Huge Steam upgrade coming

[Essay @ Kustom]

While Valve's content distribution system, Steam, has always been a great system, it did lack some features that would have made it truly essential. Valve's planned upgrade to the system, starting in July, should bring a much needed "social" element to it, allowing users to create profile pages ( I'm assuming something similar to the Xbox Gamer Tag ) that details the games they play. With this being a free ad-on, will this be the final nail in Microsofts Gaming For Windows coffin?

Linky for more (http://www.spawnpoint.com/feature/103/Valve_announces_major_STEAM_upgrade_for_Summer_200 7).

http://kustompcs.co.uk/news/gaming/valve_head2.gif

[Archaon]

I've always hated Steam, personally...

[jacobzcoool]

Yeah, only ever used it because I have to

[Westy5]

But you do use it - and they probably consider you a client - and target for further marketing and development

Captive market anyone?

[brumster]

Steam is brilliant; maybe less so today but when it came out it was a clever bit of foresight that paved the way for online content. I'm less fussed about all the online player stats and all that glitz but I guess it's a natural progression for them.

[jacobzcoool]

But you do use it - and they probably consider you a client - and target for further marketing and development

Captive market anyone?
I wouldn't pay for anything else except games on it.

[Westy5]

I wouldn't pay for anything else except games on it.

Ahh, didn't realise they were going to charge for the social networking element - My mistake

[jacobzcoool]

Well, IDK if they will or not but I wouldn't pay money for it, and I assume they will charge for it

[Essay @ Kustom]

Nope, i believe it is staying free.

[bulldog]

I've never had a problem with Steam and I very much like the idea of getting more money into the hands of the game developers as opposed to the publishers.

I wouldn't mind seeing an online stats and achievements and rewards system like Xbox Live has.

[Cosmo_1847]

Steam is alright but I do hate that you are not allowed to start the game without the internet. Makes it very annoying for LANS.

[Haanz]

Steam is alright but I do hate that you are not allowed to start the game without the internet. Makes it very annoying for LANS.

That's pretty much my opinian on it, too.

I like the social integration though. These kind of things always appealed to me, though if they get into stats I'd like to choose which ones to track. Interesting stats like time played, total kills with weapons, most maps played etc I like. But the moment it starts tracking things like skill and kill/death ratio, I find it harder to just relax and play the game.

I hope they don't thing they're going to become the next Xfire though; I just don't play enough Steam based games to care.

[Sub]

since when do you need the net to start games?
it's had an offline mode since it's release?

[Ryberg]

Well I don't know if it counts for the other folks too, but I can't play CSS nor HL2 when in offline mode. Only the oldies like HL and 1.6.

[Juanito]

I've recently refound steam. When I got Half-Life 2 I found the need to spend hours installing updates annoying and the buy games aspect didn't appeal as they had nothing good. Now I look and theres a ton of good games on there that can be bought and delivered in hours, they even let you pre-downlod some of bioshock to get it quick. Which was a nice touch. It also allows for good security and protection without being to over zelous IMO (exept for cracked accounts and bioshock).

But then, mainly, it just appeals to my desire to have less CD's clogging up space.

[spikeboy4]

[/quote]But then, mainly, it just appeals to my desire to have less CD's clogging up space.[/quote]

Same here, although ive played 1.6 since it was just a free mod for hl1, and when steam came out it was a ball ache....then i got used to it and loved it :P

Anybody fancy starting a kustompcs group on steam ^_^?

[[M]uuhh]

I love steam, it was glitch at the beginning but i never personally had a problem with it. i love the way i can type in my credit card number and the game is Instantly playable. no more going to the store or buying online waiting for delivery. i found the old friends feature quite good as it let my friends join in the game i was playing. i dont see why people hate steam. Jacob, you use Xfire. isn't that worse than steam? i think it is. when i buy a game in the store, i have to have the CD in the drive whining away when i laod up a game, or i have to go trhough some annoying install prosses. i personaly dont run steam 24/7 but i do run it when i play games, most of the games i play are steam based. it takes roughtly 10 secs to load and i have all ym games at my finger tips. no need for 20 desktop icons :)Anybody fancy starting a kustompcs group on steam ^_^? that would probably go down along with the Kustom Klan? :P

[jacobzcoool]

you don't always need a disk in the drive, there is plenty of software to use (legally!) to run it without a disk.

[[M]uuhh]

yeah but i dont have to download cracks or image a CD to use steam :) whats more is i dont need to visit gamecopyworld and be spamemd with activeX installs.

[theuncharmed]

Have to agree with you [M]uuhh Steam just makes buying and playing games too easy. Also love how Steam can have mods integrated (and advertised) so easily. Been playing HL2: Riot Act to get me ready for EP:2.

It also opens you up to a whole feast of games I would never have bought before Steam - Peggle, Rag Doll Kung Fu, etc.

[spikeboy4]

that would probably go down along with the Kustom Klan? :P

Damn strait :D

[Fat Jez]

uuhh;417493']that would probably go down along with the Kustom Klan? :P


We tried that, even had a server at one point.

Cheers,
Stephen

[spikeboy4]

What happened? :s

[Fat Jez]

What happened? :s

lack of interest/commitment


or in my case, skill!

Cheers,
Stephen

[spikeboy4]

Awwww geez

[Mija Win]

I forked out £35 for Halo 2 for vista. Bought An Xbox live subscription and the only real advantage was listening to somebody deliberately making their headset output static. Steam's community section has brought life back into the Source games, I strongly recommend you look at some of the discussion grous where you can talk about one of the greatest obsessions of this era: Gaming.

[Annihlator]

I like ever, its nice and fast, and more important: I cant lose any more disks or scratch em up.
If it comes to me and discs, i have two big dvd racks, two pieces of bookcase filled with solely original cds, then some piles with freeware,demos,own burned discs (including backups) and whatnot. the backups for the obvious reason of scratching.

Also even better, if you ever format your pc, you just download steam and order it to download and install everything for you, i done that with this latest install and had the complete Half-Life series and source game, dark messiah, darwinia and some more reinstalled in rougly 4 to 5 hours including download time, pretty fast in my opinion. also ordering games is dead-easy due to creditcard usage or paypal. and the join a friend thing while in game is straight from gamers heaven too :p

[spikeboy4]

I think this has deffinatley been a huge improvment, but it depresses me when you ask a huge steam fan "so do you still play cs 1.6" "whats cs 1.6 :s"

If memory serves, that was one of the main functions for steam, wheras now its all source and alot of people dont even know or remember 1.6

<sniff>

[jacobzcoool]

You should speak to someone I know, every 3rd sentence he says seems to have 1.6 in it :p

[spikeboy4]

:d We gotta compensate for all the people who don't remember :p