I read about "steam" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(software)

Is it the case that, if I go into the computer store on the 22ed, buy my copy of Fallout NV, bring it home, install it, and try to play it, and I do not allow any "steam" software to connect to the internet from my network, that it will not allow me to play the game?

And also - - is there some means to patch the .exe (if the devs release patches obviously) without using this "steam" system?

1. Yup

2. Most likely no.

Sorry Tarrant

It was confirmed some time ago that having bought the disc you need to make a one time connection to steam to activate the game.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1096751-fallout-new-vegas-fan-interview/page__view__findpost__p__16020668

From my experience with Steam, you do have to be connected to the internet when you install a game and when you first start it up. After that, however, you can choose the start the game without going online. There should be an option within Steam that says "Play without connection", or something along those lines. I am basing this on previous games I have played through Steam, and admittedly that was quite a while ago, so things may have changed since then. Hope this helps!

Also, as far as I know, there is no way to patch a game to not use steam.

This is true. ( at least legally for the last part). But unless you actually don't have internet (since you are on these forums, clearly you do) it is not that big of a deal. Unless you are paranoid of the Steam client stealing your harddrive and selling it to Chinese Internet Ninjas or something. But you don't have to worry about that. There is no Secret Society of Internet Secret Stealers and our goals aren't to watch people on their computers using stuff like Steam to take over the world. Where did you hear such things? We don't exist. yeesh

Correct. To use steam you must connect to the internet once to get your account set up and the game registered on said account.

However, once you've registered NV with steam, you can just tell steam to run in offline mode and never connect to the interweb again, if that's your desire.



Considering that steam is used for achievements as well as DRM and as a DLC distribution platform in addition to a patch distribution system, no. And there's no real chance of the devs releasing a steam-removal patch either given how many functions it serves and how many people are in favor of steam integration either.

I think it's more about DRM. Steam is just to make sure you aren't pirating these games. Of course it doesn't really work 100% of the time. And the good thing about steam is its relatively minor and unnoticeable especially when compared to some of the more invasion means of DRM they have out there today. I love Steam and as long as you have at least internet access for one day on your computer, there isn't much of a reason to dislike it.

PC gamers that don't know about steam make me a sad panda.

The nice thing about Steam is that they know it's DRM and that most legit players dislike invasive DRM, so they try to minimize the invasiveness. You get infinite installs, you can run it in Offline mode once you have it installed and the game in question registered, you can even DL it online again if you bought a disk but lost it.

Contrast that with the limited install tokens that many other more odious DRM schemes have, which you have to call in to replenish if you use them all up, or even worse the Ubisoft system where you have to be online all the time.

And Steam is gamemod-friendly. The Steam devs helped out the OBSE/FOSE teams adapt the loader apps to the Steam versions of the games. GFWL? Microsoft has already declared their dislike of user mods with their declaring mods verboten with the XBox. GFWL goes ape on FO3 when you try to load FOSE with GFWL active. D2D? Yeah... not happening there either.

Fallout 3's DRM scheme was botched in setup, as evidenced by the ability to run with neither a disk nor a GFWL login. Be glad it was, I really don't want to imagine FO3 requiring GFWL.

Crud.

Although everybode hery is right and Steam is the best option of all programs like it, I consider them all to be an incredible pain.
Steam's easy to use and has a clear interface, not even including the neat options like friends chat and stuff, but all I really want is to install the game and play, I have a disk for crying out loud.
I don't care much for rankings and or achievements, but hey, their a nice addition.

Yeah, I do have an internet connection, but I have two PC's. One for gaming (no internet) and one for every other thing. I'm not much of a multiplayer person, hence no internet on my gaming PC.

However now I have to get the game, install the game, install steam (already is, but just starting from scratch here), Plug in internet connection, Reboot (as my router wants every new pc to reboot, otherwise it wont have a connection) register the game, tick off-line mode, remove the internet cable, roll it back in, start the game, play.

About 5 years ago I just needed to: Get the game, install the game, play.

Don't get me wrong, I do not hate Steam or assorted programs, and can understand any publisher as for why they make it mandatory, but the main reason has to be Piracy. Why they keep bothering people that are legit with all these anti-piracy measures I can understand, but I find it illogical, simply because I'm not a pirate, why do I get treated as if I am one or about to become one...

To round it al up in a line that makes sense: I just wanna buy, install and play my game. It's possible to do so on a console, so it can also be done again on PC.

Sorry for Nostalgia.

You yearn for the old days? You mean when CD keys were printed on small strips of paper inside the (jewel :yuck: ) case? I have so many old games with cd keys that went missing its not even funny.

I suppose I could see how someone might view Steam as DRM, but it's a stretch. Steam is a digital distribution platform first and foremost. The "DRM" is merely there due to the nature of how the program works. It is not its primary function. But even if you do view it as nothing more than DRM, you're hard pressed to argue against it's upside. Infinite reinstalls (with the ability to backup the game the first time you download it, so redownloading isn't an issue), no need for the CD in the drive, patched automatically (not a big deal to me, but whatever), plus some more stuff that I probably forgot. The point being that Steam is hardly a annoyance. And if to all that you just say "Meh, I just don't want Steam on my PC" then maybe, at least for the games that require it, you should lay down the mouse and plug in the Xbawks.

I remember the good old days, when at random points the game paused and asked you what the fifth word on page 147 of the manual was.

Well, I really didn't mind that, or Jewel cases for that matter. Can't say I lost a cd key a lot, it happened once or twice and I have been able to snatch someone elses to install the game on those occasions.


I

I guess my good old days are a little closer to the present. What you just said is a lot more of a nuisance than using steam.

Just to clarify, It's not that I hate it or dislike the program itself, It's just that I have to take all kinds of actions before I can play a game.

Is it so wrong to ask just to install a game and be able to play it after that? Without having to do additional things?

Unless something has changed since the last time I installed a recent PC game (which was today), that is all you have to do. Install it and play.

I find all this connecting to the internet registering games stuff is excessive and unnecessary. So really we have to register the game with steam now? I"m not a steam hater, and I'm glad they trashed games for windows live, but really it should be our right as consumers to have the choice to play games without having to connect to the internet. What happened to the good old day when we just enter a CD key and did not have use these programs that connect to the internet to play a good single player games. I mean why do we have to be forced to connect to the internet with a 3rd party software just to play a single player game?

Internet connection is only required for installation. After you install the game, you can run Steam in offline mode.

But why is it necessary to to be connect to the internet install? As far as I'm concerned we shouldn't have to connect to the internet at all! Its not that I'm paranoid thinking my hard drive is going to be stolen by Chinese hacker ninjas and sell it on the black market in Thailand but still, it makes no sense to have to connect to the internet to install a single player game! Also don't they ever take into consideration that maybe some people are broke ass and don't have internet connection?

I agree.

I think that if you buy a single player game in retail, you shouldn't be forced to use an online activation to play the game. Never once did I send in any of the "register game" cards that comes with many games, but now Steam and other services forces me to do so and it's not something I think is a positive thing.

Why should I be forced to ask Steam for permission to run the game I bought in the retail store? If go and buy pasta at the grocery store, I don't have to call some place and tell them I bought it and ask for permission to cook it, that would be silly, wouldn't it?

Buy a Steamworks game in retail and try to play it without activating it on Steam, it won't work. Or try to play an activated game without launching Steam, it won't work. Or try to sell the game, you can't, it forever tied to your account. And forget the password and username to the account, and you're doomed. A friend of mine forgot her password and the secret answer, and can no longer access the games she bought and hasn't been logged in to Steam for over a year now. It may be a lesser "evil" compared to some DRM alternatives, but in the essence, it's still "evil".

This thread just helped me make up my mind about whether I am going to get this game. I am going to pass on this one.

Just two quick questions for those familiar with Steam. I've never used it before so I don't know how it works but if you have two computers that you want to install the game on is that still possible? Also, if you have bought it at a retail store and didn't download it do you need to have the CD in the drive constantly in order to play the game? Personally I prefer to find a no-cd crack so I don't have to have the CD in the drive constantly since I have a faulty CD drive. (Well, that and my brother has a tendacy to 'borrow' my games on a regular basis so more often than not I find myself looking all over the house to find that blasted CD to play my games.) I know it's not allowed but if I don't have to have the CD in the drive constantly it would save me from having to find a crack. You have no idea how many CD's my computer has ruined beyond repair and I would hate to see that happen to New Vegas. Lord knows I will hug the case to my chest upon release and keep my fingers crossed anyway.

Yes.


If you registered it on Steam, then no.


In that case, Steam will help you out tremendously. Once you register a game on Steam, you don't need the CD to play the game. In fact, if you want to install the same game on a different computer, or reinstall the game on the same computer (because you uninstalled it), but you completely lost the CD or the CD-key, you can just re-download the entire game through Steam.

Discussion of no-cd/dvd cracks is not permitted on these forums so lets move away from that, and as said you won't need them with Steam.

Although you can install games from your Steam Library on to any amount of computers, you can only be logged in to your account on one.

Though can be in offline mode on any number of them.