I'm sure the developers don't read these forums, so this is sort of a silly question to ask, but is there any chance that, at some point in the future, Steam no longer be required to play Skyrim? I don't use Steam and am rather disappointed that I can't buy and play this game, which looks pretty good. I'm hoping that someday there will be the option to buy a Steamless version. Any ideas what the chances of that are? (I know, I know--probably low.)

Nope. The latest PC "Patch" blew any chance of that happening away.

Skyrim is a Steamworks title so it will never have the Steam integration removed. Steam uses less system resources than the average web browser, so you might get used to it in time and even come to like some of the features it has to offer; Steam Cloud, for example, will remember all your saves and settings for different computers. Ease of patching alone makes Steam very nice to have.

I was once reluctant to use Steam myself, but I got used to it and now I buy the vast majority of my games on it (especially when they have special offers).


Or this.

You can get it on the 360 or PS3.

it will always be steam now. always.

For better or worse, it's a steam game now. Steam has some great features, but in the end the games do essentially belong to steam, and some people don't like that at all.

I use '3rd party' patches.

I play Skyrim just fine without steam installed.

read in news that this patch make Skyrim - to use only 2 Gb of RAM (in 2011)
actually it seems, that Bethesda don't need PC players anyway
but if we remember stupid Beth's programmists, -it's not surprise imho

Sales figures so far, taking digital sales in to account, indicate that the PC version is selling competitively with the PS3 version. Hopefully Bethesda will learn from that and stop leaving us behind, as they have done since Oblivion.

Bethesda is such a sell out.

I would like this too. I really miss the days of just popping a game in, installing it, and playing. I had to dike around for an hour or so with steam just to get that [censored] to play. I don't have a home internet connection, because I normally don't need one. (4G phone w/tethering n stuff) I understand the need to protect from piracy and all that. But they seriously made me consider never buying a PC game ever again.

Be thankful it's not Origin.

No, because they need some form of DRM, and Steam is way way way better than other solutions.

You only needed to tether your phone and run the game, activating it. At the worst it would have sent you an e-mail with a security code to verify that you are accessing your Steam account from a valid IP address (which is a good thing). Maybe you're new to Steam, if so I can only try to assure you that you get used to it and grow to like it in time.

And considering that internet authentication is now widely used, you probably would have had this issue without Steam.


Indeed, we could have been saddled with SecuROM. :shocking:

No... The Vanilla-Game already used only 2GB. Then people modded a 4GB mod (Changing the .exe). Steam encrypted the .exe and this method become obsolete. Then people modded a different 4GB mod.

Fallout: New Vegas survived Steam and I'm sure that Skyrim will survive too.

We have 4 options:

1. Heavy DRM - Every game uses some obscenely arcane DRM method
2. Steam DRM - All you need is an occasional internet connection, and accepting that you never really "own" the game, just a license to play it (software has always been like this though, there's a reason you agree to the EULA during installation).
3. Weak DRM - Simple CD key, easily cracked. PC gaming dies due to prevelance of piracy
4. No DRM - Game companies define a new mechanic by which to make money, probably closer to nickel and diming players (Kojima's fabled "you must buy the game again when you die" method).

I also had to download the patch, again, not really an issue. The issue was the IP thing you mentioned. I am not new to steam, I managed to download all 9GB of Deus Ex over my phone connection. The problem came when I tried to set up Skyrim, I pulled an IP from somewhere in Colorado, instead of the one I pulled here in Houston the first time. So I had to keep reseting my phone until I got the right IP. I know this isn't an issue for people that have an actual home internet connection (believe me, I have tried on several accounts to get one, it just isn't possible). It just makes things difficult and frustrating vs Oblivion which I was up and running in about 10 minutes.

Thing is it could have been a lot worse. You could have been using a SecuROM game, which would have detected 3 IP address changes and told you "NOPE, no game for you!" It's undoubtedly frustrating if your IP changes a lot, but it's better than the alternatives.

Then again, I'm an advocate of no copy protection at all. It works fine for CD Projekt RED.

No. Exactly the opposite. Pirates can and will pirate regardless of DRM. I could google up a download for any game in existence were I so inclined. DRM only harms people who actually pay for their games.

I like steam, and I like not having to have the disk in the drive, and I'm not especially bothered about having to run steam to play the game. Pro-DRM arguments are absurd and provably wrong though.

Between me and friends, that is 8 copies of the game.

None have any Steam problems. Not sure how some people are building their systems, but Steam works fine from my experiences.

Really the only thing I don't care for about Steam is the fact that I bring a physical version of software home (DVD), install it, and be denied access to it because Steam is overloaded and the game cannot call home.

Steam games should have some grace period so i can play immediately seeing as I actually did pay for the software and I would like to use it.

:banghead:

QFT. I really don't understand DRM. Just for once I would really like to have a video game dev or executive or someone explain to me what they think they are accomplishing with DRM. They must understand that there are torrents with tens of thousands of users illegally distributing their game. Yet they never even attempt to address this. They have to be losing at least some sales by pissing people off with Steam and other DRM methods, and it is obvious they are stopping no one that wants to pirate so.. how is that a sound business decision???

It's pretty much the industry equivalent of plugging your ears and going "LALALALALA". It probably has to do with stock holders and investors. "No DRM, no charitable investments."

LOL just figured that out? I'm waiting for them to admit that they were bought out by Microsoft.

Oblivion and Morrowind disagree.