Steam Support

[xnode]

I use to be "I don't want this crap on my computer kid" like some of you are here. However now, I love steam , love everything about it, it is my new collection of storage and installs, where all my friends converge and more. No other system out there comes close. While I would buy this game on steam or not, I know many that are just steam buyers (encluding for the piece of mind and refunds you can get on pc titles now).

Heck, even the industry didn't realize how much pc sells in games till they added the "digital content" which steam owns the #1 distribution there in. Knock steam all around all you like, it is not going anywhere and any company looking for a marketing tool in this industry will ALWAYS look at steam, if you think differently you are fooling only yourself.

P.S. Planet Coaster might use steam to purchase, but nothing says they have to use the workshop, thou I have no clue why they wouldn't. Seen the dev post, I don't fully believe there is viability behind it thou, when it comes down too it, money talks hold the largest sway to any development of any game in the industry, to say other wise is just silly.

 

[Harbinger]

P.S. Planet Coaster might use steam to purchase, but nothing says they have to use the workshop, thou I have no clue why they wouldn't. Seen the dev post, I don't fully believe there is viability behind it thou, when it comes down too it, money talks hold the largest sway to any development of any game in the industry, to say other wise is just silly.

If you're aiming to restrict your game to the platforms available on Steam (Windows/Mac/Linux) then I can see the benefit but it is an extremely short sighted vision to rely on a third party solution. Doing so means that if they decide to take their game to the console market at some point in the future then those players will be unable to access the user-generated content that is available on the Steam Workshop. When you look at the ramifications of that decision long term then whilst it's more work it's a much better solution to develop a universal internal solution from the get go.

Better to just use Steam as an optional store front.

 

[Marvin1]

If you're aiming to restrict your game to the platforms available on Steam (Windows/Mac/Linux) then I can see the benefit but it is an extremely short sighted vision to rely on a third party solution. Doing so means that if they decide to take their game to the console market at some point in the future then those players will be unable to access the user-generated content that is available on the Steam Workshop. When you look at the ramifications of that decision long term then whilst it's more work it's a much better solution to develop a universal internal solution from the get go.

Better to just use Steam as an optional store front.

Agreed.

 

[sbeamers]

Better to just use Steam as an optional store front.

[yesnod]

 

[Achronite]

Better to just use Steam as an optional store front.

Seriously? I guess not many of you on here have used Steam Workshop for in-game content then?

I would rather trust them with the UGC over any other party because of the way they are funded; If Valve withdrew Steam Workshop the internet would go into meltdown! I'm not sure you could say the same thing about a content server provided specifically for one game.

 

[Harbinger]

Seriously? I guess not many of you on here have used Steam Workshop for in-game content then?

I would rather trust them with the UGC over any other party because of the way they are funded; If Valve withdrew Steam Workshop the internet would go into meltdown! I'm not sure you could say the same thing about a content server provided specifically for one game.

Nice of you to skip the main point of my argument in favour of the final conclusion. How do you propose that the user generated content shared via Steam Workshop would be shared with the inevitable future console ports?

Frontier are hardly a fly by night company. They were founded in 1994, a full 9 years before Steam launched and their current financials (which are available publicly) are looking extremely rosy. You shouldn't fear for their ability to support this game for many years into the future.

 

[Achronite]

Frontier are hardly a fly by night company. They were founded in 1994, a full 9 years before Steam launched and their current financials (which are available publicly) are looking extremely rosy.

Regardless of how you look at it, providing UGC hosting facilities costs money, and using an independent platform that supports multiple games and platforms (PC, MAC & Linux) is the most stable and long term solution. I'm not having a go at Frontier, I would say the same of ANY developer.

We all know that RCT3 is still going strong after 10 years, is any company that produced a game 10 years ago really going to keep servers up and running for a game when they are not making any money from them? Look what happened to the RCT Ride Exchange, EA famously switching game servers off for multiple games (Spore, FIFA, Battlefield, etc), Mojang with Scolls, Rockstar with RSGC, the list goes on...

As regards cross-platform UGC; Have Frontier said they are going to release on other platforms? There is nothing to stop hosting this stuff elsewhere; If Sony / Microsoft / Nintendo / et al. finally embrace UGC they are likely to also have their own separate well integrated platforms for doing so.

Maybe something that supports multiple repositories (github, etc) would be the best all round solution? A bit like how eclipse based software development tools work today.

 

[Angelis1]

Frontier are hardly a fly by night company. They were founded in 1994, a full 9 years before Steam launched and their current financials (which are available publicly) are looking extremely rosy. You shouldn't fear for their ability to support this game for many years into the future.

Hey ! I'm a big big fan of Frontier, but please, dont compare Steam with Frontier.

If Frontier is a Bank, Steam is the Federal Reserve. They are not even playing on the same category ...

If it's a good "strategy" to use SteamWorkshop more than a Custom content manager, i dont know, but let's be honest : Statistically, he's right. The chances are slimmer with Steam than with Frontier. [rolleyes]

 

[sbeamers]

Hey ! I'm a big big fan of Frontier, but please, dont compare Steam with Frontier.

If Frontier is a Bank, Steam is the Federal Reserve. They are not even playing on the same category ...

If it's a good "strategy" to use SteamWorkshop more than a Custom content manager, i dont know, but let's be honest : Statistically, he's right. The chances are slimmer with Steam than with Frontier. [rolleyes]

Unless someone here has a crystal ball, there is no more faith we can have in Steam than we could any other company. Who cares if they are big today. One screw up, and some other competitor comes in and runs all over their glory. No way you can put any bank on who will be around in a few years. Let the "kids who want crap" on their system have their steam, the rest of us play independent.

 

[Angelis1]

Unless someone here has a crystal ball, there is no more faith we can have in Steam than we could any other company. Who cares if they are big today. One screw up, and some other competitor comes in and runs all over their glory. No way you can put any bank on who will be around in a few years.

It's not about a crystal ball, it's about statistics !

In both cases, the risk of closure is very low
But statisticly, the risk is much (much) higher with Frontier. Period !

Let the "kids who want crap" on their system have their steam, the rest of us play independent.

When you see "independence", i see another "closed system" just like SteamWorshop + "a new useless platform/webservice on which it will be necessary to register" like TheSims.

It's funny to see someone say "kids who want crap" talking about Steam (just because of centralization), but asking a "Non-DRM-Free-Game with a dedicated closed content manager".

The only thing that can be better than SteamWorkshop is if the content manager made by Frontier is 100% free and open source.
Because if it's a "content management service" at the begining, it will quickly become a shop. I guarantee ! [rolleyes]

 

[pwc1]

Steam is okay, but I wouldn't say I can't live without it.

 

[Helena]

I like the steam workshop with the ease of adding new objects.. Click subscribe and you are go!

BUT I think this is up to Frontier, I just hope they will make something that is equally easy if they opt out of Steam Workshop.

But as for simply selling on Steam, it is another matter, just another outlet?

 

[Palaber1984]

A few weeks ago I prefered steam workshop. But know I think it could be more effective if frontier builds an easier one than steam. Steam workshops always overwhelming me because it seems like in a maze of links and buttons.

 

[DrVagax]

A few weeks ago I prefered steam workshop. But know I think it could be more effective if frontier builds an easier one than steam. Steam workshops always overwhelming me because it seems like in a maze of links and buttons.

Its easy to navigate as long you properly search, clicking the tags on the side for example.

 

[Marvin1]

Is there a way to unsubscribe to all items in the Steam Workshop?

I would rather Frontier create their own system just so we don't have to rely on any other service.

 

[Achronite]

Is there a way to unsubscribe to all items in the Steam Workshop?

You can unsubscribe yes - just go into 'browse - subscribed items' and click 'unsubscribe' to any that you don't want any more.

I would rather Frontier concentrate their effort on creating a fantastic game, rather than reinventing the wheel with supporting toolsets.

 

[sbeamers]

It's not about a crystal ball, it's about statistics !

What statistics are you using that will hold up in the future? Nada. We don't know anymore than anyone else about the future regardless of the past.

It's funny to see someone say "kids who want crap" talking about Steam (just because of centralization), but asking a "Non-DRM-Free-Game with a dedicated closed content manager".

You're missing the point. Single player is still desirable for many folks.

 

[xnode]

You're missing the point. Single player is still desirable for many folks.

Nothing wrong with it, I am all about it, but then this is "planet coaster" seems to me to be an online game, but if not even in steam things can be played in offline mode as long as the game itself supports it. I would ask the devs first about DRM free and offline before even thinking about a steam issue personally.

Thou most think that steam is a form of DRM on it's own, it's an old discussion at this point, some games flourished without DRM and some did not. Most if not all DRM issues come along with the old intrusive baggage issues which steam is not, nor is online registration with a code to verify threw an official server usually setup by the developers that made the game. But then the next argument too , "what if I want to play the game in 20 years and servers are gone?" comes up, meh sometimes one has too learn to give and take a bit.

In the end don't really matter, whatever they do, people will decide then to buy it or not, but being the fans of theme park simulators, I don't doubt whatever they do, most if not all people will buy it. Deny that if you like, but I look at RCT being developed now and even after a horrible beta run their numbers keep going up on the charts for pre-sales. So meh, seems like people will put up with quite a bit too play a theme park simulator now a days.

 

[Angelis1]

What statistics are you using that will hold up in the future? Nada. We don't know anymore than anyone else about the future regardless of the past.

Again, it's not about predicting the future, it's about statistics !

You dont know how statistics works ?

If you play lottery, then there is more chance for you to lose rather than win the big prize.
But this does not mean it is impossible for you to win. But just that you have, statistically, more chance of losing.

It's the same here.
There is more chance "Frontier Content Manager" falls, rather than SteamWorkshop (because bigger company, because 125 million users on Steam, etc...)
This does not mean that Steam can not close, but just statistically less risky than the "Frontier Content Manager Online Service".

It's just a fact. Not my fault ! Just deal with it !

You're missing the point. Single player is still desirable for many folks.

Single player ? I do not see the connection [weird]
What the connection between "SteamStore/SteamWorshop" and "A single player game". That is two different subjects.

You really have a problem to understand what Steam is, right ?

SteamStore is a store !!! An online store, but still a store, where you buy games (just like Wallmart if you want).
Once you have activated the game, you can play as much as you like (including offline mode) and of course, you dont have access to the online mode if you dont have internet (but Steam or not, it's the same, you need internet to play online [rolleyes])

1) It's not because a game is selled on a store like SteamStore, that you cannot sell your game in another store like The Frontier personnal store, HumbleStore, GoG, Amazon, or any digital store you want.

2) It's not because you buy a game on SteamStore, that you cannot play the "single player mode" if you dont have access to your internet for a moment. (if your "internet box" is down for example, the "Offline Mode" in Steam is made for that)

3) If you want to use custom content from a library (SteamWorkshop OR the "Frontier Content Manager Online Service"), then you need internet in both cases.

 

[Harbinger]

SteamStore is a store !!! An online store, but still a store, where you buy games (just like Wallmart if you want).

And this is the only part that is relevant being that Frontier dropped a subtle hint on page one that they have no intention of using the Steam Workshop for user generated content.

Theoretically speaking.... What if we created something inside the game client to pull in, sync, upload user generated content?

Read between the lines. They're working on their own system for user generated content so the whole Steam vs Frontier argument as to who is most capable of providing a lasting UGC service due to overall financial prowess is a pointless argument. It really doesn't cost that much money to rent a few AWS servers to contain & distribute this stuff. Elite: Dangerous is rocking between 80-170 servers at any one time:

[video=youtube;7II4Q0jXeIs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7II4Q0jXeIs[/video]

The server requirements (and costs) for a content distribution system are timid by comparison.