Gaming 'Platform'

[Bio Denton]

Does Eidos Montreal have any plans to use a third-party system such as GameSpy, Windows Live, Steam, etc for DX3? Many games are being released on these proprietary launching systems now, and it's pisses me off.

Fallout 3 for instance. After a patch, I logged in and was told that I had to connect to Windows Live, which then wanted an update. I was having issues with the update download and had to cancel, where I was told that I would not be able to play until the Windows Live update was completed. It's the same with many newer games.

Correct me if I am wrong but once I have purchased a game DVD from a store, it is mine to play.

I have searched the forums for a related thread but cannot locate one, so if there is one, oh well.

[spm1138]

Steamworks would be the obvious choice because EIDOS already have it in their games (and indeed it's how I plan on buying DX3).

GFWL is balls btw. Under no circumstances should it be used. For anything.

[Ashpolt]

^^ Yeah, I'd like it if all games worked basically like Half Life 2: buy a boxed copy, install the game from that, then activate on Steam so you don't need to have the disc in to play and still have access to the game if you ever lose the disc.

[Blade_hunter]

Personally I prefer the old classical method without steam, without that crap of securom, starforce or similar DRM things. just buy my physical CD / DVD

[K^2]

Windows Live is terrible. Steam I don't mind too much. It has its ups and downs, but with a bit of patience, you can get it to work the way you want it, and after that, it pretty much takes care of itself. If DX3 is available on/requires Steam, I'll have nothing against it. I'm running half a dozen games on it anyways.

The worst combination I've seen so far is the Steam distribution of GTA IV. It needs Steam, Windows Live, and Rock Star Social Club running to run the game. Ugh, what a mess! This should be taken as a prime example of how not to run a game.

[dixieflatline]

I don't like Windows Live either. As far as I'm concerned, MS is applying Games for Windows against PC gaming, not to help it out.

[Bluey71]

I have been buying a lot of older games on STEAM recently.

I believe we should all support STEAM as I see it as the only entity really supporting pc gaming and independant pc game developers at the moment.

As for buying modern games off STEAM, well no not really - if DX3 had turned out to be one of the classics I would have wanted either the normal or special edition boxed versions, having said that I would still have considered buying the STEAM version.

[Irate Iguana]

I'm still boycotting the STEAM store until they fix the $1 = €1 exchange rate. Currently it's $1,4841 = €1.

[Cmd_lupin]

Originally Posted by Bluey71

I believe we should all support STEAM as I see it as the only entity really supporting pc gaming and independant pc game developers at the moment.

Gearbox president and founder Randy Pitchford disagrees with you.

Besides, IMPULSE is gaining terrain on the digital distribution services, perhaps due to it's lesser DRM restrictions [you don't need it open to run your games] when compared to STEAM, but on the other hand STEAM has better community tools. So right now (unless I am forgeting something), it's really up to your preferences.

[SemiAnonymous]

Originally Posted by Irate Iguana

I'm still boycotting the STEAM store until they fix the $1 = €1 exchange rate. Currently it's $1,4841 = €1.

I hope you meant to put a period instead of a comma.

[-=fox=-]

Actually many countries use commas as decimal seperators and dots as thousand seperators - quite confusing.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal_point

[Blade_hunter]

That's the case of many European countries
Also I don't support Steam

[Phaid]

DON'T. USE. STEAM.
Or anything that REQUIRES internet connection for that matter.
It's worse than GfW LIVE, at least LIVE allows me to install the game without connecting to the internet and create an offline profile. Steam won't let you even install and makes me feel like I'm renting the game. If the service is down I'm unable to play the game. If something happens to my internet connection, I'm unable to install and play.
Funny that people complain about LIVE but praise Steam despite the fact it's DRM in its worst form. It's even impossible to sell the game you bought.

[K^2]

Originally Posted by Phaid

It's even impossible to sell the game you bought.

This should be fixed, I agree. They have a perfectly functional system to allow "trade ins", which can be used to increase their profit while allowing more people access to the games. Everyone wins.

But your other complaint is meaningless. Everything these days is integrated over the network. Yes, it is unfortunate that in some parts of the world you can still lose connection occasionally. But if anything Steam is just an extra motivation to fix the problem.

[erethizon]

I am a big fan of online games (mainly MMORPGs). However I do like a very select few single player games as well and one of the biggest things that gets me to play single player games again is a lack of a working internet connection (either because the internet connect went out or I am travelling/moving and am currently in a position of not being able to connect to the internet). Making it so that single player games cannot be played without an internet connection is one of the most unforgivable things a game company can do. If my internet was up I would not be playing a single player game. Or to put it another way, the only reason I would ever buy a single player game that required an internet connection to play it is if it was more fun and rewarding than an online game which is virtually impossible to achieve. If you are going to make a single player game require an internet connection you better make sure it is the best game of all time or I am not going to buy simply because it requires an internet connection.

[K^2]

Get yourself a PSP or DS. That's what they are for - playing single player games when your internet is dead, or you are traveling/moving. That's not what PC is for, and that's not what PC games should be made for.

[erethizon]

Originally Posted by K^2

Get yourself a PSP or DS. That's what they are for - playing single player games when your internet is dead, or you are traveling/moving. That's not what PC is for, and that's not what PC games should be made for.

I do not want a PSP or DS because the games they make for those things are awful. I use my PC mainly for playing multiplayer online games. I do not buy single player only games for playing online. When you are playing any game alone there should be no need to have an internet connection. I am not saying there cannot be a need for an internet connection when playing a single player game in multiplayer mode, but when I am playing a single player game in single player mode I do not want my game to give me lip about not having an internet connection. There is no need for an internet connection when you are playing a game completely by yourself.

[Sabretooth]

As I have no problems with Steam, I'll most likely be getting my Deus Ex on Steam. I don't really mind distribution methods, I'm all for digital distribution. What I'm not for, is enticing you to buy a "limited edition" (that is in fact, not so limited) with the addition of some in-game items (Mass Effect/Dragon Age Goddamn you).

What else do I hate? Downloadable Content. I remember a time when developers like Epic Games (or even our very own Ion Storm) gave away free maps, packs, bonuses, enough to fill an expansion pack, all for free, purely out of love for the community. Now, you need to pay for miserably little content. And the worst part is, developers releasing DLC on release day itself. In Dragon Age, to go to an off-story area, I have to purchase a DLC. Same goes for an extra NPC member.

DLC is cancer and needs to get out of gaming as soon as possible.

[Mr. K]

It's so bad that sometimes DLC-on-release-day is used as an excuse to keep the story part of the game short.

[Argent]

Not sure whats so wrong with Steam. I personally think its a god-send, and this isn't even taking into consideration their awesome steam-deals (gogo Bioshock and Stalker for 5 bucks each O.O Two of my best purchases ever).

Maybe it had some bumps in the past but its pretty boss now if you ask me

[K^2]

Originally Posted by Mr. K

It's so bad that sometimes DLC-on-release-day is used as an excuse to keep the story part of the game short.

This is really a problem with consumer. For some reason, people are happy with paying several times for something they used to pay for only once. Masses need to be educated.

[Irate Iguana]

Originally Posted by Sabretooth

In Dragon Age, to go to an off-story area, I have to purchase a DLC. Same goes for an extra NPC member.

They have an NPC in the game promoting the purchase of DLC. Nothing can excuse that and it should be a clear sign that this has to stop.

[SemiAnonymous]

The only way I personally can justify DLC is if its purely content either conceived of after the game is finished or cut from the original game but doesn't force the story shut (for a loose example, some of the cut content in Fallout 3 was added in some of the DLC, things like that but on a larger scale, like a new island or something). If its something added that continues the main story which should have been included originally, or is actually advertised in game...thats just beyond terrible.

However, there is nothing wrong with releasing additional content at a reasonable price that can add hours of gameplay with out crippling the main game.

[erethizon]

Originally Posted by SemiAnonymous

However, there is nothing wrong with releasing additional content at a reasonable price that can add hours of gameplay with out crippling the main game.

That is true, but I think the concern most of us have is that if a game company knows there will be downloadable content they made intentionally leave things out of the game that they otherwise would have included. If we (as the consumers) could know for sure that the game we get at release is identical to what it would have been even if DLC was never planned then we would not mind so much, but the concern is always, "Would I have gotten this content for free if it had not been a DLC game?" If they made DLC for the original Deus Ex right now no one would mind because we know they did not intentionally leave stuff out of the game just to sell DLC. But when DLC is planned from the beginning I imagine the temptation to leave stuff out that otherwise would have been included is very high. I can see the designers sitting there during production saying, "That is a great idea that definitely needs to be in our game, but let's sell it separately as DLC." If DLC were not planned that same idea may very well have been included in the game for free.

[K^2]

Originally Posted by Irate Iguana

They have an NPC in the game promoting the purchase of DLC. Nothing can excuse that and it should be a clear sign that this has to stop.

That is true, but I think the concern most of us have is that if a game company knows there will be downloadable content they made intentionally leave things out of the game that they otherwise would have included.

That would be bad enough on its own, but since devs have gotten into the habit of releasing incomplete games even before DLC became popular, this has become a total epidemic.

I still remember the days when games would only be released when finished. What the hell happened?