CJ_Parker wrote on Jul 18, 2011, 12:18:Illumin wrote on Jul 18, 2011, 11:49:
Cheap deals for the customer, patches applied to games for the customer, a social service so you and your friends can play together... the ability to quickly and easily re install your games *and game codes are saved without having to write them down...all of this free. Not so much Stockholm syndrome as what some would call loyalty. Give me some examples please of where the customer is getting ass raped as you so intelligently put it?
Steam sucks because I have to download software that organizes my games into a neat list, shows me all updates and DLC that is available for it with out me having to scour the internet or wait in line on Fileplanet or something? Bunch of haters.
Let's see...
(-) Steamworks games that won't run without Steam (no game should force you to install a certain client that is technically not required to run the game)
This is the case with any game that has DRM now a days.
(-) Steam DRM - often times on top of other DRM like SecuROM, doubling the annoyance
Blame this on the publishers not Steam/Valve. They ave expressed their distaste for it but decided to let it go so they could expand. Telling publishers to remove their DRM would mean games would never get on Steam.
(-) Wonky offline mode
Never had any issues here. Either wait till it asks to go offline or force it through the menu options.
(-) Buggy and slow as fuck integrated browser
Must be your computer. Or do like I do. Small mode and never use the built in browser.
(-) Generally poor performance (it's gotten better over the years but still a far cry from a smooth, flawless user experience)
Eh? Its a little client? What do you mean performance?
(-) Spyware features - Steam knows what you play, where you play, when you play, how often you play, with whom you play, what hardware you prefer playing on... you name it. In terms of gaming it knows everything about you
Who is to say other DRM in other games do not do the same? Becides the survey's you have to opt in when the happen
(-) Retarded region locking
Again. This is more on the publishers than Valve/Steam.
(-) Censorship instead of age verification (big negative for Germans and Aussies and others with restrictive gov'ts)
AGAIN. This is on the publishers, government policies.
(-) "Our servers are currently too busy to handle your request - Please try again in a few minutes" = Totally unacceptable message if I want to download and install a game I purchased and own. I must be able to play whenever I want to. I don't give a fuck whether they have to set up a server farm the size of Texas. Not being able to play a game is unacceptable.
Valid. They are working on this.
(-) Mod compatibility not always ensured
Again. Issues with the GAME not the service.
(-) Delayed patches (sometimes massively)
Again. Issues with the GAME not the service.
If any other major player like EA or Microsoft had a negative list like that people would tar and feather them. But Valve gets aways with it "cuz HL was kewl" .
Steam does have its good sides, no doubt, but wouldn't it be much better if like GOG they would just be a decent digital sales platform without a client requirement and all the other peripheral bullshit? Yes, it would.