Steam... I cant get enough of the site...

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

I'm reallyxxxxxxloud on Steam-add me if you want.

I'm a big user of Steam and if you don't know who they are

http://store.steampowered.com/

They are by far one of the best ways to buy games. You will never loose them or scratch the disc. If your computer dies you can re download your games. You can play the games on any PC as long as you are logged into your account (I carry my games on a external drive). Most games are way below half price retail but never more that 80%.

I play L4D mostly (500 hrs so far this year) and the community is awesome.

It is seriously worth using!!!! Who else is a Steam user and whats your biggest game and hrs clocked...

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

What no-one uses Steam :(

[Zaroth]

Forgot to comment in here heh. Yeah I use steam for all the gaming I have been doing since... original counterstrike days. I really only play games in between semesters, but I have managed to get about 150ish hours in battlefield I think heh.

On the topic of L4D I downloaded L4D2 the other day. Big improvement over the original one IMO. Game play feels more fluid.

[Keyan]

I'm Keyan on steam.

L4d, L4d2, KF, and PvZ are my current addictions.

[DocWalt]

I used to be on Steam all of the time, but I'm way too busy now. :(

[Jeremy C]

http://www.steamcalculator.com/

my account is worth about $600 according to them.

Also, if any of you use Games for Windows Life, Fear 2 (with DLC) is on sale for $5.00 through the end of the day.

http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-us/community/pages/dealoftheweek.aspx

[DocWalt]

I'm only worth $125 haha

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

lol it said my account is $0 but I've been a member since 1970 hahahahaha I wasn't even born and somehow I don't think Steam was even around...

@Zaroth. I found l4D 2 to be a bit bland once you got over the gore side of it. I also download a heap of new maps to keep l4D interesting like Coal'd Blood and Over the Mountain...

[Jeremy C]

I figure I've spent an actual $150 or so to get that $600 collection. :D

The holiday sales will be starting soon, and I silently cry on the inside as I grin and click "buy now" yet again on some unbelievable deal. I picked up the THQ pack last year which was 15 games for $50, including the original stalker, all the DoW games, red faction games, and others. I'm all for buying games when they are dirt cheap (my copy of Metro 2033 I bought for $12.50, Batman AA for $13, and like I posted earlier I just picked up Fear 2 with the Reborn DLC for $5). I'm horrible at buying these things when they go on sale.

I'll also say my steam purchases haven't all been mine. Dunecat tossed me a handful of games a couple weeks. ago, including L4D2 (which I've purchased for my girlfriend as well and we're both addicted to it). So yeah, I refuse to buy a game at full price anymore because of Steam.

[oneslow3000gt]

im acidmelt on steam hit me up if you guys want to play LFD2 or TF2

[-dLs-]

I havent used steam in years since i had a fallout with them for claiming i was hacking when i made a mod to the HUD so i could access my winamp player and adjust my music while in game. And they wouldnt lift the ban because they consider anything a 'hack' that messes with the original coding. I fired back with "What about people who use skins?" and that was the last i heard. I fought long against it and finally just gave up and stopped playing. This was in Counter Strike. I was huge into Source, but it had some serious flaws, it looked nice, just touch laggy and effed up hit boxes originally.

Im old school, i started CS in its pre 1.8 stage back in 1998 and played throughly through college in 2003/2004. then scattered from then on.

-dLs-

[SupraMKIII]

http://www.steamcalculator.com/id/supra_mkiii

I don't play much of anything anymore, being that I run Ubuntu 24/7 on my desktop and rarely game on my laptop, even though it is capable.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

hahahaha Steam crashed big time last night. It would lock up doing nothing. Had to do a complete re-install...

[Jeremy C]

hahahaha Steam crashed big time last night. It would lock up doing nothing. Had to do a complete re-install...

I think it was getting raped by the CoD:Black Ops being being released. Since it's a steamworks game, all copies have to validate and run through Steam. Poor servers are going to be hurting for a couple days I think.

[MaelstromOC]

Games for Windows Live had Age of Empires III with all expansions for .10 (yes 10 cents!) a few days ago lol. It's back up to 40 bucks now, but man that was a nice deal!

[Jeremy C]

Games for Windows Live had Age of Empires III with all expansions for .10 (yes 10 cents!) a few days ago lol. It's back up to 40 bucks now, but man that was a nice deal!

Since you can't buy gift copies on GFWL I made a couple gmail accounts to pick it up for family that play the AoE series. Those were some interesting emails... "Hey, I bought this for you. You *this* email address and log in to GWFL, and by the way here's your passwords to get into all this. have fun!"

I was having issues with updating to GFWL 3.4 (something with my live sign-in agent getting borked when using Office 2010 from what I can find) so I ended up doing re-install of 7 JUST so I could get this game for that price.

[scolex]

Im pretty sure i'm "Scolex1" on Steam, but it says it can't find my name on there. If not that then it's "Thalidomide" but the steamcalculator says thats someone different. I added ReallyLoud, see who it was that added you.

Also I have a guest Pass for Halflife 2, anyone wanna trade for something different?

[Jeremy C]

Mine is simple on there "JC" (http://steamcommunity.com/id/jc81/home/).

Picked up Dues Ex and Supreme Commander 2 so far this sale. Hoping L4D1 goes on sale (L4D2 for $5 today). Also picked up Torchlight for the GF.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Thalidomide was the add... Hope that helps...

[scolex]

Downloading L4D2 now... im glad i grabbed it for 5 bucks :D

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Definitely worth the $5 bucks but I find L4D1 has a better feel to it when playing online. Yes L4D2 has the gore and graphics but something just isn't right about it... Heard through the grape vine there maybe an 8 player L4D on its way!!!

[Jeremy C]

just bringing this to the top:

The steam Christmas sale is on. hide your wallets and whatever you do, DON'T look at the sales!

[MADMarc]

drop me a line sometime, steam name is Ajjaxx and I have...well...several games but mostly just rock out on TF2 and L4D2 but just snagged Bad Company 2 for six and a half bucks last night. yum :)

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

was that the Vietnam add-on pack MADmarc? Cause its $29 now... DAM if it was $6.50 :(

[arthur92710]

I play TF2 on steam. arthur92710

[Jeremy C]

Was hoping CoD:MW would finally breach the $10 mark or less. $15 is getting close, but they need to get just a *bit* lower.

[MADMarc]

Actually it was the full game, not the expansion. I saw that expansion for 15 bucks and didn't get it because I thought it was a normal price. DAMN!

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Just bought Just Cause 2 $7.50 and Killing Floor (full pack) $13.97 just waiting on BF2 :)

[Jeremy C]

I've been spending way too much time playing JC2. That game is mad fun. 16 hours in and I've done 3 of the main objective missions. Having too much fun hijacking helicopters and shredding miliary bases with them. :D This has been the most fun I've had in a sandbox game since Red Faction: Guerilla. I'm picking up an xbox 360 controller for Batman:AA and wondering if JC2 will play better with it, as the keyboard controls are a little awkward at times, and controlling some of the vehicles really needs an analog control.

Waiting to see what new games will listed today. Only snatched Defense Grid+DLC's and The Witcher so far.

[MADMarc]

Has anybody played the new Dead Rising? That one seems to have a lot of hype but I'm wondering if it's better than l4d.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

I played the Dead Rising and its just hype. Game play is very controlled- (you are made to believe you can totally make your own weapons BS). Graphics are crap. Sorry to disappoint but to me if they spent that much on advertising, ON the game it might actually of been good. And yeah Jeremy C I know what you mean about the controls but it is a fun game....

[Jeremy C]

So anyone want to own up to how bad their wallets got hit during the winter sale? I honestly haven't added up the total as it will probably scare me. I filled not just my own account, but my wife's account and one for our kids that we opened as a Christmas gift. I'm going to guess that overall, I spent about $150ish. My big games were:

Mafia II+ alla DLC's for $20.00
Darksiders for $10.00
Witcher:EE for $5.00
Just Cause 2 + DLC's for $15.00
the original Half Life + expansions + Team Fortress Classic (that alone is a bad, bad addiction back in my pocket) for $2.25
Star Wars: KOTOR for $2.50
Batman: AA GOTY for $13.00
Zombie Driver for $2.50
Osmos for $1.67
Prey for $2.50

and I know I'm missing some off the top of my head. Thankfully I don't see myself buying any more games for quite a while. I am kinda regretting not picking up the Crysis pack for $10.00, but I've got so many other games to get through that it will most likely go that cheap again before I am ready for it.

[MADMarc]

Yes! KOTOR :D

All i snagged was BC2 but this game rocks. It was less than 7 bucks and I just dont know how to turn that down. These were definitely some of the best sales I have ever seen them do. AAAAAAaaaaalmost got Hot Pursuit but I just got Gran Turismo for the PS3 and another racing game would set my life waaaaay back w/winter intersession starting at school next week.

Get on the sales quick, guys. They're just about all gone.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

I got
Battlefield - bad company 2
Dead Space
Just cause 2
Zombie Driver
Sniper Goast Warrior (add on pack)
Killing Floor
Stalker Clear Sky

[Jeremy C]

I got
...
Stalker Clear Sky

Don't touch this game until you download the "Clear Sky Complete" mod for it. You'll thank yourself later. I'm a HUGE fan of the STALKER series, and the Complete series of mods makes the games so much better. I played the SoC about 4 times through before putting it down after installing that mod. It makes Clear Sky a pretty fun game all around, with next to no bugs to worry about.

Just waiting for the CoP Complete mod, then the release of SoC Complete 2012 (I'm guessing it will be putting the CoP engine into SoC, like he did with the original Complete 2009 getting the CS engine). Far too many hours running around the Ukraine for me.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Yeah I've the other two. Great games. I've been told to add the patch by a few friends!!!!

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Funny enough I was just looking at my "Addicted to music downloading" and noticed I don't pirate games...

What the fuck for when I can get them that cheap on STEAM... MAYBE THE MUSIC INDUSTRY NEEDS TO TAKE NOTE....

[IPD]

ok, time to bust the bubble...

STEAM BLOWS ASS CHUNKS.

i found out today, after HOURS of trying different options and alternatives, that steam does NOT allow me to purchase games while deployed. no, it's not a regional lockout. steam simply CANNOT figure out how to rectify the supposed "incongruity" between my IP address and my country of billing. never mind that ebay, amazon, newegg, paypal, and pretty much any other retailer have not had any issues in this area; steam simply CANNOT do it.

i cannot proceed with billing unless my country matches my IP; and it informs me that it cannot complete transaction because my chosen country does not match my billing information. way to go, retards.

i am so mad right now, i would cock-stab their CEO in his eye socket until gray-matter came out.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

The very reason for that is because they sell restricted products. I can give them my Dads address in America and buy L4D2 (non censored) from Australia with my CC so the only true way to make sure is via IP.

[IPD]

that's a horseshit excuse.

at a MINIMUM, they should have allowance for APO/FPO addresses.

even then, if you have already purchased a game, you can download it from steam ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD without "regional lockouts" taking effect.

no...what we have here is a bunch of stupid-ass, lazy programmers who don't give 2 shits about DOD employees. i can't even by g-rated games without steam going "ERROR 404" on me. seriously, fuck them.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Yeah but if you have already purchased it it has proven where you live... I cant get L4D2 in Australia uncensored. But it can be gifted to me. It has nothing to do with downloading it its the proof in the purchase. And yes while it maybe lazy in the fact it is stopping all transactions outside of your country it saves there ass.

Anyhow a way round for you is to message a friend to gift the game to you and pay your friend by paypal... That will work.

[IPD]

you're not getting it are you? you're as wrapped around steam's cock as dpfsharkbait is around AF's.

I CAN'T EVEN PURCHASE G-RATED GAMES from here. period. that proves that the system is broken. if it WERE a regional lockout, that would be one thing, but it doesn't even have that, display any message of the sort, or anything. it simply refuses to do any transactions on my credit card without me being in the USA.

never mind that EVERY OTHER DAMN COMPANY ON THE INTERNET will do it without issue. steam has to be different. fuck them.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

you're not getting it are you? you're as wrapped around steam's cock as dpfsharkbait is around AF's.

I CAN'T EVEN PURCHASE G-RATED GAMES from here. period. that proves that the system is broken. if it WERE a regional lockout, that would be one thing, but it doesn't even have that, display any message of the sort, or anything. it simply refuses to do any transactions on my credit card without me being in the USA.

never mind that EVERY OTHER DAMN COMPANY ON THE INTERNET will do it without issue. steam has to be different. fuck them.

I do get it. But from a lazy point of view its easier to block all transactions than shift through them. And I prefer to think of STEAM as a goddess and I'm her but plug :)

I'm a little bemused that your this upset when there are easy ways around this and your in charge of weapons to kill :sterb003:

[IPD]

you proved my point "lazy point of view". that's precisely it. steam is LAZY.

[Jeremy C]

ok, time to bust the bubble...

STEAM BLOWS ASS CHUNKS.

i found out today, after HOURS of trying different options and alternatives, that steam does NOT allow me to purchase games while deployed. no, it's not a regional lockout. steam simply CANNOT figure out how to rectify the supposed "incongruity" between my IP address and my country of billing. never mind that ebay, amazon, newegg, paypal, and pretty much any other retailer have not had any issues in this area; steam simply CANNOT do it.

i cannot proceed with billing unless my country matches my IP; and it informs me that it cannot complete transaction because my chosen country does not match my billing information. way to go, retards.

i am so mad right now, i would cock-stab their CEO in his eye socket until gray-matter came out.

That's been a regular gripe from what I've seen, and I believe Valve is working on a correction for this. The daily deals during the Christmas sale really put this issue to the forefront as A LOT of people were unable to particiapte in the sales.

[IPD]

it's just one more way that steam fails; just like how you can't get multiple copies of a game when you purchase a game-pack. or like how you cannot gift a game when you're done with it.

steam only succeeds because IT'S THE ONLY THING AVAILABLE. monopoly rewards incompetence

[Sin'sVr4]

LOL I score $860.46 value :) I play only counter strike source and I am R.I.P.SINISTER (Raidens Immortal Pirates) Been playing since counter strike 1.6 since 2002 so if your in for a spankin look up my server.

Mike

[MR2]

I has steam...mostly I play TF2 :D

[IPD]

I has steam...mostly I play TF2...mostly :D

ftfy.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

What's your username Michael ?

[MR2]

Ccgl|mr2

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Hey people with Steam accounts watch out for links sent to you in Steam message. There are a lot of scams going around with links that look like steam offering free games but they are just trying to get you account details. Then and if your email password is the same they can take over your account at Steam and there's nothing you can do.

How they do it is when they have your Steam/Email accounts they change your email in Steam and ok it by your old email account. Now if you try to get the password to recover your account at Steam it will send it to the Hackers newly entered Email not yours. You have just lost your GAMES. And Steam wont do a thing if this happens. If you do not have the same password on both Steam and Email they just use your account to message others to scam them for details.

Do not have your CC details held at Steam either as the hacker can gift games to others without you knowing...

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

ccgl|mr2

added

[IPD]

Hey people with Steam accounts watch out for links sent to you in Steam message. There are a lot of scams going around with links that look like steam offering free games but they are just trying to get you account details. Then and if your email password is the same they can take over your account at Steam and there's nothing you can do.

How they do it is when they have your Steam/Email accounts they change your email in Steam and ok it by your old email account. Now if you try to get the password to recover your account at Steam it will send it to the Hackers newly entered Email not yours. You have just lost your GAMES. And Steam wont do a thing if this happens. If you do not have the same password on both Steam and Email they just use your account to message others to scam them for details.

Do not have your CC details held at Steam either as the hacker can gift games to others without you knowing...

so as i originally asserted....steam blows chunks?

[Zaroth]

so as i originally asserted....steam blows chunks?

Yeah, because steam having a built in messaging system totally sucks. How dare they. :Doh: Why don't you use paypal if steam doesn't like your credit card?


What's everybody's steam name so I don't have to read this whole thread lol. I would be down for some counterstrike/TF2/battlefield/MW if anybody is down. My username is Hiighe105 or zaroth105 I forget and I am on my work computer right now.

[IPD]

no, it blows chunks for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is prohibiting purchases made to my account while i'm overseas.

steam has a LOT of problems. it is a great idea, and has much merit--but the execution of that idea is very, very flawed and leaves much to be desired.

and steam has STILL not addressed the idea of used games. as i stated earlier, that's a pretty big gaping hole in their product.

[Zaroth]

no, it blows chunks for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is prohibiting purchases made to my account while i'm overseas.

steam has a LOT of problems. it is a great idea, and has much merit--but the execution of that idea is very, very flawed and leaves much to be desired.

and steam has STILL not addressed the idea of used games. as i stated earlier, that's a pretty big gaping hole in their product.


Are you saying you want them to allow you to finish with a game and then give it to somebody else? Explain to me how exactly this is fiscally advantageous for them or any of the game developers.

[IPD]

Are you saying you want them to allow you to finish with a game and then give it to somebody else? Explain to me how exactly this is fiscally advantageous for them or any of the game developers.

give, sell, whatever. who are THEY to tell me what i can and can't do with software i've purchased? just because the delivery method of the new milennia is electronic--it doesn't suddenly "vaporize" the idea that when i'm done with a game, i sell it at a discounted price to someone else who wants to play it.

shit...that's been how the industry has function for over a quarter century. you expect that now, in the 21st century, i should still pay FULL PRICE for a game ($50-70) and then NOT be able to recoup any of that by reselling it? fuck that.

game developers have bitched for an eternity about used game sales; that's not anything new--so don't paint it like it is. the only reason they do it is because they think that somehow they'll be getting more profit if they strangled used game sales. the reality is more like the RIAA situation; preventing all piracy isn't going to boost revenue--it just means that people won't buy. period.

it's ONE copy. if i want to go give it to someone else, it should disappear from my playlist. it's that simple.

enough with the BS

[FeaRpb]

Add me, fearpb

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

To me its just good business sense!!! Why allow a sale of a used game stopping a purchase from them? If you want to sell a game on buy the hardcopy and add it to your Steam account. Half the reason Steam games are cheap is because you Aren't buying the hardcopy!!!

[IPD]

i won't disagree that electronic distribution has reduced SOME costs. but new games are still $50+. and thanks to steam, reselling games has become damn impossible--even if you do have the hard-copy. EB games will not buy used PC games any more.

so i harbor a grudge. steam could do something about it, but they won't.

suggesting that steam is correct in not supporting used games is like mitsubishi insisting that we don't buy used cars.

yeah. fucking right.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Yeah but our cars aren't made of Data, they are hardware. Its like saying Ebay are C*NTS too. Ok yes they are but the fact is they were one of the first and got very rich off it. You would too if you could!!! We are really only buying the right to play the game not that we own the game because in reality we don't...

I will agree there are some problems with Steam but the share fact you can access many many games at prices not seen before. I think that Steam has bought the PC back to life game wise!!! Then there's the community as well, Steam is pretty fucken awesome overall.


fearpb and Zaroth you have been added.

[Zaroth]

suggesting that steam is correct in not supporting used games is like mitsubishi insisting that we don't buy used cars.

yeah. fucking right.


No. It's not. When you resell a car they still require parts. While there is aftermarket parts they still make plenty of money that way.

When you give a game to somebody else that is a 100% profit loss for their company. Having even the slightest bit of hope that something as stupid as allowing the sale of used games is a pipe dream at best. Thinking a company would do anything that would immediately hurt their profit margin and the game developers profit margin is almost laughable. IMO pc game developers in particular need all the money they can get so we can promote less of this console porting BS.

[IPD]

if i'm done playing an xbox360 game, i can give it away/sell it. care to explain WHY pc's should be any different?

(and i'm not asking for the BS of companies protecting their bottom line. i'm asking for a logical reason why the consumer's rights in this matter should be allowed to be trampled in this fashion.)

[Zaroth]

if i'm done playing an xbox360 game, i can give it away/sell it. care to explain WHY pc's should be any different?

Because we are not dealing in used game media anymore. We are in a digital era where nothing has a lifespan. You are not trying to give somebody a used game. You are trying to give them a brand new game for free. The idea of used software doesn't exist anymore. Steams system is a proactive way to fight against pirating and I support it 100% for that. There system does nothing but help game developers and the PC gaming community as a whole.


It just isn't logical from any standpoint to create a digital used game market. There is no such thing as used games anymore.


I would expect the gaming consoles to follow with this concept pretty soon. If pirating for XBox games was nearly as bad as it is for PC games it would have been done a long time ago.

[IPD]

...i fully understand why this country is going down the tubes. complacency is not only tolerated, it is now defended.

[Zaroth]

...i fully understand why this country is going down the tubes. complacency is not only tolerated, it is now defended.

You sure it's not just the blatant ignorance of some people?

[IPD]

you think i'm ignorant? well i guess opinions are like assholes.

i personally do no approve of the "21st century" method of affairs; where consumer's rights and privacy are no longer sacred to anyone--least of all the parties who give them up.

[Zaroth]

you think i'm ignorant? well i guess opinions are like assholes.

i personally do no approve of the "21st century" method of affairs; where consumer's rights and privacy are no longer sacred to anyone--least of all the parties who give them up.

You can hate it as much as you like, but change happens. That's the nature of the universe. I personally approve of things as long as they are the logical progression. The digital era is going to change a lot of things, because it changes society as a whole. One of those things they are trying to change is people getting the games they invested their time and money developing, for free. If anything you should be upset at software pirates for forcing company's like Steam to go this route.

[IPD]

on the contrary. i'll support piracy all the more. shareware was a way to test whether or not you wanted to buy a product. that idea has gone the way of the dodo. steam has decided to kill off used games as well. rest assured, i am not alone when i say that i do not plunk $50 of my hard-earned cash down for something which i know nothing of apart from the bribe-induced hogwash that we dub "game reviews".

there are very, very few games worth full MSRP on release--to me, anyways. i will happily pay for those. the rest? well either they drop QUICKLY to a price i do decide to pay for--or i'll never play them. OOPS! i guess that means i'll never touch call of duty, halo, or several other titles. i could have bought a used copy and gotten hooked on the brand--but...oh well, used games are a thing of the past.

steam is shooting developers in the foot by eliminating used game sales; a well-renowned market for creating new followers.

[Zaroth]

on the contrary. i'll support piracy all the more. shareware was a way to test whether or not you wanted to buy a product. that idea has gone the way of the dodo. steam has decided to kill off used games as well. rest assured, i am not alone when i say that i do not plunk $50 of my hard-earned cash down for something which i know nothing of apart from the bribe-induced hogwash that we dub "game reviews".



You know what they should do? They should invent something so that you can test games out before you buy them! That's a great idea! What could we call them? They are going to be demonstrating the game play so... how about demos? You know... those things that have been out for... as long as they have made games?


there are very, very few games worth full MSRP on release--to me, anyways. i will happily pay for those. the rest? well either they drop QUICKLY to a price i do decide to pay for--or i'll never play them. OOPS! i guess that means i'll never touch call of duty, halo, or several other titles. i could have bought a used copy and gotten hooked on the brand--but...oh well, used games are a thing of the past.

steam is shooting developers in the foot by eliminating used game sales; a well-renowned market for creating new followers.

I agree as far as high MSRP on release goes. I usually wait a month or so and get the normal people price. Call of Duty is worth every cent they charge for it. Every Call of Duty that has ever come out was great and it still is. Halo... your not missing much.

Yeah you could have bought a used copy and got hooked on the brand... forever playing the game somebody spent money making... for free. Why wouldn't you just go buy their next game used netting them 0 profit?

[IPD]

you're making a big assumption in thinking that i'll pony up for a game if it's not available used. i'll happily ignore it.

it's much like downloaded music. the RIAA bitches about piracy, but the reality is that there is a large segment of people who try music by downloading it--free--before they ever buy anything by that artist. there's another segment who isn't going to buy it--regardless.

trying to "take away" that venue is simply shutting down revenue. sure, you can't ever get revenue out of the latter group of people; but don't fool yourself into thinking it was ever possible in the first place. the former group of people are who you're cutting off; and that's pure untapped revenue.

p.s.

"demo's" are bloatware. wereas shareware was a "use it and ditch it" application, "demos" are now stuffed to the gills with superfluous advertisements, attempts to install shit like google toolbars, and contain very, very little genuine substance in most cases. in the days of doom, you'd get an entire episode in shareware. today, you'd be lucky to get 1 full level; and even then, you wouldn't get the full experience.

[Zaroth]

you're making a big assumption in thinking that i'll pony up for a game if it's not available used. i'll happily ignore it.

it's much like downloaded music. the RIAA bitches about piracy, but the reality is that there is a large segment of people who try music by downloading it--free--before they ever buy anything by that artist. there's another segment who isn't going to buy it--regardless.

trying to "take away" that venue is simply shutting down revenue. sure, you can't ever get revenue out of the latter group of people; but don't fool yourself into thinking it was ever possible in the first place. the former group of people are who you're cutting off; and that's pure untapped revenue.

p.s.

"demo's" are bloatware. wereas shareware was a "use it and ditch it" application, "demos" are now stuffed to the gills with superfluous advertisements, attempts to install shit like google toolbars, and contain very, very little genuine substance in most cases. in the days of doom, you'd get an entire episode in shareware. today, you'd be lucky to get 1 full level; and even then, you wouldn't get the full experience.

Do you walk around Barnes and Noble stealing CD's out of the magazines or something? When you download demos from Steam they are just that... demos. I don't remember the last demo I played that had bloatware of any kind in it and I demo every game before I buy it.

The amount of money they would lose is much more than they would possibly gain from allowing the sale of used games.

[FeaRpb]

I am full of bloatware

[IPD]

either you work for a game company, or someone close to you does. you've obviously convinced yourself that used games are a thing of the past and everyone should accept it.

i for one, feel that if rule out used sales of ANY type, you have to rule out used sales of ALL types. to do otherwise is hypocracy.

so go right ahead. we'll shut down the salvation army, goodwill, plato's closet, and every other mom&pop thrift store in existence. a cd game is no different than a pair of jeans, a television set, jewelery, or a lamp. no amount of smoke blown out your ass changes that.

DRM and what steam is--is akin to creating a clothing botique and making each patron sign a waiver giving up their rights to resell their purchases; and then booby-trapping the clothing to ensure that it never happens.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Hold a minute here....!!!!!!!!!!!

EB Games and Game Traders here in Australia sell used games at prices double that of older games on Steam.

Even Black Opps was $109.00 at EB WTF

STEAM makes you pay for the right to play/use the software (you are not paying the extra for the hardware) and when I look at what you pay extra for the hardware its about equal to what you would get for it secondhand... All in all this will also stop software theft so in time the prices should start to reflect that as well.

And as to your theory about music BS

I have 800ish CDs and bought one or two a week for many years. I now no longer buy CDs and haven't for about two years... I'm now onto my 8th TB of music. That's a fucken lot. There's a shit load of people like me that are giving up buying music.... And to be honest if games were that easy I'd do the same but they have learnt to do something about it and good on them.

And to compare Steam is HUGELY unfair as Steam isn't selling you a hardcopy of anything.

[IPD]

trust me. if you want to get a free copy of ANYTHING, you can get it. it's just a matter of how dedicated you are to the task.

you may not be one to purchase music, but you also don't represent everyone. i agree that many have given up purchasing music altogether; but to insinuate that that is the ONLY outcome from downloading is pretentiously false.

mind you, EB games isn't exactly a representative sample. i would likely buy from ebay or amazon before i bought used games from EB games; simply due to their outrageous prices and pisswater that they pay for used games. play and trade is a MUCH better company, imho.

p.s.

steam doesn't protect the rights of people with legitimate copies either. as i mentioned, my ONE OWNER, STORE ORIGINAL COPY of HL1 could not be registered through steam; thanks to some asshat with a keygen. does this cause me, as a consumer, to desire purchasing legitimate copies through steam? no. actually, it tells me that i should go get keygens for the games i want and run them through steam; rather than purchasing them.

[Zaroth]

either you work for a game company, or someone close to you does. you've obviously convinced yourself that used games are a thing of the past and everyone should accept it.

Rofl. I don't work for a game company and neither does any body I know. It's not something I have to convince myself or anybody else of. It already happened.


i for one, feel that if rule out used sales of ANY type, you have to rule out used sales of ALL types. to do otherwise is hypocracy.

so go right ahead. we'll shut down the salvation army, goodwill, plato's closet, and every other mom&pop thrift store in existence. a cd game is no different than a pair of jeans, a television set, jewelery, or a lamp. no amount of smoke blown out your ass changes that.

There is a difference between physical and digital things. A PC game is different from a piece of clothing. In your theoretical world of wonderment and unicorns people would be able to buy a PC game, install it, and then take it to a used game store and sell it. So the company would have sold one game and could have two people(or more) using it. Do you seriously not see the fault in that logic? When you drop a piece of clothing off at goodwill it goes from you to them and you never see it again. What you are talking about it akin to wearing a piece of clothing and then copying it and giving it to goodwill so that you and somebody else can wear it also. Physical things don't get installed on a hard drive. When you give them to somebody else, they are gone.



DRM and what steam is--is akin to creating a clothing botique and making each patron sign a waiver giving up their rights to resell their purchases; and then booby-trapping the clothing to ensure that it never happens.

The next 10 - 20 years of your life are going to be hell. The changes society makes is eventually going to drive you insane if something like this bothers you. I guess the digital age isn't for everybody. This really isn't that difficult a concept. If you want to play a game, you have to pay the price for that game, a lot of people don't and so now their going to make you. If you don't like it, don't play.

OR, pirate it. That's usually what I do if I don't want to pay for a game. That doesn't mean I can pout because videogame companys are protecting THEIR rights. You seem to be a fan of "fuck the other guy as long as I'm alright".

If somebody kept breaking in to your house and stealing things would you keep leaving the door unlocked or would you install a security system?

[FeaRpb]

Dude you totally work for a game company.

[Zaroth]

Dude you totally work for a game company.

Lol. The next game I make is going to be about unicorns that work at Goodwill.

[FeaRpb]

Can their poop be technicolor rainbow generators?

[Zaroth]

Can their poop be technicolor rainbow generators?

Yes, but only if the rainbows attract zombies that can only be slain if their head is pierced with unicorn horn.

[FeaRpb]

Just as long as their horn shoots lasers

[Zaroth]

Pssh. Lightsaber horns. I'm going all out.

[FeaRpb]

And wear a pair of these.

http://www.retroplanet.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/25347.jpg

[IPD]

There is a difference between physical and digital things. A PC game is different from a piece of clothing. In your theoretical world of wonderment and unicorns people would be able to buy a PC game, install it, and then take it to a used game store and sell it. So the company would have sold one game and could have two people(or more) using it. Do you seriously not see the fault in that logic? When you drop a piece of clothing off at goodwill it goes from you to them and you never see it again. What you are talking about it akin to wearing a piece of clothing and then copying it and giving it to goodwill so that you and somebody else can wear it also. Physical things don't get installed on a hard drive. When you give them to somebody else, they are gone.

it's this part right here that bothers me. you've totally been missing what i've been saying for the last 10 posts or more.

i've NEVER said that a purchaser should be allowed to have multiple working copies of a game. what i did say was that the purchaser should be allowed to sell the game to a new user, and at that point, the software should no longer be accessible, installed, or playable on his system.

this is not at all an irrational, unreasonable, or improper expectation. stop putting words in my mouth.

[FeaRpb]

stop putting words in my mouth.

Kinky.

[Zaroth]

it's this part right here that bothers me. you've totally been missing what i've been saying for the last 10 posts or more.

i've NEVER said that a purchaser should be allowed to have multiple working copies of a game. what i did say was that the purchaser should be allowed to sell the game to a new user, and at that point, the software should no longer be accessible, installed, or playable on his system.

this is not at all an irrational, unreasonable, or improper expectation. stop putting words in my mouth.

So when you take your PC game up to EB are you going to pinky swear you uninstalled it?

[FeaRpb]

Don't break that pinky promise, they WILL break your finger.

[IPD]

So when you take your PC game up to EB are you going to pinky swear you uninstalled it?

i'll give you that is one of the shortcomings of PC games (as opposed to console games), or at least it has been.

however, steam has the potential to eliminate that problem. steam keeps a list of all games registered to your account. it knows which ones are installed and which aren't. it would be relatively simple to allow uninstalled games registered to your account to transfer ownership. steam simply checks to see if you have an installed copy on your system, then allows you to transfer ownership to someone else.

i'm sure there's a few more safeguards that would have to be added, but that's the general principle. with electronic media--specifically in the format steam offers--allows such "never before" levels of DRM.

there IS a happy median here. don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

[Zaroth]

i'll give you that is one of the shortcomings of PC games (as opposed to console games), or at least it has been.

however, steam has the potential to eliminate that problem. steam keeps a list of all games registered to your account. it knows which ones are installed and which aren't. it would be relatively simple to allow uninstalled games registered to your account to transfer ownership. steam simply checks to see if you have an installed copy on your system, then allows you to transfer ownership to someone else.

i'm sure there's a few more safeguards that would have to be added, but that's the general principle. with electronic media--specifically in the format steam offers--allows such "never before" levels of DRM.

there IS a happy median here. don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

I think it would be very simple thing for them to setup, but i'm sure at the table when the big dogs sit around and decide new ideas, if this was brought up it would be labeled as shooting themselves in the foot and dismissed immediately. They wouldn't let their servers be a medium for something they can't make any profit off of.

With direct2drive you could do something similar to what your shooting for. You could let somebody else download and install a game as long as you have uninstalled it. You would have to let them log into your screen name long enough to download it though.

[IPD]

then as long as we're agreed that it's GREED and not impracticality which has lead us to this draconian point in gaming history.

enter ACLU.

[Zaroth]

You call it greed, I call it protecting their rights.

You call it trying software out you were not going to buy anyways, I call it stealing.

It's all point of view.

With how many times I have called it illogical, I have no idea how you think I think its practical.

[IPD]

practical to whom? to the corporations?

consumers have given up a segment of market that was previously available to them--legally. that's what i'm pissed about. you can try and paint it horse-dung colors about how it's unfair to the manufacturers; but that doesn't change the fact that it's still legal, still practical, and still well within acceptable rights of the consumer to have a "used" sales segment.

steam has simply blinded consumers to what they've given up. kudos to them for finding a way to bilk their customers out of even more $$$. it still doesn't make it right.

[Zaroth]

practical to whom? to the corporations?

consumers have given up a segment of market that was previously available to them--legally. that's what i'm pissed about. you can try and paint it horse-dung colors about how it's unfair to the manufacturers; but that doesn't change the fact that it's still legal, still practical, and still well within acceptable rights of the consumer to have a "used" sales segment.

steam has simply blinded consumers to what they've given up. kudos to them for finding a way to bilk their customers out of even more $$$. it still doesn't make it right.

I'm not sure if you are aware or not, but the PC game market isn't doing that great. You may want to see PC games crash and burn, but I personally have been playing them my whole life and am glad they have found a way to sustain themselves through the pirating.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Computer games

Computer games sometimes use DRM technologies to limit the number of systems the game can be installed on by requiring authentication with an online server. Most games with this restriction allow three or five installs, although some allow an installation to be 'recovered' when the game is uninstalled. This not only limits users who have more than three or five computers in their homes (seeing as the rights of the software developers allow them to limit the number of installations), but can also prove to be a problem if the user has to unexpectedly perform certain tasks like upgrading operating systems or reformatting the computer's hard drive, tasks which, depending on how the DRM is implemented, count a game's subsequent reinstall as a new installation, making the game potentially unusable after a certain period even if it is only used on a single computer.

In mid-2008, the publication of Mass Effect marked the start of a wave of titles primarily making use of SecuROM and Steam for DRM and requiring authentication via an online server. The use of DRM scheme in 2008's Spore backfired and there were protests, resulting in a considerable number of users seeking a pirated version instead. This backlash against 3 activation limit was a significant factor in Spore becoming the most pirated game in 2008.

Many mainstream publishers continued to rely on online-based DRM throughout the later half of 2008 and early 2009, including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Atari. Ubisoft broke with the tendency to use online DRM in late 2008 with the release of Prince of Persia as an experiment to "see how truthful people really are"regarding the claim that DRM was inciting people to use pirated copies. Although Ubisoft has not commented on the results of the 'experiment', the majority of their subsequent titles in 2009 contained no online-based DRM since the release of Prince of Persia - notable examples being Anno 1404 and James Cameron's Avatar: The Game making use of the online version of the TAGES copy protection system. An official patch has since been released stripping Anno 1404 of the DRM. Electronic Arts followed suit in June 2009 with The Sims 3, with subsequent EA and EA Sports titles also being devoid of online DRM.

Ubisoft formally announced a return to on-line authentication on 9 February 2010 through its Uplay on-line gaming platform, starting with Silent Hunter 5, The Settlers 7 and Assassin's Creed 2. Silent Hunter V was first reported to have been compromised within 24 hours of release,but users of the cracked version soon found out that only early parts of the game were playable. The Uplay system works by having the installed game on the local PCs incomplete and then continuously downloading parts of the game-code from Ubisoft's servers as the game progresses, making cracking games using the system a daunting task. It was only more than a month after the PC release in the first week of April that software was released that could bypass Ubisoft's DRM in Assassin's Creed 2, demonstrating its strength. The software did this by emulating a Ubisoft server for the game. Later that month, a real crack was released that was able to remove the connection requirement altogether. No fully working crack for Silent Hunter V has been confirmed.

In early March, 2010, Uplay servers suffered a period of inaccessibility due to a large scale DDoS attack, causing around 5% of game owners to become locked out of playing their game.The company later credited owners of the affected games with a free download, and there has been no further downtime.

Some most prominent cases making use of online DRM technology SecuROM include Spore, BioShock, Mass Effect and Gears Of War.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Just bought Metro 2033 for $14.00USD sweet. Cant wait to get stuck into that one....

[Alex3000gt]

Anyone play Left4Dead2? What is your steam handle?

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Mines ".:FGM:. REALLYXXXXXXLOUD".

[Jeremy C]

Anyone play Left4Dead2? What is your steam handle?

haven't played in a little while (been sucked into Borderlands). I'm simply "JC" on Steam.

[Alan92RTTT]

I may pickup fear 2 tonight

[IPD]

I may pickup fear 2 tonight

great game. i liked the original and the original's expansions. second scariest game i've ever cared to play....next to the original AVP.

[Alan92RTTT]

I liked the original alot. Just finally finished Perseus Mandate. It was not as good as the original or the 1st expansion but it was fun.

[IPD]

i LOVED the plasma rifle (whatever that gun is that turns its victims into skeletal remains). i never finished fallout 3--it got kind of repetitive. i have bioshock 2...which i've yet to play. bioshock 1 was passable...but unspectacular. the much ballyhooed story behind bioshock 1 was sophomorically tepid. not only was the premise laughable to anyone with more than a cursory understanding of objectivism....it was entirely dwarfed by HL2, HL1, and even more by Deus Ex 1.

i've all but given up trying to find an FPS which warrants play based on the merits of its storyline alone. the idea is to cash in on console sales...not to develop a well-polished, PC specific gem.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

From what I've read Metro 2033 has a really deep story which pulls you in. It's actually based entirely on a recent Russian novel, and from what I've seen the story is incredible, and the game delivers it quite vividly. Was a shock surprise to me this game.

Never really got into Fear might check out Fear 2 but yeah Fear was well boring to me.

[MR2]

so is Metro 2033 actually good? bought it last year...yet to load it?

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Extremely taxing on your Graphics card. Heres hoping you have DX 11 to see all its beauty. But apart from the graphics (cause they are only a small part of what makes a game) YES it is good.

More on the game.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033

[MR2]

well I loaded it up...not really into it so far :|

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

It took me a little bit- Did you play stalker at all? If not its kind of similar.

[Alan92RTTT]

Grumble fear 2 uses checkpoint saves. :angry:


Damn consolization of PC games :mad:

[IPD]

Grumble fear 2 uses checkpoint saves. :angry:


Damn consolization of PC games :mad:

i'm in favor of a few choice firebombings to get the point across about the millions of jilted PC fans.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

i'm in favor of a few choice firebombings to get the point across about the millions of jilted PC fans.

Sounds like an act of terrorism to me lol

[IPD]

Sounds like an act of terrorism to me lol

touche. we should probably stick to DDOS and hacked mainframes. ;)

[Jeremy C]

consolization: Making people think their 8800GT's are still good cards 4 years after release.

Haven't played it yet, but it sounds like Witcher 2 will chew up any video card you throw at it if you use the in-game "ubersampling" (supersampling by another name). People are talking about their vid cards hitting temps close to what they see in FurMark which is pretty impressive.

I, on the other hand, have dabbled in that little game called MineCraft (demo from PCGamer). If I buy it, I will be lost to the real world... I know it. Yet, this doesn't worry me. Also picked up Crysis + Warhead the other day when it was on sale dirt cheap. Since it sounds like Crysis 2 is a shit console port compared to the original, I'm not upset.

[IPD]

well according to current benchmarks, the most taxing game around is probably "stalker: call of pripyat". i don't know if any card can reliably run over 70 fps on that game...as of this posting.

[Jeremy C]

That or Metro 2033 under DX 11 - the advanced DoF setting will kill machines. Stalker:CoP is such an awesome game. I'm still more of a fan of Shadow of Chernobyl with the Complete mod on it.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Yeah I'm a big fan of Stalker... I'm still running tripple Sli XFX 8800gtx's and cant experience DX11 yet but am waiting on Express 3 then I'll buy a whole new comp. I've had my beast 5 years and it was well worth buying the best of the best at the time. Still loving better gameplay over console even with a has been comp. I've played a bit of Cryass and even though a definite console port gameplay is still fun...

[IPD]

rage looks interesting....but it looks like the Id team has sold out to yet another console....so i think i'll pass.

i'm still waiting on postal 3. i know it won't be jaw-dropping, but at least it will have the virtue of being "too raunchy" for consoles. yes, there will be "ports" of it; but since it runs on the source engine, and it will very likely receive an AO+ rating (or at least an M)--there's a good bet that it will be full of win.

[Jeremy C]

You talking Crysis 1 or 2? 2 is a shitty port, but 1 is an ass kicker of a game for pc's. I'm playing through it now, and can't even imagine turning up all the settings.

[Ghey]

MMMMM Dawn of War 2 expansion

[IPD]

bumping this thread to inform you guys that alien swarm now has 3 new promotion levels & some new difficulty levels. i plan on playing some more.

p.s.
the only achievements i don't have unlocked are "nuke from orbit" and some speed runs.

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

Yeah my son loves playing that game online.... I'm not a fan... Such a shame BF3 wont be Steam but heres your reward IPD EA has pulled it from Steam as they wont comply lol....

FN unreal cant wait to get into this...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC9-5oKPPlU&feature=player_embedded

[IPD]

"not a fan"? lol. it's a free game. lol! and it's loads of fun. i can practically do solo runs on hard with a tech. :)

[FeaRpb]

Does it boggle your mind that not everyone likes things you do IPD?

[IPD]

Does it boggle your mind that not everyone likes things you do IPD?

yes, because i'm awesome. therefore everything i do is awesome.

/venik

[Zaroth]

Alien swarm provided all of 15 minutes of enjoyment before I uninstalled it and never looked back.

[IPD]

Alien swarm provided all of 15 minutes of enjoyment before I uninstalled it and never looked back.

you're an xbox gamer, aren't you?

[FeaRpb]

IPD's brain is going to explode!

[reallyxxxxxxloud]

IPD's brain is going to explode!

http://peggyisaacs.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/kaboom.jpg

[Zaroth]

you're an xbox gamer, aren't you?

Been playing computer games my entire life. I don't even own a console.

[FeaRpb]

*waits for IPD's horrible response*

[IPD]

Been playing computer games my entire life. I don't even own a console.

fair enough. steam anticipated this top-down shooter concept would be a new and not widely accepted genre. some people liked playing smash tv back in the day. i was one of them.

[FeaRpb]

Smash TV was awesome. You and I played Alien Swarm together for alittle bit.

[Zaroth]

fair enough. steam anticipated this top-down shooter concept would be a new and not widely accepted genre. some people liked playing smash tv back in the day. i was one of them.

I was more of a Battle Toads and TMNT player myself. I never owned a SNES though. Went straight from NES to Playstation. Was never much of a console person. I think I have owned maybe 3 throughout my life, but probably because I have always had a computer to game on. I can't even remember the number of times I have played through Oregon Trail, Doom, and Quake.

[IPD]

8040 is my record for oregon trail. i defy anyone to beat it. you'd have to run a PERFECT game and never lose any possessions.