Steam
Ok I have a request. I want somebody to lay down EVERYTHING about Steam in plain simple english without the PR crap. Lay everything out for me very simply. Make it point form, use simple words and simple to comprehend. It's just gotten a little too complicated for a LOT of people to understand.
I'm sick and tired trying to find a place where it lists how Steam works without a bunch of technical crap on top of it. Just tell me how it WORKS. I know a little about it, but there is a mountain of stuff I don't... so I need help. As do many other people.
I have a couple of questions as well (Which you should answer post haste!):
1.) Will patches for HL1, 2 and etc be ONLY available through Steam. Or will I still be able to download them elsewhere.
2.) Do I need Steam installed. Or can I get my SteamID to act like my WonID and just authenticate me using a number without the need to have Steam installed...
Right. Get cracking please ;o
I appreciate it...
I'm sick and tired trying to find a place where it lists how Steam works without a bunch of technical crap on top of it. Just tell me how it WORKS. I know a little about it, but there is a mountain of stuff I don't... so I need help. As do many other people.
I have a couple of questions as well (Which you should answer post haste!):
1.) Will patches for HL1, 2 and etc be ONLY available through Steam. Or will I still be able to download them elsewhere.
2.) Do I need Steam installed. Or can I get my SteamID to act like my WonID and just authenticate me using a number without the need to have Steam installed...
Right. Get cracking please ;o
I appreciate it...
Comments
God. Whats so hard about that?
**edit** fine.
1) No - and even if they are "steam" only they will be on many mirriors within 30 mins of the release anyway.
2) As far as I know (about two feet) you dont need steam and can still use GSA/ASE. I believe Steam is now just the new way of finding games inside the game.
steam is green
it lets you look at servers without launching the game
it updates games and itself automatically
it lets you chat with your firends
it lets you se what your friends are doing (and lets you follw them into a game)
it lets you play cards
it lets you refresh a serverlist while in game
it FIXES THE NOSOUND BUG W00T
its green
Steam is going to be a stream-based online game service. This means that it functions by feeding your PC the games data 'munch-wise'. If you are, for example, to play a demo of a new game, you load Steam up, activate it, and start playing while the content is downloaded as it is needed. This means that the biggest part of Steam won't be of interest to dial-up users. As Steam requires an infrastructure similiar in scope to WON, it will however also be used for multiplayer gaming. You won't notice a big difference between this and, say, Battle.net. You hook yourself up, get a free account, and search for servers / buddies / what have you.
Payment for Steam will depend on what services you wish to use. The highest price is ten bucks a month. This package allows you to d/l whatever you wish, including full games, from Steams servers. Other packages will offer you the download of mods for certain games - HL2 will for example come in a 'sparse' version for people who want the single player and nothing more, and more full versions, with the general 'SP+MP+mods+some occasional free stuff' being available for the price of a normal game. If you buy the game off the shelve, you'll obtain a license to use Steams services for this game for as long as you wish.
Valve is planning on offering Steam-specific content (such as the DvD quality videos we all saw), extended demos, for example, that will be offered to general subscribers who do not only use Steam for a single game.
This is the rough and ready stuff. Steam is basically an assembly of servers that you will use when obtaining Valve products. In what way you will use them and how much money you wish to invest, either once or per month, will be up to you.
Steam is going to be a stream-based online game service. This means that it functions by feeding your PC the games data 'munch-wise'. If you are, for example, to play a demo of a new game, you load Steam up, activate it, and start playing while the content is downloaded as it is needed. This means that the biggest part of Steam won't be of interest to dial-up users. As Steam requires an infrastructure similiar in scope to WON, it will however also be used for multiplayer gaming. You won't notice a big difference between this and, say, Battle.net. You hook yourself up, get a free account, and search for servers / buddies / what have you.
Payment for Steam will depend on what services you wish to use. The highest price is ten bucks a month. This package allows you to d/l whatever you wish, including full games, from Steams servers. Other packages will offer you the download of mods for certain games - HL2 will for example come in a 'sparse' version for people who want the single player and nothing more, and more full versions, with the general 'SP+MP+mods+some occasional free stuff' being available for the price of a normal game. If you buy the game off the shelve, you'll obtain a license to use Steams services for this game for as long as you wish.
Valve is planning on offering Steam-specific content (such as the DvD quality videos we all saw), extended demos, for example, that will be offered to general subscribers who do not only use Steam for a single game.
This is the rough and ready stuff. Steam is basically an assembly of servers that you will use when obtaining Valve products. In what way you will use them and how much money you wish to invest, either once or per month, will be up to you. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
this differs from what i said how?
except for that first/middle/last part <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
<ul>
<li><u>A server browser</u>:
No one said you had to use it.
<li><u>A buddy tracker</u>:
It tracks buddies in all valve games and mods and allows you to message them ingame. You can also play chess, checkers and whatnot with them.
<li><u>An automatic update system</u>:
When HL2 comes out steam will be constantly modifying it's base code to foil leet haxors. Hours after a new cheat being discovered steam clients around the world will be patching HL2. For the moment steam allows lazy broadband users to have HL1 updated automatically. Us 56kers are still able to disable the automatic updates and download them the old fashioned way.
<li><u>A replacement for WON</u>:
When the steam registration comes online you will enter your CDKEY and your email. Steam will then assign you a STEAMID number. From then on, instead of authing to WON when you connect to a server, you will auth with steam. You must have steam running in the background (Almost sure)
<li><b><u>FREE</u></b>:
When you purchase HL2 you will have full access to steam’s automatic update facilities and some other goodies like movies and whatnot. Instead of buying HL2 at the shop you can subscribe for USD$10 a month and have access to ALL of the games that valve produces. This includes HL2 and it’s official add-ons. Think Opposing Forces and Blue Shift. <b>NOT</b> mods. Alternatively you can just buy HL2 via steam (For a reduced price), download it and play as if you bought it at the shop.
</ul>
AFAIK.
--Scythe--
Steam could possibly make it possible for modmakers to charge for their mods, but I havn't heard anything about this for a long time so it was probably scrapped. Besides their would be legal implications with Valve owning HL and all.
But just to reiterate some importent points.
NS will always be free
Steam is not Pay to Play
Steam will enable you to buy HL2 and other Valve products at either a one time fee
OR
$10 a month which gives access to all valve games on steam. EG. for the first month or 2 you will pay $10 a month for HL2 and the assorted official mods that go with it.(like TFC that came with some verions of HL)
Then in a few months time $10 will get you HL2+official mods + HL2 XP 1 and 2 and what other steam games valve has released for a months play.
you update steam to be able to create your steam account.
Once you get your account, you update steam to be able to use your account.
Once you are able to use your account, you update steam to get the games you wanted.
Once you get the games you wanted, you update steam to be able to launch the games you wanted.
Once you launch a game you want, you have to update it in game to be able to play.
ya know, it's doing automatic updates so you don't notice when they happen <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
More seriously though, it's a platform that lets you buy games online and have those online shoppers play the same game on the same network than those that buy it instore. In other words, if you buy HL2 instore, you'll play on steam free, but if you buy it on steam, steam won't be free.
It also uses SteamID to be able to have "friends" or some kind of in-game Instant messenger (and play checkers!)
Steam also has a server browser for all games installed, and many other functions we could have before the imposing of Steam.
I think most of it has been explained. Now on to the actual price. <b>this is just what I understood/think</b>
There are different "formulas" of which these two
-The free steam account. You are able to log on to steam, but not get any new games. With this account, steam will only allow you to play games you bought in a store.
-The paying steam account. You are able to log on to steam in order to access the whole "library" of games available. With this account, you are able to play any game available on steam, even if you don't own a copy. In this case, you will download a limited copy that allows you to play as long as you are subscribing to Steam. If you pay the monthly fee, you will be able to play everything. But as soon as you stop paying, your account will get locked and prevent you from playing any game.
Genuine thanks to those that explained it, I'd got the gist of the system but I was still a little concerned regarding automatic updates and suchlike.
From this point reffers to the point where HL2 isn't SP but MP. Which means you'd need a connection only if you play online.
Do you <b>have</b> to download Steam? I was under the impression that in two weeks when WON goes does, you will automatically get assigned a SteamID. Is the program not just an extra which you can get if you want?
How **** retarded is that?
course, this is only if you want to play online, you could probably quite happily play the old WON version offline or with non-Steamed LAN friends but don't expect any updates =P
/laugh