The Valve and Steam Platform Discussion Thread

[tuluse]

If SteamOS takes off, you'll likely have other digital stores selling Linux games without Steam DRM. As a matter of fact, GOG has already announced this. Then you can play games on a Linux distro of your choice, without NSA backdoors and shitty tablet interfaces (or, if you like shitty tablet interfaces, Linux has a ton as well).

Humble Bundle also sells DRM free Linux games, and I would assume Amazon would jump on since it's should be little effort on their part.

 

[Metro]

Anyway, unless Gabe creates a buggy, filled with vulnerabilities for some NSA spying, over priced and with a terrible interface piece of crap operational system like Microsoft did, I'm okay with it.

And what do you think Steam is?

It's not overpriced.

A don't see why you would want a buggy, filled with vulnerabilities for some NSA spying, terrible interface piece of crap operational system even if it was free, so its arguably still overpriced, if slightly less so than what Microsoft offers.

It's fucking Linux. You're running out of options for OS if you hate them all.

 

[StaticSpine]

this looks p.cool

http://store.steampowered.com/app/255070/

 

[Astral Rag]

[Incline] Carmageddon and Splat Pack are coming to Steam:

Yes - you’ve been asking us for it, and we’ve listened! We’re HIGHLY EXCITED to announce that ALL EARLY ACCESS CUSTOMERS (including past, current and future EARLY ACCESS owners and purchasers) of Carmageddon: Reincarnation will now also find an additional treat for them in their Steam Library, in the shape of the Carmageddon Max Pack (that’s Carmageddon 1, and the Carmageddon Splat Pack)! Wowsers! Yes, now you can play “compare the original with the NEW game” – without having to leave the comfort of your Steam Account! And what’s more, it supports LAN Multiplayer too – so you can even have some MP fun while waiting for MP to be ready for release as part of a forthcoming Carma:R Update! It’s DRM Free, too!

That’s right – if you’re one of our Early Access supporters, we want to show you our gratitude in as many ways as possible, and so we’ve decided to make the original Carmageddon and its “DLC” the Splat Pack available to you, free of charge. Not only do you get it free and with our best wishes, but you get it a week before it will become available to buy on Steam as a stand-alone product, at £5.99/€7.99/$9.99.

Stay tuned… we’ll have even more fun stuff coming your way over the coming weeks as well as the regular game Updates.

Please note that the game was originally published in 1997, and although it’s been extensively tested and “should just work (TM)” on a wide range of current PC specifications, it will be sold “as-is”, with no plans for patches, updates or bug fixes. See https://carmageddon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/200109982-Carmageddon-Max-Pack for FAQ and spec info, and http://www.carmageddon.com/forum/topic/27322 to discuss this in the forums and get further helpful advice from the community and Stainless, should you need it.

http://www.carmageddon.com/news/maxs-steaming-package

 

[Astral Rag]

Bad Mojo: Redux is now being sold on Steam

http://store.steampowered.com/app/255960/

For the uninitiated:

 

[DalekFlay]

GabeN also hates Winderps 8, M$ wants to run their own store too (which would include games), so he has even more reasons to kill it before it spreads.

BTW. Valve threw a lot of money recently to support development of MESA (Linux GPU drivers).

You can clearly see what direction it all is going. In my opinion, it's a very good direction.

If you want me to abandon 30 years of Windows only games for a brave new Linux world, you better have a lot better tactic than "hey Microsoft made their own store and that might cut into my profits, so..."

 

[Zewp]

It is a good move, though. Microsoft has had us by the short and curlies for our games for way too long. I'm tired of paying insane prices for a 64bit OS just so I can ensure I can still play games.

 

[DarthBehemoth]

If I were Gabe I wouldn't worry. Microsoft has done almost nothing to push PC gaming in the last few years, most of their hits are console only and the titles they do port are straight ports with terrible optimization... If anything, the fact that Microsoft has to compete with two major platforms (Steam and Origin) tells me Microsoft wouldn't be able to push PC gaming even if they tried.

 

[Baron Dupek]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/244630/?snr=1_4_4__tab-NewReleasesFilteredDLC

After release Fistful of Frags and Pass the Whiskey*there is another Source mods for multiplayer named NeoTokyo.
Heard that was nice and etnertaining but died some time ago. Until now.

*speaking about Whiskey - happy birthday.

 

[Ninjerk]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/244630/?snr=1_4_4__tab-NewReleasesFilteredDLC

After release Fistful of Frags and Pass the Whiskey*there is another Source mods for multiplayer named NeoTokyo.
Heard that was nice and etnertaining but died some time ago. Until now.

*speaking about Whiskey - happy birthday.

Wow, I thought they were never going to get it updated. It passed Greenlight, but it needed to conform to some SDK or something, I think? Fun game. It's like Counter-strike with leaning, stealth camo, and has capabilities limited by class (Light, Medium, Heavy).

 

[Akratus]

 

[Wilian]

You'll need to use this after.

 

[DalekFlay]

It is a good move, though. Microsoft has had us by the short and curlies for our games for way too long.

So then Valve would have us by the short an curlies (even more than they do now), and in addition none of my old games would work without having Windows installed anyway. What a bright future!

 

[Zewp]

So then Valve would have us by the short an curlies (even more than they do now), and in addition none of my old games would work without having Windows installed anyway. What a bright future!

Better them than Microsoft. At least their OS is free and they're interested in making an OS for games. If you're worried about older games, just dual-boot with XP or use WINE.

Regardless, this probably won't kill Windows. It will likely just split the market between the different OSes, forcing developers to start supporting Linux properly. Much better than having a monopoly on the OS market like Microsoft currently does.

 

[DalekFlay]

If you're worried about older games, just dual-boot with XP or use WINE.

Like WINE works with any kind of majority of Windows games, and like having Windows installed anyway doesn't ruin the entire point of the whole thing. But okay, whatever.

 

[Akasen]

Actually, since the last time I used WINE, WINE has been working wonderfully for me so far. Granted, the most I did was emulate Steam and then play Torchlight among other things, but it worked. Okay, it might still be shit.

Next topic, has anyone of the Codex ever made a moderately successful game?

 

[Zewp]

and like having Windows installed anyway doesn't ruin the entire point of the whole thing. But okay, whatever.

Please explain how using SteamOS as your primary OS and an ancient Windows OS in dual-boot "ruins the entire point of the whole thing." Also, what is "the point of the whole thing"? I was under the impression the point was not to have to buy new Windows OSes every few years.

 

[Excidium]

Dual boot is a pain in the ass

Also nobody fucking buys windows

 

[Konjad]

Please explain how using SteamOS as your primary OS and an ancient Windows OS in dual-boot "ruins the entire point of the whole thing." Also, what is "the point of the whole thing"? I was under the impression the point was not to have to buy new Windows OSes every few years.

I don't think anybody uses Linux because he doesn't want to buy new Windows.

 

[Zewp]

I don't think anybody uses Linux because he doesn't want to buy new Windows.

That's actually why most people use Linux. They don't want to buy Windows. Most people just don't use Linux as a gaming OS. SteamOS might change that. Hopefully.

Say what you want about Linux as a gaming OS, but Windows itself is pretty shit. I just want something that can run games in place of Windows. I don't care much which OS that is, as long as I don't have to shell out another $200 for the next Windows. The only reason I'm still using Windows is out of necessity.

 

[Zewp]

Dual boot is a pain in the ass

Also nobody fucking buys windows

But if you want to continue playing games you are beholden to whatever new fad MS thinks desktop operating systems need. Just look at how ridiculously shitty Win8 was with its metro interface.

 

[Excidium]

Well by the time 7 support is dropped I hope things are sorted out

 

[OSK]

With Steam support, upcoming GOG support, Humble Bundles, Kickstarter and new Linux-supported game engines; Linux gaming looks like it has a bright future. When I build my next rig, I'm going to primarily run Linux and keep a partition of Windows 7 for those (hopefully) rare Windows-exclusive games I want to play.

 

[DalekFlay]

Say what you want about Linux as a gaming OS, but Windows itself is pretty shit. I just want something that can run games in place of Windows. I don't care much which OS that is, as long as I don't have to shell out another $200 for the next Windows. The only reason I'm still using Windows is out of necessity.

...

But if you want to continue playing games you are beholden to whatever new fad MS thinks desktop operating systems need. Just look at how ridiculously shitty Win8 was with its metro interface.

You can turn that metro shit off and never see it. Our laptop is Windows 8 and I have seen that metro shit exactly once, when we first booted it up. People who hate Windows always have these narratives to sell. "Microsoft is going to make it a closed system!" people shout, ignoring that the main purpose of Windows is to sell it to businesses, and they can't limit what runs on it because it would destroy that entire market. "Microsoft is making their own store!" So what? The only person who should worry about this is Gaben, because it threatens his profits. The only way it would catch on is if consumers liked it and started opting to buy games there, in which case it must not be a bad place to shop (and if it ever has exclusives I am sure TPB will give you another option).

You sound like every other Linux nut who hates Windows irrationally and expects me to want to ditch it for no actual reason. It's like people on GOG who expect me to hate Steam because they do. Guess what! I don't give a fuck about your weird paranoia and hatred of an OS. Windows 7 is stable, efficient and does exactly what I want it to do. Linux and SteamOS will run a tiny fraction of the games I want to run, meaning I will need Windows anyway, making the whole fucking thing pointless unless your goal is to use Windows as little as possible just because. That's not my goal. I don't think it's most PC gamers' goal either.

 

[tuluse]

If you don't think Microsoft is trying to move to a closed system you aren't paying attention. I suppose it could change now that Ballmer is out, but I doubt it.