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STEAM announcements & updates 2013 - Year of the SteamBox

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Salsa

Member
ibkTecPKIC292N.PNG


let it be known im helping to unlock that reward

you waiters and naysayers!
 
Posted yet? http://store.steampowered.com/eula/39140_eula

END USER LICENSE AGREEMENTS FOR [REMASTERED] FINAL FANTASY VII

I might be the only one in the world who actually reads these things, because it's amusing how bullshit they are.

For so long as you are in compliance with the provisions of this EULA, SEL grants you the non-exclusive limited right and licence to: (a) install one (1) copy of the Software Product into and use it on a single hard drive which is under your custody and control and which meets the specifications referred to in the manual for your own private and domestic use only; (b) transfer the Software Product from one hard drive to another PROVIDED it is used on only one (1) hard drive at any one time and any hard drive on which it is used is under your custody and control at the time of use;

No using your Steam games on multiple computers, folks. (Almost every game's EULA has similar language.)
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
So, no more .net framework and direct x installations for every title? Praise the sun.

No, that'll still occur, for reasons explained here. It seems the recent backend update to Steam checks for existing prerequisties and skips the installation if found, meaning if you've installed a game before, you no longer need to sit through the DirectX/.NET/Visual C++ installations should you reinstall later -- they'll still be required when installing a different game, as it may use different versions of the files.
 

iavi

Member
No, that'll still occur, for reasons explained here. It seems the recent backend update to Steam checks for existing prerequisties and skips the installation if found, meaning if you've installed a game before, you no longer need to sit through the DirectX/.NET/C++ installations -- they'll still occur when installing a different game, as it may use different versions of the files.

Why is directx such a clusterfuck

This update's better than nothing, though.
 

VALIS

Member
Why is directx such a clusterfuck

What? It's not some flaw of DirectX's that Steam chooses to have every game install the specific version of DirectX it was written for, and it's not a bad decision by Steam either. Better an extra two minutes of install time to ensure less bugs.
 
In Valve's attempts to be a "distributor" they've buckled under their core values and screwed their customers. Steam is becoming a mine field for DRM. I feel bad for people who don't read threads like this and think "oh neat I liked that game" not knowing that it's probably easier to just play the original.

It's about time they showed some spine and stop authorising publishers who do stuff like that.
 

ACE 1991

Member
So for whatever reason I can't Dota 2 to patch; I got to about 91% and then the game refuses to continue downloading. I've restarted steam multiple times. This happened when the client patched last week too, and the only way I could fix it was by re installing both dota 2 and steam, which I really don't want to have to do every damn patch. Any ideas?
 

Salsa

Member
bought Little Inferno as well

im intrigued by the supposed twist. Heard there's more to the gameplay than what it might seem.
 

Painraze

Unconfirmed Member
In Valve's attempts to be a "distributor" they've buckled under their core values and screwed their customers. Steam is becoming a mine field for DRM. I feel bad for people who don't read threads like this and think "oh neat I liked that game" not knowing that it's probably easier to just play the original.

It's about time they showed some spine and stop authorising publishers who do stuff like that.

What the hell are you going on about? The FF7 thing?
 

Derrick01

Banned
Yeah, you have to run the game in order to unlock your hats.

Thanks for telling me. Apparently I had other items waiting for me too but I can't tell from what. I want to guess some of them are from Xcom since I see a guile haircut.

edit: Why is 1 item that I listed not showing up when I manually check? All of the other ones are showing but for some reason I have 1 that isn't, but on the market home page under my listed items it shows up.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
What? It's not some flaw of DirectX's that Steam chooses to have every game install the specific version of DirectX it was written for, and it's not a bad decision by Steam either. Better an extra two minutes of install time to ensure less bugs.
Actually, it is exactly that.
 

CzarTim

Member
Guys, this is crazy, but I wanted to post it anyway:

- Bunch of M$ games showing up on Steam database (Halo 3?)
- Age of Empires 2 HD to have Steamworks
- GFWL to be discontinued? Likely.
- Valve working on Steambox
- Valve lets a bunch of people go.
- M$ helps Dell go private.
- Piston will be Windows

So... Steam to come with all Windows machines + Dell distributes 'official' Steambox. Linux threat was a negotiating tactic.
 
Guys, this is crazy, but I wanted to post it anyway:

- Bunch of M$ games showing up on Steam database (Halo 3?)
- Age of Empires 2 HD to have Steamworks
- GFWL to be discontinued? Likely.
- Valve working on Steambox
- Valve lets a bunch of people go.
- M$ helps Dell go private.
- Piston will be Windows

So... Steam to come with all Windows machines + Dell distributes 'official' Steambox. Linux threat was a negotiating tactic.

mind-blown.gif



In all likelihood though, that's a big, big stretch.
 

Sober

Member
So question for anyone who bought Don't Starve from the devs (Humble Store), do the two Steam copies they give you also net you the TF2 promo items? I don't really care too much about getting the TF2 items, but my brother was curious and I was going to split it with him, and he kinda wants the items as well.
 

drizzle

Axel Hertz
What? It's not some flaw of DirectX's that Steam chooses to have every game install the specific version of DirectX it was written for, and it's not a bad decision by Steam either. Better an extra two minutes of install time to ensure less bugs.

I don't actually understand why this is such an issue. That's how DirectX works? You're supposed to have the install for the DX Libraries that the game was built with. That's kind of the point of DirectX.

You'll always end up with multiple copies of it installed, because each version of it has different stuff that games do or do not use.

What sucks is that some games, for some weird reason, try to install it every single time you run the game. They'll "check" if you have the proper DX version installed. What I understood from the Patch Note is that this specific issue is being addressed.
 

iavi

Member
I don't actually understand why this is such an issue. That's how DirectX works? You're supposed to have the install for the DX Libraries that the game was built with. That's kind of the point of DirectX.

You'll always end up with multiple copies of it installed, because each version of it has different stuff that games do or do not use.

What sucks is that some games, for some weird reason, try to install it every single time you run the game. They'll "check" if you have the proper DX version installed. What I understood from the Patch Note is that this specific issue is being addressed.

over 40 different variations under DX9 alone seems incredibly excessive. I'm sure there's a logic to it that I'm not understanding fully, but, even then, that hardly changes the idea that there are at least 40 branches of DX9 out there.
 

drizzle

Axel Hertz
over 40 different variations under DX9 alone seems incredibly excessive. I'm sure there's a logic to it that I'm not understanding fully, but, even then, that hardly changes the idea that there are at least 40 branches of DX9 out there.

And if you have 40 games that run off a different Direct X, you'll have 40 DirectX versions installed.

Again, that's how it works. It's a "fault" of the .DLL system. That's why your WINSX folder is only a couple gigs when you just install windows, but then it balloons to 13-15 gigs after a while: it has a copy of every version of every DLL needed to run your apps.

That way, every application can come with it's own set of DLLs and be transparent to the end user: shit just works, because it comes with whatever shit it needs. Same version DLL can be shared, but the app has to provide that DLL if it's not available.

The alternative, dependency packs on Linux, is a better more efficient solution overall, but puts the burden of keeping shit upgraded on the user. And when repositories, kept by the users, are not kept up to date, you have to scrounge the fucking hell depths of the internet to find out that this application was built on the new beta aversion of a packet that wasn't upgraded on your particular Linux branch. And then you lost 4 hours, because you'll have to compile the version yourself because everything related to Linux is a fucking mess.

But that's not the point of this conversation.
 

iavi

Member
And if you have 40 games that run off a different Direct X, you'll have 40 DirectX versions installed.

Again, that's how it works. It's a "fault" of the .DLL system. That's why your WINSX folder is only a couple gigs when you just install windows, but then it balloons to 13-15 gigs after a while: it has a copy of every version of every DLL needed to run your apps.

That way, every application can come with it's own set of DLLs and be transparent to the end user: shit just works, because it comes with whatever shit it needs. Same version DLL can be shared, but the app has to provide that DLL if it's not available.

The alternative, dependency packs on Linux, is a better more efficient solution overall, but puts the burden of keeping shit upgraded on the user. And when repositories, kept by the users, are not kept up to date, you have to scrounge the fucking hell depths of the internet to find out that this application was built on the new beta aversion of a packet that wasn't upgraded on your particular Linux branch. And then you lost 4 hours, because you'll have to compile the version yourself because everything related to Linux is a fucking mess.

But that's not the point of this conversation.

It's definitely a case of it is what it is with me, as, like you say, the end experience is transparent enough. I don't think Linux's alternative of maintaining a personal library of DLLs is the only alternative, just the other known.

Improvements in this space would actually be something interesting to hear about.
 

Salsa

Member
Let's do this. (talk to you on steam tomorrow, maybe?)

dude I forgot we talked earlier and totaly bailed out on you, already got it now

im evil like that as it turns out

plenty of people here must wanna get it so dont get all puppy face
 

TronLight

Everybody is Mikkelsexual
Guys, this is crazy, but I wanted to post it anyway:

- Bunch of M$ games showing up on Steam database (Halo 3?)
- Age of Empires 2 HD to have Steamworks
- GFWL to be discontinued? Likely.
- Valve working on Steambox
- Valve lets a bunch of people go.
- M$ helps Dell go private.
- Piston will be Windows

So... Steam to come with all Windows machines + Dell distributes 'official' Steambox. Linux threat was a negotiating tactic.

What would that mean? Any source?
Like, we will still have to log-in and the drm would still be working or something else?
 

zkylon

zkylewd
dude I forgot we talked earlier and totaly bailed out on you, already got it now

im evil like that as it turns out

plenty of people here must wanna get it so dont get all puppy face
this is why latin america is broken man, there's no love, it's all backstabbing and games and shit
 

VALIS

Member
Actually, it is exactly that.

How so? The way I understand it, later builds of DirectX would likely work just fine with games written for previous builds, but just to try and ensure as error free an experience as possible, it makes the most sense to install the specific DX build along with the game. Not so much a flaw of DirectX's but Steam being extra cautious. And having played PC games since the early 80s, automated shit like this is a godsend. It used to be way, wayyy more random to get a PC game up and running successfully in the pre-Steam days.
 

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
IIRC, Valve has ported L4D's content to L4D2, so unless you're a purist it's completely unnecessary.


Well there's something to said for L4D's purity. I'm not a huge fan of playing the L4D campaigns with L4D2s monsters and weapons. I prefer playing the originals. But if you don't care about that then yeah it doesn't really matter.

I was also reading something about in Valves Extended Mutator beta someone making a L4D1 style mod for L4D2 so be interested to see more about that.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
that's some sad saorise

Any Saoirse is Best Saoirse. ;)

Well there's something to said for L4D's purity.

Absolutely. I myself greatly prefer 1.6 to Source and GO, but unfortunately it's all but dead here, unless you're one for awful server-side mods.

I was also reading something about in Valves Extended Mutator beta someone making a L4D1 style mod for L4D2 so be interested to see more about that.

I'd forgotten that Valve opened up L4D2. Until recently it was a point of reference for those worrying that Valve's support for mods was beginning to wane.
 

omg_mjd

Member
Thanks guys. I decided to just get L4D2 since I only played a little of the first one so I probably won't even notice the difference.
 

Bluth54

Member
What would that mean? Any source?
Like, we will still have to log-in and the drm would still be working or something else?

While Microsoft hasn't officially discontinued Games for Windows Live it's pretty clear that it's dead since Microsoft is releasing games on Steam using Steamworks instead of Games for Windows Live.
 

Deques

Member
Who wants to split Dont starve purchase with me?
I'll buy directly from their site

edit: already bought. Anyone wants to buy the second key send me a PM
 
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