Steam Updates On Hardware Changes, Debugging Innovations

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Steam Updates On Hardware Changes, Debugging Innovations

Posted by simoniker on Sunday March 14, 2004 @06:05PM from the failure-at-line-infinity dept.

Thanks to Planet Half-Life for reprinting a note from Gabe Newell discussing the latest changes and survey results regarding Valve's Steam 'content delivery system'. He compares the recently mentioned hardware survey to an earlier one, mentioning: "There's lots of interesting info, for example Windows 98/Windows ME users going from 62.8% down to 8.25%." Newell also discusses the code debugging innovations that Steam is now providing: "We've been able to increase the level and speed of our Steam upgrades by direct reporting of client bugs back through Steam. If a Steam client reports a problem, we can replicate it on our machines and jump directly to the line of code in our debugger", before ending by revealing that the much-delayed Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is now available for pre-order via Steam.

11 of 50 comments (clear)

pre-order by pizza_milkshake · 2004-03-14 18:21 · Score: 3, Insightful

has any game offered via pre-order ever delivered on time?
1. Re:pre-order by jantheman · 2004-03-14 20:32 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  well....It (CS:Condition Zero) is already apparently on my computer already (via the steam 'trickle feed' update) - the 'gcf' (game cache file?) is there. Apparently all I have to do is wait for them to 'release' it officially, so delivery on time seems to be a moot point.
  
  hmmm...have I got time to attempt to hack it out...?
  
  --
  -- Mod me down. I am not a karma tart. ffs,gag
stupid. by ziggles · 2004-03-14 18:31 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think it's kind of silly to compare the results from these surveys. One was taken via Steam, which is basically only going to be used by people on broadband and hardcore players; and the other was taken via the web which obviously includes a lot more people and a different kind of player in general. Comparing the results doesn't tell you anything.
the use of steam by mandalayx · 2004-03-14 18:41 · Score: 5, Interesting

One has to wonder why Valve seems to be spending so much time on Steam. I've seen previous comments speculating that the reason Valve is delaying HL2 is to work on getting Steam 100% correct.

Yet even if that were true, it's hard to see how Steam would really increase the amount of people buying Valve games. Even though I was a hardcore HL1 player, I would not buy any game because of the Steam association. If anything it just seems like a cool market research tool and possibly some DRM in the future. But to spend a few years programming a cool market research/DRM tool?
1. Re:the use of steam by BrookHarty · 2004-03-14 20:05 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Even though I was a hardcore HL1 player, I would not buy any game because of the Steam association.
  
  Steam is here, so if you want to play HL2, you have to use steam, there is no way around it. When you go to the next lan party and everyone is playing Hl2, what choice do you have?
  
  But I know how you feel, DRM, and other things just pisses everyone off. I just bought a DVD player, and they had a damn advertisement logo on it, when I removed it, it left the sticky tape on the DVD player. The damn tape wouldnt come off. I uses a wet sponge and tried to remove the tape, but scratched the surface of the dvd player.
  
  I was pretty pissed off. Next time I go into the store, im opening the damn box and looking at the unit first. I'm also sending a nasty letter to the company about such shitty services.
  
  It seems like every company just does what it wants, and fucks the consumers, We can just hope that HL2 doesnt suck using steam.
2. Re:the use of steam by Anonymous Coward · 2004-03-14 20:14 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  One has to wonder why Valve seems to be spending so much time on Steam
  
  One word: MONEY.
  
  They get control of the distribution channel and get themselves a bigger cut. The more copies of the game they can sell via direct download (as opposed to in stores), the more cash they get. Typical costs are something like:
  
  CD & box = $5
  Advertising costs = $5
  Retailer = $15 (shelf space == very expensive)
  Publisher = $10
  Developer = $15
  Total price = $50
  
  By selling directly they can eliminate both the publisher - and the retailer costs. Except that now they can change the price to $40 a downloadable copy. They not only sell the game for less - but they also make double the money on that copy:
  
  Bandwidth for distribution = $5 (say, 4 GB transfers over the course of the game's life if it's installed three or four times when the customer upgrades machines)
  Advertising costs = $5
  Retailer = $0 (no shelves)
  Publisher = $0
  Developer = $30
  Total price = $40
3. Re:the use of steam by fireduck · 2004-03-15 02:29 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Blame Blizzard.
  
  Whether you like their games or not, Blizzard struck gold with Battle.net. Easy one-click access to online gaming; built-in with the game, automagic patching when you log on. No messing with server lists, etc. Chat rooms. Battle.net is a PR dream and really helped propel Blizzard to the forefront of online gaming.
  
  The easier you make it for people to play your products, the more product you are going to sell. In Valve's case, one can easily envision a whole number of retail mods being released. Since multiplayer is the rage, money is to be made in the online arena. Given that from the total HL population, a minority of them actually played online (no idea how small, but it's certainly much less than the millions that were sold), any opportunity to get a fraction of them online and potentially buying your online mods is money.
  
  In the case of HL, I'm somewhat relieved that they're going the online autopatching method. There were a ridiculous amount of patches released for HL and if you didn't keep up with them you could easily get lost in what you needed (they released full standalone retail-to-current patches somewhat infrequently and lots of incremental patches inbetween). So an easy "click to update" system (or better yet, leave it running and have it updated and ready whenever you want to play) is a nice convenience.
  
  granted, it sucked mighty hardcore when it was first released and it'll absolutely suck for a couple weeks after HL2 is released, but overall, I'm not too worried about it.
Drop in Windows 98 users (partially) explained by StupidKatz · 2004-03-14 22:00 · Score: 5, Informative

I recently changed my gaming PC's OS to Windows XP Pro. I'd previously used Windows 98SE. Why did I, a rabid hater of all things XP (updates, EUL"A"s, wizardry, etc.) give up on 98 for my gaming OS?

DirectX 9 broke 98. I've been telling everyone within earshot that this was the way that MS was going to force the gamers off of 98 - via DirectX. All video files, under any format that I can find, (except real; I don't use it) are broken. They refuse to load. Breakdown of the issue here and here

It isn't a critical problem at this point, but the second "solution" is so obscure that I wonder how anyone managed to find it. (The first involves re-running the directx installer, which will allow the system to play back videos fine until the subsequent reboot.) How likely is an official fix for this issue? That's what I thought. Too bad, though - Win98SE still had a year or two worth of gaming life left in it.
1. Re:Drop in Windows 98 users (partially) explained by Blakey+Rat · 2004-03-15 04:45 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  If you hate XP so much, why didn't you go to 2000 instead of XP? It runs DirectX 9 just as good as XP does, all the games coming out are just as compatible with 2000 as they are with XP, it 2000 Pro costs the same as XP Pro, and it doesn't have product activation.
  
  I mean, your choice, but it seems strange.
  
  --
  Comment of the year
HL2 *requires* Steam? by StupidKatz · 2004-03-14 22:13 · Score: 4, Informative

HL2 was not originally going to, and as far as I know, won't require Steam, as long as someone buys a boxed copy. ... Until you patch it. You should have seen the thread on the Valve/Steam forums that blasted that decision to hell and back. No one, save Valve/Vinvendi, likes it.

I won't buy or play HL2 if it requires Steam. Exception: when I can buy a used copy off of someone for single-player or when a LAN fake-Steam server will fool the software, I might buy it (used) for ten bucks, as long as my purchase won't add a tick to their sales figures.

Think about it - the entertainment industry (Vivendi/Universal, hello? MPAA/RIAA, hello?) wants to own everything. Forget about fair use if this Steaming crap becomes the norm; you won't even be able to use your computer when your ISP borks your net connection. The only way to fight this crud is to fight it by keeping your money away from the people resonsible for this farce, even if it means passing up something that might actually be really fun.
If HL2 really will require Steam, then don't purchase the game. Don't increase their sales figures, don't let them think this is a profitable way to force DRM down our throats. Behave like customers, not simpering consumers, and take your business elsewhere.
Slightly OT: Steam and your hard drive by StupidKatz · 2004-03-14 22:46 · Score: 5, Interesting

Who owns your hard drive? If you've installed Steam, read this, then answer the question again.

Yeah, let's all give game developers on-demand access to our storage. Cheat detection notwithstanding, this is bad news; is it worth the cost? I like to think intelligent people agree: it isn't.