Install Steam ? yes or no?

[woodsglen]

I have a computer that is basically set up for flight sims.( and my work which involves video and programs like sonar X3 )  

 

My 17 year old son has this runing argument rhat I need to have steam installed because ( on this machine so I can get my stuff "on sale".. yada ydda )   -  In reality the motivation is more likely  so he can download tons of other games from his steam account on there )

 

My issue is,  Is Steam ever a problem.  I do  not like programs like that run in the background and tied to a server like staem and monitoring things all the time.

 

I have a modest SSD drive ( and a Huge D Drive ).  I run my os and my flignt sims on the SSD drive.

 

I really have no intention of buying BOS on steam - I'm getting it here. ( in the next mew minutes probably ).   Same goes with all my other sims including ROF and DCS World. They are all purchased directly from the developer.

 

I'm not sure if Steam would provide the latest deveopments as it would be here?  And there are times when I totally take the comuter off line.

 

I also feel like it is a real resource hog in terms of disk space and general background usage.

 

 

I ask this question here because I think the people who know how to fly and / or  use actual sims that require more than the average skill sets would understand the questions that I ask, and give me some honest opinions - If my reservations are unfounded -  That's fine.  I just have my gut feelings but want to be fair to him and my other son ( 21 & 17 ) about any decisions I make on MY computer that I built for flight sims.  I could be totally mistaken and not have anything to worry about ( other than them up therre playing 1st person shooters 24 hours a day once steam is on a computer with three monitors and a fast graphics card!    -   I'll deal with that if Steam is safe and not going to hinder my performance ( or open my computer to any threats ) 

 

Thanks for any insight.

 

Wayne

[SharpeXB]

I have Steam deselected on MS Config startup so it won't be running when I do other things. Same with other stuff I don't want on in the background. I don't know if having it on would hinder performance but I usually try to run as clean as possible. I like Steam for other games but all my sims have been bought direct. I got DCS A-10 originally on sale there though.

[vonPilsner]

I have Steam running all the time, it does not seem to be a performance hit on any games or sims that I play.

 

 

I think this does not drag down most computers...

Edited December 26, 2014 by vonPilsner

[Urra]

I have IL2 Clod installed on my machine through steam and can't get vsync to work at all! So it's a no-go for me. Plus making minor tweaks to the location of the program is easier. Don't think I could do the minor customizing I have on steam to make things look better. Not sure if this helps.

[RocketSnails]

Never had an security issue/threat in the 7 years of using Steam (unless you count forgetting your password haha). Just need to be careful from phishing sites, scammers and what not.

 

If you mean developments as in game updates, yes, Steam automatically download them as soon as they're available.

Edited December 26, 2014 by RocketSnails

[Tyberan]

Steam is no issue. I run it constantly as I have a plethora of games on it, plus its how i keep in contact with some friends. Steam only has issues with a game that was downloaded through if it was not optimised to run on steam correctly (mostly indie games). 

 

 

I have the non steam version of IL2BoS but I run it through steam so that I can take screenshots and upload them on my account in steam so that I can show off the sim. 

[J2_Trupobaw]

Steam hasn't been an issue for ??? years now, and when it has been, it was affecting steam games, not interfering with non-steam programs. 

I think the steam version of RoF is slightly less stable (and more prone of FFB2 pulsing bug) than stand-alone version; OTOH some non-sim games have been more stable under steam than stand-alone. So any problems with steam games are probably related not to steam, but how a game has been adapted to steam.

Steam really is a good place to buy games cheap, sims included, both thanks to sales and having them all under one roof.  DCS is on steam, and modules bought at steam store *can* be activated in stand-alone DCS World version; I see 65%  off Christmas sales on modules that normally cost 40-50$ (not ones I want, unfortunately). The BoS extra planes bought at Steam are just product codes you receive via steam and activate on BoS page, so they may or may not activate for stand-alone BoS licence, not sure if you even can buy them without having BoS for steam first.The original IL2:1946 is available, and I may buy it again this way while on sale just so I don't have to put DVD in drive to play it. Il2:Cliffs of Dover (workable sim now if you apply community patches from Team Fusion) is a native steam application, so if you want to give it a try, you are going to install steam for it at some point. There are "nice to have" civilian sims - aerofly FS, X-plane, Microsoft FSX which I wouldn't go out of their way to buy, but since they are on steam and much cheaper than stand-lone versions... I think it exhausts list of flight sims on steam, really. Of course, there are dangers like well made train sims or truck sims on steam, just waiting for moment you decide to  broad your interests .

The bad side of it is, if you buy on steam less of your money goes to developer. Especially if steam has sale and developer has not (as with DCS now).

Other benefits of steam are social mechanisms intergated into gaming platform, like chatting with RoF-friends or just letting you know what game they are playing if you feel like joining them. Other thing is gift mechanism; if you like giving games as gifts (to your sons, to use on *their* PCs ), steam lets you check wishlists of people on your friend list, buy games from your account and transfer licence to them.

But you are right, once you have it it will be difficult to close the gap and stop steam game sfrom coming to your drive, which probably is your sons intention...

Edited December 26, 2014 by Trupobaw

[Yakdriver]

i see no reason for steam.

when i want a product like this flight sim, i go to the guy that makes the flight sim, and give HIM the money. not some Middleman, no matter how popular he is (community! comfort! tons of games! free auuto updates! *rolleyes*)

the updates are already free and auto, the community is here, the game is BoS, nothing else...

 

if it works without steam, i see no reasons to make things more complicated than that, why have them look over my shoulder. What i do in BoS is none of their business.

[Urra]

i see no reason for steam.

when i want a product like this flight sim, i go to the guy that makes the flight sim, and give HIM the money. not some Middleman, no matter how popular he is (community! comfort! tons of games! free auuto updates! *rolleyes*)

the updates are already free and auto, the community is here, the game is BoS, nothing else...

 

if it works without steam, i see no reasons to make things more complicated than that, why have them look over my shoulder. What i do in BoS is none of their business.

Agreed. 1+. It's strange to have someone count the hours and times you're using their software.

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

This seems a little tinfoil hat-ty...

 

No, Steam is not the devil in disguise... It is another platform for game distribution and social networking between players.

 

Steam offers single point management for your gaming life - that has been the design-going for some time now and it is successful compared to the other things that have tried to copy it.

[Yakdriver]

and if you install steam and want to have BoS running you need like 15 accounts and logins n stuff.

There be a special procedure stickied round here somewhere .
Might wanna check that out and decide then...

[vonPilsner]

and if you install steam and want to have BoS running you need like 15 accounts and logins n stuff.

There be a special procedure stickied round here somewhere .

Might wanna check that out and decide then...

 

You mean a Steam account, not 15 accounts and logins n stuff.

 

The hyperbole is strong. We get it, you don't like Steam...  

[Yakdriver]

nono.
Steam is not needed. That's my point.
I advise against installing software that is not needed.

[BlackDevil]

Steam is not needed. That's my point.

I advise against installing software that is not needed.

 

 

 

 

...there was a flight game, some time ago, for which I had to install steam. It was a relieve, when I could deinstall both rubbish together 

Edited December 27, 2014 by BlackDevil

[Sokol1]

STEAM is not need for BoS (unless you purchased from them), but:

 

"My 17 year old son..." Let the boy play - if he did some BoS Unlock Campaign missions every day.  

[AirDnD]

I am satisfied w/ steam, and reccomend it.

 

I'll add that DCS games purchased through steam can be registered through DCS world, then you never need run steam to play them.

[SvAF/F16_Goblin]

If you don't use steam for any other games (doesn't sound like it) then I wouldn't install it.

[voncrapenhauser]

Only steam issues I had was the adds could pop up occasionally causing a crash to desk top.

Solution start steam earlier let it do its thing then shut it down and play BOS.

I purchased online.

Edited December 28, 2014 by voncrapenhauser

[kongxinga]

While  Steam DID cause huge problems in the early years, with more powerful computers the effect is a lot smaller. It still eats up system resources, but with computers capable of flight sims it usually is not an issue.

 

The issue is that DRM is a bug, not a feature, no matter what the fanboys say. You are in effect, renting/ licensing for use a game from steam, not buying.

 

Oh, I guess you also need to like their unilateral changes in TOS, else  bye bye (or rebuy rebuy) your "bought" games.

 

From here http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/im-longer-buying-games-steam-opinion/ 

 

Valve recently released new terms of service that deny users the right to a class action lawsuit. This is, at least in the United States, entirely legal. The only way to resolve a dispute is through binding arbitration with Valve.

That’s a bad thing to do, but it’s also understandable. Every company has moved to exclude class action lawsuits ever since the United States Supreme Court struck down a California lawthat forbids companies from excluding class action suits in their terms of service.

What really struck me, however, was Valve’s response to those curious about what would happen if they denied the updated terms of service.

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

We can permanently deactivate your account for you, remove any stored payment information and clear your Steam games profile.

 

 

Disabling your account will not result in a refund, as explained in the Steam Subscriber Agreement.

The games in your account will not be accessible for future use. It is impossible to make your games available once your account has been deactivated and your information deleted or archived. Once we have permanently deactivated the account, we will not be able to reactivate the account upon a future request.

Yep. If you don’t want to accept the new terms of service you have the right to have all the games you purchased deactivated. Forever.

[J2_Trupobaw]

 

Yep. If you don’t want to accept the new terms of service you have the right to have all the games you purchased deactivated. Forever.

Technically, a bank has right to declare you can no longer withdraw your money . We still use them, though. 

[-NW-ChiefRedCloud]

STEAM is not need for BoS (unless you purchased from them), but:

 

"My 17 year old son..." Let the boy play - if he did some BoS Unlock Campaign missions every day.  

 

HEY .... blackmail works and so do young energetic brains ....... great idea ..... My two cents, I'm not fond of Steam but Have come to grips with it and it is a convenience but NOT a necessity.

 

Chief

[CorsairHundo]

I don't play 87 games so I see no need for steam. Arma3, DCS, BF(no more) and BOS eventually. What's the benefit to steam? When I log into steam for arma3 it still has to dl the update then so no advantage there?

[kongxinga]

I love it when the paranoids get involved with a Steam discussion.

 

All games have DRM (apart from very very few, mainly indie titles).

I know it's hard to believe but some people play games without actually paying for them!

So how dare the developers try and limit the number of people that pirate their games.

 

The old argument that "you don't own the game blah blah when you buy on Steam" is silly.

It's the same for all software, you only ever own the licence to use the software and the publisher always reserves the right to revoke that licence.

Check the EULA you agreed to for any other piece of software you 'own'

 

Steam has been around for about 11 years so far with VALVe becoming more and more wealthy and Steam becoming more and more ubiquitous so I'm not worried about Steam swiftly and suddenly ceasing to exist.

 

My game library is safe with Steam.

 

 

Now, because I'm not a paranoid freak, I'm a 'fanboy'

 

 

And what kind of tool would consider taking out a class action lawsuit against a game publisher?

lol The world is full of wierdos.

 

I still think you can't spin DRM as a feature. It is not a good thing. It is a step backwards. At best it is a necessary evil, not a good. So say I bought a boxed serial key game (OMG the paranoid freak is using DRM). There is no need for some TOS that can change and you must accept or bye bye library. How about the people who's whole game library is locked or wiped because of buggy anti cheat for one game thinks you are cheating, when it is a false positive, or somehow detecting graphical sound mods as tampering? It aint paranoia if they are out to get you.

 

Compared to the boxed, serial based game. I buy it, I play it when and how I want it. Oh you revoked my license? Whatchagonnadoabout it? Break in and take my CD? Can the grocer take back the milk he sold you? Why should games be any different? Compare to steam revoked, and you have no recourse. All games are license blah blah, but for some games it did not matter, and that was how it was until this feature was removed. How do you spin the removal of not caring about revoking your license as a good thing? 

 

Also not sure how you took the term fanboys to mean you personally. I generally keep my identity as small as possible.

 

Imagine if buying a paperback book came with stupid rules like 

 

1. You can only read in one house and one house only. (Nuff said)

2. Have to photocopy and mail back pages from the book before you are allowed to read. (Phone home)

3. Cannot lend to friends .

4. Cant resell unless using publishers own contrived market place exchange. It aint reselling if it can't be sold freely, no matter how you spin the "marketplace".

5. Oh and TOS changes anytime, and if you dont like it, the book and all other books spontaneously combust in a Farenheit 451 finale.

 

But back on topic, unless you have a very compelling reason to use steam, it is unnecessary to install it. I would prefer to not have to use it if possible, but some people like to live life on the edge and "have all their games in one place". My rule is "if Steam only, no sale". I like physical products with no online phone home if possible, otherwise  I prefer to buy direct and avoid the middle man so more money goes to sim developers instead of to middleman building closed systems with lock in.

 

//

 

Trup can you explain the bank withdrawal bit? Is that in regards to crisis situations like bank runs? From my personal experience when the bank changes their terms and I don't like it, I can take my money to another bank, or hide it in a mattress with all my CDs. But if you don't like Steam terms when they change, they can helpfully wipe all your games.

[dburne]

The only reason I have Steam on my system is for Cliffs of Dover, if not for that sim I would not even have it installed. All my other sims I have installed outside of Steam, I would never choose the Steam option unless I had to like in Cliffs. I just prefer not having that extra layer of something running, and I only play a small handful of games - all combat flight sims.

[SCG_Space_Ghost]

While  Steam DID cause huge problems in the early years, with more powerful computers the effect is a lot smaller. It still eats up system resources, but with computers capable of flight sims it usually is not an issue.

 

Can you prove that?

 

Quoted from steampowered.com:

 

"System Requirements

Windowws XP, Vista or 7

512 MB RAM

1GHz or faster processor

 

Intel Mac, OSX version Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later.

Two-button mouse strongly recommended

 

1GB HD space (recommended)

Internet connection (broadband recommended)"

 

My task manager records Steam and all its associated EXEs (from freshly starting Steam) at an average of 69300K.

 

My task manager also records TrackIR 5 running at an average of 61600K.

 

The BOS launcher runs at around 40000K.

 

Windows Explorer is recording an average of 40000K.

 

Sure, out of that batch it is the highest utilization... But that is nothing compared to running Chrome with 12 tabs or running a flight sim or any game for that matter...

 

Sorry mate... I don't buy that one. 

Edited December 29, 2014 by FalkeEins

[Y-29.Silky]

I avoid Steam at all cost concerning flight sims. IL-2, DCS, and even War Blunder. It's probably just my open source mentality, I'm paranoid about middle men.

 

With that said, unfortunately, I'm slowly using Steam more and more.

[VR-DriftaholiC]

Steam is awesome. The program is lean and mean. They have great sales. And valves titles are also awesome Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2 etc. To top it all it is automatically keeps your games up to date. Even manages mods for the games you play for seamless adding and removing of them.  It remembers your settings when you uninstall and reinstall programs and its got some other smart features like if you want to move your games to another drive you just drag and drop and steam will automatically make the adjustments.  

[KmochaCzech]

Hi guys, I have one problem with Steam. I set up my joystick in the game (BoS)  for half an hour, and play. When I run the game next time, the joystick is in previous settings!!!

Has anybody solution for this problem please? Thanks a lot.

[Creepermoss]

I still think you can't spin DRM as a feature. It is not a good thing. It is a step backwards. At best it is a necessary evil, not a good. So say I bought a boxed serial key game (OMG the paranoid freak is using DRM). There is no need for some TOS that can change and you must accept or bye bye library. How about the people who's whole game library is locked or wiped because of buggy anti cheat for one game thinks you are cheating, when it is a false positive, or somehow detecting graphical sound mods as tampering? It aint paranoia if they are out to get you.

 

Compared to the boxed, serial based game. I buy it, I play it when and how I want it. Oh you revoked my license? Whatchagonnadoabout it? Break in and take my CD? Can the grocer take back the milk he sold you? Why should games be any different? Compare to steam revoked, and you have no recourse. All games are license blah blah, but for some games it did not matter, and that was how it was until this feature was removed. How do you spin the removal of not caring about revoking your license as a good thing? 

 

Also not sure how you took the term fanboys to mean you personally. I generally keep my identity as small as possible.

 

Imagine if buying a paperback book came with stupid rules like 

 

1. You can only read in one house and one house only. (Nuff said)

2. Have to photocopy and mail back pages from the book before you are allowed to read. (Phone home)

3. Cannot lend to friends .

4. Cant resell unless using publishers own contrived market place exchange. It aint reselling if it can't be sold freely, no matter how you spin the "marketplace".

5. Oh and TOS changes anytime, and if you dont like it, the book and all other books spontaneously combust in a Farenheit 451 finale.

 

But back on topic, unless you have a very compelling reason to use steam, it is unnecessary to install it. I would prefer to not have to use it if possible, but some people like to live life on the edge and "have all their games in one place". My rule is "if Steam only, no sale". I like physical products with no online phone home if possible, otherwise  I prefer to buy direct and avoid the middle man so more money goes to sim developers instead of to middleman building closed systems with lock in.

 

//

 

Trup can you explain the bank withdrawal bit? Is that in regards to crisis situations like bank runs? From my personal experience when the bank changes their terms and I don't like it, I can take my money to another bank, or hide it in a mattress with all my CDs. But if you don't like Steam terms when they change, they can helpfully wipe all your games.

 

 

DRM exists on virtually every disc you own, and has for years now. Having a physical disc for something that requires you to login online to play, means exactly nothing if that serial key is banned for some reason. This isn't a steam specific issue, it exists in any game with a login/authorization system, which is most of them these days. Yes, these games can also lock your account, making that disc completely useless. Again, not a feature unique to steam.

 

VAC doesn't lock you out of your steam library, either, it only locks you out of VAC secured servers. From their own support page; "Your account may still be used to play single-player games and multiplayer games on unsecured servers ". It does not lock you out of your account.

 

Now, on to the bit about books.

1) Steam is tied to the email you registered it to. You are free to install steam and download games on any computer, anywhere in the world, as long as you remember how to get into your email.

 

2) Start steam in Offline mode. No need to connect, works even if you don't have an internet connection.

 

3) You absolutely can add friends (you're not supposed to, but you share your account info at your own risk), and you're allowed to add family members to your steam account. Letting a friend play a registered copy of your licensed software can get your account banned, yes, but again this is not limited to steam, at all.

 

4) No, you can't usually resell a licensed, registered copy of a game. You won't be able to do it on consoles for much longer, either. Like it or not, having to tie games to your steam/xbox live/PS network account is something most companies want to see happen. Because they make no income on second hand sales, and they would rather sell your friend his own copy.

 

ToS can and do change, often for no reason that's apparent to the consumer. Get used to it now, it isn't going to change any time soon. Should you realistically expect steam to be the one company that doesn't use a very common ToS/EULA system? Probably not.

 

Extreme One is absolutely right to use the word paranoid. Steam is not some evil, stealthy corporation that's "Out to get you". They are very much inline with the same standards as the rest of the software industry, singling them out when you have such incorrect information about their operation is crazy. Currently, 1.76% of steam accounts are VAC banned, leaving more than 75 million accounts unbanned. Not the kind of numbers you'd see from an insidious organization bent on stealing your money.

Edited January 6, 2015 by [JG2]Creepermoss

[361fundahl]

Steam is fucking awesome. I literally never buy a CD now, or any other platform.

 

Except for Battlefield 4 (fuck you Origin and EA)

I have saved so much more on steam than any retail or online ripoff game store. You get early access/beta access, can vote in Indie games, LARGEST catagorized game library (seriously... You will find shit you never new existed)

 

No reason to not have steam. And you can easily set it to not start on boot.

Also you can gift things easily, group and join games with friends easily, put your games you don't use on market, etc

[Scott_Steiner]

I buy all my games on steam and unless I am a major fan of the game, if it's something I am mildly interested in or less so, I will not buy it if I can't add it to my steam library.

 

Steam has revitalized the PC game industry and it sure beats going to Best Buy like we did 10 years ago and looking at their poor, neglected and overpriced PC section. It's a much better middle man than your brick and mortar store that doesn't understand the platform at all and doesn't care to see it grow.

[361fundahl]

I buy all my games on steam and unless I am a major fan of the game, if it's something I am mildly interested in or less so, I will not buy it if I can't add it to my steam library.

 

Steam has revitalized the PC game industry and it sure beats going to Best Buy like we did 10 years ago and looking at their poor, neglected and overpriced PC section. It's a much better middle man than your brick and mortar store that doesn't understand the platform at all and doesn't care to see it grow.

Well said and I totally agree. Really no reason to buy a console now too unless you really really want a brand exclusive game that won't be ported to PC.