Elite Dangerous now on Steam

[leetrabit]

Awesome game

Hi guys!
could someone gift me this game?
It looks awesome and everyone tells me to get this but i can't (personal reasons)
So I thought I would ask the people that the inhabit the forums.

If you accept it send me a message on steam
my name is - VanWol (Alik).
Thx guys

 

[fearlessfrog]

The prevailing norm is to use Steam? lmao. I know you re-posted that James, but I hope you see the problem. The millenial fanbois are just too funny sometimes. Serious and seriously lacking in perspective. It's just a poor use of the Appeal to Authority fallacy - doesn't Frontier know everybody uses Steam, so they are doing it wrong.

Steam is 80% share of the PC digital market for games. So, yep, prevailing norm is a good description.

The day Steam declares Chapter 7 and the service shuts down while they try to get someone else to take it over, expect millions of children to wail and cry as they stumble out the front door to see sunshine for the first time in their lives. And it could happen easily. There are now so many Alpha and Beta releases on Steam that become adbandonware or (like one I particularly liked 'Nether') that get picked up like human-trafficked hookers and handed around between one developer after another who never seems to get it right that the service itself is now suspect.

Valve is hugely profitable, privately owned (unlike FD) and have grown 150% year over year. That's like telling people not to buy an iPhone as you think Apple are about to go bankrupt (with the caveat that Valve are per head probably much more profitable than Apple even).

I was really happy to find what I considered to be the release of a major new game that wasn't simply number X in a series to milk money out of a franchise and also was NOT on Steam. Unlike many others here I never played earlier Elite games. My Steam 'library' - mostly uninstalled is littered with games that even after some investigation were found to be nothing more than shady sales of games I might find in a bargain bin, the developers long before having lost interest or financial means.

Your Steam library is really a reflection of you as a shopper. I'm not surprised it is junk. It's a big store and isn't 'idiot proof'.

The ONLY thing Steam offers that is beneficial is a handy menu to start games. That's it.

Incorrect (man, you're four for four so far, looking good) in that the entire initial download and not just the launcher comes from Steam's many (many) fast CDN servers. I think that rather than waiting for Frontiers 200kb/s servers I'll prefer the 10MB/s I get from Valve's. A real advantage, even if the updates do have to dribble from FD.

 

[FuzzySpider]

Settle down guys, we're all master debaters aren't we?

I never said I was offended. I'd say that if you took your time to read Stump's post (the one that I quoted here) you'd see that the only "fanboy" here seems to be you (and please don't get offended by my use of that word, since you just told me that it's perfectly okay to use it)

To be fair he's not actually saying anything is flawless (which is what fanboys do), but there do seem to be a cabal of Steam fanatics here who are determined to not see any criticism of their beloved retailer aired publically.

It's nice to see so many people who don't have anything better to do that whine about "whiners"

Look, if the Steam keys issue doesn't concern you, then why would you chime in? Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

It's not so much that the keys concern me, it's the potential cost. I am not sure what sort of contract FD set up with Valve, but if issuing new UELAs to players means it costs FD money they could use for other things I'd rather they didn't. If it costs them nothing at all to do then I couldn't care less. But you have to admit that is something we can have a valid opinion about.

 

[1garret322]

Originally posted by Stumpokapow:
I haven't purchased the game before now and I don't plan to purchase it, but I just wanted to take a minute to note the following:

- The prevailing norm is to release games on Steam at the same time as not on Steam. The relationship with consumers starts on a sour note when you launch separately, because it's difficult not to see the initial launch as being about maximizing profit by denying Steam its cut, and then the move to Steam so quickly after launch as about, having exhausted the game's general demand, time to pick up the latent demand in the Steam audience. I don't think anyone is going to give Frontier the benefit of the doubt because of this.

- The prevailing norm for non-Steam games releasing on Steam is to provide Steam keys for past purchases. Developers on Steam can do so at 0 cost. Everyone can agree that asking a person to purchase a game twice is not a good situation. There are a variety of ways to prevent the keys being generated from being resold. This is not a significant problem and no one is going to believe that it is.

- Everyone on Steam knows they can add non-Steam games to their Steam library, and no one feels this is a good solution. It's really patronizing when developers do this because it comes off like treating the consumers who want the game as Steam as if they're dumb to want it. People aren't interested in Steam-as-launcher, they're interested in full Steam integration. Playtime tracking, achievements, cards, leaderboards, cloud saving, SteamPlay, etc.

Maybe this stuff is not widely known within Frontier because Frontier hasn't released a PC game since Thrillville 2 (I'm a huge fan of that game, by the way). This speaks to the cost of ignoring a platform for so long. It's a pity, because LostWinds, Zoo Tycoon, and Screamride would all be great fits for the platform--and if re-engineered, so would Disneyland Adventures and Kinectimals. But now that you're back on PC, I think you'll find that you will do very well if you take the time to listen, learn the norms of the platform, and serve your audience. If you won't listen to your audience, I recommend you reach out to other developers who seem successful in the PC space and ask them about their experience.

From a PR/Optics point of view, this is a no-brainer situation. Best of luck coming to the right decision in the end.

 

[Nathan Explosion]

The prevailing norm is to use Steam? lmao. I know you re-posted that James, but I hope you see the problem. The millenial fanbois are just too funny sometimes. Serious and seriously lacking in perspective. It's just a poor use of the Appeal to Authority fallacy - doesn't Frontier know everybody uses Steam, so they are doing it wrong.

The day Steam declares Chapter 7 and the service shuts down while they try to get someone else to take it over, expect millions of children to wail and cry as they stumble out the front door to see sunshine for the first time in their lives. And it could happen easily. There are now so many Alpha and Beta releases on Steam that become adbandonware or (like one I particularly liked 'Nether') that get picked up like human-trafficked hookers and handed around between one developer after another who never seems to get it right that the service itself is now suspect.

I was really happy to find what I considered to be the release of a major new game that wasn't simply number X in a series to milk money out of a franchise and also was NOT on Steam. Unlike many others here I never played earlier Elite games. My Steam 'library' - mostly uninstalled is littered with games that even after some investigation were found to be nothing more than shady sales of games I might find in a bargain bin, the developers long before having lost interest or financial means.

The ONLY thing Steam offers that is beneficial is a handy menu to start games. That's it.

You really have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[aegean]

Settle down guys, we're all master debaters aren't we?



To be fair he's not actually saying anything is flawless (which is what fanboys do), but there do seem to be a cabal of Steam fanatics here who are determined to not see any criticism of their beloved retailer aired publically.



It's not so much that the keys concern me, it's the potential cost. I am not sure what sort of contract FD set up with Valve, but if issuing new UELAs to players means it costs FD money they could use for other things I'd rather they didn't. If it costs them nothing at all to do then I couldn't care less. But you have to admit that is something we can have a valid opinion about.

Yup I'm a steam fanatic - but criticise away. And please will people stop going on about keys - we don't want anything other than the possible chance of migrating the one program (Elite) across to our Steam accounts now it has arrived. And of course, if it's going to cost FD money none of us would even think about demanding it. Just would like to have the option of doing it.

And as for "master debaters" speak for yourself - you'll go blind master debating

 

[Willbacca]

Transfer to steam

Add me to the list of customers that would like to transfer the game launcher to steam. DCS did it for all their combat sim games; The Hunter let you transfer your character to steam; and I am sure many other games have done it over the years with steam. Like both those games, Elite requires a login so a transfer option would seem possible and not be as much of a risk as just giving away keys.

I get that this is a cost/benefit thing but based on this threads popularity and the fact other games have done it before I think it should be done.

 

[1garret322]

Yup I'm a steam fanatic - but criticise away. And please will people stop going on about keys - we don't want anything other than the possible chance of migrating the one program (Elite) across to our Steam accounts now it has arrived. And of course, if it's going to cost FD money none of us would even think about demanding it. Just would like to have the option of doing it.

And as for "master debaters" speak for yourself - you'll go blind master debating

It doesnt cost them money, just time and competence.

 

[Fisker]

To be fair he's not actually saying anything is flawless (which is what fanboys do), but there do seem to be a cabal of Steam fanatics here who are determined to not see any criticism of their beloved retailer aired publically.

Seems fairly obvious as the discussion isn't about Steam's value as a digital distribution platform, but rather if we can expect to be able to activate our current copies on Steam.

It's not so much that the keys concern me, it's the potential cost. I am not sure what sort of contract FD set up with Valve, but if issuing new UELAs to players means it costs FD money they could use for other things I'd rather they didn't. If it costs them nothing at all to do then I couldn't care less. But you have to admit that is something we can have a valid opinion about.

Luckily no money have to exchange hands.

 

[FuzzySpider]

Yup I'm a steam fanatic - but criticise away.

Then you're not a fanatic. You've a (healthy) love for the platform and digital retailer of your preference. The fact that you can accept criticism of and allow other people the freedom to do without said platform is what means you can't be classified as a fanatic.

And please will people stop going on about keys - we don't want anything other than the possible chance of migrating the one program (Elite) across to our Steam accounts now it has arrived. And of course, if it's going to cost FD money none of us would even think about demanding it. Just would like to have the option of doing it.

And as for "master debaters" speak for yourself - you'll go blind master debating

It's not so much the keys, as the licenses. Steam is a service which makes money from sales. Their overheads are, in large part, support of products after those products have been released (future downloads, technical reporting and assistance, patches, and similar). The fact that the a huge portion of the playerbase have already bought and installed the game means that steam will not make as much as they otherwise would have if Elite was in their portfolio when it was launched.

So what is in it for them? I can't see them being happy with their 30% markup on future purchases of Elite alone, yet still allowing everyone already playing it to use the service. Not without some sort of remuneration. I could well be wrong, but I can't see it.

 

[Willbacca]

please allow a transfer to steam

Add me to the list of customers that would like to transfer the game launcher to steam. DCS did it for all their combat sim games; The Hunter let you transfer your character to steam; and I am sure many other games have done it over the years with steam. Like both those games, Elite requires a login so a transfer option would seem possible and not be as much of a risk as just giving away keys.

I get that this is a cost/benefit thing but based on this threads popularity and the fact other games have done it before I think it should be done.

 

[Fisker]

It's not so much the keys, as the licenses. Steam is a service which makes money from sales. Their overheads are, in large part, support of products after those products have been released (future downloads, technical reporting and assistance, patches, and similar). The fact that the a huge portion of the playerbase have already bought and installed the game means that steam will not make as much as they otherwise would have if Elite was in their portfolio when it was launched.

So what is in it for them? I can't see them being happy with their 30% markup on future purchases of Elite alone, yet still allowing everyone already playing it to use the service. Not without some sort of remuneration. I could well be wrong, but I can't see it.

Potential sales of other software on the same platform, which you've been told like at least 3 times now.

 

[aegean]

Ah - but Steam DOES allow you to enter a key from a game YOU DIDN'T purchase from steam - I have done this myself, hence the whole "key word" being banned about. As for what is in it for steam - advertising every time you run steam - simples. Because steam knows - that once you have steam - IT WILL NOT be your last purchase.

 

[uk_uk]

It's completely fanboy stuff. Keep an eye on the Steam forum for ED and see how quickly it gets panned because essentially the game is empty space with objects and it's up to the players to make the game. There are two types of games that seem to be popular - ring-in-the-nose style games where you are lead to objectives because there isn't anything else to do, and the sandbox instance where every setback lasts only as long as the respawn timer. ED is neither.

Steam has 125 MILLIONS (125.000.000) active users... even if 0.1% of them buy the game, you will have 125.000 buyers. And even if 5% of them are unhappy and will post that in the forums, you have to face 6250 postings.

It has NOTHING to do with dumb or your "I'm part of the gaming masterrace!"-habbit , just NUMBERS!

Edit:
lol. Just had a quick look at the Steam forums. Already filled with hardware issues and people complaining about price. And then the early adopters out here will complain when they sell it for $20.

Turn your brain on. Every user = an unique PC-Setting (Software/Hardware) which means more problems.

 

[FuzzySpider]

Ah - but Steam DOES allow you to enter a key from a game YOU DIDN'T purchase from steam - I have done this myself, hence the whole "key word" being banned about. As for what is in it for steam - advertising every time you run steam - simples. Because steam knows - that once you have steam - IT WILL NOT be your last purchase.

It does indeed, IF that particular publisher had that particular deal set up with Valve when they put their product on Steam. Whilst a lot of games do indeed let you do this, there are those that don't as well. Two examples I have myself are Startopia and Unreal Tournament 2004. The keys I have for those games don't work on Steam (I rebought Startopia though, I love that little game).

Valve are a very astute business, which is why I'm very dubious about the notion they'd allow a game like Elite to make the bulk of its sales off their platform then give the developer of that game carte blanche to use Steam months after the fact to squeeze out a few more sales. Merely getting more people to sign up to Steam might fly, if it didn't already have the market dominance it currently enjoys. There quite literally is no point in "pimping" for future customers.

 

[Fisker]

It does indeed, IF that particular publisher had that particular deal set up with Valve when they put their product on Steam. Whilst a lot of games do indeed let you do this, there are those that don't as well. Two examples I have myself are Startopia and Unreal Tournament 2004. The keys I have for those games don't work on Steam (I rebought Startopia though, I love that little game).

Valve are a very astute business, which is why I'm very dubious about the notion they'd allow a game like Elite to make the bulk of its sales off their platform then give the developer of that game carte blanche to use Steam months after the fact to squeeze out a few more sales. Merely getting more people to sign up to Steam might fly, if it didn't already have the market dominance it currently enjoys. There quite literally is no point in "pimping" for future customers.

Allowing the product on Steam to have them "squeeze" the last few sales out of it is a non-zero value revenue stream for Valve, the other is not.

 

[fearlessfrog]

It does indeed, IF that particular publisher had that particular deal set up with Valve when they put their product on Steam. Whilst a lot of games do indeed let you do this, there are those that don't as well. Two examples I have myself are Startopia and Unreal Tournament 2004. The keys I have for those games don't work on Steam (I rebought Startopia though, I love that little game).

Valve are a very astute business, which is why I'm very dubious about the notion they'd allow a game like Elite to make the bulk of its sales off their platform then give the developer of that game carte blanche to use Steam months after the fact to squeeze out a few more sales. Merely getting more people to sign up to Steam might fly, if it didn't already have the market dominance it currently enjoys. There quite literally is no point in "pimping" for future customers.

That's a fair point, but Valve often doesn't really care. They like ED as it would be a great edition to both SteamOS/Linux (the Mac client shows FD are almost there technically) and for VR/Vive. Those points alone probably make it ok for FD to bulk upload some keys.

Btw I know some people don't like Steam, and I personally would never advocate that ED goes 'just steam' (there is no point), so really all we are talking about is (a) let's hope FD sell lots of copies and make great add-ons with the money and (b) it would be *nice* to get a Steam key for existing purchasers, but it isn't the end of the world. People that don't like Steam can just really ignore all this noise

 

[Bradja1]

What do you mean "Look Into It"!!

already own the game we'll look into it and go from there.

This is an example of both bad business for Frontier and also a pathetic attitude to the LARGEST PC platform which would allow for increased support for the game and future development of the community.

Benefits of Steam	Negatives of Steam
Steam community	Elite Dangerous has no key for existing owners
In-game overlay	I'm out of reasons
Trusted purchase	Maybe less money from sales
Friend community
SALES!!!

A steam game allows larger community interaction, in game benefits and progress tracker. I hope steam keys are sent to the owners of the current game and possibly some in-game compensation for your attitude to the steam community. -CMDR Bradja1 Federation Midshipman, Trade Peddler.

 

[deusx_ophc]

ed review from a steam user (900+ users rated it up - attention fun incoming)

First impressions : I CANT STOP ♥♥♥♥ING SPINNING

Getting more confident : Runs into an asteroid and almost sharts myself

Finally got the hang of it : Wanted to leave the hanger at full speed and blast off into the distance like a badass and get that Star Wars Battlefront II space battle nostalgia but ends up slamming into the rim of the forcefield generator. Then went into hyperspeed and almost crashed into the sun. Now my ship is almost destroyed and I currently have one minute until I run out of oxygen.
11/10 Would go through pilot training again

sounds like an alpha tester to me

 

[aegean]

2,150 of 2,373 people (91%) found this review helpful

65 people found this review funny

In one day - Steam is power - actually it is, weird