Steamworks and F:NV

[Toast]

So, with Fallout: New Vegas coming out next month, I've been considering getting it for PC rather than 360 due to modability. When I was reading up on the game, I found out that PC versions of the game will use Steamworks as drm.

From what I understand so far, this means that I will have to have a Steam account in order to play, no matter where I buy the game from. I'm guessing, although I haven't seen it said specifically, that this also means that I have to download and use Steam anytime I want to play.

I know Steam has an offline mode, but I hear mixed reports from people, some who say their games become buggy and problematic in offline mode, and others who say they've never had problems.

So, my questions are:

Does anyone have any Steamworks games, but hasn't used Steam before and can tell me what that's like.

Has anyone experienced any problems using Steam's offline mode?

Once I have the game installed, is it possible to uninstall Steam, or is it integrated into the game's patching, dlc, etc.? I know this is the case for Steam's digital download games, with automatic patching, etc., but how does this apply to a game that just uses Steamworks DRM but hasn't been bought through Steam?

How does Steam compare to Impulse?

Is anyone else as annoyed as I am that I have to go through a third party just to play a game that I (at some point in the near future, will) own?

[greed]

Damn I was gonna make a New Vegas post, but was too tired today.

Anyway, yeah Steamworks means that the Steam shell runs in the background while the game runs. However you only need to connect to the net once and you get unlimitied installs.

Personally I used to have issues with Steam about 5 or 6 years ago that were bad enough to put me off Half Life 2. However since downloading Steam in order to get the free copy of Portal a while back I've decided that I'm fine with it. The service has greatly imrpoved and offline mode is reliable. Downloads are fast even in my remote asshole of a city.

And no it is not possible to uninstall Steam without uninstalling the game, at least not without getting into stuff that you'd get in trouble for discussing on the forum. I'm sure some of the more tech savy members could PM you instructions if you want to go that route.

On the last question it's a little annoying but honestly DRM's kind of an inevitability on big budget PC games these days(either due to executives getting their heads up their asses over illusory lost sales, or a expected response to a legitimate pirating problem, I don't pay enough attention to say), and Steam's by far the best. Beats GFWL which is what Fallout 3 had. And sure as hell beats Ubisoft's abomination.


tip for Steam: turn auto updating off (by right clicking on the game's icon in the Steam browser, then clicking properties you should be able to tell the game how to treat updates). This allows you to update when you want to. I found this out the hard way when I had to wait an hour to play Portal as it had started downloading an update for Portal when I fired up the Steam client (this may be less of an issue if you leave the client on by default, I don't but you could).

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Being frank I don't think I'd give a very solid opinion as to whether running Steam just to play a game is annoying or not because I run it at startup anyway. I even launch non-steam games through it so I can use the in game friends list and browser.
I love Steam, a whole heck of a lot.

[Toast]

Anyway, yeah Steamworks means that the Steam shell runs in the background while the game runs. However you only need to connect to the net once and you get unlimitied installs.
Do you mean that Steam still runs in the background even when in offline mode?


And no it is not possible to uninstall Steam without uninstalling the game, at least not without getting into stuff that you'd get in trouble for discussing on the forum. I'm sure some of the more tech savy members could PM you instructions if you want to go that route.

Yeah, I figured as much, but I was kind of hoping I could get away with just a Steam account once the game itself was installed.

On the last question it's a little annoying but honestly DRM's kind of an inevitability on big budget PC games these days(either due to executives getting their heads up their asses over illusory lost sales, or a expected response to a legitimate pirating problem, I don't pay enough attention to say), and Steam's by far the best. Beats GFWL which is what Fallout 3 had. And sure as hell beats Ubisoft's abomination.
I generally don't mind unobtrusive and non-invasive drm. Being required to download and use third party software is not unobtrusive. If I wanted to make use of steam I would do so, I should not be required to. That's really another topic, though.

I run it at startup anyway. I even launch non-steam games through it so I can use the in game friends list and browser.
yeah, all of those extra social perks that Steam has really don't mean much for me. I'm a single player/ couch multiplayer gamer at heart.

[Geminex]

Has anyone experienced any problems using Steam's offline mode?
Massive "YES" to this. They patched quite a few problems, but it still screws up on occasion. Not to mention that, I think, you need to go online every once in a while or the game won't let you play.

Mind you, steam has tons of advantages. Patching and 'social' stuff is absolutely seamless, so I wouldn't be too annoyed. If not for the whole 'offline mode' thing. But hey, this is valve. If nothing else, they're customer-friendly. I'm hoping that they'll be patching offline mode again.

[Doc ock rokc]

essentially you only need to "Log on" once a month to keep steam games. But Steam is like Free Xbox live. They offer Demos, social lists, Browser (to look up gamefacts in game), leader boards, Hell they even take data on how you play in certian games and put it up. there is various groups to join (some about solo gaming) and its a fantastic store. I personally only experienced 2-3 problems in the 2-3years of use.

[Lost in Time]

That's not true. I only ever had to log on for the first time to install the game and I've been fine since. And that was over a year ago.

The only problem with offline mode is that you can only go to it if Steam thinks that all your games are fully patched. If not, Steam will have a fit.

[Fifthfiend]

Steam owns, fuck haters, go get it, shut up, thread over, good thread, glad we had this thread.

[Magus]

I hate having to connect to the internet to install stuff (internet in my area is seriously horrible, especially if it had to be on all the time), why can't security be good enough on the disc? It hasn't even stopped any damn pirates, anyway. It's so pointless! SO POINTLESS! I can't even get my head around the paradox of doing this to legit customers. It's like how you only see FBI warnings about the illegality of piracy on legit DVD movies you paid monies for. That message is NEVER on dvd rips. Layers and layers of paradox here.

[Toast]

Massive "YES" to this. They patched quite a few problems, but it still screws up on occasion. Not to mention that, I think, you need to go online every once in a while or the game won't let you play.

Yeah, that figures. It'd be just my luck that it would screw up for me.

Mind you, steam has tons of advantages. Patching and 'social' stuff is absolutely seamless, so I wouldn't be too annoyed. If not for the whole 'offline mode' thing. But hey, this is valve. If nothing else, they're customer-friendly. I'm hoping that they'll be patching offline mode again.

But Steam is like Free Xbox live. They offer Demos, social lists, Browser (to look up gamefacts in game), leader boards, Hell they even take data on how you play in certian games and put it up. there is various groups to join (some about solo gaming) and its a fantastic store.

Yeah, I just don't have any interest in any of the social extras that Steam has. Perusing this and the oots forums are enough for me.


Also, can anyone answer this definitively?
Do you mean that Steam still runs in the background even when in offline mode?




Definitely agree with you, Magus.

Steam owns, fuck haters, go get it, shut up, thread over, good thread, glad we had this thread.
Very insightful, thanks. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if Steam weren't a free service, there would be a lot more people up in arms about it than there are. That it is a free service in no way diminishes how shitty it is to require it for a game not bought through Steam.

Thanks to everyone for the comments so far. I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

[Revising Ocelot]

Most of the Steam complaints are from when Half-Life 2 was released, when it -was- worthless. The service is perfectly fine now, and I've personally never had trouble with offline mode.

Just don't get Steam, because it seems clear to me you don't want it. If you refuse to try a free service, there's really no point trying to convince you otherwise.

[greed]

Also, can anyone answer this definitively?


Yes it does run in the background. However you can tell it what it can do (updates whatever) so it can use minimal processing power/ no bandwith. If you've got even shitty RAM it shouldn't be an issue.