Half-Life 2 is boring compared to HL1. Not to mention you move at a snail's pace and the deathmatch is less inspired than the original's.

Never played the original Half Life, but I love Half Life 2, as you can probably tell by my avatar. I've never beaten it, though. Or its episodes.

If there is a Steam version and a retail version that doesn't require Steam then fine. I'll just buy the retail version. If TES V has a Steam requirement like Fallout New Vegas will then absolutely not. I don't like Steam, I don't want Steam, I have no use for Steam (I could care less about achievements and I would never use the social interaction tools) and I don't want to have to install third party software just to play a game. In fact Steam is the reason I'm going to pass on Fallout New Vegas. There is no reason why I should be forced to use Steam to play a retail version of a game. All it does is shove software I don't want down my throught wail doing nothing to stop piracy (make no mistake about it, New Vegas WILL be cracked). Not only that but Steam kills my right of first sale, which is unacceptable. Honestly the only really good use I can think of for Steam is for playing old PC games that won't run on modern operation systems (the day Myst becomes available on Steam is the day I consider downloading it) but there is no good reason why Steam should be required to play a modern game. I would hate to pass on TES V, but a Steam requirement and SecuROM are the two things that would make me do just that.

I don't see the big deal with the Steam system like FNV is doing. It protects against piracy without those stupid DRMs, it guarantees you a replacement if you lose your disc or it breaks, so you can just download it off of Steam and continue playing, you don't need to put in the disc, etc. Plus, Steam doesn't make modding difficult or otherwise, it's just a different file path. And Steam takes like two minutes to install and it doesn't take up much space. I really don't understand why people are freaking out over how FNV is handling it. :mellow:

Piracy would be just as prevalent with Fallout New Vegas as with other games. Most crackers have Steam games cracked within days

True, but it still provides a disc-free way to play and a free replacement should your disc be lost or destroyed. And it still only takes two minutes to install Steam and it doesn't take up much space.

I know. I guess I'm impartial with Steam. I have never had a problem with games' discs being lost, and i usually make a copy of the folder of the game on my harddrive. But I 'spose Steam would be okay......... I'd rather GFWL(inb4 rage/flame) as long as modding was 100% compatiable


However, what I do not like is Steam's monopoly over your account. I know you technically buy a license for the STEAM use of it, but I would rather have a license for a game hardcopy etc. They can just ban your account - sometimes by mistake etc - and ultimately render your game gone

But yeah.. For TES - singleplayer - i guess im not bothered

If it is just being sold on Steam and has no Steam-based DRM for the physical disc, then I am ok with it. But if you are forced to use Steam for DRM purposes I will not buy the game. Having to sit around for 4 months waiting for updates before I can play my game is not fun, and quite frankly as an intelligent person, it insults me that game companies are treating me poorly just because there are a few pirates out there (who, BTW, can usually crack a Steam game in under 3 days).

I earn money which I then use to pay for things that I enjoy doing (after my expenses, of course). If a game company wants my money then they will have to treat me like a person.

NO.

If they have to implement it, then at least make it 100% optional. I don't want bloatware running in the background decreasing my performance. And why would I want a "friend" list for a single player game anyway?

Though, if they can't settle for a simple disc-check DRM, then I'd prefer Steam over the Games for Windows Live crap. But, I wish they'd just stick with a disc-check and/or a key-code for DRM, and none of the crap "need to phone home every day" DRM on so many recent games.

Dunno. I don't really care. I always buy a physical copy of my games so it's not like it really matters to me. But yes, the people who dosn't care about that kind of things should be able to buy it over Steam.

Is OP asking for Steam DRM for retail, or it just also being on Steam?

Because if some of you guys don't want the game available on Steam and just want it to be retail....

They are. Just not very script friendly.

Any who, as long as if you buy a physical copy, it doesn't require steam. If you buy it from steam, I'd expect it to be loaded by steam.

I don't care if the game is available on Steam for those who want it, my problem is with Steam being required for the retail version as it will be with Fallout New Vegas. I know that a lot of people like Steam but I don't. I don't like Steam, I don't want Steam, and it don't want Steam forced on me against my will all in the name of supposedly stopping piracy (which I find laughable. It has been proven time and time again that DRM doesn't work. All it does is punish legitimate users wail doing nothing to stop piracy and yet the game companies still insist on shoving DRM down out throughts,). So like I already said, as long as there is a Steam version and a retail version with no Steam requirement that great, I'll but the retail version and have nothing to do with Steam. But if the retail version requires Steam then, as much as I don't want to, I'll probably end up passing on TES V. Don't get me wrong, I love the Elder Scrolls games, but not enough to put this crappy bloatware on my computer.

god no i was pissed that Fallout New Vegas had steam but if The elder scrolls v had steam i would be beyond pissed i would rather deal with a horrible drm then steam

I love Steam. Digital Rights Management, I have games registered to my account. I just buy the game online that's it. Rather than downloading the files and updating the game there is no more internet connection required and both are optional. You can get the files offline or chose not to update. That's Steam's DRM.

Some Ubisoft/Activision titles still insist on having their own ridiculous DRMs though. I don't know what they were thinking with constant internet connection requirements or up to 5 installation limits. I'm not sure what should we call them if we are calling Steam as DRM or vice versa.

Digital download, FTW.

Physical copy without Steam requirement FTW!!!

I've no problem with the game being purchasable on Steam, so really so long as I can buy discs and run the game with just a disc check, I don't care. However, my husband's had a hard time getting the Tropico 3 expansion on disc and would have had to rebuy Tropico 3 from Steam in order to use the Steam version of the expansion because Steam didn't offer a version of the expansion compatible with a game purchased on disc. I think there are potential "falling between the cracks" issues with additional content that go beyond finding it irritating to have to activate a single-player game online. Of course if Bethesda wants to encourage folks to wait for a GotY compilaton rather that buy it on release, Steam may be the way to go.

No, I prefer GamersGate. All the benefits of an online distribution, no idiotic DRM-riddled extra program running in the background all the time and getting in my way.

I don't like the idea of a required online activation for a single player game.

This

Agreed. There is absolutely no good reason why a single player game would need online activation. All it does is inconvenience legitimate users wail once again doing absolutely nothing to stop piracy.

I'd prefer Steam if I can get rid of GFWL completely. I buy most of my games off of Steam anyway now and have pre-ordered FO:NV. I picked backups of Oblivion and Morrowind when they were on sale at some ridiculously low price too.

...but if Bethesda ever does what Ubisoft has done... well...


...let's just not talk about such things unnecessarily. :whistling:

That seems to be a good alternative, I have to search it. But Steam never get into my way. I can browse the internet inside the game, I can chat with friends. I wish it can record videos and take screenshots too. I am already running background applications like FRAPS or Xfire with games.

Steam has no rootkit, hidden OS hacks, it is merely a gaming catalog application showing me that I played 16 hours of Metro 2033, 18 hours of Just Cause 2 and 71 minutes The Witcher(that's cinematics included, all I can stand.) and help me buy and download games. It is very useful, can backup my saves and settings. I think it extends the life span of games, at least it can do that to PC gaming in long term. Like http://store.steampowered.com/sub/440/.

Again, the online activation and buying the game via steam is the SAME thing. So actually there is no required activation at all. There is only buying the game once for your account.

This. If I didn't need Internet access to install it, I shouldn't need it to bloody play- not even a once-off "activation."

If 'TES V on Steam' means steam-only (even for the physical copy, like Empire and Napoleon Total War) than certainly not, I will porbably love TES V so I will still buy it, but for other games I would seriously consider not to buy it just for that reason.

I mean, Steam works great for Team Fortress 2, but that's an online only game made by Valve (so it totally fits Steam). For a sinlge player only game like TES I can't see a reason why to use it, you can use Xfire to chat in-game if you want and most other steam functions are meant for online stuff anyway. Besides, the fact that you have to log in on steam every time you want to play (even if you got the offline option for when you might not have an internet connection at the time.)

Oblivion and Morrowind are available on Steam also so a big game like TES V will be available for sale on Steam anyway and it will probably have a preorder option. So there is no way to make TES V a steam game, it will probably mostly have downsides. That Windows Live for Fallout 3 was also quite annoying, Steam will be worse.