Automatic updates, stored for you online if you ever want to uninstall and come back to it... Steam is a useful tool.

I don't have problems with Steam, in fact I have several games on my Steam account.
But some games require a hard box, SH5 is one of them.
The SH4 map looks good on the wall, I bet the SH5 map looks even better :O:

Agreed, steam is the worst thing to happen to gaming in a long time. It ends up simply promoting piracy since thats the only way to be rid of it.
Its a barrier between me and my games and i just dont like it.

Can you get me some of the crack you're smoking? There's no barrier whatsoever that isn't in any other digital download model, including those such as GoG or Gamersgate. You buy your game, download it, and play. Not connected to the internet? You play in offline mode.

Digital distribution is the future, there's no getting away from it, and it's not the enemy unless you're specifically looking for something to be grumpy about.

Yes:up:

Seriously though, i guess it comes down to personal experience. For whatever reason i find steam just wont let me use offline mode unless im connected to the net?!? + compulsary updates to steam are constantly getting in the way of me playing games, who the hell wants to wait for yet another update to download before youre allowed to play tf2!

I have no problem with sh5 being made available via steam, but just dont force people who buy boxed copies to use steam, remember the fiasco that surrounded the launch of half life2 and more recently empire total war.

empire total war was a disaster due to steam and i struggled to ever play it offline!

Please name another game where it was a total disaster. I want to know if this is an isolated case.


From AA3 to GTR Evolution all games work flawlessly for me via Steam.

A point on the good side of Steam for me is: The offline Modus is working fine. So if you dont want to make Multiplayer Games, keep Steam offline. If you dont want to be patched without your permission stay offline.

The problem with steam is: If you install a new game for steam you are forced to go once online for activation. When a patch at this moment is waiting for the game you have no chance. But further patches you can avoid, if you have enough disk space.

Ex. : SH5 comes with steam and there is a patch for it. You are not sure if you want to use it. Copy the hole folder with the SH5 content on another place on your harddisk. Go online with steam and wait for getting the game updated. When the game ist after patch once started, go offline with steam. Test the patch intensive. If you dont like it copy your backup to the steam folder and dont go anymore onlne with steam.

The thing on steam i really hate is the resale problem. To me its not buying a game with steam but more a kind of leasing.:damn:

I am not sure because Empire Total War is so far my only Steam Game. I think its a pretty solution for people who use different pc's and for real "online games", but i can see no use for offline games. To me there is absolut no difference between ETW 1.2 and 1.3.
And i played absolut no part of the SH series online.

Silent Hunter 4 i only updated when my favorite modder Ducimus forced me to do so. :03:

I would also like to express my plea to not use Steam.
I don't buy games that use Steam.

I really really really don't wanna miss out out on SH5 because of it!

I don't know whether you mean the Steam program or the Games themselves? You can quite easily disable automatic updates on a game by game basis using the properties menu.

As for TF2 its a great game and I play it loads, but that's down to the constant refinements and Free updates it receives. Like any on-line shooter Steam based or not, if you don't keep it up to date then you won't be able to connect to a game server.

In both these regards Steam is not really "getting in your way" of playing your games.

i think it is probably a pointless topic, we have no reason to believe that SH5 will be steam only do we?

Nope, but better safe than sorry. :D

/signed

steam is forbidden on my systems...

This morning i saw this messages which make me pretty sure that further ubisoft games will come with steam:

Over a dozen classic Ubisoft games are now available to customers worldwide, including two titles new to Steam. Among the titles are Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, The Prince of Persia series, Silent Hunter 4, and titles from The Settlers series


.

I wanted to hate STEAM too. I avoided it for years until TOTAL WAR was released. I actually ended up appreciating the interface and the way it updates and handles things in the background.
I D/Led SilentHunter4 and UBoats exp from STEAM and have been thrilled with it. And the mods work just fine... why wouldn't they? Steam hasn't altered any of the files.

I say STEAM gets a bad rap and it's not justified. If 90% of the population have no negative experiences with STEAM, then that's probably better than the "boxed" products success rate!