CK2 Price?

Pyriel said:

This however does not work if you do not have any internet to start with, I was without internet for a weekend and I couldn't play any games I bought through steam since it required an active internet connection to go offline mode

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Eh, when I forget to turn on my modem, steam does offer two choices retry or go offline. So it's quite strange that you have to be online to go offline.

Edit: if you meant you have to be online once... as far as I got CK2 will not require activation of any kind so it's just install and play.

nyah said:

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I notice there was no denial of compulsary steam from johan above. Perhaps they haven't decided yet, or just want to avoid the flames.

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There also no confirmation of compulsory Steam.

Why would they want to suddenly publish their games exclusively on steam?

Mnoracle said:

Eh, when I forget to turn on my modem, steam does offer two choices retry or go offline. So it's quite strange that you have to be online to go offline.

Edit: if you meant you have to be online once... as far as I got CK2 will not require activation of any kind so it's just install and play.

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I have the same issue as him. If I don't manually go offline, while being offline, I won't be able to go offline at all. Contacted steam suppourt about it, got some generic email message, and when i tried to write again, there was no answer.

Apparantly not everybody has that issue, but I do, and It's a real killer for me...

PdoxLP said:

There also no confirmation of compulsory Steam.

Why would they want to suddenly publish their games exclusively on steam?

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Because of the ability to auto-update, the easy to buy modular dlc and in-game store. How would the in-game store work through gamersgate or impulse? You would still be able to buy through gamersgate or where-ever but would require steam to install and run the game.

I'm not saying that it should be this way, just that I think that it will be. It makes sense from a devs point of view and most users don't have any problem with steam. I'm not refering to anybody on this forum but sometimes I get the sense that some people want to find ways in which steam doesn't work for them, because they think that hating steam is rebelling against 'the man'. I came to this conclusion after spending some time on the total war forums.

Those who have problems getting steam into offline mode might try keeping steam in offline and just going online to check for updates or buy new games.

A_Dane said:

I have the same issue as him. If I don't manually go offline, while being offline, I won't be able to go offline at all. Contacted steam suppourt about it, got some generic email message, and when i tried to write again, there was no answer.

Apparantly not everybody has that issue, but I do, and It's a real killer for me...

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I think you understood him wrong he was saying that when he forgets to turn on his modem. He is given choice to go either online or offline mode. I did give you few advice earlier that might be the cause why you can't stay offline like you steam program being in program files folder and windows blocking it to make changes to its files. Another could be that steam you installed is corrupted and is not updating correctly. So reinstalling your steam to another location might fix the problem.

nyah said:

Because of the ability to auto-update, the easy to buy modular dlc and in-game store. How would the in-game store work through gamersgate or impulse? You would still be able to buy through gamersgate or where-ever but would require steam to install and run the game.

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The same way VicII and HoIIII work? Or a DLC store in the game itself?

Wezqu said:

I think you understood him wrong he was saying that when he forgets to turn on his modem. He is given choice to go either online or offline mode. I did give you few advice earlier that might be the cause why you can't stay offline like you steam program being in program files folder and windows blocking it to make changes to its files. Another could be that steam you installed is corrupted and is not updating correctly. So reinstalling your steam to another location might fix the problem.

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I understood him completely, I think you misunderstand me. If i don't have internet, and start up steam, i try to go into offline mode, I've so far gotten some message that says it can't be done. I've had this issue since i started using steam 2 years ago, and I've tried reinstalling it, even though the game is not installed on the program files, hell I installed it on my d: drive...

Anyways, just for the fun of it, I tried your approach (disabling my internet acces), now instead of generic error message I get: "Steam is updating", even though it's fully up to date, and I have no internet..

As to the whole: Go in offline mode in advance, that might very well be possible, but it damn well shouldn't be necessary...

A_Dane said:

I understood him completely, I think you misunderstand me. If i don't have internet, and start up steam, i try to go into offline mode, I've so far gotten some message that says it can't be done. I've had this issue since i started using steam 2 years ago, and I've tried reinstalling it, even though the game is not installed on the program files, hell I installed it on my d: drive...

Anyways, just for the fun of it, I tried your approach (disabling my internet acces), now instead of generic error message I get: "Steam is updating", even though it's fully up to date, and I have no internet..

As to the whole: Go in offline mode in advance, that might very well be possible, but it damn well shouldn't be necessary...

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Well I have just one question to you did you really turn the modem off and not just put it on stand by as many modems aren't fully off until the power is off or they really aren't getting a connection. If I would leave my modem on stand by and not removing the power wire from it. Steam would do the same thing as it did to you. I think its because it thinks you have the connection as the connection is shown to be limited and not just local so steam still thinks you have a connection and tries to connect. I did try it myself and if I kept it on stand by and not totally turn off it would hang on updating but if I did it with the power wire off it went to the choose to be online or offline and after choosing offline it went to offline mode without a problem.

PdoxLP said:

The same way VicII and HoIIII work? Or a DLC store in the game itself?

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But from paradox's point of view is it preferable to develop and operate an in-game shop as well as all the other in-game online functions themselves or to use a ready-to-go service provided by a third party?

Is there another game delivery platform that provides all these functions to the extent that steam does?

Wezqu said:

Well I have just one question to you did you really turn the modem off and not just put it on stand by as many modems aren't fully off until the power is off or they really aren't getting a connection. If I would leave my modem on stand by and not removing the power wire from it. Steam would do the same thing as it did to you. I think its because it thinks you have the connection as the connection is shown to be limited and not just local so steam still thinks you have a connection and tries to connect. I did try it myself and if I kept it on stand by and not totally turn off it would hang on updating but if I did it with the power wire off it went to the choose to be online or offline and after choosing offline it went to offline mode without a problem.

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I got a wireless receiver, I closed down the comp for a sec, pulled it out, tried to run steam, and got that.

I'll try to see if the modem things works any differently tomorrow, other people on the internet atm so can't verify it.

But in any case, I had the issue I've described happen to me last friday, so I doubt anything has changed..

nyah said:

But from paradox's point of view is it preferable to develop and operate an in-game shop as well as all the other in-game online functions themselves or to use a ready-to-go service provided by a third party?

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It's better to go themselves, of course. Same as it would be better for Paradox if everyone bought direct from them rather than from any 3rd party vendor, as vendors all take a cut of the box/ download price while Paradox would get an effective 100% if selling themselves. But including their own store (via Connect, presumably, haven't really checked out HOI: TCG but it uses Connect for paid transactions, IIRC; they could, presumably, have just used a 3rd party there) would potentially be an Origin type situation*, and if they did that wholesale they might not be able to sell on Steam at all. Which is all a bit ironic really, given Steam's propensity for trying to get itself onto every game install possible from whatever source bought.

Is there another game delivery platform that provides all these functions to the extent that steam does?

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Patching wise- since that's been cited as a major issue- a huge amount of software has auto patchers. Everything from anti virus, freeware, games, software suites, operating systems, big or small. Paradox's own games have an update button, no great difficulty in making that an automatic check, especially if, as Johan has said, all vendor game versions when installed are exactly the same. It should also be noted that Steam has consistently been far from the most reliable for core Paradox games when it comes to patching (is EU3: DW at version 5.1 on steam even now?) in the past, and for timely releases (DW/ FTM late etc), and for treating the expansions properly (ie forced installs, no rollbacks). I'd quite happily believe that going Steam only would solve those issues, at least.

Note: I don't have any fundamental problem with Steam on Valve's own games, nor Origin on EA's, nor Impulse for Stardock's and would be happy enough if Connect were enabled in Paradox's software similarly to how the steam integration has been detailed. But I do have an extremely strong objection to forced bundling of 3rd party clients. It's monopolistic and you end up with a closed, console style system just with someone other than MS or Sony making the rules.

*To forestall potential arguments: Gamersgate/ Impulse/ D2D etc have no problem with Origin and you can buy BF3 at those places, instead of Origin. The only place you cannot is Steam.

Wezqu said:

Well I have just one question to you did you really turn the modem off and not just put it on stand by as many modems aren't fully off until the power is off or they really aren't getting a connection. If I would leave my modem on stand by and not removing the power wire from it. Steam would do the same thing as it did to you. I think its because it thinks you have the connection as the connection is shown to be limited and not just local so steam still thinks you have a connection and tries to connect. I did try it myself and if I kept it on stand by and not totally turn off it would hang on updating but if I did it with the power wire off it went to the choose to be online or offline and after choosing offline it went to offline mode without a problem.

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We're not really thinking of the same thing , I was without internet completely in a sense where I could not connect to my internet provider or any form of ip. Hell, my modem couldn't even provide me with a local ip for the local network

In times like that you simply can't connect to steam, or go to offline mode since it told me it required a connection to the internet. It's easy to test tho.. just pull the modem plug and try to play a few of your steam games. Usually Im connected 24/7 but in this perticular case it got really annoying. It's like when you bought DLCs for Xbox, specially bioware ones it makes unable to play the game or at least your saves

I expect it to be below $20 within a few months of release like all the other Paradox games in the recent past. Like I got Hearts of Iron and Crusader Kings origional in a dual package for $4.99 Then I gots ALL of the Hearts of Iron II series for $7.99 I gots the origional Victoria for .99 hehe and I gots EU:Rome and the Expansion for $7.99 Then I gots EU:II and all its expansions for $7.99 Soooooooooooooooo I pretty much expect to get Crusader Kings II for those same like prices eventually. No hurry. I've learned I can wait now on Paradox games because they are always buggy and not as fun to play when released. A good six months after Feb 12 and there should be at least one patch done if not two and hopefully all the hardware issues will be faded out.

I must say Paradox makes some great games "after" they fix them. Crusader Kings + Dues Vult and EU:Rome + Vae Victus have been my favorites. Best ones Paradox ever made.

Johan said:

Technically, you'd need to start steam if you want to patch is also, as if th version is on steam, we'd rely auto-patching there.

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Could you just clarify this, if I buy the game in a physical package from a physical game store, does it still require me to install and use Steam (yes I want to patch)?

Talar said:

Could you just clarify this, if I buy the game in a physical package from a physical game store, does it still require me to install and use Steam (yes I want to patch)?

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AFAIK Yes, the patches are delivered only through steam, asside from beta patches

It was never stated that you'd need to have steam to update, only if you actually bought it from steam. IF you buy it from steam, then yes you need it to update, but unless they make it steam only/use the steam DRM thingy, then you shouldn't need to use steam if you buy it off say gamersgate or in a physical copy..

Johan said:

Yes. The boxes will need steam to activate and run.

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You read my mind from 1 month ago...or I read yours.

Pyriel said:

In times like that you simply can't connect to steam, or go to offline mode since it told me it required a connection to the internet. It's easy to test tho.. just pull the modem plug and try to play a few of your steam games. Usually Im connected 24/7 but in this perticular case it got really annoying. It's like when you bought DLCs for Xbox, specially bioware ones it makes unable to play the game or at least your saves

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Done that several times. When I start up steam while I don't have internet connection it asks me if I want to launch it online or offline mode and when I choose offline mode it starts and I can play any game that doesn't require an internet connection to play. I don't have to go online to get to play.

Johan said:

Yes. The boxes will need steam to activate and run.

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So this confirms that the game will be released on steam the same day as on any other media. Thats good to hear as I'm going to buy it from there anyway.

Johan said:

Yes. The boxes will need steam to activate and run.

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And I'm wrong again, how amusing What about gamersgate?