]

You break or lose a disc, you're screwed.

Not if you've used your fair use rights and made a copy.

Oh right, they've broken the CDs already beforehand (copy protected) so that you can't. Shoot.

[Solver]

I prefer hard copies too. First, I can make a backup copy, and legally so, too. Second, I don't lose or break my CDs, I don't understand why people do that, either. I still have CDs from 1995 and 1996 here, and they still work.

Also, if I reformat my comp, it's faster to install from a hard copy than to download the 4GB again. The one thing I like is bypassing the publishers - I don't like publishers ripping off game developers and taking lots of money for doing nothing of value, but that alone isn't enough or me to not get a hard copy.

[Sava]

I prefer hard copies, but enjoyed the experience of buying Half-Life 2 online. It is much more convenient than going to a store and whatnot. Plus, I preloaded most of HL2, and only needed to activate it when it was released (my install took all of 2 minutes).

I'm not a fan of steam per se, but I think it's a reasonably good system and I would buy another product from Valve via Steam anytime.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
I like buying stuff online. If you get a key sent to you, just keep that email and no matter what you will have a copy of the game available regardless of what happens to your computer.

You think they are going to keep the game available for more than a couple of years?

[I Am Jeff]

Thats the thing, for me at least, I like replaying older games many years after I originaly played and beat them. Great examples of this are the Fallout 1, 2, and the Baldur's Gate Series. Not to mention that I still play Starcraft on bnet as well. If I did not have a disc of Fallout 1 or 2, there is no way I would have been able to play them as recently as I did.

I do not pirate games, but from a simple economics view how can copy protection really protect a game company from financial loss? All cd copy protection can be broken (eventually). Personally I think the costs of licensing cd copy protection is not worth it. I think the only successful copy protections are the thing that steam is doing (online verifacation) and CD-keys for multiplayer. There are ways to get around cd-keys (I.E. fake bnets for starcraft), but cd-keys do get households to buy multiple copies of a game.

Look, I am majoring in computer science and I am against online verification. I think it is an invasion of privacy and our right to chose which computer the piece of software can go on. I upgrade my computer and eventually I will upgrade my MoBo and Processor, what then? I personally do not need two computers that can run any given game at once for my own personal benefit, but these online verifacations make that a hassal.

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


You think they are going to keep the game available for more than a couple of years?

Well whenever I download stuff I keep it on one of my drives. Therefore if I reformat it's still there.

Legal downloading is often a viable alternative these days. One example that springs to mind is when I started playing City of Heroes. Instead of importing a copy (it wasn't out in the UK) I bought a key online and downloaded it. Much better for me in that case.

[Solver]

Thats the thing, for me at least, I like replaying older games many years after I originaly played and beat them. Great examples of this are the Fallout 1, 2, and the Baldur's Gate Series. Not to mention that I still play Starcraft on bnet as well. If I did not have a disc of Fallout 1 or 2, there is no way I would have been able to play them as recently as I did.

Same with me... I still play some 1999 games, and even older. If Steam goes kaput in 2008, I want to still be able to play HL2...

I do not pirate games, but from a simple economics view how can copy protection really protect a game company from financial loss? All cd copy protection can be broken (eventually). Personally I think the costs of licensing cd copy protection is not worth it. I think the only successful copy protections are the thing that steam is doing (online verifacation) and CD-keys for multiplayer. There are ways to get around cd-keys (I.E. fake bnets for starcraft), but cd-keys do get households to buy multiple copies of a game.

So true... HL2 warez version was out the day of the release, and now it'salso multiplayer compatible and everything, no problems at all.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
You think they are going to keep the game available for more than a couple of years?

If not them, then someone else. See underdogs.