Main Area and Open Discussion > Living Room
Steam: Savior or Slayer of PC Gaming?
wraith808:
steam asumes that the user is a thief-rxantos (August 29, 2011, 01:44 PM)
--- End quote ---
Huh? :huh:
In what way(s) does Steam assume the user is a thief?
-Deozaan (August 29, 2011, 02:59 PM)
--- End quote ---
Let's see...
* I have to enter an email verification code at least twice a week, if not more often because I use two computers and multiple browsers. Sometimes these emails take a while to arrive and in between... no play
-iphigenie (August 29, 2011, 03:49 PM)
--- End quote ---
This is for security. You can turn this off in your settings.
* I cannot run steam on two machines at once. Even though I have 100 games on Steam. Connecting on one immediately closes the other. I cannot download on one machine while playing on another, even though this is a common scenario since Steam forces all games on the same 1 partition and most of us have non infinite partitions...
-iphigenie (August 29, 2011, 03:49 PM)
--- End quote ---
An annoyance that I run across to be sure. But how is this so different than when we had physical media? And how is this assuming you are a criminal?
* Offline mode doesn't really work reliably. I am currently staying regularly in a little hotel without room internet access and most of the time Steam finds a reason or another... some bit of information missing which makes it doubt I have used steam on the machine before. Perhaps one time out of 3 I can play when offline. Assumption: unless it can validate everything, I am not allowed to play my games
-iphigenie (August 29, 2011, 03:49 PM)
--- End quote ---
I can't really comment, other than to say that the statement should be that it doesn't work reliably for you. I use it quite a bit on my netbook and on my other computer previously mentioned. Both of them stay in offline mode, and both of them have never had a problem with playing any game in offline mode- including MMOs.
If I let my husband play one of my 100 games, I am a steam-criminal. I am supposed to buy a separate copy of each game... Sorry Steam but the natural unit of a game played is the household. Now we have always bought two copies of games we both wanted to play a lot, or play online. (we have 2 copies of all Half Life games, Portal, Portal 2, Dungeon Keeper, Kohan, Din's Curse, Defense Grid etc. etc.) but there are many games which we might just dabble in and it should be possible to NOT have to buy two copies...
-iphigenie (August 29, 2011, 03:49 PM)
--- End quote ---
Not a Steam criminal- it just doesn't work in the way that we'd ideally like it to work. But it's understandable when compared against the limitations of physical media that it would be this way. I don't like it- but I don't see where the assuming I am a criminal comes in. Their business model is not as I would like it (and this is the reason that they have a lot of games that GoG doesn't), but it is what it is.
At the end of the day GoG has chosen to limit their catalog by sticking to their guns on DRM, and I do appreciate it, especially for the unique offerings in its catalog. But I also like the convenience of downloading and firing up Deus Ex on launch day, and not having to use media for it, so Steam offers me something other than the assumption that I'm a criminal, IMO.
steeladept:
Wraith, I think in some of your responses you are assuming she is trying to run the same game in multiple places at the same time (hence your references to physical media). However, I don't read that into it at all, and as long as they are not the same game, there is a HUGE difference in capabilities there. Running two copies at the same time may be a no-no, but it shouldn't stop you from installing it on one machine while playing a different game on another machine, just because it is the same account.
Deozaan:
Running two copies at the same time may be a no-no, but it shouldn't stop you from installing it on one machine while playing a different game on another machine, just because it is the same account.-steeladept (August 29, 2011, 04:46 PM)
--- End quote ---
It doesn't stop you from doing that. Put one in offline mode while you install the game on the other machine.
* I have to enter an email verification code at least twice a week, if not more often because I use two computers and multiple browsers. Sometimes these emails take a while to arrive and in between... no play
-iphigenie (August 29, 2011, 03:49 PM)
--- End quote ---
This is for security. You can turn this off in your settings.
-wraith808 (August 29, 2011, 04:38 PM)
--- End quote ---
I don't think you can turn this off. I've looked and I couldn't find how. It's an annoyance I'd like to disable. That said, I only have to enter the verification code once per browser per computer. The only reason I can see why you would have to do this so often is if you are clearing your cache/cookies or maybe if you're constantly changing your IP address?
steeladept:
Thanks for that info Deo, I don't use Steam so I didn't know one way or the other, but that is what I read from the original post I referenced.
wraith808:
Wraith, I think in some of your responses you are assuming she is trying to run the same game in multiple places at the same time (hence your references to physical media). However, I don't read that into it at all, and as long as they are not the same game, there is a HUGE difference in capabilities there. Running two copies at the same time may be a no-no, but it shouldn't stop you from installing it on one machine while playing a different game on another machine, just because it is the same account.
-steeladept (August 29, 2011, 04:46 PM)
--- End quote ---
Though Deo answered, I just wanted to say that I do that exact same thing, i.e. install on more than one computer. I have it on my tablet, both of my gaming pcs, and am getting ready to install it on my work laptop. Only one can be connected at a time, but I haven't brought my backup gaming pc nor my tablet online in forever, and I play on them pretty regularly.
I don't think you can turn this off. I've looked and I couldn't find how. It's an annoyance I'd like to disable. That said, I only have to enter the verification code once per browser per computer. The only reason I can see why you would have to do this so often is if you are clearing your cache/cookies or maybe if you're constantly changing your IP address?
-Deozaan (August 29, 2011, 05:08 PM)
--- End quote ---
I was talking from experience, not speculatively. I have mine on (I have gotten a bit paranoid about my gaming accounts as of late and have authenticators on everything that will take it now), but it used to be that I hated it. Especially since it seems to activate a lot more if you use your account in a lot of different places.
From within Steam. View -> Settings will bring up this dialog.
Steam: Savior or Slayer of PC Gaming?
Click the button the arrow is pointing to, and the following dialog will appear.
Steam: Savior or Slayer of PC Gaming?
Click the radio button. Then click next and follow the prompts.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version