The Steam Thread

[mckerney]

The Steam Controller certainly looks like an interesting concept if nothing else.



Dual trackpads - high resolution and in place of analog sticks. Both are clickable and the resolution "approaches that of a desktop mouse"
Haptics - "dual linear resonant actuators...capable of delivering a wide range of force and vibration, allowing precise control over frequency, amplitude, and direction of movement...delivering in-game information about speed, boundaries, thresholds, textures, action confirmations, or any other events about which game designers want players to be aware... As a parlour trick they can even play audio waveforms and function as speakers."
Touch Screen - the center front of the controller will have a clickable touch screen. "When a player touches the controller screen, its display is overlayed on top of the game they’re playing, allowing the player to leave their attention squarely on the action, where it belongs."
Buttons - 16 buttons total (including clickable trackpads/touch screen), 8 of which will be usable without moving your thumbs off the trackpads. All buttons are placed symmetrically to allow for left and right handedness switchable via a software checkbox.
Shared Configurations - "Legacy mode" allows the controller to function as a keyboard and mouse. A configuration tool can be used to bind all functions, and configs can be shared via the steam community.
Openness - The controller is designed to be hackable. "We plan to make tools available that will enable users to participate in all aspects of the experience, from industrial design to electrical engineering."

[mckerney]

Heading over to Valve in a few minutes to play SMB with their new controller. I'm super super picky about controllers. We'll see!

— Tommy Refenes (@TommyRefenes) September 27, 2013

Will be really interesting to read what he thinks. Never know until you get your hands on it, but to me the Steam Controller really doesn't look like it would work well with something like Super Meat Boy.

[Izulde]

I think it'd be better with analog sticks, personally.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I think it'd be better with analog sticks, personally.

The track pads look like they'd work pretty well for playing something with a mouse based UI like a a turn based strategy game on a TV and seems like maybe it would work ok for an FPS. As far as a third person action game or 2D platformer just from the look of the controller it seems like it'd be problematic unless it actually handles much better than you'd think it would.

[Grover]

Picked up UnderRail, which is still in alpha for $10.

Awesome little turn-based RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world. Tons of fun and customization for characters.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Heading over to Valve in a few minutes to play SMB with their new controller. I'm super super picky about controllers. We'll see!

— Tommy Refenes (@TommyRefenes) September 27, 2013

Will be really interesting to read what he thinks. Never know until you get your hands on it, but to me the Steam Controller really doesn't look like it would work well with something like Super Meat Boy.

His blog post of his experience with it.

If you were to ask me if I would play games with the Steam Controller…I would say yes. If you were to ask me to choose between Steam Controller and a 360 controller, I would choose 360. Don’t take that as slight to the controller though because it’s more about the comfort of familiarity over functionality. I would choose a 360 controller because I have several thousand hours experience using it, however if tomorrow all game controllers were wiped off the earth and the only option was the Steam Controller, I don’t think this would be a bad thing. In fact, I don’t think gaming would miss a beat. I’m excited to see what final hardware feels like because I think with the upcoming iterations of the controller we’ll see something that is different, but still feels good.

TL;DR; Great Start, needs some improvements, but I could play any game I wanted with it just fine.

Gamasutra - Select game developers used the Steam Controller. Here's what they said

"It doesn't feel like a trackpad"

Chris Remo, designer and writer at The Cave developer Double Fine had a hands-on of the Steam Controller at the San Francisco studio.

Remo played a couple different games: Double Fine's upcoming point-and-click adventure game Broken Age and the already-released platform-adventure game The Cave.

"We just plugged it in, and it worked," he said. "We didn't have special support for it or anything. It worked really, really well. I was really impressed with the mouse imitation. It doesn't feel like a trackpad."

Remo said the controller has a tiny speaker in it that offers audio feedback – a subtle "tick" sound that increases and decreases in speed (he compared it to the Wheel of Fortune wheel's sound), depending on how you use the track pad. If you "fling" your thumb across the trackpad – if it's mapped to the mouse – the ticking increases in speed, and slows down as the virtual momentum of your action slows.

"It sounds like there's actually a mechanical device in there, which really makes it feel mechanical, but not in a clunky way," Remo said. "It just feels really high-tech and precise. … I can't stand trackpads on laptops, and this felt really good to me. There was almost no learning curve as far as accuracy goes."

...

Remo added that he doesn't really consider the pads to be "trackpads," which, to players and developers, often represent poor feedback. "This is just the opposite of that," he said.

"I don't know if this would necessarily be my first choice for a first-person shooter, because I'm such a mouse-and-keyboard guy normally, but I'd also really like to try it," he said.

Sounds kind of odd reading how it works from looking at it, really must be one of those things you need to try yourself.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Hadn't seen it mentioned yet, but Sid Meier's Air Patrol is a fantastic little game given that it's only $4.99. I'm sure at some level it's a proof-of-concept for something in a future version of Civ, but he did a great job of making it a fun timewaster.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Hadn't seen it mentioned yet, but Sid Meier's Air Patrol is a fantastic little game given that it's only $4.99. I'm sure at some level it's a proof-of-concept for something in a future version of Civ, but he did a great job of making it a fun timewaster.

Ace Patrol, for anyone searching

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Ace Patrol, for anyone searching

Thanks for the correction.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Thanks for the correction.

That was for anyone doing what I was doing... "is he sure that was on Steam?"

Then did the search for Sid and took a moment to realize the slight name difference (was trying to figure out why it didn't show up in the first search).

I was having a blonde moment.

[PilotMan]

So I am still intrigued by Lords of Football. And it's on sale, get the whole thing with expansions for about 13 bucks. Is the game worth that?

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So I am still intrigued by Lords of Football. And it's on sale, get the whole thing with expansions for about 13 bucks. Is the game worth that?

I don't know anything about how it plays, but you can get a Steam key for the base game without DLC from Indie Gala for $6.24.

Lords of Football

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

So I am still intrigued by Lords of Football. And it's on sale, get the whole thing with expansions for about 13 bucks. Is the game worth that?

I'm a sucker for deals on Steam, but I just can't get past the Metacritic reviews. When the mid-60s is your highest score, you've got issues.

Lords of Football for PC Reviews - Metacritic

[PilotMan]

Yeah, you know, I right there with you, but you know a lot of that was right at release, and maybe with the additions that might make it better. I see the Super Training add on adds some humor, so maybe the game took a humor tack away from true to life stuff. idk, I'm still tempted.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Yeah, you know, I right there with you, but you know a lot of that was right at release, and maybe with the additions that might make it better. I see the Super Training add on adds some humor, so maybe the game took a humor tack away from true to life stuff. idk, I'm still tempted.

Would love to see some feedback if you do decide to take the plunge. It's a fun idea for sure.

[PilotMan]

I posted this in the Steam group, but wanted to get it here too.

If you head over to Greenlight you can help support OOTP in their efforts to get both OOTP and Franchise Hockey on Steam. Just search for OOTP and you'll find the games. Get out the vote guys and help them out!

Here is part of the email from Markus ~

Today we're launching Steam Greenlight campaigns for Out of the Park Baseball 14 and Franchise Hockey Manager. We'd like to ask everyone to vote for both games and help us get approved to sell OOTP 14 and FHM on Steam, in addition to continuing to use our existing web stores. Voting on Greenlight doesn't commit you to buying anything, so it doesn't matter if you've already bought one or both games from us.

[Coffee Warlord]

More importantly.

Steam Greenlight :: Red Baron

VOTE THIS DAMMIT.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

More importantly.

Steam Greenlight :: Red Baron

VOTE THIS DAMMIT.

Meh....

It's just flying airplanes and shit.

[JPhillips]

It doesn't even have Snoopy and his doghouse.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Meh....

It's just flying airplanes and shit.

WITH MACHINE GUNS!

AND PRUSSIANS!

(They have a kickstarter up that's totally not gonna hit its goal, too)

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

More importantly.

Steam Greenlight :: Red Baron

VOTE THIS DAMMIT.

OH HELL YES!

I spent so much time flying these games way back when...

[DaddyTorgo]

ditto, even though I sucked at it

[MizzouRah]

Fallen Enchantress: LH

HUGE update today!

http://forums.elementalgame.com/448478/page/1/

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Meh....

It's just flying airplanes and shit.

lol, awesome.

[Coffee Warlord]

Oh god.

Assuming it's actually him, guess who posted with some (surprise) naysaying on the Kickstarter comments for Red Baron?

None other than Derek Smart.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Oh god.

Assuming it's actually him, guess who posted with some (surprise) naysaying on the Kickstarter comments for Red Baron?

None other than Derek Smart.

that which is dead can never die

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Oh god.

Assuming it's actually him, guess who posted with some (surprise) naysaying on the Kickstarter comments for Red Baron?

None other than Derek Smart.

Gotta fill me in on that one.

[SirFozzie]

Indie Game Developer.. more likely to explode then a bunch of epileptic jugglers working with seven vials of nitroglycerin. Has made a ton of games, some of which have been awe inspiring in scope and reach.. and vomit inducing in how far they fall short.

Known for getting into HUUUUUUUGE flamewars on Usenet and later on other computer gaming forums:

The redemption of Derek Smart | Polygon is a good way to get a view on this guy.

edit: one of the old "internet legends" is that if you make a disparaging comment on any Derek Smart game or on Derek Smart himself, he'd show up to argue with you.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Indie Game Developer.. more likely to explode then a bunch of epileptic jugglers working with seven vials of nitroglycerin. Has made a ton of games, some of which have been awe inspiring in scope and reach.. and vomit inducing in how far they fall short.

Known for getting into HUUUUUUUGE flamewars on Usenet and later on other computer gaming forums:

The redemption of Derek Smart | Polygon is a good way to get a view on this guy.

edit: one of the old "internet legends" is that if you make a disparaging comment on any Derek Smart game or on Derek Smart himself, he'd show up to argue with you.

His name has been mentioned too much today. He is bound to show now!!!! WE ARE DOOMED!!!!!

[EagleFan]

The following quote sums up his asinine attitude well enough for me...

"When I look at my bank account, I just laugh."

[EagleFan]

double dola: and I LOVE the fake review stickers on his Battlecruiser Game.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Meh....

It's just flying airplanes and shit.

Love it

SI

[cartman]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

edit: one of the old "internet legends" is that if you make a disparaging comment on any Derek Smart game or on Derek Smart himself, he'd show up to argue with you.

Is that why we haven't heard anything from Dave Dial is a long, long time?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lots of good deals on the Halloween sale......

Halloween Sale 2013

[Grover]

Just picked up The Walking Dead for $6.24. Hell of a lot better than paying for each episode as they came out last year.

[MrBug708]

So...worldwide basketball manager tycoon...?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

So...worldwide basketball manager tycoon...?

Saw that as well. Not sure what to think of that, but I suppose it doesn't have to be much for $8.99.

[SirFozzie]

If it's anything like the previous game in the series (world basketball manager)

RUN AWAY, FAR FAR AWAY

[bhlloy]

I'm personally looking forward to universal worldwide mega basketball tycoon manager coach god, which is the next one in the series.

If the previous game in the series sucked, just add more words to the next one. Seems legit.

[MizzouRah]

I just got invited into the Steam sharing beta.. anyone else doing the beta and if so, how is it? I'm going to install the client tonight and see if my neighbor can get to my games.

[Arles]

So, I think this is national "Worst day of the year to buy from Steam" day. For the first time in months, not one game on my wishlist is on sale and there's a chance atleast 75% of them have some kind of discount over the next week

[Draft Dodger]

yeah, my vacation starts Thursday. the good news, I'll have a ton of free time to put a small dent in my backlog. the bad news, I'll have a ton of free time to make the backlog get even bigger.

[Neon_Chaos]

Anyone get Redshirt yet?

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Anyone get Redshirt yet?

I was interested too, but I read a few read reviews/impressions that were well written that basically ripped the entire game. By all accounts it is basically a $20 Facebook simulator set in space for some odd reason. I don't even use my own Facebook account with any regularity.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by dubb93

it is basically a $20 Facebook simulator set in space for some odd reason.

This is one of the most unusual descriptions I've ever seen for a game. The game's actual website is even weirder:

Redshirt is the comedy sci-fi sim about social networking aboard a space station, starring the station's most ambitious low-ranking peon: you! Navigate the professional and interpersonal politics of the ubiquitous "Spacebook" to curry favor among friends and colleagues. As intense intergalactic conflict rages around you, it's up to you to accrue those all-important "likes" on your status updates!

WTF?!

[oykib]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Anyone get Redshirt yet?

I have it. It's a bit disappointing. There's too much Facebook, and not enough sci-fi. I was hoping for more of a sci-fi version of Academagia.

[Capital]

Anyone remember when Steam sales went live last year?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Capital

Anyone remember when Steam sales went live last year?

Rumor: Upcoming Steam sale dates leaked | Joystiq

[oykib]

Originally Posted by Capital

Anyone remember when Steam sales went live last year?

It's usually at 10am PST.

[oykib]

Dola

The site usually gets slammed. You might want to try the Steam app if you have it. The mobile seems to run off of a different server.