I like MP, but i HATE STEAM
- Thread starter hhyy_best
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It will turn on again when you launch the game from Steam client.
I know, I just pointed out that it will enable itself again anyway (when you will want to MP).
Well, there's also the whole privacy and data mining thing. Call it spyware or not, depending on your definition.
But most people seem altogether too willing, even eager, to trade away their privacy, these days. So the days when people can reasonably assert their rights to any kind of privacy on the internet are limited. Just on this thread, you already see suggestions that concerns about privacy are either quaint or unrealistic on today's internet.
That was my impression from Johan's posts, need steam but don't need internet for local games.
(Also: the fact that Paradox developers feel free to speak their mind on their own message boards - instead of censoring themselves to present a bland, wholesome, inoffensive, EA Games-style corporate image - is the best thing about them. Every time Johan or one of the other devs is justifiably rude to a fan, I'm slightly more likely to want to buy their next game.
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I've been chuckling at Johan's posts too
Privacy concerns aren't quaint or unrealistic. They just happen to be with Steam. Valve is far too large, that such tracking behaviour would go unnoticed (you can always listen to your network, to see what is sent in and out; people would and will notice). Secondly, Valve isn't going to risk its image by collecting sensitive information about people. People thinking that Microsoft would save images tracked by its Kinect with the Xbox One are also being a bit ridiculous. A) We would found out and B) what the hell would Microsoft use it for? Same goes with Valve.
Sure, they collect data on what programs you have installed and what hardware you have. But even then you can opt-out of that.
Also, we are talking about games. Not private pictures of you, unlike what Facebook keeps around. If anyone has a problem with Steam, but thinks Facebook is fine, they have a serious judgement issue.
I'm still sad about the Steam stuff =/
EDIT: Would be nice if one could just use Steamworks but distribute it in non-Steam platforms too.
Many people don't like to have launch unnecessary software in order to run another piece of software.
Still updates when you actually try to play. Best to just bypass steam altogether and launch from folder.
EDIT: Would be nice if one could just use Steamworks but distribute it in non-Steam platforms too.
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But it is not unnecessary, as it is required to run the MP system through. Game development used to cost a lot of time, money and Q&A, because every company had to develop the same technologies in house. Steam attempts to take away some of these reinventing the wheel situations, by providing them as a standardised API. And not unreasonable for an API, it requires a program to be running somewhere.
Steam means that developers can spend more time on developing the actual game, rather than spend time on extra stuff, that has already been developed hundreds of times elsewhere.
This is also why the MP systems in Paradox games have been sluggish at best; because Paradox did not spend too much time on them, and moreover, I don't think they have a network engineer in-house.
It is unnecessary when one is not playing MP. Actually, it's still unnecessary even with MP. What MP needed is Steamworks.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the multiplayer change, the old code is really not all that great. See, I'm not opposed to Steamworks per se, I merely dislike Steam's client software as a distribution platform. As my edit implies, I just wish you can install the game without Steam. You can run it directly without Steam anyway, after all.
And you don't need to have Steam running when you are not using MP. Steamworks relies on Steam.
You mean like a 'Steam Lite' client like GoG's and GG's? Still, while I don't think it is likely there will be a Steam Lite client, that only downloads games any time soon, neither do I think it is totally out of the question, particularly with Valve wanting to make Steam a more open platform.
My largest problem with Steam these days is that its client takes up 26% memory after having been open for a couple of days. Stop leaking!
While, like you, it's not something I see happening imminently, I do wonder if the EU might get involved at some point. They intervened on competition grounds when Microsoft tried to integrate their web browser into Windows, and forced them to make Internet Explorer a separate program - and even required them to tell customers that other companies also made web browsers. So maybe at some point Valve might be required to split off the Steamworks API as a separate package and sell it separately - which developers would licence and build into the price of their games, rather than customers having to buy it directly.
After all, most games these days "force" you to launch other software first - like DirectX to handle graphics and sound, or Bink to run the game's intro video. Funny how the Steamophobes never complain about DirectX...
Which is why I think Valve is trying to avoid this happening, by opening up the Steam platform. They will still be able to earn money, but allow anyone to use the Steamworks API without any approval by Valve.
I know, that's what I just said.
A client for only downloading the install files, yes. I loved GG not just because it was Paradox's spinoff, but also because I can download the installer, keep it saved somewhere for the future, and never touch the GG client ever again.
The difference is obvious, in a very literal sense.
And while I also don't see it happening in the forseeable future, I do feel that ultimately it won't be a bad thing to separate Steamworks from the social/manager client.
So you've never gotten random out of sync issues, people typing in the IP wrong, people disconnecting and having to host all over etc?Not for me, I can host perfectly fine.
And again, what I want is just to have option to MP without Steamworks.
Well theoretically, if the game has LAN options it can work in an online game without Steamworks. At least, the same works for other games.
Personally I'm pleased the game will use Steamworks, more stable, more players and far more accessible. I'm looking forward to getting fully involved with the multiplayer side of things for EU4.
Same, Steamworks have always been stable for me at least. I'm not as anti Steam as I used to be.. it's just convenient to have everything in one place.
Are you really thinking that new system will be without any similar problems? While it's definitely a huge improvement overall, we don't know about OOS situation at all. It's not a problem that Steamworks 100% resolves, Civ 5 still has OOS issues. Or am I wrong?
And, it seems Johan hit-and-runned again, and haven't answered clearly about LAN. I know Paradox likes us to speculate, but not giving clear answers is just silly.