1. Incorrect, you can get patches from the forums and install them on steam versions.
2. Once again, incorrect. You do not require steam or any other software running for any paradox games that I know of.
3. Steam has competition from:
..
Point 2 only because some here complaint over being forced to use STEAM, same to point 1..
Burning made some very good points about such different ways of handling digital distributions.
The main point is for me that you have to carefully watch them, what they're doing. Or they would take more form you as you would maybe like.
Same for nowadays browser or freemailers. Anyone read the terms of use form the mostly US-run freemailers?
Scanning your emails for better adverts and making you responsible for telling all your emails contacts that their emails to you wil be scanned too..
So who read the terms of use of STEAM or the EULA's..
STEAM has more rights as Gamersgate "against you". And is in the end not more tranparent/obvious then Gamersgate, just because it uses its own client and stores the game different as the normal game installations etc.. So it might be easier to use for the average user, but at a "cost" as it could act on your hardware if you don't have the knowledge to prevent that.(Configure the client software, copy the game into a differnt location out of the STEAM folder wich is not allowed iirc..) While GAmersgate just delivers the game to you digitaly and then leaves your system alone. No afterwards action possible..
Some remember the story where e-books where deleted afterwards(!) they were paid on digital readers like Kindle's, as the company decided to not sell the books they had already sold to their customers and deleted them on the devices.. Just because of some censoring going on.. The customers get of course a voucher for other books..
All to protect the customers of course.. And with full rights to the EULA/laws in some countries already.
Now think about the same story with physical stuff. Like books the goverment does not like etc.. I think everybody can see the dangers that comes also with the new technologies.
Next to the new cool features/possibilities they have..
Who is reading such terms of use and won't be against it? But for digital stuff, the "normal/average" user will just click forward without reading, trusting into the "system", right into its "own digital sale"..
So it is very good that at least some, point out to the dangers of such services.. In Europe such "over reaction" or "fear" is much bigger as in the US maybe, but it is good that it is mentioned and even better that companies then still offer another distribution channel. So other customers benefit from the "STEAM dislikers" even if they don't know why, much the same as they don't know about the restricting and not favourable EULA's they sign all day long already..
I wouldn't like to have people coming into my house and taking games away, because they think I shouldn't have access to them anymore.
And I wouldn't also like to have the same possibilities on my PC, wich is a PERSONAL Computer for me..
Because of that, as "a good democrat", I "raise my voice", even digitally, to share my opinion on such possibilities..
Cheers,
Chromos
(who is using carefully STEAM too..)
