I for one would love to have a collector's edition copy of FE:LH on DVD, DRM free....well, whatever the final state of the game will be. I understand another expansion is on the way after LH...

Direct Download is okay but having the physical copy on disk is better. Yes, I know I can backup to disk on my own, but I love the flashy art of a custom collector's edition. Call it 'gamer's pride'.

Please don't be so outright narrowminded.
While the anti-steam percentage certainly is loud, so is the pro-steam percentage.
And just because you like steam doesn't mean it doesn't have some obvious flaws, which a CD does not have (I am thinking about having an internet connection to install the game, and not needing to sometimes authenticate your program). I am not saying you should by the DVD, but coming in here with a negative attitude against people who really wants a physical CD for any reason just feels wrong to me, and slightly immature since you are meddling in other peoples business which have a tiny effect on you.
I like steam, I use it daily, it is extremely convenient because I always have access to my internet, but I also have trouble with it when my internet is wobbly, steam is like a caged wild monkey, give it a banana (internet) and it behaves calmly, but starve it and it rages in its cage...
Please understand I only wish to see all these discussions end.

Hmm, I suck at posting proper posts today .... Please read this message as if I said it in a friendly tone, it is meant as that, and if you want to disregard it, feel free!

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Surely you understand that giving people the choice of not using steam is inherently Anti-steam. "If you don't use it and love it for all your games you are a paranoid steam hater who needs to get into the modern age"

Who cares if you are tying your games to an account based subscription which can be canceled for any reason at any time it'll never happen to valve.. its too big to fail. They are like the Lehman Brothers of gaming.. surely the government will bail them out if something ever goes wrong.

Plus In a house hold survey 99% of vacuum cleaners preferred steam, and only 1 in 10 forum posts I read on the interent hate it so I assume that sample size is statistically significant for me to say that only a very small amount of people are attempting to resist the assimilation. Plus They wrote on the internet that it was a very small amount of users so it must be true.. just like Gabe newells promise to remove all DRM from all steam games if steam ever goes under, I mean i read it on the internet.. so its like totally gotta be real.

Resistance is futile so just quit gaming now if you don't like steam since eventually that will be the only choice for PC games I for one welcome our new PC gaming  Overlords.

Did I cover all the usual bases quickly so this thread doesn't devolve into part 699300 of this discussion?

P.S. I'm all for choice but i doubt its going to happen... stardock has charted its path and steam is the navigator.

I'm all for Steam only for one simple reason. I wanted my free copy of FE to be a Steam key, but it wasn't. Now that the expansion is steam only, it's forcing them to give me one.

Paradox is another company that has switched to steam only, because they found out that while the anti-steam customers are loud, they make up a VERY small percentage of total users.

Steamworks requires Steam.  We're not using any DRM features of it.

The problem with Steamworks remains the same I used to discuss in the Impulse::Reactor days -- to use the very useful libraries of Steamworks you have to include Steam. 

Unfortunately, GameStop didn't carry forward our work on Impulse::Reactor (which is a shame because it had features at the prototype level that still aren't in Steamworks) and we no longer have the ability to develop those features internally (that talent went to Dallas).

But we need these features.  Even Galactic Civilizations I (2003) allowed us to have global high scores and that kind of thing. Players expect this kind of thing now as basic features.

Incidentally, we are hiring.

without atleast outlining WHY you are FORCING steam on us, we (the non-steamers) WILL resist.

btw even though I do have rebellion, I have NOT played it in approx 4 months partly due to the steam shit and partly due to it feeling boring

harpo

Achievements are a big thing.  Getting mod support (if not in LH, in whatever comes later) started is a big thing. Getting cloud saves going is something we'd like to see. Getting a cloud high score list would be a cool thing. Setting things up so that unit designs can be more easily shared would be nice.

How much will make it into the release I have no idea. But these are a few of the things that a steamworks version opens up to us.

For the sake of clarity (and since it was assumed before):

Do you actually get a better cut from your sales there, by making the game Steam-only?

I switched to steam when impulse was sold. I have close to 60 games on steam and have never had a problem. I play offline most of the time but my minor sons prefer online for scores and chat. Now steam is also helping the smaller game developers with greenlight.  Steam is not evil, it is a platform that has done a lot of good for pc gaming.

Stardock has already said they are using it, how many times can the same people come in here and complain. Jeesh let it go, they know some of you are upset but it seems like steamworks is something they want to make available to their customers.  having steam run offline in the background while you are playing does nothing to your performance. I would imagine auto updating is the best thing for 90% or more of gamers, I know I like it. Log online once a week or if you know of an update and play offline the rest of the time.

Of those complaints 1-2 already apply to Stardock store purchases, and you can't buy FE at retail.

3 was changed to where they don't brick your games at least.  MP you're boned, but being non-Steam doesn't mean the service you're using instead can't bone you instead.

4 is something we'd have years of warning, and I suspect Stardock would do something in that case.  Valve's not going under anytime soon.

5 is a problem sometimes

6 is a legit problem, but one Stardock could solve by allowing the .exe to run without Steam if needed like Paradox does.  That one would be on Stardock.   Steam could solve this problem by actually spending money on making Steam more reliable in this area.  This is my biggest criticism of Steam.

my real issue with Steam is more of a market power issue and the potential Valve has to be evil.  They haven't done it yet, but companies can go from good to evil on a switch.

I was thinking the same thing. None of those things interest me....with possible exception to mod support...but that's what the community is for.

In Response to Kwami;

1 and 2:   Well honestly, do you think complaining to a developer that you don't want a steam version so you can loan it out and then resell it is going to help with your cause.

3.  I really don't see that legally happening.

4. Probably more likely you will lose or damage the original dvds than being unable to get your digital copy.

5. Sounds like a legitamate concern, but probably effects a very small minority of players.

6. I have never had offline mode break, not saying it hasen't happened though.

I can only speak for what i feel i get in return:  Extremely convenient way to purchase a game, ease of install and updating, great sales, availability to games you would have a difficult time finding without steam, then the kids like the achievements, chat and other features.

I personally hate messing around with a physical copy of a game. I upgrade my system a couple times a year (then pass on my stuff to the kids), and it is much easier to make a few clicks on steam or gog and presto my games are back.

I would think it would cost stardock additional money to create a physical copy that doesn't require steam, then ongoing update costs, for a small amount of sales.  So if enough of you would get together and pay and extra 50-100 bucks or so for the game they may do it.

Everyone has a right to complain. But i know i come to these boards to find advice and info on the game i enjoy playing. It really is disconcerting to see alot of the threads hijacked into steam bashing and mostly by a small group of people ( i can't imagine how deflating it is for the devs to come here and read it when they are posting about some news on their game).  Complain a couple times in the appropriate thread and move on with your life.