Is Valve's Steam service any good?IF it is,can anyone answer some questions plz?

So i wanna start fresh and download from a well-known service such as Valve's Steam. Now I'm a freshman so here are a few questions :

1) Is it reliable? I mean.. i'm using a credit card here! Don't wannareceive any bad surprises...

2) What happens to the games i download if, i dunno i have to disinstall the game? Will i still be able to re-dowload it without having to pay the same price again?

3) Do alot of people who use this service have mics while playing online?

4) Am i making the wrong choice? Should i just stick to buying games off stores in the malls? Is Steam worth it?

Thanks in advance guys! Best answer get's 4 CookieZ:P

that what they did today....for Valve 1$=1€

they just screwed themself

So i wanna start fresh and download from a well-known service such as Valve's Steam. Now I'm a freshman so here are a few questions :

1) Is it reliable? I mean.. i'm using a credit card here! Don't wannareceive any bad surprises...

2) What happens to the games i download if, i dunno i have to disinstall the game? Will i still be able to re-dowload it without having to pay the same price again?

3) Do alot of people who use this service have mics while playing online?

4) Am i making the wrong choice? Should i just stick to buying games off stores in the malls? Is Steam worth it?

Thanks in advance guys! Best answer get's 4 CookieZ:P

SoulKillah

1. I have more than 10 games on steam, never had any problems, so i'd say it is reliable.

2. Yes, when you buy a game, it's bound to youre account (steam acc.),so all you need to do is log in to that account, and you can re-install (need to be logged in to play too).

3. It depends on the server, some servers are full of people with mics, others are quiet.

4. Yes, i'd say steam is worth it, you dont need to worry about CD's, and you never have to worry about them running out of that new game you really want. (sure, its often released a day or two after retail, but thats a sacrifice im willing to make, in return for not needing CDs and so on)

EDIT: Do i get CookieZ?

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

SoulKillah

[QUOTE="SoulKillah"]

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

clembo1990

So i wanna start fresh and download from a well-known service such as Valve's Steam. Now I'm a freshman so here are a few questions :

1) Is it reliable? I mean.. i'm using a credit card here! Don't wannareceive any bad surprises...

2) What happens to the games i download if, i dunno i have to disinstall the game? Will i still be able to re-dowload it without having to pay the same price again?

3) Do alot of people who use this service have mics while playing online?

4) Am i making the wrong choice? Should i just stick to buying games off stores in the malls? Is Steam worth it?

Thanks in advance guys! Best answer get's 4 CookieZ:P

SoulKillah

1) Yes, I find it extremely reliable, I haven't had a problem with it or problems concerning the credit card i use ever since I started steam about 3 years ago.

2) As long as you have access to your account and internet the games will always be available to you. If you uninstall any game that you bought with your steam account you can reinstall them onto any computer at any time and can play them on any computer as long as you're logged onto steam.

3) This really depends on the game you are playing. Games developped by valve ( ex. Counter-strike 1.6/source, Left 4 dead, Team fortress 2 ) usually have a lot of people talking on mics in most servers you join, and if you join a clan most of the time everyone has a mic. But games like call of duty or unreal tournament, which you can buy off of steam but aren't made by valve, don't usually have too many people with mics ( through my experience ), unless you are in a clan.

4) No I don't think you are makin a wrong choice, I find steam extremely useful and easy to use. And even if you do buy games off of the shelves at stores, you can still activate them through steam ( if they are available on steam ) so then you have the hard copy AND a digital copy on steam that will be tied with your account forever.

Hope I helped you out.

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

SoulKillah

[QUOTE="clembo1990"][QUOTE="SoulKillah"]

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

-Tretiak

[QUOTE="-Tretiak"][QUOTE="clembo1990"] Sorry dude, steam doesn't have those games, yet.clembo1990

[QUOTE="-Tretiak"][QUOTE="clembo1990"] Sorry dude, steam doesn't have those games, yet.clembo1990

[QUOTE="SoulKillah"]

Thanks alot guys :D

I just remembered one more question : Let's say i want to get Spore or Mass Effect from Steam.. will these two still have those awful DRM and SecuROM measures, or will they not have'em since they're already being downloaded from a legit source?

matte3560

Dont cheat inVAC servers or u will et banned dont sell your account dont giveaway your account and go read steams FAQ but I love it!

Also the pirces are great especially at weekends I have 12 or so games from steam. And about 8 non steam games with retail disks. Ok ok I was a console gamer.

[QUOTE="matte3560"]

some do, because the devs are ignorant idiots but most games dont have DRM on steam (crysis warhead for example, did not have DRM on steam, but it did in the retail version)will952

Plus Steam is a form of DRM itself.

[QUOTE="will952"][QUOTE="matte3560"]

some do, because the devs are ignorant idiots but most games dont have DRM on steam (crysis warhead for example, did not have DRM on steam, but it did in the retail version)Ondoval

Plus Steam is a form of DRM itself.

But steam isnt so intrusive and repulsive as Securom and Starthingy

An I the only one who noticed the fact this thread started in '08?

STEAM for life!! Nothing like it. Valve for life!! Nothing like it.

where u been all these years lol

An I the only one who noticed the fact this thread started in '08?

Drazule

what lol... i didnt notice crap, been up all night bustin mount and blade, i can barely see right now:?

[QUOTE="Drazule"]

An I the only one who noticed the fact this thread started in '08?

ekultus

what lol... i didnt notice crap, been up all night bustin mount and blade, i can barely see right now:?

I've been using Steam for around 3 years now & i have about 50 games. I haven't had one single problem with Steam yet.

Steam is great.

EDIT: Ghox, why did you dig this thread up?

I've been using Steam for around 3 years now & i have about 50 games. I haven't had one single problem with Steam yet.

Steam is great.

EDIT: Ghox, why did you dig this thread up?

BluePaw-

1. I have never lost connection, or bad connection to Steam. Download speeds reach 1.2mb/s, min 400kb/s. I am not sure about anyone else but I get charged a extra $1.50 on top of the exchange rate from the money changers for the "privilage" to buy from Steam online. Which is weird since my purchases from other services like D2D have never had that 1.50$ surcharge.

2. Download them, play, then you can make a backup of the game and save in a safe place(dvd, backup/external hd, usb drive...), instead of redownloading the game again. A buddy of mine just moved and his new internet service has limits on bandwidth, pretty much killed his chances of redownloading his games since it will cost a extra 200+$ worth of internet service surcharges. So be sure to back them up to your own location, and it then is pretty much a retail copy for your Steam account service.

3. Yes and no. Some have mics and dont use them, then some others have mics and you wish they didnt. Some dont have one, but might wish they did, or not.

4. It is a decent service. My opinion is that it fills in the gap of not being able to find a game in retail like older or sold out games. Plus it can offer some better deals than retail can. You can play offline or online, place steam on multiple PC's you own with some games having limits. Some downsides are lending of games(which they should implement lend games you own for free weekends to friends, imo), modding some files can, but not always be more difficult. So either way you should be able to get what you want.

So i wanna start fresh and download from a well-known service such as Valve's Steam. Now I'm a freshman so here are a few questions :

1) Is it reliable? I mean.. i'm using a credit card here! Don't wannareceive any bad surprises...

2) What happens to the games i download if, i dunno i have to disinstall the game? Will i still be able to re-dowload it without having to pay the same price again?

3) Do alot of people who use this service have mics while playing online?

4) Am i making the wrong choice? Should i just stick to buying games off stores in the malls? Is Steam worth it?

Thanks in advance guys! Best answer get's 4 CookieZ:P

SoulKillah

From a tecnical standpoint Steam is as safe to use over the net, as most online shops, or online banking, safety does require the user him/herself to make sure there are no keyloggers on thier pc ofcourse(think of it as a virus).

Once you buy a steamgame, it is tied to your account, so dont forget the username or password, however you can redownload a game as much as you want to, there is no limits, and it is usually quite fast.

Steam itself is a delivery and maintenance platform, it automaticly keeps your games up to dage, and it allows to defrag games, or even check if the games has some eoors, and fix them for you.

It is however not Steam that decides if people use Mics, but the game itself.

I really like steam, it keeps all my games in order, and more often then not makes sure nothing bad happens to my games ^^

i have over 130 games on steam. ive never had a problem. you can install and uninstall games on as many computers as you like. i suggest you buy the orange box first thing when you get on steam. its awesome.

So i wanna start fresh and download from a well-known service such as Valve's Steam. Now I'm a freshman so here are a few questions :

1) Is it reliable? I mean.. i'm using a credit card here! Don't wannareceive any bad surprises...

2) What happens to the games i download if, i dunno i have to disinstall the game? Will i still be able to re-dowload it without having to pay the same price again?

3) Do alot of people who use this service have mics while playing online?

4) Am i making the wrong choice? Should i just stick to buying games off stores in the malls? Is Steam worth it?

Thanks in advance guys! Best answer get's 4 CookieZ:P

SoulKillah

1. Yes, very reliable. Just don't be a fool with your account, use a unique login ID and password to avoid people being able to hack your email and then hack your Steam account.

2. Games are for life. If you buy a game, it remains in your library and you can download it is often as you like.

3. Mics are entirely dependent on the game. Seems like most people in Team Fortress 2 have a mic, whereas in Bad Company 2 you hear no mic audio.

4. Steam is epic. Worst case scenario, you buy a game at retail price (without tax, mind you) and you have it for life, and you don't have to worry about losing your disc, scratching it, storing it and taking it with you when you move, taking up space, etc.. Best case scenario, Steam has weekly and seasonal sales all the time and you get a game for a fraction of what it cost in the store.

Provided you have a reliable internet connection that can download in the 500k + range, there really is no objective reason to not use Steam.

oh dear, what an old-ass thread lol. I feel sort of foolish, to be honest.

I was a Steam addict and then I had a problem. My CC company made a mistake and they corrected that day and apologized. It then took two full weeks of fighting with Steam customer support to unluck games on my account I payed for with cash at the store. Steams user agreement is worse then any DRM and they have horrid customer service. I won't eoen buy games that make me install Steam, like Brink. If I want to play Portal will buy a used 360 version.

Steam dominates the market and I think they will barrel ahead until the PC is no longer and open platform and we don't own any games we buy. I'm just enjoying what gaming I can still get in. Once I have to have Steams addware on my PC to play games I will stop gaming and that day is coming.

oh dear, what an old-ass thread lol. I feel sort of foolish, to be honest.

mrbojangles25

nice job bumping a thread from 2008 sexygirl6t9

that was pretty good despite the HTML thread.. betetr off jsut using the add image feature next time..

anyway ill go get a mod and get this locked.. brb

and then the exterminatus shall begin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67JpMyrOVE

No need to bump an old thread.DavidianMH

As long as you don't give your password to a person or website claiming to be from Valve, you're good.

As long as you don't give your password to a person or website claiming to be from Valve, you're good.

FatSlasH

Wrong. I had spent over 500 dollars on Steam, and games like Left4Dead were purchased from the store. My CC disputed a five dollar charge on accident. Steam suspended my entire account without notification and not even my bank could call them on the phone.

I looked around, it happens a lot, usually over a problem with paypal. You don't own a single game on Steam. Two weeks beforeValve fixed the mistake.

I figure I may have a few good years left before you can't not have Steam on your PC.

An I the only one who noticed the fact this thread started in '08?

Drazule

This reply is funnier now...

Sorry, but I believe people who don't like Steam, and digital game services in general, exaggerate and make up problems with it. These people are afraid of change and feel their precious cardboard boxes and disks are threatened. I'm not saying Steam is perfect, but they've always responded relatively quickly when I email them about something. There are problems, but there are problems with games you buy at a store too. I've never lost a game I bought off Steam. I've had store bought disks go bad, get lost, lose compatibility, etc. numerous times.

Wow, this thread has been necro-bumped twice now. I think it should be left un-locked, just so we can get a laugh at the serious answers from people who don't realize how old this thread is every couple of years.

Locking this thread because it's been revived from the dead twice.