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STEAM Announcements & Updates 2014 IV - For me it was Tuesday

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HoosTrax

Member
Well, damn :/ In any case, I can always relock and unlock cheevos using SAM, amirite guise?
Er, I'm no expert, but that sounds like something you would need to hack the Steam servers to accomplish. I mean, you can craft and send a message to Steam saying "unlock this achievement" I assume, I don't know that there is any such way of telling the servers to undo an unlock.
 

derExperte

Member
Honestly, I ended up cheating with a trainer from Gamecopyworld after 6-7 hours just to get pass all the battles asap because they were so boring.

They're only as boring as you want them to be. I had fun all the way through, often changing my playstyle.

Er, I'm no expert, but that sounds like something you would need to hack the Steam servers to accomplish. I mean, you can craft and send a message to Steam saying "unlock this achievement" I assume, I don't know that there is any such way of telling the servers to undo an unlock.

SAM can do it, no problem.
 

fantomena

Member
GODFUCKINGDAMMIT!! FFS VALVE YOU PIECE OF SHITS!!! FIX THE GODDAMN BADGES PAGE!!!!!

I can never get the badges page to load so I may have 100+ cards to drop without knowing
 
h9kRObA.gif

I swear this gets me...
Every...
Single...
Time.
 
A little premature, but here we are again. ^_^

--

So what's the deal with the Explodemon keys?
I own the April Fool's bundle... but I don't see any key appearing there -- and I have it on desura, apparently, but I don't see any option for getting a steam key.
 

Lunaniem

Member
Er, I'm no expert, but that sounds like something you would need to hack the Steam servers to accomplish. I mean, you can craft and send a message to Steam saying "unlock this achievement" I assume, I don't know that there is any such way of telling the servers to undo an unlock.

SAM lets you relock achievements.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Given that we're now at about 30 days per thread and shrinking, it might be useful to start looking at a monthly thread instead of ad-hoc new threads.

The benefit of putting the thread on a monthly schedule is that it helps reduce the extent to which clutter plays a role in the first 10-20 or so and last 10-20 or so pages; when the discussion is just anticipation of the next thread, or steam-venting that the new thread has arrived, it's the kind of thing that's more appropriate for a chat room than the thread. It also confuses people who are not regulars to the thread or who are new to the subject and want to feel like they can jump it at any time or can ask the questions they have. I don't blame people for doing it, it's just a kind of social hysteria.

In addition, this would also move closer to the way that all other platforms operate; iOS uses a monthly thread; Nintendo platforms use a monthly thread; Sony platforms use a weekly thread to emphasize new releases in the OP; Xbox is moving towards a monthly thread. So this would bring Steam in line a little bit.

This would require working out a few things, namely:
- What to do when 20k posts is hit a few days before the end of the month. As I'm sure everyone knows, 20k posts is not a magic number where vBulletin goes haywire, but rather a general guideline we use to achieve the objectives we have and increase readability. My personal standpoint is that hitting 20k posts on the 27th and ending up at 23k posts is not a terrible thing, but I'd check with other moderators first. Obviously if 20k posts were hit in 10 days, then I'd suggest a weekly thread here instead of monthly.
- What to do for sales and events, which themselves rack up multiple threads. The value of having an updated OP in sales threads is very high so I don't think we'd want to change that, and I also believe that Steam sales are so all-encompassing that the idea of still running a non-sale Steam thread during that period of time is totally redundant.
- Whether the kind of things put in the OP might vary by moving to a monthly thread versus just moving at the 20k mark. Maybe we'd look at incorporating monthly content about major releases or likely upcoming releases? Maybe the FAQ would drop some older questions and gain newer questions. The person responsible for the OP--and I really see no reason why MRORANGE couldn't continue because he does a great job--would also have to decide whether they'd do individual graphics for each thread, and if that was too much of a burden for them.

If there's any EXTREME opposition to monthly threads I'd love to hear it, but given that the last thread was 30 days give or take, it feels to me like now is pretty much the exact time we'd want to talk about transitioning.

Again, this is just me spitballing, it's not an external mandate, I don't expect a new thread to be created April 1st, it's and I haven't even talked to other moderators about it. But if other mods agree and the kind of people most involved in making threads here agree, I think it's something we'd do in the months to come. I just wanted to mention it in hopes that people could swish it around a bit. I think you guys know I'm also a member of this community and I don't typically approach moderation in a come-in-and-lay-down-the-law kind of way so I hope this communicates my desire to bring a little increased order to the process without forcing anything on people.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
They can be useful for new releases, I got around $6 just for getting South Park achievements when it came out.

I just put in a support ticket with Playfire. I think one of their reps checks in on this thread too every so often.

I joined Playfire when they first announced the rewards program. I've played (and earned a lot of achievements) since then, and it never tracks anything. I even have their app installed, running, and logged in.

Playfire insists that I own 0 games on Steam (they're a little off on that number) and that my account history is all from 1970 (Unix epoch). I guess something just got screwed up with my account. It sucks because I would have actually earned close to $20 in rewards since I signed up.
 

Grief.exe

Member
I never really played much of Bioshock Infinite past the first hour of the game. The first hour was great, but it already felt like it was starting to get repetitive.

Thinking about starting over from the beginning soon, then moving on to Burial at Sea (since I loved the first two Bioshock games).

Do you have to beat the main game before you can start the DLC? Are the stories connected? I thought I read somewhere it's like an alternate timeline thing?

It's an honest question - please try to make your answer as spoiler-free as possible.

That is how I've been describing my experience with Bioshock Infinite. Great atmosphere in the beginning and a climactic ending, but those two pieces are sandwiched by ~8 hours of pure mediocrity.

I am starting to think that Bioshock Infinite gets GOTY votes based purely on that first impression the game gives. There is no other explanation in my mind why it should even be in the top ten games of last year.
 

Tellaerin

Member
How is One Way Heroes? And it's made with rpg maker?

One Way Heroes is phenomenal. If you think you'd enjoy a "lighter" roguelike experience (that is to say, not as brutally punishing as "classic" roguelikes - each playthrough's relatively quick and you can carry over some items from one run to the next), you should definitely pick it up. It wasn't made in RPG Maker, as far as I know - I believe the author coded the engine himself, but don't quote me on that.
 
Given that we're now at about 30 days per thread and shrinking, it might be useful to start looking at a monthly thread instead of ad-hoc new threads.

I always thought it would be useful to have the new thread dump any keys that were unclaimed from the last thread onto the first page of the new one. Any reason why tha couldn't be considered?
 
One Way Heroes is phenomenal. If you think you'd enjoy a "lighter" roguelike experience (that is to say, not as brutally punishing as "classic" roguelikes - each playthrough's relatively quick and you can carry over some items from one run to the next), you should definitely pick it up. It wasn't made in RPG Maker, as far as I know - I believe the author coded the engine himself, but don't quote me on that.
He did, you're right.
 
Finished Yaiba.
The only real difficulty spike is kind of where it should have been... but that doesn't make it any easier. I did clear Hard mode.

I have a ton of screens I want to upload, but they all have spoilers and I don't really feel like tagging them as such... so I guess I'll have to wait a bit just to be fair.

I need to go try Arcade mode out.

--

Seems my 1300th game will be Mirror of Fate HD. I'm holding off on redeeming the 4 remaining keys of this latest bundle to do that, but hey, whynot, it's out in a day or so. :)
 

Tellaerin

Member
Given that we're now at about 30 days per thread and shrinking, it might be useful to start looking at a monthly thread instead of ad-hoc new threads.

I'd be totally good with a monthly thread. As you mentioned, that seems to more or less coincide with the average lifespan of a Steam thread these days anyway, and it'd also be nice for searchability. ("That was released back in May, wasn't it? Let's see what people were saying about it on launch day.")
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Preliminary feedback from other mods: "It wasn't already?" "If it hit 20k with a few days left, let them go, but if there were a lot of days left, make a new thread" "If it continues to grow, move to biweekly or weekly". So looks like the people most interested in responding are on the same page as me moderation-wise.

I always thought it would be useful to have the new thread dump any keys that were unclaimed from the last thread onto the first page of the new one. Any reason why tha couldn't be considered?

Mostly technical laziness, although I have in the post done mass-raffles of older unclaimed stuff every few months. The vast majority of what got mass-raffled in the past didn't work because people had already regifted their keys externally or whatever. Good point, though.
 

mrgone

Member
How is One Way Heroes? And it's made with rpg maker?

If you like Chunsoft roguelikes (the Mystery Dungeon series) you'll probably like it quite a bit - it's very much like one of those with the addition of forced scrolling to keep you moving forward. It's really neat.
 
Mostly technical laziness, although I have in the post done mass-raffles of older unclaimed stuff every few months. The vast majority of what got mass-raffled in the past didn't work because people had already regifted their keys externally or whatever. Good point, though.

Cool, Seems like it could be a fun way to kick off the new thread each month.
 

Turfster

Member
Monthly threads sound good.
Also, jesus JaseC, what the hell happened?
Last time I checked, I was about 100 posts behind you... not at around a third =p
(Of course, I've been slacking and doing more actual work lately)


Has their been any info as to why Steam is going down more and more?
Nope. There were some DDoS attacks claimed by different groups, but lately, nothing.
 

def sim

Member
I'd like monthly threads with an increased focus on whatever content is coming out that month, sure. If MRORANGE or whomever else is willing to do it, of course.

edit: whoever
 

Caerith

Member
How is One Way Heroes? And it's made with rpg maker?
Easy to learn, hard to master, will be in the SteamGAF top 10 this year.

If there's any EXTREME opposition to monthly threads I'd love to hear it, but given that the last thread was 30 days give or take, it feels to me like now is pretty much the exact time we'd want to talk about transitioning.
The only opposition I would offer is stuff you've already thought about. Some months are slower or faster than others and we might end up with April Part 2 but then only having 100 pages in May.
 

Parsnip

Member
63 posts in the previous thread, I'm never going to reach the hall of shame.
All for the better of mankind.

edit: Also, no objection to monthly thread from here. Having major releases in the OP would be neat too.
 

MRORANGE

Member
Given that we're now at about 30 days per thread and shrinking, it might be useful to start looking at a monthly thread instead of ad-hoc new threads.

The benefit of putting the thread on a monthly schedule is that it helps reduce the extent to which clutter plays a role in the first 10-20 or so and last 10-20 or so pages; when the discussion is just anticipation of the next thread, or steam-venting that the new thread has arrived, it's the kind of thing that's more appropriate for a chat room than the thread. It also confuses people who are not regulars to the thread or who are new to the subject and want to feel like they can jump it at any time or can ask the questions they have. I don't blame people for doing it, it's just a kind of social hysteria.

In addition, this would also move closer to the way that all other platforms operate; iOS uses a monthly thread; Nintendo platforms use a monthly thread; Sony platforms use a weekly thread to emphasize new releases in the OP; Xbox is moving towards a monthly thread. So this would bring Steam in line a little bit.

This would require working out a few things, namely:
- What to do when 20k posts is hit a few days before the end of the month. As I'm sure everyone knows, 20k posts is not a magic number where vBulletin goes haywire, but rather a general guideline we use to achieve the objectives we have and increase readability. My personal standpoint is that hitting 20k posts on the 27th and ending up at 23k posts is not a terrible thing, but I'd check with other moderators first. Obviously if 20k posts were hit in 10 days, then I'd suggest a weekly thread here instead of monthly.
- What to do for sales and events, which themselves rack up multiple threads. The value of having an updated OP in sales threads is very high so I don't think we'd want to change that, and I also believe that Steam sales are so all-encompassing that the idea of still running a non-sale Steam thread during that period of time is totally redundant.
- Whether the kind of things put in the OP might vary by moving to a monthly thread versus just moving at the 20k mark. Maybe we'd look at incorporating monthly content about major releases or likely upcoming releases? Maybe the FAQ would drop some older questions and gain newer questions. The person responsible for the OP--and I really see no reason why MRORANGE couldn't continue because he does a great job--would also have to decide whether they'd do individual graphics for each thread, and if that was too much of a burden for them.

If there's any EXTREME opposition to monthly threads I'd love to hear it, but given that the last thread was 30 days give or take, it feels to me like now is pretty much the exact time we'd want to talk about transitioning.

Again, this is just me spitballing, it's not an external mandate, I don't expect a new thread to be created April 1st, it's and I haven't even talked to other moderators about it. But if other mods agree and the kind of people most involved in making threads here agree, I think it's something we'd do in the months to come. I just wanted to mention it in hopes that people could swish it around a bit. I think you guys know I'm also a member of this community and I don't typically approach moderation in a come-in-and-lay-down-the-law kind of way so I hope this communicates my desire to bring a little increased order to the process without forcing anything on people.

Monthly threads would work and should be fine with keeping it up to date.
If we do reach the end of the thread before the month we could always create a new thread and keep going, until the month ends.
Not sure about keeping track of all games coming out on Steam, as SteamDB can't track everything beforehand and the list would need daily changes in some cases... I'll give it a shot.


BTW, here is a list of all the Steam announcement threads with how long they lasted:

Thread 1 (2008) : STEAM - announcements, updates and WIN (815 days)
Thread 2 (2010) : STEAM - Announcements & Updates 2010 (138 days)
Thread 3 (2011) : STEAM- Announcements & Updates 2011 Edition (176 days)
Thread 4 (2011) : STEAM- Announcements & Updates 2011 Edition |OT2| (105 days)
Thread 5 (2011) : STEAM announcements & updates 2011 Thread 3 | Buy now, play later. (73 days)
Thread 6 (2012) : STEAM announcements & updates 2012 Thread - Summer sales usually last week of June (160 days)
Thread 7 (2012) : STEAM announcements & updates 2012 Thread 2 - Bad Rats Daily Deal for next 6 months (66 days)
Thread 8 (2012) : STEAM announcements & updates 2012 Thread 3 - (100 days)
Thread 9 (2012) : STEAM announcements & updates 2012 Thread 4 - winter seal is coming (24 days)
Thread 10 (2013) : STEAM announcements & updates 2013 - Year of the SteamBox (89 days)
Thread 11 (2013) : STEAM announcements & updates 2013 II - ITT we buy $1 games and complain about them (74 days)
Thread 12 (2013) : STEAM Announcements/Updates 2013 - Summer sale start date? No one knows, don't ask (24 days)
Thread 13 (2013) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2013 IV - Christmas in July is over, back to real life (24 days)
Thread 14 (2013) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2013 V - Message Modbot for Good Time 1-800-555-READOP (34 days)
Thread 15 (2013) : STEAM 2013 Announcements & Updates: 6, GFWL: 0 | Number of hours played bugged (37 days)
Thread 16 (2013) : STEAM 2013 Announcements & Updates VII:Friends with benefits (30 days)
Thread 17 (2013) : STEAM 2013 Announcements & Updates VIII - Don't ask when the sales are starting. (30 days)
Thread 18 (2014) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2014 - To Next-Gen and Beyond! (22 days)
Thread 19 (2014) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2014 II - The Definitive Edition (30 days)
Thread 20 (2014) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2014 III - Don't Believe The Tags (32 days)
Thread 21 (2014) : STEAM Announcements & Updates 2014 IV - For me it was Tuesday (?)


Seems like monthly threads would be perfect in the long run.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Since Crusader Kings II is on sale, and a lot of people have asked, here is a PSA on a great Enhanced Steam feature you can use to scoop up all of the DLC you're missing with just a few clicks.

If you have Enhanced Steam installed, you can click the button above the DLC section that says "Options ".

otqtfmh.png


Next, you can click "Select unowned DLC".

lawErU4.png


Now all you have to do is press the "Add selected DLC to cart" at the bottom.

6Dngldl.png

I know most of you guys know this stuff already, but hopefully someone finds this tip useful.

Why in the world Valve hasn't implemented something similar is beyond me.
 
For those in the fence about CKII, the base game and a few extra DLC I had laying around. I THINK every code works.

ModBot said:
Instructions for participants:
I am giving away 13 Steam keys. To enter this giveaway, send a PM to ModBot with any subject line. In the body, copy and paste the entire line below that corresponds to the key you want (if you include more than one game, you will be blocked from entering).

Rules for this Giveaway:
- If you are a lurker you are not eligible for this giveaway. You need five or more posts in either the current Steam thread or the previous one to be eligible
- This is a free for all! You can enter for multiple games on the list below. Send an individual PM for each game you'd like to win.
- If you won a game from ModBot in the last day, you are not eligible for this giveaway.
- This giveaway is a raffle. The winners will be selected by random draw 3 hours after the draw was created. Any games not claimed after that point will be given away first come first serve.
- Do not trade keys you win off-site to enrich yourself. Don't try to claim games you have no interest in collecting or playing. Don't claim games to give them to friends off-site.
- If the key is already taken you will not receive a reply. Replies may take a minute or two:


Crusader Kings II Songs of Faith DLC -- MB-35679D058569DDAD - Taken by Sub Zero. 4 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II -- MB-EE3090A4D511DBF3 - Taken by zeroOman. 14 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Dynasty Shields DLC Pack -- MB-2E3EB538936D7985 - Taken by Deques. 3 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II African Unit Pack DLC -- MB-8B85F80F3C6D7482
Crusader Kings II Songs of the Holy Land DLC -- MB-40EB3B5526AC91F6 - Taken by gabbo. 4 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Ruler Designer DLC -- MB-44767471F6A428B0 - Taken by Arthea. 3 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Legacy of Rome -- MB-BC0708F58AD86267 - Taken by Diedac. 1 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Dynasty Shield II -- MB-57F6A2824180DFAF - Taken by Benedict. 3 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II African Portraits -- MB-8BFE234A9D617909 - Taken by PandaPedinte. 3 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Songs of Albion DLC -- MB-B25AFB966A12AA4F
Crusader Kings II Byzantine Unit Pack -- MB-836F6D62429F3D16 - Taken by Lain. 1 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Mongols DLC Pack -- MB-81727DB57ACA7289 - Taken by corrosivefrost. 2 entrants total.
Crusader Kings II Sword of Islam -- MB-D6F42A4E132B0EB2 - Taken by Zafir. 5 entrants total.


t1395791572z1.png
 

Arthea

Member
you guys are so fast! Already this new thread isn't new and I only now reporting in

Super_Inframan thanks for Disco Dodgeball!
 

TronLight

Everybody is Mikkelsexual
That is how I've been describing my experience with Bioshock Infinite. Great atmosphere in the beginning and a climactic ending, but those two pieces are sandwiched by ~8 hours of pure mediocrity.

I am starting to think that Bioshock Infinite gets GOTY votes based purely on that first impression the game gives. There is no other explanation in my mind why it should even be in the top ten games of last year.

The next time someone asks me about Infinite I'll just quote this post.
 
Since Crusader Kings II is on sale, and a lot of people have asked, here is a PSA on a great Enhanced Steam feature you can use to scoop up all of the DLC you're missing with just a few clicks.



I know most of you guys know this stuff already, but hopefully someone finds this tip useful.

Why in the world Valve hasn't implemented something similar is beyond me.

Woooooooooow.


That irritated me to no end. I have enhanced steam and I didn't even know it did that.
 

TronLight

Everybody is Mikkelsexual
Monthly threads would work and should be fine with keeping it up to date.
If we do reach the end of the thread before the month we could always create a new thread and keep going, until the month ends.
Not sure about keeping track of all games coming out on Steam, as SteamDB can't track everything beforehand and the list would need daily changes in some cases... I'll give it a shot.


BTW, here is a list of all the Steam announcement threads with how long they lasted:

Thread 1 (2008) : STEAM - announcements, updates and WIN (815 days)
Seems like monthly threads would be perfect in the long run.


A single thread for 3 years? Unthinkable.
 
Any Wrassle-GAF here tell me the context of Vince making those goofy o-faces?

It's a mixture of two videos. The part with Vince was when Stacy Kiebler danced for him: http://youtu.be/rI1DcUuBy5k and the part with the bodybuilder is from the early 90s when Vince created the World Bodybuilding Federation and offered commentary. He went insane over the guy's body and complimented him a lot.

A single thread for 3 years? Unthinkable.

Those were the dark days for Steam and PC on NeoGAF.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Monthly threads would work and should be fine with keeping it up to date.
If we do reach the end of the thread before the month we could always create a new thread and keep going, until the month ends.

the consensus from mods is that if the thread got to 20k at the 27th-29th or later, keep going, but if it was more like the 21st-23rd, new thread... and then if we were frequently getting 2 threads in a month, look at moving to biweekly or whatever.

Not sure about keeping track of all games coming out on Steam, as SteamDB can't track everything beforehand and the list would need daily changes in some cases... I'll give it a shot.

Not so much an exhaustive list, there's way way way too much stuff, but rather if there's a few games that came out it'd be cool to have their art and maybe if there are notable GAF impressions, quotes from GAF members or something. And for upcoming stuff, I guess anything with a fixed date that seems like a big deal. Don't feel like you need to put in significant work or anything, this isn't your job, so only do this if you want to. Just a reflection that it might be nice.
 
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