Slashdot Mirror
SteamWatch Offers Forum for Displeased Customers
paniq writes "SteamWatch has opened a forum to discuss the pros and cons of Valves online distribution software Steam 'due to constant deletion of complaint threads in the official Steam forum', as the site states. Installation of Steam to play Valves newest cutting edge shooter Half-Life 2 is mandatory, but forum members criticize Valve for meager Support, violation of consumer rights and formulate alternative ideas for Steams implementation. A 'Steam Watch' news section covers articles and rants about Steam found on the net."
This isn't all that surprising. Steam distribution was at first heralded as a way of getting away from the "big evil publishers" and creating an alternative for developers. But it still has to administer the accounts, and in the end its still run by a corporation whose end goal is to make the most amount of money possible. If anything, having an even further distancing between licensing a product and actually owning it can make potential abuses against the customers even worse.
And for all those "they're not forcing you to buy it" people out there, of course they aren't, but if they'd remove the mandatory Stean registration I probably would have given them my $50 by now.
Not only am I disappointed in CS-Source, but I actually think it's worse than the first Counter Strike. At least the first one had decent hit collision, and didn't provide feedback (ie, blood splatter) until the server said it was okay. With CS:S it's possible to believe you're hitting an opponent, but when you check the console after dying the server never registered a single hit. I've never been more disappointed in a multiplayer game. I made a mistake in paying for HL2 early so I could get CS:S. Now I'm disappointed with both games. Oh well, I'll mark this up to a $60 lesson.
Well, looking at the linked topic, I see that the writer argues that Valve has broken the terms of its EULA for the original Half-Life by converting it to use Steam. I'll bet that there's a clause in that EULA that gives Valve permission to modify the agreement whenever they want to.
Furthermore, the writer talks of Valve not being liable for any hack of Steam that may infect anyone's computer. It hasn't dawned on the writer that it is standard practice to disclaim all liability.
I agree with the parent, and I wish people would actually read these fscking things every once in a while, just to see what they're submitting to.
This ought to teach them a lesson... for about a month tops.
Note to parent: If you've opened the game, you ain't getting your money back.
(i need sleep)
Don't be fooled, this website's open letter hides the fact that it is more dedicated to "people who haven't bought the game". -- ??? WTF is that?
In other words, Steam gets in the way of pirating HL2 and they're pissed.
Fuck you, buy it.
They say it's for all those with grievances, but I highly suspect this is the nearly the same as a certain site promoting hacked UT/UT2004 servers (which believes that people who don't buy the game have a right to play online too...).
For the record, few if any threads have been deleted on the Steam forums and the ones that have were complicated by people posting links to material that falls outside the forum T.O.S. and rules. I post there regularly and overall they are very leniant.
However, I think one of the reasons this forum is a good thing is because Valve has screwed up royally. Many of their once happy customers are pissed. By letting them know, and letting other businesses know, we have an effect on the way things will turn out, however minor it may be.
This frankly, is a good alternative to just not buying the game. Because if you don't buy the game, they have no reason of knowing you decided not to buy it because of Steam. They might just assume you didn't like the game.
Which leads me to my next point. Instead of just not buying it, if you want to do something more effective, buy it and immediately return it, and be CRYSTAL CLEAR when you explain why to the person that it is because you are unhappy with Valve's choice in requiring Steam for this and you do not find it a satisfactory product. State this clearly and loudly.
I know its wishful thinking, but at least you can DO something instead of just getting angry.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
If the software is indeed totally unusable or any kind of serious hindrance, then it won't last. Sure, games like HL 2 and Doom 4 will sucker gamers into buying them regardless of the distribution methods used, but games that aren't sequels to classics won't have this luxury.
:P
Ultimately, the consumer will decide whether these systems fail or succeed, and because of this Developers (or Publishers) will have to ensure that the consumer is satisfied with their online distribution (or, as you put it, Steam-esque system). Besides, this isn't exactly a cheap system to implement. Valve spends loads of cash on bandwidth for Steam, and many titles simply can't afford the kind of infrastructure this kind of system requires.
In the end I don't think these systems will impede my enjoyment of games, and if it does get out of hand.. well.. Agh, time to play pirate!
Oh, and it won't take some bug-ridden piece of spyware to keep me away from DNF
Your fine with installing HL2 which takes up several GB's on your HD, but you have a problem with installing a 600 Kb program?
Gabe Newell used to work for Microsoft - also a company big on activiation and DRM.
Coincidence?
I like steam. I bought HL condition zero just for the CS:Source beta. I didn't mind just paying for the Beta, because I figured I had gotten my moneys worth x 10 out of HL1 with the CS mod.
I wasn't going to buy HL2, but a friend called me up one night last week and said he had HL2 and wanted to start playing CS:Source. I went onto steam and bought HL2 so I could play online with him. The nice thing is since I was in the Beta it was preloaded on my computer already. It took me about 10 minutes to be up and playing, where as if I could only buy the game in the store it would have had to wait until the next day never mind dealing with the sub-humans that work at my local best buy, or the fan-boiz at the local gameshop.
I think steam is a great delivery system for games.
Just because they're a bunch of pissed off kids who are annoyed about Steam just like you are, does that somehow invalidate their complaints or even their feelings?
Interesting side note to ponder: The ranting kids got their message up on Slashdot, while your complaint to Valve was probably just dumped in the trash. Shouting and whining can sometimes actually get things changed. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Random and weird software I've written.