You forgot the best references of all:
Fiction all too real: The STEAM MACHINE by H.G.Wells How an invention not only presses your software, but can change the future.
A New York based dialogue: THE STEAM THAT ATE MY BRAIN… ALMOST a poignant work by Amy Lynn Budd. About how letting one little steamy thing just eat you up inside.
Canada’s best known work on the subject: ANN OF STEAM GABLES by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Innocent and gullable but evil underneath (or is it the other way around?)
I’d love to see distinct separation of the steamworks api social features with the steam store and DRM. Forcing people to install steam for online play seems quite legitimate and allows offline play via lan and console connection still possible.
Doing so and forcing the store/DRM at the same time I can see the objection although have no issue with it myself.
More we discuss this the more I think we’ll get a Steam decision 1 day before release to save on the uproar. 
i dont want my brink on steam. brink should already have a friends list, etc in the game for multiplayer. if it gets steam, it should be optional, and already have a friends list in-game
If I had my way, then I would choose neither and would go for a physical release combined with dedicated servers and the likes. I had far too many problems with Steam back in the says when I was using it, I was never able to play a game for 'bout five minutes (if I was lucky) before the program crashed again and I was booted out of the game and communicating with Valve about it proved to be a hazardous enterpise by itself. In the end, it all came down on their statement that my computer was frakked up and that I needed to “re-install Windows in order to properly use the Steam client”.
Yeah, right! I used (and still use) many programs that are like the Steam client, dependable on a internet connection (including the predecessor of what later would become Triton client) and they never acted up the way the Steam client did. Even Vampire: Bloodlines was more stable then the Steam client was and that game was notorious for its game breaking bugs . . .
A good second issue would be piracy and Badman can vouch for this one, since it also happened to the developer of a community he previously managed before he came here to Splash Damage. If they decide to release it through Steam, then they might as well put it on an open FTP server and mark it with a very big “come and get me” sign because security on the Steam network is pretty much non-existent, though I don’t believe that Splash Damage will go the same way as Ritual went some years ago . . .
For online gaming with friends theres nothing beating Steam.
Ive played TF2 and L4D/2 and its absolutely flawless when it comes to playing them with friends.
Easy to communicate and easy to join eachothers games.
Having a friendslist ingame is good i guess but then youd have to start the game to see if anyone is playing atm.
I have Steam starting up with Windows and get a notification when friends are starting up TF2, Brink or whatever when im surfing or working at my PC.
Steam gets my vote all days in the week.
Requiring Steam is a game breaker for me, I will not buy a game that requires Steam to play online, as an option for those that desire that method of distribution, fine, but if it’s required, I play something else
I can’t believe you guys are so angry toward Steam!
I honestly don’t see what the big fuss is. I have never had a single problem with Steam, and I have over 50 games on it.
Perhaps those of you who think it is buggy when you used to use it should try again, cause I’ve been using it for a year and a half or something and I would never turn back. Everyone I know who uses it uses it flawlessly too.
Well, the one problem is that the Steam Ingame overlay doesn’t work with some older games. Which means you can’t send Steam messages etc. Which doesn’t affect the game at all, so it’s not really a problem at all.
http://www.splashdamage.com/content/online-services-contractor
Preferred Skills and Experience
* Knowledge of id Technologies (especially idTech 4)
* Experience with Sony, Microsoft, and [B]Steam[/B] APIs
* Experience with Game Networking
P.S. I like Steam. If the game will use it, it will be cool.
i think 1 guy got his copy of quake wars through steam. i wonder if he will also choose the steam route when buying his copy of brink? if so, maybe i will choose the steam version of brink.
the best part of steam is it works when it works. the absolute worst though is the feeling you get the first time it locks you out of your account. like a car wreck, it is bound to happen to you sooner or later. =[
p.s. if steam achievements let’s not go overboard and have more than 15-20 of them. good grief, achievements.
[QUOTE=Stray;223416]http://www.splashdamage.com/content/online-services-contractor
Preferred Skills and Experience
* Knowledge of id Technologies (especially idTech 4)
* Experience with Sony, Microsoft, and [B]Steam[/B] APIs
* Experience with Game Networking
P.S. I like Steam. If the game will use it, it will be cool.[/QUOTE]
If they will use it no problem - but please don’t make it you can’t play the game without having a internet connection… that is just sucky…
Further, good find of this, however, it doesn’t proof directly that they are going to use it
My main concern is about choices, I dont like to be forced to use this or this application to play a game, as nail mentionned, if steam is optional then fine by me, if its forced i wont buy brink, period.
Peace
I find it amusing that you guys are into this game enough to hang out daily on the dev forums, and yet you say “If it’s Steam only, not buying it.”
We shall see 
Anyway… if you have a look at the Brink website, it is available to preorder already, and I would assume that means not Steam only
If i am unable to sell it and have bad impression of the game when it gets out, no buy. Steam-only means that you can’t sell the games you used. Do you constantly play all those 50+ games you bought? Also having my games depend on a virtual switch is a no-go. I don’t want anyone dictating when i can play a game. I know it’s 99% certain that they wouldn’t do it, but why take any risk? Also, games off steam would mean higher prices, at least for me.
[QUOTE=LyndonL;223511]Anyway… if you have a look at the Brink website, it is available to preorder already, and I would assume that means not Steam only :)[/QUOTE]There are games which require a Steam account and are nevertheless sold as boxed versions. MW2 works only in combination with Steam as well, doesn’t it?
It’s against your EULA to on-sell games isn’t it?
Of those games no I don’t play them all regularly, but I still do play them yes. No different to DVDs. I have 100s of them. I buy them when they’re on sale, so it’s about the same price if not a dollar or 2 extra to buy them compared to hiring them, so why not buy it and add to the collection To each their own though.
That’s why I said I “I assume”. I know L4D2 is sold in a box, but requires Steam still. But a lot of games that come out on Steam don’t, so yeah Seems odd to me though that the game is available for preorder in box format, but not available for preorder through Steam? Would indicate to me that it’s not entirely Steam based? Splash Damage guys are sitting back reading all these assumptions and laughing 
:stroggbanana:
Last time i checked, physical copy of a game is just like any other physical property and can be sold.
Yes it can but you’d be really dumb to in some cases. The serial number is often more important than the physical property and with no guarentee you can make the seller relinquish it and scam you with the sale you won’t be able to sell some games for good prices except to an idiot.
With PC games falling to single figure prices about 8 months after release, why bother buying second hand at all?
[quote=Senethro;223539]Yes it can but you’d be really dumb to in some cases. The serial number is often more important than the physical property and with no guarentee you can make the seller relinquish it and scam you with the sale you won’t be able to sell some games for good prices except to an idiot.
With PC games falling to single figure prices about 8 months after release, why bother buying second hand at all?[/quote]
First off, mostly keys are sold, not the disc(tho if one wants, i can send it).
Second, sites exist where people register with ID-card and have reputation.
Third, you’d be surprised how many buy 2nd hand keys and that’s 0-2weeks after release. Some who buy a bunch cheaper sell them just after release.
I did get profit for selling cod4 and wolf(yes, was deal of my life).
I’m sure you’d be happy to link those sites because they’re not at all related to piracy and people there aren’t reselling keys acquired by unconventional means. The cases of entire batches of illegitmate keys being deactivated after launch are isolated incidents.