ATI Gets Steamier

AMD/ATI announces that owners of ATI Radeon graphics cards are entitled to a pair of free games from Steam, Valve's content delivery service. ATI hardware owners can visit this page for details on their free copies of Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch as well as discounts on other Valve games. Word is that future versions of Catalyst driver packages will include Steam in case you didn't know you wanted it.
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50.
 
Screw Steam
Dec 12, 2007, 08:39
MJ
50.
Screw Steam Dec 12, 2007, 08:39
Dec 12, 2007, 08:39
MJ
 
I wouldn't take a bag of gold bullion if Steam were connected to it.

49.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 12, 2007, 08:25
49.
Re: steam bundled Dec 12, 2007, 08:25
Dec 12, 2007, 08:25
 
steam should have been optional like the earthsim screensaver.

I agree. I'm used to always picking the 'advanced' or 'custom' option, but they seem to have tried to railroad it in.

The interesting thing about this driver bundle is that the actuall driver and the CCC were exactly the same versions that came preinstalled drom January 2007. So I didn't need it. The CCC 'manager' was a new version, probably to manage the install of the Steam and Free game offers.

So for me, the whole 38MB download on Rogers Portable Internet at 30KB/s was a waste of half an hour of my life. You'd think that with ATI's notorious reputation for bad driver support that they'd quit trying to pull stuff like this.

It's not a big deal, it's just that the whole idea of updating my drivers to 7.11 November was pointless, because nothing of use was actually updated.

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48.
 
Re: No subject
Dec 12, 2007, 07:32
48.
Re: No subject Dec 12, 2007, 07:32
Dec 12, 2007, 07:32
 
Dagok, this guy has never understood simple logic:
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81885


Right now he's arguing that, due to the source code theft, Troika had to stop working for a year. He's further stating that it was this year off that led to a buggy game going out the door.

But he has offered absolutely no reason why they'd have to stop development for a year. And there's no rational explanation I can think of. It's not like development is going on in public, so what impact would it have on Valve catching this guy? And since when was catching this guy the main focus of that delay?

He goes on to say that Ativision gave them a 3 month window to release the game, and he admits that publishers rush games out, yet he still blames Valve, not Troika or Activision.


Don't argue with him. He completely fails logic. It's somewhat amazing, just read the thread I linked to. After what he says there and here, I get the impression that he's just some AI created by a high school kid to troll development forums of RPGs and spit out non-factual conclusions. Really. No human could possibly absorb the information he does yet jump to such asinine conclusions from them.

"The sky is grey, the ground is wet, there's thunder and lightning: clearly someone in China left their dishwasher on and it's overflowing into my lawn! How are you idiots not seeing this?"
47.
 
Re: No subject
Dec 12, 2007, 04:06
47.
Re: No subject Dec 12, 2007, 04:06
Dec 12, 2007, 04:06
 
How is anyone calling Lost Coast a "game"?

You're right there, it's just a small level tech demo showing off HDR lighting. Labeling it as a game is completely misleading.

46.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 12, 2007, 01:29
46.
Re: steam bundled Dec 12, 2007, 01:29
Dec 12, 2007, 01:29
 
The Steam installer is like 711k. I don't think that's going to create any real issues there.

that 711k is for the steam downloader which fetches the rest of the steam components. the real issue is that ATi was not forthcoming with the inclusion of steam on the standard/easy installation of their drivers. it should be the other way round. steam should have been optional like the earthsim screensaver.

45.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 12, 2007, 01:14
45.
Re: steam bundled Dec 12, 2007, 01:14
Dec 12, 2007, 01:14
 
Maybe I'm a moron, but the drivers got installed and steam and the rest of the crap didn't.

nah, youre just more careful. i shouldve thought of the custom install option. but when doing driver installation the user shouldnt have to worry about things that are not part of the hardware driver. installation of steam should have been shown as optional just like the earthsim screensaver.

44.
 
Faux deal
Dec 12, 2007, 00:04
44.
Faux deal Dec 12, 2007, 00:04
Dec 12, 2007, 00:04
 
This is one of those "Looks gread on the box, lets buy it" then take it home and feel ripped off scams.

43.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 11, 2007, 23:33
43.
Re: steam bundled Dec 11, 2007, 23:33
Dec 11, 2007, 23:33
 
No kidding. Uncheck 'Steam' during install.

dont post a reply unless you have tried the latest installer. there is not 'uncheck steam' during install. moron.

I had just installed the drivers on a friends laptop about ten minutes before typing that. But going pretty much by memory....

Windows Vista->32-Bit Edition->Integrated/Motherboard->Radeon Xpress 200M

Catalyst Software Suite (32 bit) English Only

7.11 Nov. 21, 2007 37.8MB


You can uncheck 'Earthsim' whatever that is on the first screen.

After a couple of more screens you can select 'custom'.

Then you can 'uncheck' Steam and two other completely unrelated driver components.

Maybe I'm a moron, but the drivers got installed and steam and the rest of the crap didn't.


Avatar 19418
42.
 
ATI Gets Steamier
Dec 11, 2007, 23:25
42.
ATI Gets Steamier Dec 11, 2007, 23:25
Dec 11, 2007, 23:25
 
pile of plarf?

-----
http://www.gamemusicjukebox.com/
Game p/reviewer for http://www.gameindustry.com/
"Listen, Peter... with great horsepower comes... the sickest drifts..." - source
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41.
 
No subject
Dec 11, 2007, 23:20
41.
No subject Dec 11, 2007, 23:20
Dec 11, 2007, 23:20
 
How is anyone calling Lost Coast a "game"?

40.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 23:01
40.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 23:01
Dec 11, 2007, 23:01
 
Please find me 1 piece of factual proof that they stopped development for 1 year due to the code theft. That would mean they stopped developing from around September 2003 to September 2004 and released the "playable" build to Activision that same month, then the game in November 2004.

None of your timeline makes sense. In that Q&A he stated "early on". Vampires was in development for 2 years before the code theft (not counting what Nihilistic had done), and from what I read, they didn't even have a playable build after that time. Then according to you they stopped development...see the above paragraph.


----------------------------------------------------
Currently fragging in Team Fortress 2, Episode 2, Portal and CoH Opposing Fronts.

Join the "Blues News" Steam Community Group. http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bluesnews/
39.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 11, 2007, 22:41
39.
Re: steam bundled Dec 11, 2007, 22:41
Dec 11, 2007, 22:41
 
zirik
"bundling it with the entire driver package makes for a bigger download of crap. "
Amen.

Driver only and ATI Tray Tools, FTW!
Scorpio Slasher: ... What about you boy, what do hate?
Marcus: ... Bullies. Tiny d*ck egotists who hurt people for no reason, make people lock their doors at night. People who make general existence worse, people like you.
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38.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 22:39
38.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 22:39
Dec 11, 2007, 22:39
 
"Had nothing to do with the code theft. Note, it was also originally intended to be just a SP game anyways. "
Let me get this strait your deriving all that from Leon's statement? Lol. What do you think he was gonna say we got shafted because we had to stop development on the game for 1 year? In case you didn't know, it's usually not a good idea to go around bashing your former employer, especially if your a small independent in need of WORK! Oh, I know he should have gone over the same old story Everyone seems to know, except maybe you.
If you don't even know the game was put on hold because of the thief, how the hell are you going to understand anything about this much less, have accurate opinions?

Hehe, this must be a joke, right?

Yes, I really like Arcanum, too. Sorry to hear you didn't get to finish it, many people who did, really enjoyed it, hopefully some day you will be able too.
Scorpio Slasher: ... What about you boy, what do hate?
Marcus: ... Bullies. Tiny d*ck egotists who hurt people for no reason, make people lock their doors at night. People who make general existence worse, people like you.
Avatar 1858
37.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 22:30
37.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 22:30
Dec 11, 2007, 22:30
 
Dagok, your certainly entitled to your opinion as much as anyone, then if they are not connected please explain to us how having the development cycle of Bloodlines Stopped for a year, because of the thief and would have NEVER been lifted had Valve not got their shit back together.

"If Activision forced .......... polishing single-player."
That's a complete contradiction and acknowledgment they would NOT have had time, since activision had NO idea when the sanction would be or EVER lifted by Valve.

"What part of it don't you understand."
You mean besides the complete vagueness? Hell you had absolutely NO definition of "it" you were using singular noun while talking about multiple topics, DUH!

"I understand how publishers push out games early just fine."
Good to know, could please answer my question, how long did Troika have to work on each of the titles you ate talking about, I mean specifically Months worked on 6 or 12?
It's important we know what you using to judge these titles as sufficient time worked on to "worth fixing" as you put it.

"It's you that wants to somehow blame Troika's failures on Valve because of the theft of code."
Not failures.
You see them as failures, which hardly gives you any credibility since you refuse to provide specifics.
I stated a fact, that because of the irresponsible behavior which allowed the thief, Troika a small struggling Independent developer (one of the finest, I might add despite your ignorant remark about failures) was suddenly without a project or income and scrabbling to get a new project (a year early, with absolutely NO fucking warning) which didn't happen, went out of business.

Now I should be asking you "What Don't You Understand?"

"I think you are a Troika fanboy......"
Maybe depends on your definition of fanboy actually and so far you haven't proven very reliable source of info, you clearly are stating your Uninformed Opinions and not showing a DAMN thing to back it up, other than more opinions.

So for example if your definition of fanboy is someone who provides accurate verifiable information, then yes I am trying to achieve fanboyism, yet I am imperfect because sometimes I remember incorrectly. Yet unlike you I don't just throw my opinion out as some sort of fact, constantly contradicting myself. Additionally when I make a mistake I at least make some effect to correct it or apologize if someone was honestly offended.

Of course they didn't sell well, there are some many ignorant asses out there spreading their opinions about the reason for the buggy state, it scared buyers away. The same buyers (by the way) that complain in forums how all the games are the same, always yearly sequels to the same crap. Know anyone like that? If you need some help starting a list I can offer some suggestions.
Scorpio Slasher: ... What about you boy, what do hate?
Marcus: ... Bullies. Tiny d*ck egotists who hurt people for no reason, make people lock their doors at night. People who make general existence worse, people like you.
Avatar 1858
36.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 11, 2007, 22:15
36.
Re: steam bundled Dec 11, 2007, 22:15
Dec 11, 2007, 22:15
 

cancelling is not the same as opting out. opting out means the installer does not even run. and bundling it with the entire driver package makes for a bigger download of crap.


The Steam installer is like 711k. I don't think that's going to create any real issues there.


35.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 11, 2007, 21:48
35.
Re: steam bundled Dec 11, 2007, 21:48
Dec 11, 2007, 21:48
 
Then what the fuck was "... cancel the steam installation if you dont want it".

Cancelling the install is opting out. It's not required.


cancelling is not the same as opting out. opting out means the installer does not even run. and bundling it with the entire driver package makes for a bigger download of crap.

This comment was edited on Dec 11, 21:49.
34.
 
Re: steam bundled
Dec 11, 2007, 21:47
34.
Re: steam bundled Dec 11, 2007, 21:47
Dec 11, 2007, 21:47
 
No kidding. Uncheck 'Steam' during install.

dont post a reply unless you have tried the latest installer. there is not 'uncheck steam' during install. moron.

33.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 19:33
33.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 19:33
Dec 11, 2007, 19:33
 
http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/vampirebloodlines2-1.php

GB: Did you plan on including multiplayer in Bloodlines during the initial stages of development, or did you want to focus on a single player experience from the start?

Leonard: The game was originally conceived as a single player game, and early on we thought it would be cool to include a multiplayer component as well. However, working with HL-2’s multiplayer code in its early stages proved to be more work than we had anticipated, so we eventually decided to focus solely on creating the best single player experience.

Had nothing to do with the code theft. Note, it was also originally intended to be just a SP game anyways.

And as a side note...forgot all about Arcanum. I loved that game, but it was even buggier than Temple and Vampires. I never did get to finish it...tried 3 times, and pretty sure I got hit with a corrupted save once or twice as well as broken quests.

----------------------------------------------------
Currently fragging in Team Fortress 2, Episode 2, Portal and CoH Opposing Fronts.

Join the "Blues News" Steam Community Group. http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bluesnews/
32.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 18:49
32.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 18:49
Dec 11, 2007, 18:49
 
While everything you state in the 2nd paragraph may be true, that doesn't change the fact that the game wasn't ready for release, regardless of the code theft.

The code theft was over a year prior to the retail release of Vampires trying to connect the two is ludicrous in my opinion.

If Activision forced them to release in a buggy state, that has nothing to do with Valve or the code theft. If they had to drop Multiplayer, then that should have given them that much more time to spend polishing single-player.

" They couldn't make it work" couldn't make what work?

What part of it don't you understand. The publishing partnerships they had with Atari and Activision with both games. Both games were buggy to all hell and back. Good games at the core, but they didn't get the games done in the time they had, and obviously their publishers didn't have faith that the games would be worth "fixing".

I understand how publishers push out games early just fine.

It's you that wants to somehow blame Troika's failures on Valve because of the theft of code.

I think maybe you have been reading/believing some really incorrect info...Good companies like Troika get run over by incorrect info.

I think you are a Troika fanboy that wants to place blame on everyone but their buggy games. They failed because they released niche market RPG's that were too buggy out of the box that didn't sell well at all.

----------------------------------------------------
Currently fragging in Team Fortress 2, Episode 2, Portal and CoH Opposing Fronts.

Join the "Blues News" Steam Community Group. http://steamcommunity.com/groups/bluesnews/
This comment was edited on Dec 11, 18:56.
31.
 
Re: Old?
Dec 11, 2007, 18:30
31.
Re: Old? Dec 11, 2007, 18:30
Dec 11, 2007, 18:30
 
Dagok, due to the theft activision put the game on hold, since they under contract couldn't ship before Half-Life 2, which it self couldn't be release till they had rewritten the code to prevent problems with cheating in multiplayer.

Now I find that odd you remember Troika says the game was complete months before the release.
As I was on the original official forums pre and post release at Dilapidation.com (later bought by gamespy), where the devs often posted. Not only was the game not completed they had to scrap multiplayer and the game was far from finished. When activision finally gave Troika the ok, once the thief had been caught and Valve acknowledged they were shipping HL2, Troika was given 3 months to ship the game and was only allowed to do bug fixing. While I am not 100% sure of my memory, I would say more about 90% and I am still very active in the community, for example I still help test the Unofficial Patches for Wesp, currently checking the new release 4.4.
So if you by chance ever remember where you saw that I would like to read it.

" They couldn't make it work" couldn't make what work?
Do you have any idea how much time they had to do those? Additionally how complicated it is to make freeform quest like they did?
You often could kill main characters, you were on a quest for, not to mention all the less violent paths, on average I would say they often would have 5 possible solutions per quest, that's just amazing and is a nightmare for testing

Honestly it doesn't sound like you realize how publisher push out games early, but this is hard not to notice all around us.

"It's the hackers fault, and nobody elses." Seriously, are you sure you remember this correctly? Gabe machine had no or laughable protection and was outside the company Firewall, hell if it hadn't been some kid just looking for some glory, imagine what would happen if a serious hacker with an agenda would have broken in, like say NOW with all the Steam account info. What do you think would have then and if you lost you credit card info (presumably if your a Steam user) would you just blame the hacker now or would Gabe have any responsible for having a machine outside the network with no protection?

I think maybe you have been reading/believing some really incorrect info, which is too bad because it's things like this, where gamers go off on tangents blaming developers and causing lost sales, when it the corporatist publishers running the show.

Good companies like Troika get run over by incorrect info.
I think I answered all your questions, hope you can answer mine.
Scorpio Slasher: ... What about you boy, what do hate?
Marcus: ... Bullies. Tiny d*ck egotists who hurt people for no reason, make people lock their doors at night. People who make general existence worse, people like you.
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