4 ms·

What’s their strategy?

maccard 9y ago
Always online DRM, combined with an easy point of entry for people to buy and manage games. Their prices have historically been good, and they are also convenient and trustworthy
- Drakim 9y ago
  Is it always online? I thought you just needed to be online when you booted the game, so your singleplayer game wouldn't exit on you if your internet died.
  - lozenge 9y ago
    Close enough. There is an offline mode in the Steam menus, but you need to be online to initially activate it.
    - proactivesvcs 9y ago
      IME the offline mode is very flaky indeed. Every time I've needed it, it failed me.
  - floatboth 9y ago
    Depends on the game. Some games (especially older ones) can launch in offline mode
  - stordoff 9y ago
    It's completely game dependent. You can distribute games that are completely DRM-free through Steam if you wish: http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games
  - lithos 9y ago
    I remember some of the loops that we needed to go through to keep Steam working on a ship. Where personal PCs can stay airgapped from the Internet for 9 months to a year. Changing date (windows and bios), system rollbacks, and just about anything else. It was pretty terrible. In theory offline mode is supposed to work, and does on Mac. But on Windows steam breaks itself eventually.
- lrem 9y ago
  Is it settable per game? I have vague memories of choosing single player games because I was offline and those would probably still be on Steam.
  - izacus 9y ago
    Depends on the game. I just got a nasty surprise with Prey (2017 single player game) which refused to run when my internet connection died.
TeMPOraL 9y ago
Providing a relatively lean, no-bullshit-attached interface for buying games + adding a gamification layer (achievements, social profiles). That, and frequent discounts. For people who have the money to buy a game, using Steam is much easier (and free of perceived malware risks) than torrenting.
OscarCunningham 9y ago
Providing a service that's better than you can get by piracy.

Always online DRM, combined with an easy point of entry for people to buy and manage games. Their prices have historically been good, and they are also convenient and trustworthy

Drakim 9y ago
Is it always online? I thought you just needed to be online when you booted the game, so your singleplayer game wouldn't exit on you if your internet died.
- lozenge 9y ago
  Close enough. There is an offline mode in the Steam menus, but you need to be online to initially activate it.
  - proactivesvcs 9y ago
    IME the offline mode is very flaky indeed. Every time I've needed it, it failed me.
- floatboth 9y ago
  Depends on the game. Some games (especially older ones) can launch in offline mode
- stordoff 9y ago
  It's completely game dependent. You can distribute games that are completely DRM-free through Steam if you wish: http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games http://steam.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games
- lithos 9y ago
  I remember some of the loops that we needed to go through to keep Steam working on a ship. Where personal PCs can stay airgapped from the Internet for 9 months to a year. Changing date (windows and bios), system rollbacks, and just about anything else. It was pretty terrible. In theory offline mode is supposed to work, and does on Mac. But on Windows steam breaks itself eventually.
lrem 9y ago
Is it settable per game? I have vague memories of choosing single player games because I was offline and those would probably still be on Steam.
- izacus 9y ago
  Depends on the game. I just got a nasty surprise with Prey (2017 single player game) which refused to run when my internet connection died.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

Providing a relatively lean, no-bullshit-attached interface for buying games + adding a gamification layer (achievements, social profiles). That, and frequent discounts. For people who have the money to buy a game, using Steam is much easier (and free of perceived malware risks) than torrenting.

OscarCunningham 9y ago

Providing a service that's better than you can get by piracy.