Steam query.

[netn00b]

ok so i have had a steam account for years. since it started i guess way back when.  but have not used it for years as gave up CS and TF a long time ago.

recently i decided to buy Shogun2 Total War.  I've always loved the majority of CAs Total War series and the price for this update of  their much loved original game was hard to pass up....

BUT it insisted on installing/running Steam.  so after some hassle and errors i finally got steam updated and running.

So all's good i think - lets get the game installed and have a play.....

Oh no says Steam......you may have purchased the game and have 2 cd/dvd in your possession BUT we are going to insist you download nearly 20 gig and install the game via us down a cr4p under 2mb internet connection.....its still running and has taken well over 24hrs solid downloading so far....

WTF says I, is this rubbish and why do i need to download a game i have bought???

Answers on a postage stamp, before they go up in price, please !! 

[kinmel]

Steam is a whole world of annoyance, just wait until your config files get corrupted and then you will simply get a message that the "Game is not available at the moment".  They will never tell you that their files on your PC need to be repaired by you, before it will ever work again.

Just about every time Steam runs when you start a game, it first stops for 5 minutes while it downloads a batch of adverts for other games and only then does as you ask.

No way to opt out of the intrusion and they wonder why so many games are run with cracks.

[Technical Ben]

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-1793112.html

Not sure if that thread will help. It's the limit of the company, not steam, if they don't use it right. 

Kinmel. About half of my Steam Games run without the client as standard. They just don't tell you that.
Not had any corruption issues except for MMOs (I might try demos on occasion ) and they don't run in Steam either, just their own clients.

PS, Oh. I think the easy way is to install off of DVD (if option exists) then just link it to steam via the "steam overlay" option in settings on steam.

[netn00b]

there was no option i could see to install it from the dvd.

pushed be right to installing and using steam.

but i will look around.....for a crack to i think !

[Technical Ben]

As said, you may not even need a crack. Try linking or shortcuting to the exe directly. I do this for a few steam games where I cannot be bothered to load up steam.
I know Steam can be an annoyance, but it is very customisable and open. If you want to do something differently, you usually can. If the game is tied into steam 100%, that is not steams fault, but the games company. If It's a multiplayer game (thus online) I can understand, but not for Single player games.

[pctech]

As Ben said you can run some stuff directly but Valve's own stuff relies on Steam (I bought Counter Strike: Source some years ago to play against a colleague at work)

I do believe there is an option you can untick so it does not check for updates when launching your game.

I do agree the errors could be a little more descriptive too and like you I prefer to have the CD-ROM/DVD in my hand when I buy a game, the trouble is though there will always be a need to patch it at some later stage to get round an unforseen problem so I do like the idea that it can be set to check for patches when starting so you have all of the fixes in place but when the size of modern games this can take a while.

I definitely don't like the fact Steam's main role is DRM which prevents you from selling on any games you no longer want

[Technical Ben]

A late reply.... but.
I agree about the second hand bit PCtech. I use to sell on games I was not too interested in. But I did end up keeping all my favourites. Still have them.
But now I just wait for the game to go down to £5 on steam. Your not going to try and recoup £5 through a second hand sale, even if you only play the game once or twice. So using Steam when you want to, and not when you don't want to is the key.

I got some humble bundle games. Some I run through steam. But most I use the direct download that is DRM free and usually more up to date. Steam is quicker than Microsoft at getting updates out, but they can still be slower than the indie devs.