[Shiarra Curtis]

There were some unanswered questions in the last thread

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1172712-what-if-skyrim-requires-steam/page__st__180__p__17317739__fromsearch__1#entry17317739

That a wanted to answer. Plus, I'm sure we have more to say about this.

In response to the questions:

1. Yes, I absolutely, positively have a copy of Warband that I bought via Gamersgate digital download service which NEVER required any involvement in Steam at all.

2. I have asked, and I have been told that it is not possible to play Fallout New Vegas without installing the Steam client app and networking to the Steam network to get the game authenticated.

[Georgia Fullalove]

I buy all my games on Steam these days - have run out of storage space for boxes and disks, have a few scratched disks that will not work, lost a few product keys - Steam is convenient for me.

[Kellymarie Heppell]

I love my collection of disks. I like to look at them all and smile. It makes me happy. No i am not being sarcastic.

I've already voiced my opinions about steam, as in I don't like it. And I don't mind it being an option, but not being forced.

[Louise Lowe]

I like Steam and I sincerely hope that TES V is coming out on Steam -- I buy all my games through them now and think it's fantastic -- no swapping disks, everything is kept up to date, I get sales and good prices and don't have to go to the local games store, fight with the 'sale' bunting, scramble to the back section to forage through piles of containers, get a crick in my neck trying to read the side of each packet, have to deal with the bored guy at the counter who hates his job and is only getting ten bucks an hour, then take it home, install it once, throw the packet in the drawer to never be seen again (or else, it stays on my desk becasue I need the disc to play the game every single time) and then finally I get to enjoy my game. which, no doubt, I paid twice what Steam offered it for.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be considering twice buying Skyrim if it's not on steam. But again, that's me and I think Steam is great; also, I have the same issue as Epona222 -- whilst I haven't last any product keys yet, I worry about losing them and never being able to install my games again. Steam allows me to install my games whenever I upgrade or change my computers.

Edit -- Though, for people who like discs and don't use steam, I support their option of having a disc-based version that does not require steam to run. I had a friend who was annoyed by this with Empire Total War. Steam should be a seperate version of the game, for people who prefer digital distribution.

[Cash n Class]

They should make it both Steam and Retail. I personally do not like Steam and perfer to have the disc (Like above, I don't know why, but Seeing all my discs and boxes set up in my cabinet make me happy)
Steam for those who like Steam, retail for those who like retail. Everybody is Happy!

[sally coker]

I like buying the disc with all the packaging.
I have been going through the steam DRM to play recent purchases because it is required, and it's not so bad.
although I would prefer not to have it a requirement.

[Susan]

I buy all my games on Steam these days - have run out of storage space for boxes and disks, have a few scratched disks that will not work, lost a few product keys - Steam is convenient for me.

Wouldn't losing a product key still be an issue among your steam games? the one Steamworked game I have required a key

[Taylor Tifany]

I like steam so I don't mind at all, buy I'm still getting hard Copy prob epic edition

[stevie trent]

They should make it both Steam and Retail. I personally do not like Steam and perfer to have the disc (Like above, I don't know why, but Seeing all my discs and boxes set up in my cabinet make me happy)
Steam for those who like Steam, retail for those who like retail. Everybody is Happy!

If the game uses Steamworks and thus requires Steam it does not preclude there being a retail version. I purchased both Empire: Total War and Civilization V on disc and assuming I buy Skyrim it will be on disc as well.

[Nathan Barker]

I prefer Steam these days as my internet connection is very fast and always works. Steam has worked always as well. I hate being required to keep a CD in drive to play a game (and swap CDs when playing other games), and also I've got some scratched CDs, which cases required me to rebuy the games.

[Laura Richards]

I would prefer to own a disc and know I can play whenever I want to without having to rely on another program for the game to work. I shouldn`t ever have to rely on another program to launch my single player games. I bought New Vegas and there has been plenty of times the game wouldn`t launch because servers were too buzy to handle requests so the game wouldn`t launch. WTF! I was told how to run it in offline mode and so far that works at least. I bought cd store version of black opps the day it came out and beat the game in four days. Now everytime I go to play it 98% of the time I get a request error and it won`t launch. I probably have less then 20 hours on that game because oh mighty and wonderful steam won`t let it [censored]in launch! For all you guys who can play without any errors, hail to you. But if I pay for something, especially a single player game. From now on if it needs steam to run I`ll not buy it.

[Alex Vincent]

If it was Steam only, I'd buy it for the 360. Due to having a shoddy internet connection(26.4k dial-up)(and it's not even working at that recently), steam is completely out of the question for me.

[Brian Newman]

There were some unanswered questions in the last thread

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1172712-what-if-skyrim-requires-steam/page__st__180__p__17317739__fromsearch__1#entry17317739

That a wanted to answer. Plus, I'm sure we have more to say about this.

In response to the questions:

1. Yes, I absolutely, positively have a copy of Warband that I bought via Gamersgate digital download service which NEVER required any involvement in Steam at all.

2. I have asked, and I have been told that it is not possible to play Fallout New Vegas without installing the Steam client app and networking to the Steam network to get the game authenticated.

Simple answer no.
People take the internet for granted, a good portion of rural America doesnt have high speed internet. Even still theres so many things wrong with buying a game and not really owning it, like with Steam.
Any time i open TF2 its a good 2-4 mins for it to open.

[sw1ss]

Not a fan of steam, they are becoming a monopoly on computer games.

[Victoria Bartel]

The two question survey linked in my sig has been up two months today.

Question #1:
Are you interested in buying TES V Skyrim for the PC?

Yes 96.5% 361
No 3.5% 13

So 361 of the total of 374 who have clicked on the survey link from the various game forums where I've posted it in my sig said they ARE interested in buying Skyrim for the PC.

Out of those 361, here is the breakdown for the three possible responses to question #2 about how Steam required might impact purchase decisions.

Question#2:
What If Skyrim is Steam exclusive? Will you buy it?

I will buy Skyrim whether it requires Steam or not. 39.3% 141

I would prefer if there are non-Steam options for authenticating and playing Skyrim (e.g., gamesas online store with a unique product CD key). But I will probably buy it if it requires Steam anyway. 22.3% 80

I will not buy Skyrim if it requires installation of the Steam Client and internet connection for Steam authentication. 38.4% 138

answered question 359
skipped question 15


Over the past month or so, these fractions have not changed much. about 35 to 40% say Steam required will not negatively impact their purchase decision; about 20 to 25% say they would prefer non-Steam options but will likely buy it anyway; about 35 to 40% say that they will NOT BUY IT if it requires Steam.

Given those proportions have stabilized and the gradually increasing sample size has not changed the relative breakdown in each of those questions much at all for about one-month and one-third or more of the total sample, along with the fact that we are more than 10 times in excess of what Central Limit Theorem dictates is a min necessary sample size, I think these are reasonable projections about prospective customer reactions to Skyrim requiring Steam, at least among the forumite gamer segment of the total customer base.

I hope for all our sakes that Bethesda knows about this data and are heeding what it can tell them. The more successful Skyrim is, the better for all of us. Making Steam only one of at least two options for purchase and authentication of the game would seem to be the best way to satisfy the diversity of prospective buyers, at least with respect to distribution options.

ADDIT: If I am asked by a Bethesda representative, I'll be happy to provide the raw data from my Survey Monkey account, including the IP addresses for each individual respondent, to verify that responses were not repeated from a smaller number of IP addresses.

[Susan]

I have no problems with the game being available on steam for those who want it. I do have a problem with having to use steam when I have a copy of the DVD. For me, I most likely won't buy it for the PC if I have to use Steam. I know for sure it won't be a day 1 purchase for the PC, I'll stick with the XBox. I will decide, when it hits the bargin bins, on whether I want to pay for a game that forces me to install 3rd party software to make it work when it's not needed for anything.

[Kaley X]

Skyrim won't need Steam because it's not a Valve game. You may be able to BUY it on Steam at one point, you could buy the last 2 there.

[Josh Trembly]

I've only one and only one game on Steam, BC2 and really its quite convenient. Servers max out my speed when downloading, and its kind of nice not needing a disk.

Of course I'll buy it if its for steam, but common, this is TES, im going to want the box.

@Kyle, you got it wrong, a non valve game can use steam for anti-piracy measures, BC2 for example, is not a valve game at all.

[louise tagg]

Yeah of course I'll buy it. I hate Steam mostly because I only want Skyrim and no other program. I don't like having to install a bunch of other programs (which I would otherwise never use), just to be able to use what I really want (which isn't dependent on the program itself in this case, since Skyrim can run without Steam on for instance the devs computers, i.e. it's not a requirement itself).

But still, despite I'm unhappy about Steam, I will buy it of course. Any game made by Bethesda Game Studios is WAY too good to pass on for practically any reason, whether it's requirements like Steam or lots of money to buy it, etc etc.

[carly mcdonough]

Wouldn't losing a product key still be an issue among your steam games? the one Steamworked game I have required a key

No it saves the product key on their servers. You can literally look at the product key, I was with my friend when he bought Rift through Steam (The digital download server on the Rift Website was down lol). You can literally see it when you want. Plus, any game bought on Steam can be transferred to any other computer. All you need to do is install Steam, sign in, and click download game when it says it sees you have games not installed.

As for discussing actually whether or not I will buy it, I refuse to comment on the grounds that if more people refuse to comment this thread and the 947 threads that say the same thing may someday die. Ironic thing is by answering a question I bumped it.

[Silencio]

Not a fan of steam, they are becoming a monopoly on computer games.

Just like EA on the gaming industry. :down:

I'd rather use Steam to check the dvd than have it required to play the game.

[mimi_lys]

I've only one and only one game on Steam, BC2 and really its quite convenient. Servers max out my speed when downloading, and its kind of nice not needing a disk.

Of course I'll buy it if its for steam, but common, this is TES, im going to want the box.

@Kyle, you got it wrong, a non valve game can use steam for anti-piracy measures, BC2 for example, is not a valve game at all.

Fun fact: even the retail version does not require a disk after activation.

[Farrah Lee]

I will not buy Skyrim if it requires Steam or any online connectivity for the retail-disk version. To me, Steam = rental, which might be okay for a $10 throw-away game, but not okay for a $60 triple-A game that I plan to play far into the future.

[JUan Martinez]

I'll get it on retail, and then activate it via steam.
Steam is a good thing, finally I can manage my games automatically, my games are always up to date and the great midweek and weekend deals.
But I'll still buy it on retail to have a trophy

[JD FROM HELL]

Being an "old guy" I have some pretty strong feelings about what are my "consumer rights" - as strong as they are old. It's not about not following tech, it's about not wanting to weave (?) all my rights as a consumer. DMCA and similar acts (I'd even say most copyright related acts and slip in bills) is a disaster (imo) - but few seems to care - most even endorse it

Will I buy? Time will show. Maybe it's time to call it a day and toss in the towel, wrt gaming - which used to be fun.