message to Splash Damage: one version of brink without steam

(Slade05) #21

Steam is evil, and Google too.
Oh, the horror!

(Nail) #22

“My guess would be they don’t have Activision’s support (hah!) because ATVI handled all the web stuff and stats servers, etc, right? ATVI maybe even owns the code outright.”

what’s that got to do with Brink ?

(Senethro) #23

Because of previous assertions that they could port that code to Brink? The ones that I was replying to suggesting possible reasons that this may be an incorrect assumption? They’re moot now that Jrad has described the situation with a brevity that is almost zen.

I’m sorry I had to explain this.

(Nail) #24

[QUOTE=SockDog;224155]As has been said I don’t think this is possible. AFAIK the Steamworks API is an integral part of the Steam platform.

This doesn’t mean you can’t buy a DVD and install, we shouldn’t confuse Steam distribution with Steam utilisation. It’s just that you’ll have to install and run Steam to play the game.

In as much as SD making a version without steam, why? SD are using MS and Sony APIs for the console releases, using resources to placate a tiny fragment of people who delude themselves that Steam is evil is pointless. While I’m sure they’re sympathetic to the even smaller group of people with genuine reasons to avoid Steam I think it’s just so small a group that it isn’t practical to worry about.

All that aside. IMO it just makes a whole lot more sense to have a game platform and associated community features separate and running independently from the actual games.

Now it would be nice if SD could confirm Nail’s main objection of offline/Lan play with steam. Maybe if loaded in offline mode you can connect to a lan server via the console?[/QUOTE]

my objections to Steam not allowing offline play have been set straight, it is possible, mind you I can run a LAN no matter how the game is served up, others may not have the same facilities though. As my gaming computer is on my business network, there are some things I won’t/can’t run, Steam being one

(SockDog) #25

So Lan play without a net connection is supported via Steam or you have a way round it? If the former why would this be an issue for people who’d be technically capable of setting up a Lan party in the first place.

As my gaming computer is on my business network, there are some things I won’t/can’t run, Steam being one

Of course that’s your choice but I can’t help but feel you’re searching for reasons to hate on Steam now rather than presenting genuine differences between Steam and other solutions.

I mean, how is running Steam when playing the game any different from running a game that loads similar features within the main game code? Same goes for needing to open ports.

There is no requirement to run Steam when not playing and as far as I know when its closed there is no services or other remnants left in memory. So it’s no more a threat to your network that any other game.

Again, your choice, your opinion. Just seems you’re now knocking Steam because it’s not some obscured background process you don’t know about.

(Nail) #26

LAN play can be done without a internet connection, I was not aware of this before, therefore my remark of being set straight. Other third party services I can control without being banned, not so with Steam, any type of control is against their extremely strict eula and ends up with a permanent ban on all vac servers for all games, something like a pb hardware ban but without recourse. Steam also requires several strings of open ports that aren’t related to the actual game, but things like their voip, friends list, chat etc. all things I have no use for

(Senethro) #27

Why am I not surprised you have no use for a friends list or to communicate with people…

(Nail) #28

I have no use for THEIR chat, voip, etc.

btw, why do you continue to troll my posts, you got a problem ???

mind you, I noticed you have no friends in your friend list here, which doesn’t surprise me

(Apples) #29

oh really? quote of the day…

Anyway, steam required is mostly a bad idea from what I gathered around here and on other website, if ppl cant grasp the idea I guess I should let them…

On another note, senethro’s post need an infraction too, it was at least as insultant as nail’s one, if you have some power at least use it wisely…

/jrad trigger happy mod off

(Nail) #30

I accept mine, it was deserved. I should know better, as DAUK pointed out once before

(Joe999) #31

this is what i associate with steam, it’s like gabe newell:

  • it’s fat, it’s ugly
  • for some reason which is beyond my understanding people like it
  • it needs to feed (on you). and even though it’s already fat enough, it keeps on eating and demanding more and more (from you)

and in opposite to gabe newell, steam doesn’t look like jabba the hutt. although steam is green, so there are still similarites

(Nail) #32

(SockDog) #33

[quote=Joe999;224184]this is what i associate with steam, it’s like gabe newell:

  • it’s fat, it’s ugly
  • for some reason which is beyond my understanding people like it
  • it needs to feed (on you)

and in opposite to gabe newell, steam doesn’t look like jabba the hutt. although steam is green, so there are still similarites[/quote]

In a word. Disappointing.

(SockDog) #34

You’re saying you get a VAC ban for blocking or redirecting a voip port on the steam client? Seems illogical to me. Unless you’re blocking or tampering with VAC (no different from doing likewise with PB) then why would you get a ban?

Anyway, it’s your choice. You sound determined to have an issue with Steam and have gone from IMO a very valid user end issue into more quibbling issues that sound more like “but but but”'s to justify your disapproval of Steam.

I’d say if anything should convince you to just give it a try it should be Brink but if you’re going to pass up on that because you don’t want to open a couple of ports then I guess nothing will convince you.

(SockDog) #35

Triple reply but what the hey! :slight_smile:

I sure the reason they aren’t using ETQW in-game features is because this is a multi-platform game for SD and ETQW was not.

Likewise it makes total sense that they’ve designed all the friend lists, matchmaking, achievements, voip etc etc to interface with the respective platform’s API (Live, PSN and Steamworks).

Also, just thinking logically, social and community features are made more valuable by expanding the size and variety of the network. Spending resources creating some imbred PC emulation of Live/PSN exclusive to Brink would be nuts.

In short. Steam makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways. :slight_smile:

(LyndonL) #36

Are you using a Proxy? Otherwise I don’t understand why you think you need to open a heap of ports for Steam. I don’t have any extra ports open for any of my games and they all work fine all with full functionality. And VOIP? Just use the ingame VOIP. They’ve said VOIP (by default) will only be available to people on your friends list, so assuming you’d be using Steam’s VOIP then they’re on your friends list which means it’ll work anyway!

(SockDog) #37

IMO he’s being difficult for the sake of it. Steam has no more nefarious goals or any more security flaws than those of the software he currently uses for Voip or communicating.

(Senethro) #38

He said earlier that hes on a business network which I imagine is somewhat secured. His issues are largely self created and rare.

(heXen) #39

[QUOTE=Senethro;224096]The thing is, as someone already pointed out, Steamworks api does a bunch of stuff like friendslist, achievements and others more easily than Splash Damage coding it from scratch. This means if they create a non-Steam version they’ll have to take extra time and resources to make a version of the game that works for the people who refuse to use Steam. That means less resources towards the rest of the game.

Steam is just a DRM solution with a bunch of added value community features. If you’re still buying AAA games in the past couple of years then you’ll likely have used other DRM solutions that are worse. And if the best selling and most boycotted game of last year was able to use Steam then why can’t Brink?[/QUOTE]

simply why we should be forced to install steam? Why force people to install steam to play.

Then, VAC is better than PB? lel… ;_;

(.Chris.) #40

I’m not too familiar with all this steam business but I have simple question, does this mean we can only purchase Brink on steam or can we still buy it from other retailers (at a cheaper price) and then when we install from disk it’s added into steam in a similar way to when I bought HL2 on disc for £8 (about year after release) and it required steam after the install, that I can live with.

Will there be a demo on steam also (or any demo for that matter)? That be pretty good idea, should get plenty of interest that way.