An Open Letter to the Community

[Deadman]

Hum Sound interesting :smilewink:

[RedTiger]

Is this pop up on steam website or something that would come up when starting/installing the game?

 

No, every so often, like he said 1 or 2 weeks, a pop-up window will come up when you run the Steam client. Among other things, it advertises new games. You have to hit the little "next" button to view everything.

 

Just having the BS under the simulation category is good advertising in of itself:

 

http://store.steampowered.com/genre/Simulation/

[RedTiger]

Can someone list the advantages and disadvantages of Steam?

 

For the end user, I can think of a few

 

Advantages:

 

1. Convenience and CP that is less Draconian and easy to live with. CP is built-in with Steam. To play a game downloaded through Steam, you HAVE to Launch it from the Steam client. The game is heavily integrated into Steam with no way for a lay person to easily access it in a form that works without Steam.

 

2. The games you own are tied to your account, not your computer. This helps with CP but also means you can download and access the game from anywhere.

 

3. Built-in multiplayer support.

 

Disadvantages:

 

1. Same as an advantage; games you own are tied to your account. You will always need an internet connection to play them and to reinstall them.

 

2. Good luck with modding or using that 3rd-party development stuff. I don't even know how that would work. This would be easily to figure out though. Ask someone who plays IL2: 1946 through Steam if they can run any mods on their program.

 

Also...surprise, surprise; Steam games can be cracked, or so I've heard.

 

CP software reminds me of a dead bolt on an apartment door. Yeah it keeps the run of the mill burglars and crazy people out of your home. But if Johnny the axe murder REALLY wants to get in, he'll find a way.

[rapid]

All games can be craked at some point but what you have to take into account is how many games using another form of DRM are cracked as opposed to the games that are on Steam.

:smilewink:

[Cosmonaut]

Is this pop up on steam website or something that would come up when starting/installing the game?

 

No, every so often, like he said 1 or 2 weeks, a pop-up window will come up when you run the Steam client. Among other things, it advertises new games. You have to hit the little "next" button to view everything.

 

Just having the BS under the simulation category is good advertising in of itself:

 

http://store.steampowered.com/genre/Simulation/

 

What ever happened to just put the disk in and play.. :cry:

[repent]

@red tiger

 

you do not always need an internet connection to play games via steam.

[Cosmo81]

I used steam all the time, up until they closed my account. According to them I sold or let someone use it, and that it was against their terms of service. I tried to explain to them that I didnt and that I moved to a new state and thats why my IP Changed, still has not been reactivated until today, they want all sorts of receipts, its been years since then and i dont keep info that long. Whatever, ill just end up getting the hard copy.

[GranCalvo]

Steam is a great option, I hope ED finally gets to Steam, as I have said previously. There is many advantages for using Steam, but I would resume it in a few:</br> - Is a better Cp for legal user and does not mess with drivers and such of things. - Is hardly "pirateable". Downloaded versions of Steam games are unbreakable, ony Steamworks games could be "breakable", hardly, but not for playing Multiplayer. </br> - It uses a complete and powerful searching engine for Multiplayer games. </br> - The game is tied to the LEGAL USER, and not to their COMPUTER. The game would be mine, not from my computer. I remark this. </br> - You have not limited activations </br> - Steam has more than 15 million users who would see your game announced - </br> You have not to be always online for playing your games in single player. But You can't play it without steam.</br> - Red Orchestra has many mods (another steam game)</br> - Steam distribute also FREE user mods There is some ninor issues: </br> - Price is high for download versions. (By example, Stalker CS costs 49$ Via Steam and 25€ from play.com ) </br> - I think that Valve price for use of Steam is 50% of the sales. Not sure about this</br> I have bought 2 russian BS in DVD (a russian friend of mine bought for me). And I will also buy the western version distributed by Steam.

Edited November 2, 2008 by GranCalvo

[deviletk]

Armed Assault (BIS) use some degrading code in ArmA that breaks down the code as time goes by if pirated. I read many comments about that and that it works. You also get an ID when the game is installed wich when going online, can only be 1 of at the same time on the server. Dont know how they did it all, and i dont know how pirated it is (in fully working state over time), but it feels like its very smart things that has no hassle like needing internet connections, accounts or limited installations.

 

Regards

Alex

[leafer]

For the end user, I can think of a few

 

Advantages:

 

1. Convenience and CP that is less Draconian and easy to live with. CP is built-in with Steam. To play a game downloaded through Steam, you HAVE to Launch it from the Steam client. The game is heavily integrated into Steam with no way for a lay person to easily access it in a form that works without Steam.

 

2. The games you own are tied to your account, not your computer. This helps with CP but also means you can download and access the game from anywhere.

 

3. Built-in multiplayer support.

 

Disadvantages:

 

1. Same as an advantage; games you own are tied to your account. You will always need an internet connection to play them and to reinstall them.

 

2. Good luck with modding or using that 3rd-party development stuff. I don't even know how that would work. This would be easily to figure out though. Ask someone who plays IL2: 1946 through Steam if they can run any mods on their program.

 

Also...surprise, surprise; Steam games can be cracked, or so I've heard.

 

CP software reminds me of a dead bolt on an apartment door. Yeah it keeps the run of the mill burglars and crazy people out of your home. But if Johnny the axe murder REALLY wants to get in, he'll find a way.

 

Thanks, RedTiger. I'm not surprised that Steam is cracked -- just a matter of time. However, if by going with Steam, Black Shark gets proper exposure then I think it's well worth it.

 

I used steam all the time, up until they closed my account. According to them I sold or let someone use it, and that it was against their terms of service. I tried to explain to them that I didnt and that I moved to a new state and thats why my IP Changed, still has not been reactivated until today, they want all sorts of receipts, its been years since then and i dont keep info that long. Whatever, ill just end up getting the hard copy.

 

So games downloaded from Steam phone home a lot?

[Pilotasso]

I dislike steam as much as Activations.

[GranCalvo]

I Like Steam, I have not any problem with it. And It was not cracked, only games which uses Steam as MP system. But you can't play MP if you are not legal user.

[muamshai]

DRM is the way to go.

If game is old enough and/or company is going to be FUBARed (for example) then they can release a patch to disable DRM.

 

I don't like (my opinions):

 

Steam: Because it runs in the background.

Punk Buster: Runs in the background. Has its own service which runs whenever you start Windows.

 

DRM, as far as I understood, doesn't run in the background.

[192nd_Erdem]

Steam doesn't install any drivers, doesn't modify system files. It's just a program like a messenger that you can leave it working behind.

 

It only needs 5-6Mb's of RAM, and NO CPU at all when idle.

Edited November 2, 2008 by 192nd_Erdem

[Kuky]

After reading few posts about other CP ways SF and weekly disk check doesn't seem so bad at all... if only it wasn't cracked... how come FC SF is not cracked and BS has been?

[192nd_Erdem]

After reading few posts about other CP ways SF and weekly disk check doesn't seem so bad at all... if only it wasn't cracked... how come FC SF is not cracked and BS has been?

 

Because no "hacker" ever cared for FC? There wasn't much anticipation as have been for BS too.

[Pilotasso]

Weekly check was the ideal scheme. Too bad people crached DCS, now we pay the penalty for it.

[Havner]

DRM, as far as I understood, doesn't run in the background.

 

And how wrong you are here...

 

If we're talking about "process" then yes, technically there is no such thing running in background in starforce. But it installs kernel level drivers that "run" in the background which is much worse than any background process.

[rattler]

And how wrong you are here...

 

If we're talking about "process" then yes, technically there is no such thing running in background in starforce. But it installs kernel level drivers that "run" in the background which is much worse than any background process.

 

PERFECT RESPONSE. VERY TRUE.

[GGTharos]

Not to mention paranoid; there are plenty kernel-level access drivers that run on your system.

[GranCalvo]

DRM is the way to go.

If game is old enough and/or company is going to be FUBARed (for example) then they can release a patch to disable DRM.

 

I don't like (my opinions):

 

Steam: Because it runs in the background.

Punk Buster: Runs in the background. Has its own service which runs whenever you start Windows.

 

DRM, as far as I understood, doesn't run in the background.

 

That could be a great option, but ED Will NEVER release a patch to remove DRM, as you can see in Flaming Cliffs. Starforce recommends that publishers remove the driver after some time after releseasing the game, but ED doesn't do it. So, don't expect they remove DRM in BS after 1 or 2 years. Steam is a great option and does not use many resources. It's clean and safe and it does not install hidden drivers. There is another options, like Stardock System.

[rapid]

DRM is the way to go.

If game is old enough and/or company is going to be FUBARed (for example) then they can release a patch to disable DRM.

 

I don't like (my opinions):

 

Steam: Because it runs in the background.

Punk Buster: Runs in the background. Has its own service which runs whenever you start Windows.

 

DRM, as far as I understood, doesn't run in the background.

 

When I played half-life i would log on then log off of steam, so steam was never running in the background while i played Half-life.

 

Oh one other thing Some DRM interfear with your buring software example please remove blah blah burning software etc...you dont getr that with steam neither do you get any "rootkits"

Edited November 2, 2008 by rapid

[SUBS17]

Weekly check was the ideal scheme. Too bad people crached DCS, now we pay the penalty for it.

 

No ones cracked DCS all they've done is put it on torrent, does anyone know what version was put on torrent ? I'm too lazy to download it as I'd rather wait for the DVD. But seriously I'd believe it when I see it that SF has been cracked for DCS. BTW I know of a way to foil any such pirated torrent by using a patch which identifys the torrents crack and disables the program for anyone using it. That way if the people with the pirated version want any official patches and enhancements they have to buy the original.:thumbup: Quite a few programs use that nowdays.

[Groove]

I Like Steam, I have not any problem with it. And It was not cracked, only games which uses Steam as MP system. But you can't play MP if you are not legal user.

 

Sorry to disappoint you on that one but thare are many STEAM games being cracked, even counter strike source was for some time.

 

STEAM is NOT a "perfect" CP...

[GranCalvo]

No, only games distributed in DVD, not for the download version. Counter Strike Source has a DVD version and you can't play online in Steam with it if it's cracked, at least, AFAIK.

Edited November 2, 2008 by GranCalvo