The Steam Thread

[Tasan]

I think, at least on the Android platform, that they'll move into the app sales market as well.

[CrimsonFox]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I Finished Limbo finally!

WOW those last like 10-15 puzzles were total bitches!

[PadresFan104]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I Finished Limbo finally!

WOW those last like 10-15 puzzles were total bitches!

Played/Finished the game this past weekend. Completely unsatisfied by the ending, but the gameplay was fun. Still, I'd like to slap the developers for trying to be so "artsy" with their approach to the story... Screw them and their whole "we leave it open ended for the player to decide" bullcrap.

[CrimsonFox]

Yeah that ending blew chunks Very disappointed.

I loved the artiness of the game itself. Once it got 2/3 of the way through it kinda lost the story and the cool atmosphere a little and just became lots of hard puzzles in a row. It added some neat elements at the end but that's when it also got frustrating and grueling.

I didn't think it was really openended at the end. I thouyght it was just they didn't actually let us enjoy the ending.

[Yellow5]

Offering Steam coupon codes now as they will expire March 1st.

-33% Valve
-25% Valve
-50% Worms Crazy Golf - Currently $9.99 without coupon
-25% Might and Magic Clash of Heroes - Currently $14.99 without coupon
-25% Dead Island - Currently $29.99 without coupon
-50% Amnesia - Currently $19.99 without coupon ----- Gone.

[Qrusher14242]

i'll take the Amnesia coupon if you still have it

my steam id is qrusher

Steam Community :: ID :: Qrusher

[Yellow5]

Friend request sent. At work but can send when I get home.

[Mota]

I have a -25% Bethesda for anybody looking for Skyrim

[mckerney]

Exclusive: Valve said to be working on 'Steam Box' gaming console with partners, could announce at GDC | The Verge

Recently there's been chatter that Valve — the company behind the massively popular gaming service Steam — has been considering getting into the hardware business. Specifically, there have been rumors that the company has been toying with the idea of creating a proper set-top console which could potentially pose a threat to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell even recently told Penny Arcade: "Well, if we have to sell hardware we will."

At a glance that would simply be interesting fodder for a gaming forum debate, but we've uncovered information that suggests that not only has Valve been secretly working on gaming hardware for the living room, but that the company is actively pursuing a strategy which would place Steam at the center of an open gaming universe that mirrors what Google has done with Android. Backing up that concept, in the same interview we quote above, Newell says that Valve doesn't really want to do hardware on its own, stating, "We'd rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do [hardware]. We think it's important enough that if that's what we end up having to do, then that's what we end up having to do."

That jibes pretty well with this rumored arrangement.

According to sources, the company has been working on a hardware spec and associated software which would make up the backbone of a "Steam Box." The actual devices may be made by a variety of partners, and the software would be readily available to any company that wants to get in the game.

Adding fuel to that fire is a rumor that the Alienware X51 may have been designed with an early spec of the system in mind, and will be retroactively upgradable to the software.

Apparently meetings were held during CES to demo a hand-built version of the device to potential partners. We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The devices will be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up.

Part of the goal of establishing a baseline for hardware, we're told, is that it will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years. Additionally, there won't be a required devkit, and there will be no licensing fees to create software for the platform.

We're hearing that a wide variety of USB peripherals will be compatible with the boxes, though it will likely ship with a proprietary controller. It's possible that the controller will even allow for swappable components, meaning that it can be reconfigured depending on the type of game you're playing. Think that sounds odd? Well Valve filed a patent for such a device last year.

Additionally, we're told that the kind of biometrics Valve uses in game testing will somehow be incorporated into these devices. Sources of ours say that the realtime biometric feedback in games will be a sea-change for users. To put it more succinctly, the sentiment we've heard is: "You won't ever look back." These biometric devices could come in the form of a bracelet, or be part of the standard controller.

The consoles will also take advantage of Steam's "Big Picture" mode, a feature Valve touted last year at GDC, but has yet to release to the public. According to the company's press release in 2011 "With big picture mode, gaming opportunities for Steam partners and customers become possible via PCs and Macs on any TV or computer display in the house."

The most interesting piece of this puzzle may be related to that statement. According to sources, the Steam Box isn't intended to just clash with current gaming consoles. Rather, Valve wants to take Apple and its forthcoming new Apple TV products head-on. Newell has clear questions about Apple's strategy, telling the The Seattle Times "On the platform side, it's sort of ominous that the world seems to be moving away from open platforms," adding that "They build a shiny sparkling thing that attracts users and then they control people's access to those things."

The Steam Box could be unveiled at GDC, though we're also hearing that the company may wait until E3 this year to show off what it's been working on.

One thing is for sure, however: if these rumors turn out to be correct, there could be a whole new kind of battle for control of your living room happening in the near future. Of course, much of this is pieced together from a variety of sources, and there could be moving parts which we can't see. Some of this information could change.

We've reached out to Valve for comment, and will update the post with any new information we receive.

[Qrusher14242]

not sure i see the point of this unless its less than $400...just seems like a pc to me. But will wait and see.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Qrusher14242

not sure i see the point of this unless its less than $400...just seems like a pc to me. But will wait and see.

I can see the point of having a hardware standard that both developers can optimize for, and it could be good for people who aren't big into keeping up with hardware but interested in PC gaming could buy a system they would know could play the latest games. That said, I agree that it will have a tough time taking off if is significantly more expensive that consoles and it doesn't look like something I would be interested in personally.

[mckerney]

What I probably would consider buying is a set top box built around Steam's upcoming Big Picture Mode. Something I could plug into my TV and then connect to my PC through a wifi network plus plug in a game pad. Some way to make it easy to play game from my PC on a TV in a different room.

[cartman]

Thanks to owning 50% of Valve and the pervasiveness of Steam, Gabe Newell is worth an estimated $1.5 billion.

Gabe Newell has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion - VideoGamer.com

[jeff061]

Yeah, it's amazing seeing steam grow like it has. I still remember it as a useless pain in the ass middle man to HL2. Now I won't buy a game if it's not on Steam and I never used to wait for sales.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Yeah, it's amazing seeing steam grow like it has. I still remember it as a useless pain in the ass middle man to HL2. Now I won't buy a game if it's not on Steam and I never used to wait for sales.

Yep same here. The sole reason I never played HL2 until about 12 months ago despite loving HL1 was due to the fact that I refused to download Steam to install the title. Now, it's probably the most used "app" on my PC...

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by cartman

Thanks to owning 50% of Valve and the pervasiveness of Steam, Gabe Newell is worth an estimated $1.5 billion.

Gabe Newell has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion - VideoGamer.com

That explains how he can afford so many knives.

Giant Bomb @ Valve - Giant Bomb

[Matthean]

Anybody download a video card update from Steam? Not doing that again. Still trying to see what all I need to fix since it's been giving me issues ever since and had to two hard reboots.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Anybody download a video card update from Steam? Not doing that again. Still trying to see what all I need to fix since it's been giving me issues ever since and had to two hard reboots.

ATI card?

[Matthean]

Yep. I did a driver uninstall/reinstall to get it back to sane, but parts of my browser shows an off color when it should be white.

[Matthean]

Fixed the off color issue.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Yep. I did a driver uninstall/reinstall to get it back to sane, but parts of my browser shows an off color when it should be white.

ATI drivers commonly have issues, and from what I learned is if things are working it's best not to update the drivers unless you absolutely have to, or you want to increase performance of a game that just had a Catalyst profile updated. ATI drivers can be a pain to deal with, which is why I went with an NVIDIA card, even though ATI cards are typically a better value hardware wise.

[mckerney]

Does anyone want a Counter Strike: GO beta key?

[MizzouRah]

Anyone play Heroes of Might and Magic VI?

[CrimsonFox]

I've played all the others. There is a 6?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I've played all the others. There is a 6?

Yup 50% off right now, I did just buy Trine 2 though.

[mckerney]

No Steam Box, but former Quake programmer Michael Abrash has decided to work on wearable computing.

That Was Easy: Valve’s Hardware Is Wearable Computing | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

[chinaski]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Does anyone want a Counter Strike: GO beta key?

you betcha!

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by chinaski

you betcha!

Gah, sorry. Should have updated my post, but wound up giving this out a couple weeks ago.

[Poli]

poli rules, I believe.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Poli

poli rules, I believe.

Yes. Yes, he does.

[mckerney]

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...pfnudeln&num=1

Steam and the Source Engine are coming to Linux. Great to see, and while it will probably,just be Valve and indie games at first hopefully it will see more companies make Linux versions along the same line as the number of games that have had Mac versions added.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Took the plunge on the Pole Position 2012 F1 management sim. Still figuring things out right now.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Took the plunge on the Pole Position 2012 F1 management sim. Still figuring things out right now.

I was thinking about it a bit last night...decided not to...let me know if I regret it.

[weegeebored]

I bought it too and maybe in haste which is not like me. You might want to check out the forum before you decide. I have not been able to get it patched through Steam but it looks like the latest one still has problems.

kalypso media :: forum - Pole Position 2010 / 2012

[whomario]

I played it a bit at a friend and judging from what he showed me, this game is plain bad. There´s so many essential things missing (like pit stop strategy. Not being able to set this is like a football game with no manual play calling) and the race engine is beyond bad, nothing realistic about it.

If anybody wants a fun classic (and free) F1 management game as an alternative :

Download Grand Prix Manager 2 | Abandonia

essential downloads (mods and also stuff to make it work on newer Systems) : Downloads « GPM2World

you definitely need : http://www.gpm2world.com/?file_id=26 (newest patch)
http://www.gpm2world.com/?file_id=21 (manual)
wing32.dll free download - DLL-files.com (dll file needed, has to go in system32 folder (for 32bit Windows) or the SysWOW64 folder (for 64bit Windows)


It´s from the same guys that also made the classic GP racing games (which are still a million times better than what has come out in recent years. I would spent hours perfecting my setups to get that precious 1/10 second better and it was so deep and yet intuitive ...)

I spent many, many hours with this game. Not flashy, but adicitive and gets the details right (as of 15 years ago, of course). There´s even rule changes included from season to season making certain stuff legal or illegal (thus rendering your work developing either brilliantly spent or useless) and the game is not just fun for a season or 2 but has longterm playability as well.
Heck, even injuries from crashes and replacement drivers are in.

You can play either 10 years or do 3 years in a scenario mode. Fully customizeable, too (you can change the point system, the power of the engines, the skill of the designers, engineers

edit : Here´s the 2011 mod (you only need to download the .dll files above, the mod includes the fully patched game. Just unzip and you are good to go) http://www.gpm2world.com/?file_id=64

[weegeebored]

Thanks whomario; I'll try that. Where were you yesterday when I had my moment of weakness?

I'm still hoping that they get PP2012 worked out but I have a feeling that that's never going to happen.

What is the Steam policy for returns, anyone know?

[mckerney]

Cave Johnson, we're done here.

Hopefullly the level editor include the suction tubes that were cut from the game.

[jeff061]

Just finished all the co-op Portal 2 levels. It was a blast, but it can easily spark some angst among friends.

[mckerney]

http://www.gamestop.com/collection/steam-cards

Gamestop is now selling cards that will let you add funds to your Steam account. Seems like it would be most useful for anyone with kids that wants to give them some money for Steam without giving them credit card info for anyone around here, though you can also get them at trade in value for any old console games.

[PilotMan]

I just got or someone just sent me a coupon for 50% off King Arthur 2. Random.

[mckerney]

Indie Game: The Movie will be sold through Steam | PC Gamer

Astronomers, heed my call: have the stars that control the fate of digital distribution may entered some strange alignment? After releasing a board game earlier today, we learn that Steam will be selling a film on the service next month. Appropriately, it’s Indie Game: The Movie.

The Kickstarted film has been popping up in theaters since March, and will also be available on iTunes when it releases on Steam on June 12. I wouldn’t expect this—at the very most, Valve is testing the waters for selling other content with something that’s highly relevant to gamers.

[Scoobz0202]

Because We May - Windows / Mac Games On Steam

These are all at the listed price on Steam. Some awesome fucking deals on a bunch of good indie games.

[mckerney]

http://sourcefilmmaker.com/

The Source Filmmaker (SFM) is the movie-making tool built and used by us here at Valve to make movies inside the Source game engine. Because the SFM uses the same assets as the game, anything that exists in the game can be used in the movie, and vice versa. By utilizing the hardware rendering power of a modern gaming PC, the SFM allows storytellers to work in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get environment so they can iterate in the context of what it will feel like for the final audience.

To celebrate the announcement of the SFM, we've also released "Meet the Pyro", the ninth installment in the "Meet the Team" series. Like all of our animated shorts, we made it using the SFM.

If you're interested in making movies and games in parallel, sign up for an SFM beta key and start shooting your movie on location inside the world of TF2 today.

[mckerney]

And Valve's latest Source Film Maker creation.

[Passacaglia]

Passacaglia1977 if anyone wants to add me!

Also, does anyone know how to buy steam cloud?

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Passacaglia1977 if anyone wants to add me!

Also, does anyone know how to buy steam cloud?

You don't buy Steam Cloud access directly. There are certain games that have it enabled that will automatically sync your saves. It's not something you can just use with any game.

[Passacaglia]

Thanks! It's weird that FM2011 is the only one that has it...and I have FM2010 and FM2012. Oh, well.

[mckerney]

Steam Community :: Greenlight

What is Steam Greenlight?
Steam Greenlight is a new system that enlists the community's help in picking some of the next games to be released on Steam. Developers post information, screenshots, and videos for their game and seek a critical mass of community support in order to get selected for distribution. Steam Greenlight also helps developers get feedback from potential customers and start creating an active community around their game as early in the development process as they like.

I know of a game that should be here. What do I do?
Go contact the game developer and suggest that they submit their game here for consideration.

There's a game on Greenlight that I really want to see succeed. What can I do?
Go tell your friends, just don't be annoying about it.

How do I report a fake/fraudulent/malicious game in Greenlight?
When you're looking at the page for a game in Greenlight, there is a 'Report' right next to the rating buttons, below the screenshots. Please report the item and tell us why you're doing so.

[EagleFan]

Sounds like the time is nearing for the summer event.

Sadly I'll miss most of it as I'll be away for work all next week (Monday to Sunday)...

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Sounds like the time is nearing for the summer event.

Sadly I'll miss most of it as I'll be away for work all next week (Monday to Sunday)...

Do you have a smart phone? You can purchase from the steam app.