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question

Steam needs differ byte patching...

The only way steam updates is by completely replacing files. Making updating games that have very big files like Arma a pain in the arse. If a few kb worth of code gets changed it requires you to download 2GB big files.

Now you can say that games should just make everything into small chunks, but even then you often end up downloading a lot more than would be essential.

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I don't like Steam > competition, they're slowly building a monopoly - yeah yeah not a "real" one (yet), but as said, if you want to play most games now you must have Steam (even if you don't buy on Steam), for that reason alone I find it intrusive.

If I can buy from somewhere else I'll do that just so my money goes (as much of it as I can) away from Steam, Direct 2 Drive here I come :)
 
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How well do you know your way around windows? In a nuthshell:

1) You disable any auto-update functionality, either via game launcher or steam.

2) You make a base copy, unpatched, of the game(s) core folder(s).

3) You link the 'real' folder(s) for the game to the copy/copies.

4) Before patching, you copy the current game linked folder(s) and change the link from the 'real' folder(s) to the new copy.

5) Patch away!

6) Rinse and repeat as needed.

Controlling all of this is a simple script that allows you to specify the game version you want to launch. It updates the link from the 'real' game folder(s) to the correct version copy/copies, then launches the game normally. You might also want to script the patching copy/link process, just to make it less manual.

That's it. If you want to try this and need help, don't hesitate to contact me.

Thanks for the info, I think I can figure this out now;)
 
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I'm sorry that you have such inconvenience with it, but hopefully the alternate ways of opening the game without dealing with it will help.

You see, steam saves TWI loads of money, and basically the two have become near joined at the hip. There are those dissuaded by steam, but in this case, its too late to really change. Now, there have been worse multiplayer systems in the past, but granted those who dislike steam are allowed to. In my opinion, Valve really should include an easy-play option for those uninterested, but, until that day, the alternate way will have to do.

TWI nor any of the forumers can control Valve's marketing decision to not include said feature, but luckily we know some tips to help lessen Steam's impact. I really hope you decide to go with it, and that you are able to enjoy the excellent purchase that will be ROHoS. :D
 
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If you're looking for a somewhat decent Steam alternative (for buying), look here:

Amazon's download client is pretty poor as of now - downloads are roughly the same speed as Steam, but you can not pause the download. If you need to restart your PC you will have to restart the download from scratch. The "extracting/unpacking" part of the process (which takes 5-15 minutes depending on the game) slows your PC to a halt. Don't expect to use your PC during this time.

However, once the download is done, you are done with the program. You are free to burn your game to a DVD, keep the install files on your hard drive, and possibly redownload them in the future.

Overall, if you can download your game in one sitting it is not bad. No Steam running in the background and often cheaper prices. I paid $12 for ArmA 2 Combined Operations while it was $20+ on Steam, and $12 for BFBC2 while it was $15 on Steam.

I had to restart my PC when downloading ArmA 2, and it took a lot of tries to get it to redownload. But if Amazon improves the download client I think Steam has serious competition, especially considering their lower prices.
 
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I am not thinking negative about STEAM and I would say it comes with many usefull traits.

BUT even those which love steam should never forget what it really is. Another form of DRM. Just because it is "good" at it, doesnt mean it is something different.

One should be happy that it is not EA or Ubisoft selling the game.
 
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I am not thinking negative about STEAM and I would say it comes with many usefull traits.

BUT even those which love steam should never forget what it really is. Another form of DRM. Just because it is "good" at it, doesnt mean it is something different.

One should be happy that it is not EA or Ubisoft selling the game.

well, even steam supporters generally acknowledge that it isn't a totally un-thought-of-before idea; but it is generally acknowledged as the most comphrehensive. As for if you like the idea in general, that's really up to the person. :p

And if it was EA or Ubisoft (or Sega) selling the game, I think we'd already be waving our fists as they forced a half-made copy down our throats because publishers really just don't just throw a game out when its half in production for faster money. Thank god TWI is a self-publishing company!
 
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well, even steam supporters generally acknowledge that it isn't a totally un-thought-of-before idea; but it is generally acknowledged as the most comphrehensive. As for if you like the idea in general, that's really up to the person. :p

And if it was EA or Ubisoft (or Sega) selling the game, I think we'd already be waving our fists as they forced a half-made copy down our throats because publishers really just don't just throw a game out when its half in production for faster money. Thank god TWI is a self-publishing company!

Hmmm. Forced? It is actually easier to not buy from them. One doesn't have to do anything. Just keep the wallet closed.
 
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true, but I was trying to emphasize how they seem to think that relentless advertising and staying "mainstream" will make up for having a half-baked game. :eek:

Sadly it seems that massive advertising does make up for having a half baked game. The last two big fps titles sold like wildfire and were as shallow as an empty bucket :(
 
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Sadly it seems that massive advertising does make up for having a half baked game. The last two big fps titles sold like wildfire and were as shallow as an empty bucket :(

It's all about advertising and bro-gaming.

Most people don't even know why they like games like CoD. It's just because "everyone else is doing it." Meanwhile, it's absolute poop.
 
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I'm sorry that you have such inconvenience with it, but hopefully the alternate ways of opening the game without dealing with it will help.

You see, steam saves TWI loads of money, and basically the two have become near joined at the hip. There are those dissuaded by steam, but in this case, its too late to really change. Now, there have been worse multiplayer systems in the past, but granted those who dislike steam are allowed to. In my opinion, Valve really should include an easy-play option for those uninterested, but, until that day, the alternate way will have to do.

I think this is probably quite key to it.
RO being an exclusively mutliplayer game really had nothing much to lose from using Steam and everything to win.

Steam provides a lot of the netcoding and anti-cheat... saving them the need to hire the expertise.

And for the players.. they get the kind of multiplayer features tht they are looking for.
Join lobbies, friendlists and anti cheat. Patch downloads.

The service fits the target audience quite well, even if it is an unwieldly beast.




However once RO is attempting to tap into the co-op and single player market...
Although Steam still provides those same benefits to the production team and the PvP players... and it's use can be seen as an overall benefit to them...

For SP and Co-op players.. none of those benefits things are wanted. Don't want updates. Don't want friendslists, Don't want anti-cheat.
Don't want online play in any way.

And at this point, for this audience, Steam is seen as a large sum negative.
Adding nothing at all useful but still making the software unwieldy.

So for a PvP only game, Steam may well save TWI lots of money, but if RO2 is planning on being something rather more than RO1, it's the addtional revenues they seek to make from the other new parts of the game that Steam will be costing them some of.
It is my opinion that to capitalise on a wider audience you must make a game that appeals to a wider audeince. If they pander only to their existing audience, then that is all who they will attract.

I'd like to see a software that ticks all the boxes, not just one or the other.
 
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I'll give it to you that Steam is a downside for SP, but for Co-Op its very helpful, at least Non-LAN CoOp, like in Left4Dead 1&2, Killing Floor etc.

I don't want to play a game without the (mostly) hassle free "join-a-friends-game" Function.


But for strictly SP & LAN Gamers its a downside, thats entirely correct.



Just like to add another Fact which for TWI is a big reason to still use Steam, selling over Steam nets TWI a greater percentage of revenue compared to the clasical Release.
 
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Just like to add another Fact which for TWI is a big reason to still use Steam, selling over Steam nets TWI a greater percentage of revenue compared to the clasical Release.
Every deal with every publisher will be different.

If they sold lots of copies of RO they will be in a very different negotiating position than they were last time.

To get the best deal they should have been shopping around.


Many games that do not require Steam to function are sold through Steam. I'm not convinced that Steam is likely to force them into it only functioning via Steam although they could have done I suppose. Maybe exclusive distribution rights is part of their deal this time.
 
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A valid reason not to want steam...

A valid reason not to want steam...

For me, if a game requires steam it's almost always a no-sale. The reason...it's not that steam itself is necessarily bad...it's that the requirement of steam typically (notice I said "typically") means there is no LAN support.

I don't mean intra-net, I mean LAN, as in offline, no internet connection.

"oh nobody does that anymore" you say, or "he just wants to pirate the game, said in third person as if I'm not reaing it..." you say or any number of other childish comments.

I could go into all the numerous LAN groups that still exist and play offline in the U.S. and around the world, but I'll just give you my personal reasons....

When I am deployed to iraq, and I'm off duty for a couple hours sitting in a hanger in the middle of nowhere with no internet, and my fellow soldiers and I want to fire up a little LAN gaming, most of the "newer, better" games won't work. Heck, some of them you can't even play single player with tapping into steam first. When I was there in 2009, we all bought a copy of COD4, and all was well...you know, until the attack warnings went off and we all hit the bunkers....

Oh, and I do still play offline LAN wth my friends when I am not deployed. The biggest one i ever attended was a few years ago in a rented grange hall that had no internet connection. We had over 200 people.

Oh, and before the flaming starts, I'm 40, 22years in the military, still married after those same 22 years, 2 kids 15 and 17 (boys with their own desktops and we all play on our home LAN), been playing computer games since flight simulator was on the commodore 64, and I don't live in my mom's basement.

So there you go, a legitimate reason to not want steam.
 
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