Will A-10C be on steam?

Im a huge steam user, and frankly i think putting blackshark on there is a wonderful idea. It is easier to connect with friends via the steam network, rather than minimizing and using a messenger.

Will the A-10C be put up on here as well? If so, will it be up the same day it releases normally, or will it be put on steam at a later date?

To quote Matt...

To answer the three most popular questions:

 

1- Sorry, but we are unable to release Black Shark over Steam in the UK.

 

2- Due to Ubisoft owning the Lock On intellectual property rights, it's unlikely we'll be able to release LOP as a unified product (LOP is currently two discs, one for LO and one for FC2) over Steam. But, it's something we're investigating.

 

3- While things could change, I would expect the A-10C release availability to be similar to that of Black Shark. After a certain time period after post-release, we would investigate placing A-10C on Steam as well.

Nate

fantastic, not ! whats the problem with uk sales exactly ?

To quote Matt...

 

 

 

Nate

argh, whatever it would be nice to see a release on steam concurrent with release on ED's website.

A Steam version would be fantastic. You'd be able to:

* run the games on all your computers (just one at a time though)

* no StarForce :)

* make backups of games (easy to copy to your other computers)

* no piracy either (we want ED to make money and keep making DCS stuff).

Looks like an all-round win.

A Steam version would be fantastic. You'd be able to:

 

* no piracy either (we want ED to make money and keep making DCS stuff).

 

Looks like an all-round win.

Not sure where you are getting that from, I wouldn't imagine steams CP is as secure as Frontline ProActive from a hackers point of view.

Nate

It's about the same security wise. Both use online activation and both are able to be reverse engineered. It's like telling the swat team there's no other way in besides the front door.

No NO no NO no NO no NO!!! No Steam ever!

Steam is single handedly ruining the PC gaming market:

-games release late

-updates are inconsistent

-inability to perform manual version management is troublesome

-if steam goes down you cannot play the game you paid for!!!!

-if there is a problem with multiplayer, steam will never care. And the developer can blame steam.

Down with Steam!! They are the WORST thing to happen to PC gaming, EVER!!!

Just my 0.02

Well, if your net is down, or steam for that matter you still can run steam in "offline" mode and play whatever you have on it...

No NO no NO no NO no NO!!! No Steam ever!

 

 

-if steam goes down you cannot play the game you paid for!!!!

 

 

Just my 0.02

 

-games release late

The games release whenever the developers want them to.

 

-updates are inconsistent

Updates are deployed within hours of the developer sending the update to Valve.

 

-inability to perform manual version management is troublesome

Perhaps.

 

-if steam goes down you cannot play the game you paid for!!!!

Wrong.

 

-if there is a problem with multiplayer, steam will never care. And the

developer can blame steam.

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

 

Down with Steam!! They are the WORST thing to happen to PC gaming, EVER!!!

Such an ignorant statement.

 

Consoles and bad games are ruining PC gaming. Steam is an online service that allows you to optionally purchase and download games and keep them conveniently ready to download and autoupdate at any time.

I put the key word in bold for you.

Can somebody explain why we're not getting a simultaneous steam release? What logic is there to explain that? Most people who are going to buy DCS:A10 are probably going to buy it at or near release. If my preference is Steam then my only choice is to wait a year for it to release finally or buy the game twice.

After a certain time period after post-release, we would investigate placing A-10C on Steam as well.

What exactly is there to investigate? It seems to me that it's not that you guys can't do a simultaneous steam release, you've just decided against it. Care to explain?

I personnally don't like Steam, but I don't mind Steam releases at all, as long as there are other ways besides. What I dislike is games that are only available through Steam

What exactly is there to investigate? It seems to me that it's not that you guys can't do a simultaneous steam release, you've just decided against it. Care to explain?

I would assume it has something to do with profit sharing. Instead of paying ED directly for their product you're paying them through a third party and that money goes through a few twists and turns before it ends up in the pockets of the people who did 99.9999999% of all the work.

Of course I have NO idea how Steam and game companies work out that, I'm not a lawyer nor do I care to get into the legal crap associated with it. I just know there is a reason and it's in ED's best interest. We the consumer can a) wait for a potential release on steam some time after, b) buy directly from ED (which has worked out pretty well for most people) and c) wait for the DVD release.

The consumer doesn't really have a say where a company decides to distribute their products, we have a say in whether or not we purchase said products. If Steam is a huge success with Black Shark perhaps that's all that needs to be "investigated" who knows, how can you not understand the logic behind waiting to see?

Consoles and bad games are ruining PC gaming. Steam is an online service that allows you to optionally purchase and download games and keep them conveniently ready to download and autoupdate at any time.

 

I put the key word in bold for you.

 

 

 

Can somebody explain why we're not getting a simultaneous steam release? What logic is there to explain that? Most people who are going to buy DCS:A10 are probably going to buy it at or near release. If my preference is Steam then my only choice is to wait a year for it to release finally or buy the game twice.

 

 

 

What exactly is there to investigate? It seems to me that it's not that you guys can't do a simultaneous steam release, you've just decided against it. Care to explain?

 

 

-games release late

The games release whenever the developers want them to.

 

-updates are inconsistent

Updates are deployed within hours of the developer sending the update to Valve.

 

-inability to perform manual version management is troublesome

Perhaps.

 

-if steam goes down you cannot play the game you paid for!!!!

Wrong.

 

-if there is a problem with multiplayer, steam will never care. And the

developer can blame steam.

I don't know what you're talking about.

 

 

Down with Steam!! They are the WORST thing to happen to PC gaming, EVER!!!

Such an ignorant statement

Please explain how it is optional if every version of Call of Duty I have played to date has been non-steam, then when it is time to purchase the next version (in this case MW2) it is available only on Steam. Even if you bought the box version, as I did (thinking I would avoid Steam), you still end up having to deal with Steam.

I wasn't looking for anyone to try and sway me or change my mind. I hate Steam, and always will. It's a horrible service with horrible service quality. Their heart is in the right place, making it easy for even the most noob player to "get along". But the execution is severely flawed.

And Steam could care less about any of you. I have a very long tech support exchange which proves that. Good luck if any of you experience what I did, where a game simply doesn't work. And there's nothing you can do to fix it because all of the file versions are under their total control. So you just waste $50 on a game. All Steam says is "thanks for your purchase!"

And posts like Jesse's aren't very constructive. When I replied it was all feedback about Steam based on facts and my own experience, which no one bothered to ask about before crucifying me and my opinion. I didn't point my finger at anyone or call anyone names or insult anyone. Too many good people here to put up with nonsense like that. Unsubscribing.

Well, if your net is down, or steam for that matter you still can run steam in "offline" mode and play whatever you have on it...

Not if Steam isn't working (eg their authentication server is down). If steam doesn't load or connect properly then you can't load your game unfortunately. Once Steam has taken control, you lose it. The days of simply running an executable are over with Steam games.

I agree with Smoky in some points, but the same way some people wont buy anything associated with steam (like Smoky aparently), some wont touch anything associated with starforce. I will particulary buy directly from ED, but its hard not to see the advantages of releasing a steam version, i just hope they continue to give us the option tho choose bettwen both versions.

Also, i like how this can be a good way to counter those arguments that seem to pop up on every discussion about black shark, saying how starforce is bad and why they hate it. Sure, some people will just change Starforce for Steam on some of these discussions, but, hey, you cant expect ED to make miracles.

I would assume it has something to do with profit sharing. Instead of paying ED directly for their product you're paying them through a third party and that money goes through a few twists and turns before it ends up in the pockets of the people who did 99.9999999% of all the work.

This ^^

The core market of simmers probably know about a games release 6 months before it actually comes out. ED dont need a system such as steam to advertise and provide the game to people who are going to buy it anyway, because then they have to give a share to Steam. If ED released A-10C on Steam, then I would buy it on Steam and steam would take a cut. If they don't release it on Steam then I will buy it anyway and ED will get all of my money.

Once the core market has bought their copy from ED, ED can use steam to reach out to the greater market that would perhaps not have bought it.

I would love to have A-10C on Steam, but I totally understand why its not. Being in disbelief that it wont be released this way and then expecting an explanation from game developers is pretty arrogant IMO.

So I read this, then fire up steam, and what do I see?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/61000/

Aannndddd, this is old news. I didn't see the announcement in the news section. Sorry.

I love steam... Have bought Many many games on it, with never a problem, love the simplicity of buying without going to brick and mortar store. I have actually many times bought over steam games that I already bought boxed copys of because I broke a disk or simply cant find the manual with auth code. Also find some really great games on there that are no longer found in stores (dues ex, x-com) I love steam, and have to support what they do to help PC gaming in a time when many developers are moving away from PC

And there's nothing you can do to fix it because all of the file versions are under their total control.

A common misconception regarding steam. Well to an extent. Steam has whatever is the latest version that has been uploaded to them by the developer. However if a new version comes out and is never updated by steam you can download and install the correct version from another source.

Also if you are worried about updates. See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

You can choose whether to allow automatic updates or not. Case in point ARMA2. Up until recently the ARMA 2 1.05 and 1.07 patches were not part of steam. I downloaded them from a gaming site and installed them separate of steam. The game worked fine as expected.

Granted you can't tell it you want to download version 1.01 rather than 1.05. So in that sense its lacking a feature, but why would that even be a problem?

About Modern Warfare2, it was decided to be exclusively incorporated into steam for whatever reason. Not all games are like that, actually very few are. Come to think of it, outside of Valve games and Modern Warfare 2, I can't name any other games off the top of my head that require it. But hey, you want to blame steam for Modern Warfails problems well... I think your taking issue with the wrong people.

And lets be honest, "Steam Exclusives" make up probably less than 2% of new releases on PC, its quite a non issue.

But they can still buy and play the game from somewhere else.

A common misconception regarding steam. Well to an extent. Steam has whatever is the latest version that has been uploaded to them by the developer. However if a new version comes out and is never updated by steam you can download and install the correct version from another source.

 

Also if you are worried about updates. See Exhibit A.

 

Exhibit A

 

You can choose whether to allow automatic updates or not. Case in point ARMA2. Up until recently the ARMA 2 1.05 and 1.07 patches were not part of steam. I downloaded them from a gaming site and installed them separate of steam. The game worked fine as expected.

 

Granted you can't tell it you want to download version 1.01 rather than 1.05. So in that sense its lacking a feature, but why would that even be a problem?

 

About Modern Warfare2, it was decided to be exclusively incorporated into steam for whatever reason. Not all games are like that, actually very few are. Come to think of it, outside of Valve games and Modern Warfare 2, I can't name any other games off the top of my head that require it. But hey, you want to blame steam for Modern Warfails problems well... I think your taking issue with the wrong people.

 

And lets be honest, "Steam Exclusives" make up probably less than 2% of new releases on PC, its quite a non issue.

 

 

But they can still buy and play the game from somewhere else.

Had to come back and address this post...

-Every Steam game I have is 100% integrated into Steam. COD MW2. All Simbin Games. Arma. From my perspective, the scenery looks the exact opposite as what you describe it "less than 2%". 100% of the Steam games I play are all Steam. No stand alone component. And each of them started as stand alone and became worse games when Steam assimilated them.

-I went round and round with both Steam and Infinity Ward about the issues I had. I gave each of their groups weeks of my time and patience. They both spent half their efforts blaming each other. And the other half going through the "I don't know how to solve a tech support problem" book for Tier 1 support specialists. So please don't lecture me on "blaming Steam". They are both responsible and accountable for working on their functional relationship in order to provide quality customer service. And with the money we pay for games we should not settle for anything less.

-You say that version management is a non-issue but riddle me this...if the versions get out of sync then multiplayer compatibility and stability suffers, if allowed at all in that situation (which it is not). So the tools you mention to manage versioning are not sufficiently addressing the problems.

-And to be clear, I have no issue with downloadable content. I love Direct2Drive. What I am against is Steam's totalitarian approach to how WE manage our content.

So please remember, it's about perspective and experience. I have experienced all the pain Steam can dish out. And when I saw even the hint of a suggestion that ED go with Steam my heart dropped into my stomach. I actually felt nauseated at the idea. I'm only trying to save everyone here from experiencing the frustration and wasted effort that I have.

If Steam hasn't bitten you yet, Great! But the clock is ticking and your time will come.

To be honest, I was shocked to hear the support for Steam here. In my online racing and first person shooting communities, Steam is a vocally hated service and long discussed topic.

I also love how I am branded a "hater" because I am honest about real experiences. That's not how the term is meant to be used. A "hater" is someone who just dumps on any and everything, for sport, with no logic or fact driving the decision. But if it makes you feel better about yourself to label and insult me like that, then so be it. That's not how I like to treat people.

I'll be honest about my real experience with Steam as well. It's been great, no problems what so ever.

Mind you I didn't waste my money supporting MW2 at all, so missed all the grief but from what I understand it wasn't just Steam that had issues it was the off the rack ones as well.

Sorry to hear about your difficulties though.

Had to come back and address this post...

 

-Every Steam game I have is 100% integrated into Steam. COD MW2. All Simbin Games. Arma. From my perspective, the scenery looks the exact opposite as what you describe it "less than 2%". 100% of the Steam games I play are all Steam. No stand alone component. And each of them started as stand alone and became worse games when Steam assimilated them.

I think you're getting confused between games that are only on steam and games that you buy throuh steam. If you buy ARMA through steam of course you need to sign in to play it, how ever if you buy a retail copy you don't need to deal with steam at all. Not that many games require you to register with steam if you buy a retail copy. Of course there are exceptions to this.

I don't see how the version managment on steam is any worse than having the user responsible for it. I agree that steam support can be very frustrating and could be improved, but when there are forums like these full of helpful people I have never had to use them.

In the end, if it goes onto steam, no one is forcing you to buy the steam version, just buy the other one. If you don't like it don't use it. Personally I don't mind it, but I know there are people out there who hate it, and when I see a non-valve game come out on steam only (like MW2) I cringe.

The developers are just allowing user's more freedom in the options they have to purchase a game, and I think it's a wonderful thing.

I included the meme for one reason and one reason alone.

No NO no NO no NO no NO!!! No Steam ever!

Nobody has even hinted that DCS will go to full requirement of steam. Its an alternative. If you don't like the alternative, don't use it. Eagle Dynamics has never seemed like a company to go along with the fun parts of Steam, nor use it to its full advantage. We won't ever see Black Shark on sale for 2% over 3 hours because its not as popular as Team Fortress 2. IMO, Eagle will only use it as an additional place to buy their games from.

That was my point. But let me get this straight.

Every Steam game I have is 100% integrated into Steam.

Sorry I didn't figure my statistics into your own personal game collection. But look at what you said... Every game you BUY on steam. Is integrated into steam. Uhm... yeah. Isn't that the point? I mean when you buy a game on Direct 2 drive, its basically just a digital version of a boxed copy. Steam is a little different, it bundles auto updates, friends list, and other features in with the game experience. Something that Direct2Drive itself is trying to emulate a little bit with Comrade. But alas, your steam account is your steam account. Everything you buy via steam is accessible via steam.

Here is a link showing mostly the entire steam store.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Steam_titles

A few titles are missing on there. Your Simbin stuff is missing. So add 6 more games to that massive list. According to the article.

As of May 2010, over 2427 titles are available over the service

How many of those, if YOU BOUGHT IT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE, require steam? 2, maybe 3 dozen? Maybe more? At most I say 100, and that is honestly a stretch.

100\2427 = 0.04120313143 OR 4.120313143%

Not quite 2% but that is a very very small number. For the record of the games I own on steam. 25% require steam. Coincidentally 25% are made by Valve.

if the versions get out of sync then multiplayer compatibility and stability suffers, if allowed at all in that situation

Ok, I'll bite. This is one of the reasons steam was created. A little thing called Counter-Strike caused major issues each time a new release was made. It was taking days to get servers and players updated to the latest version because of the onslaught of bandwidth needed. It also caused great confusion on what was the current version of the game. One of the design goals of steam was to streamline and simplify it. That is why when a major patch for TF2 was released the other day, both servers and players received the correct updates simultaneously and incompatibility between the two versions lasted mere hours.

In the case of DCS on steam I expect one situation to occur. Automatic patches on Steam for DCS will likely lag behind the availability of a patch here. No worries really, as we can download a patch from here and install it on the steam version with little to no issues.

I'm just a little curious, what exactly was your problem you had with Modern Warfare2?

Empire Total War requires Steam even when bought in a boxed version, also. There must be a few games like that, but I'm absolutely confident that IF ED choose to work with Steam, they won't do that, and we will always have the choice (boxed version - normal download version - Steam download version)