To Steam or not to Steam.

Basically, I have played all the games since 00/01 when I was stupidly young and did not understand, however I feel I have a better grasp on the game now. I missed last years game due to the fact it was GCSE year and I took a concious descision not to play. However, I know enough about 09 to know the activation etc and roughly how that works, what I was really looking for is a simple, consise breakdown of the pros and cons of steam versus disk. Can you easily put Steam on different machines? My internet connection is shaky, I don't think this will affect the game after the initial download but reassurance would be nice. Are the prices the same? Is steam the RRP and therefore you can pick up the disk on offer somewhere cheaper or do they tend to mirror eachother? Any advice on the issue is greatly appriciated, I apologise if this has been posted before but I am looking for a simple breakdown from someone in the know who can tell me what its all about, not the full bloated explination for Steam from the guys from SI who, lets face it, aren't going to mention its cons as loudly as its pros.

Thanks in advance.

If you install steam on another pc then login on your steam account you can choose to download any of the games you own on your account. Theres not really any cons to it, you can uninstall and reinstall when you want to and it updates all your games automatically.

oh and you can probably get the disk cheaper than it is on steam. But you'll only need it the once.

Advantages of steam:

- Don't need a CD

- Cannot lose the CD Key

- Game is Auto-patched

Disadvantages:

- Likely to be more expensive than the disk.

- Game is linked to your Steam account and cannot be removed (so you cannot sell on the steam version in the future when you've had enough).

- Steam needs to be online to play (Though you can set Steam to offline mode, and run FM09 without steam).

- Steam doesn't work with Macs.

Advantages of the Disk Version:

- Isn't tied to one computer/account, you can install onto 5 computers at same time, and deactive when need more.

- You don't need to download the game.

- Cheaper than Steam.

Disadvantage:

- You can lose the CD or the CD Key.

- Doesn't auto-patch.

Personnally I would buy the disk and activate through Uniloc. (The disk version can also be linked to your steam account aswell, so the only real advantage of buying through Steam is if you have a fast internet connection and want the game right now, rather than waiting for the postman or the shops to be open).

I hate Steam and will never use it again.

Buy the disk and activate via Uniloc.

i use steam its a good service, no issues what so ever with it

i use steam since 2005

edit :

@ michaeltmurrayuk :

you can use it on more computers at once

you just need to download the digital installer version of it ( it will be available like the 2009 is on this forum here is the 2009 link for example http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=107986 )

on steam right click FM 2010 -> view CD key

and voila you just need to use that key with the digital installer version

The price via Steam is a shame. There is no boxing neither cds production nor transport costs and the price is higher compared to the standard way.

Someone in the outer space is laughing about how humans can be fooled in a so trivial way.

Yeah, I think I will go with the CD version, I can go out an buy it on day of release so no time lost. I do agree the price is stupid though, they should just sell it for whatever amazon do but factoring in the savings on printing/burning, actual cd's, box, distribution etc.

If going the Steam route, unless you have a high-speed connection, your download time will be slow and that could be quite frustrating. I suppose you would most likely download the game once, however everyone has a different level of patience.

Michael made an excellent summary and pay special attention to his last paragraph. Buy the disk version, save yourself money, and you can still use it with Steam if you'd like. It's a win-win situation.

Dont do it, its way over priced and any problems and you are screwed. They have also been known to lock people out of all of their games.

Dont do it, its way over priced and any problems and you are screwed. They have also been known to lock people out of all of their games.

what the hell your talking about thats completely false , its a freaking lie

and on price blame sega for that publisher sets price

I've been a huge Steam fanboy for a while now, and really have nothing but good things to say about the service.

Sometimes games on Steam will be more expensive than a store, but that has to do with their contracts with developers/publishers not their own pricing. And I know that here in the States the price between steam and store is exactly the same.

You can also run steam in offline mode, which means you don't have to worry about not being able to play a LAN game if that's a concern.

Assuming you're caught up with the vast majority of the world (or at least gaming world) and have a broadband connection, download and installation could, in theory, be quicker than going to a store and returning home.

You don't have to worry about a disc scratching, breaking, or escaping.

Also, sometimes Steam offers great deals. Again I can only speak for the states, but if you had a copy of fm09 validated on Steam you could get FML for almost half off AND 4 free months. Don't know if anything like that could/would happen again, and to be honest probably won't, but why risk it? (especially with all the other benefits).

The one downside is that you can't sell your games when you're done with them. But with the way yearly sports releases plummet in value, even that can't be seen as a huge concern with this particular game.

If anyone from Steam reads this, I expect my check within the week

Buy from the shop less hassle :-P

If you want digital downloads, why not go through GamersGate?

They don't have a client, you just download a tiny downloader, which downloads the installer. The neat part, though, is that you can choose not to have the installation files deleted and thusly install the game offline. The site provides a CD key in case you ever need it. It's like installing off the disc but without a CD key or a disc.

That said, I personally am going to go with a disc because it's (most likely) cheaper.

Get disc version. This way you have the cd-key. If your disc is broken in future you can get hold of digital installer from sega. Steam is good for US customers only unless you're in US stay away from Steam.

C'mon guys, be serious.

If there is no box costs, no cd production costs and no shipment cost.....how can such a product cost the same of the boxed version ? It is simply a way of gaining an insane percentage of the final cost and this fact can't be ignored, worst it can't be supported buying via Steam !!

The right price should be in the area of 25-30% less of the boxed version for the above mentioned reasons.

Wanna take care about the environment ? Great way of thinking, but this can't be done wasting a dozen of bucks just to let the Steam managers get rich and buying super expensive cars like turbo golden Roll-Royce filled with pin up girls, smoking cuban cigars like gangsters, wear golden Rolex as well. This kind of behavin' hurts for sure the environment much more than a box production.

Let's boicot Steam until the price will be at least 25% less than the boxed version, I think Green Peace would agree as well.

-

by the way, does SI (or Sega) sell cd-key through their site? I mean this way I can download digital installers from the site and buy CD-key from SI/Sega itself.

what the hell your talking about thats completely false , its a freaking lie

and on price blame sega for that publisher sets price

Its fact.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for any violations of the Steam Subscriber Agreement and Online Code of Conduct - we will permanently disable all accounts in a user's possession for any of the following activities:"....

They accuse you of anything(Even cheating or swearing in chat.), all your games are lost forever. As for cheating, I raced online against some of the worlds best racers and its amazing how often people who cant drive accused people in my league of cheating if we were in a public race.

Their customer service is notoriously bad too so youd be lucky to get anything back.

SO you pay 50% more than a boxed copy and can be locked out of all games based on an accusation. Only a moron would use them.

Let us begin shall we

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for any violations of the Steam Subscriber Agreement and Online Code of Conduct

I didn't found this part on steam SSA (Steam Subscriber Agreement ) funny isn't it ? :rolleyes:

how ever wen you make an account your presented with the SAA you have the agree with those terms

but please continue reading

They accuse you of anything(Even cheating or swearing in chat.)

First they don't accuse you, any issues with swearing and posting pornography on your profile (or any other illegal use for it ) , has to be reported by other users

Also swearing will not get your account disabled

Cheating also will not get your account disabled you will however be banned from playing on secure servers ( with anti cheat on ) secondly only games that use VAC ( valve anti cheat) fall on this category

Things however that will get your account disabled :

-Paying with fraudulent credit cad

-Trying to crack a steam game

-Trying to use a cracked game with steam

-Phishing other users to steal accounts

I don't see anything wrong with that list , they are direct violations of the SSA and their illegal aswell

Their customer service is notoriously bad

I have zero complains about their support system all issues i had were awnsered and solved

Now lets see the online code of conduct :

As a Steam subscriber you agree to abide by the following conduct rules.

You will not:

-Upload, or otherwise make available, files that contain images, photographs, software or other material protected by intellectual property laws, including, by way of example, and not as limitation, copyright or trademark laws (or by rights of privacy or publicity) unless you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents to do the same.

-Use any material or information, including images or photographs, via Steam in any manner that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other proprietary right of any party.

-Upload files that contain viruses, trojan horses, worms, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another's computer or property of another.

-Institute attacks upon a Steam server or otherwise disrupt Steam.

-Use Steam in connection with surveys, contests, pyramid schemes, chain letters, junk email, spamming or any duplicative or unsolicited messages (commercial or otherwise).

-Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others.

-Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying Steam services, software or other content.

-Harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including e-mail addresses.

-Create a false identity for the purpose of misleading others.

-Violate any applicable laws or regulations.

Source : http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=online_conduct

Any of these things on the list are against the law so nothing wrong here

Now lets check VAC ( this only applies to games that use VAC , FM doesn't use it )

All VAC bans are permanent - Valve has a zero-tolerance policy for cheating and will not lift VAC bans under any circumstances.

WHAT IS VAC?

The Valve Anti-Cheat system is enabled for servers displaying the Secured shield logo. If a user connects to a VAC-Secured server from a computer with identifiable cheats installed, the VAC system will ban the user from playing on VAC-Secured servers in the future.

Source and more info here : https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7849-RADZ-6869

Now you should stop posting non sense and read the dam SSA before posting stupidity like that again

oh and calling moron to 15 Million people at the same time is not smart , maybe the moron is you who spread lies and stupidity without any foundation

And please read the bloody SSA for once :http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/

Its fact.

Their customer service is notoriously bad too so youd be lucky to get anything back.

I have to agree with this quote. I am in Canada and I could not get my hands on the CD version when I wanted it, so, I went with Steam. The game works great on Steam - so no problems there. HOWEVER, I have an annoying box on the bottom right of my screen which covers all of the pertinant action/commands - I literally have to guess which icon means "confirm contract offer" or "go to calender", etc. I've sent two notes to Customer Service over the last 3 months and I am still waiting for a reply. I have finally given up and I am making do with the situation.

If any knows how to fix this problem, or why it's happening, it would be most appreciated.

which box , show me a screenshot and i will help you

Thanks. It's the bottom right corner of the screen, one inch by two inches. I'll put the screen shot up tonight.

I went with Steam last year, and had no problems. Probably do it again this year.

I have to agree with this quote. I am in Canada and I could not get my hands on the CD version when I wanted it, so, I went with Steam. The game works great on Steam - so no problems there. HOWEVER, I have an annoying box on the bottom right of my screen which covers all of the pertinant action/commands - I literally have to guess which icon means "confirm contract offer" or "go to calender", etc. I've sent two notes to Customer Service over the last 3 months and I am still waiting for a reply. I have finally given up and I am making do with the situation.

If any knows how to fix this problem, or why it's happening, it would be most appreciated.

You should be able to click shift+ctrl and get it to go away. It should work if its the box i'm thinking of.

You should be able to click shift+ctrl and get it to go away. It should work if its the box i'm thinking of.

i think its the same , but still i would like a confirmation of what it is

Sorry its shift+tab key pressed at the same time. Is it the box that talks about the product key? If so just ignore it. It doesn't matter.

C'mon guys, be serious.

If there is no box costs, no cd production costs and no shipment cost.....how can such a product cost the same of the boxed version ? It is simply a way of gaining an insane percentage of the final cost and this fact can't be ignored, worst it can't be supported buying via Steam !!

The right price should be in the area of 25-30% less of the boxed version for the above mentioned reasons.

-

Let's turn that argument on its head. You're getting the same game, and presumably the same level of enjoyment, either way. So why should you pay less for the Steam version than you do for the version on disc? It's simply a way of gaining an insane discount, blah, blah...

Pricing policy reflects supply and demand. Focusing on one to the exclusion of the other leads to screwy thinking.

Personally I don't find Steam worth the price tag. Usually I'll Amazon the game. Price is more important to me than needing a cd or not.

If Sega chose Stardock's Impulse, then it wouldn't matter if you bought it digitally or boxed, you can register both versions to the Impulse client to get the benefit of not needing a CD and have access to downloading the full game when necessary; just in case you did lose the cd.

I went with Steam last year, and had no problems. Probably do it again this year.

The only thing that cheesed me off was that I had to load up Steam and have that running at the same time - but that problem was solved by someone on here who posted a way for us to play it without having to be connected to the net/open Steam.....I dont think I have ever opened Steam since discovering that post. And hopefully someone will instruct us (us not that expert as others on the PC) on how to do it again!

Let us begin shall we

I didn't found this part on steam SSA (Steam Subscriber Agreement ) funny isn't it ? :rolleyes:

how ever wen you make an account your presented with the SAA you have the agree with those terms

It was a direct quote off their site.

http://supportwiki.steampowered.com/wiki/Steam_Account_Disabled

I didnt even bother reading the rest of the drivel.

I caved last night and pre-ordered my FM10 on Steam, just so I can have it from day one. Got a free copy of 2006's OutRun something or other, which amused me and my 5 yr old son for about 15 mins. I've bought several games via Steam over the years, no complaints.

Now watch me forget that I did this and not even log into Steam for days after the launch date.

With FM09 the best way is to buy it in the shop and then register it on Steam to work as a bought Steam copy.

The best of two worlds with the cheap retail price and the steam ease of use and reinstall possibilites.

I propose to subito start a poll about this thread, it deserves it.

If Sega chose Stardock's Impulse, then it wouldn't matter if you bought it digitally or boxed, you can register both versions to the Impulse client to get the benefit of not needing a CD and have access to downloading the full game when necessary; just in case you did lose the cd.

You can do that on GamersGate too, where the game is available.

I won't steam, too expensive

It was a direct quote off their site.

http://supportwiki.steampowered.com/wiki/Steam_Account_Disabled

I didnt even bother reading the rest of the drivel.

ahahahhahahaha

oh boy this is funny , the rest of the drivel proofs your wrong on every aspect

i forgot about the wiki but still your not telling the truth , you quoted part of it and used it to speak BS

quoting from it :

We have a zero-tolerance policy for any violations of the Steam Subscriber Agreement and Online Code of Conduct - we will permanently disable all accounts in a user's possession for any of the following activities:

-Piracy or hacking: This includes using an unauthorized ("hacked") Steam client to access Steam, attempting to register fake CD Keys, or attempting to register a CD Key which has been published on the internet.

-Credit card fraud: Any fraudulent credit card use or credit card chargebacks (regardless of when the transaction occurred).

-Hijacking, sharing, or trading accounts: Do not use Steam accounts which you did not create.

-Account "phishing" and deliberately deceptive activity: This includes contacting other users outside of Steam or over the Friends network under a misleading screen name or e-mail address (i.e. "Steam Admin" or "John@Steampowered.com") and requesting password or account information.

-Buying, selling, or trading accounts: The use and security of your Steam account is primarily your responsibility - accounts which have been bought, sold, or traded will be permanently disabled.

-Any other violation of the Steam Subcriber Agreement or the Rules of Online Conduct - -Please see the Steam Subscriber Agreement and the Online Code of Conduct if you have any questions about the policies which govern Steam account use and account termination.

again your a lier , the fact that you didn't read the rest show your lack of intelligence , to have a decent conversation

Sorry its shift+tab key pressed at the same time. Is it the box that talks about the product key? If so just ignore it. It doesn't matter.

you can select the option to not show the cd-key again it should be a box were you can tick it just shift +tab and tick it

if you want to disable the overlay completely

go to Settings - > interface > um-tick the enable steam community in game

I don't really understand people's hostility to steam other than the price issue, which is understandable, although technically you are causing it by buying from retailers who then force the publisher to set the price higher on steam so that they don't lose too much business.

Oh and there will also be the occasional person who has problems with their support system although I have to say my experiences with them have been pretty good.

@Ranbir, Everything that Impulse does, Steam does, and in my view better (I have used both)

and Gamersgate is deathly slow sometimes compared to Steam.

You can do that on GamersGate too, where the game is available.

Yes, so the more digital platforms used the better it will be us. Just like we have several retailers to choose from.

I don't really understand people's hostility to steam other than the price issue, which is understandable, although technically you are causing it by buying from retailers who then force the publisher to set the price higher on steam so that they don't lose too much business.

Oh and there will also be the occasional person who has problems with their support system although I have to say my experiences with them have been pretty good.

@Ranbir, Everything that Impulse does, Steam does, and in my view better (I have used both)

and Gamersgate is deathly slow sometimes compared to Steam.

yeah this is the only forum i see this , they forgot that steam is optional and you can buy it from wherever you want

steam issue is sega's fault they set price based on retail conditions bla bla bla ( you cant reason with them they only care about money ) , they forget that digital doesn't have the costs of the retail market

i feel sad that people who don't know believe in the words of philly_flyer10, and bad mouth such a good service .

I see some Steam fanboys here. I feel sad when they see the Steam only in US-perspective. No matter how good service it is ... unless Steam stops discriminating international users with its price tag, I won't buy any of the game from Steam.

Come-on, why should I pay in US price where as I can get game in my country 30% less. In India, FM09 is available at INR 700/-, but Steam is still showing $22 which is INR 1100/-. I do believe Steam is a very good gaming service but their pricing concept suck ... this is fact

I was a regular visitor in Gamespot and IGN forums previously, I have seen that even many US gamers are not happy with Steam's pricing tags. Good service may come at a premium ... fine, but not this much of premium.

I have been screwed by an English Company that I paid and never sent me the game (think it was FM05... it was a while back.

Anyway the point im trying to make here is I will ALWAYS buy from Steam.

I would go with disc since you actually get the game in your hands,at least you have a manual to read and a box to look at.

I've already pre-ordered it through Steam. I've bought plenty of things from them, none of which I've had any problems with and I've never had any issues with customer services. I paid the same price I'd have paid to get it from Amazon, and I got a free game with it, plus the convenience of having a PDF manual available (or so I'd assume, since there's one for FM09), as opposed to the paper one which inevitably disappears at some point. There's no trouble with patching, sinc eit does it by itself and the chat feature of the client is actually pretty useful when playing multi-player.

Steam is a good deal, in my opinion.

IMO an intelligent behaviour is to boicot Steam until the price will fall of at least 25-30% .

Other then that it is simply a crime paying such an high price for a product that is missing the box, the cd and the shipment costs.

IMO an intelligent behaviour is to boicot Steam until the price will fall of at least 25-30% .

Other then that it is simply a crime paying such an high price for a product that is missing the box, the cd and the shipment costs.

You do understand that Steam must maintain an enormous number of servers and bandwidth to host all the games it sells? These are not free. The box, the cd and the shipping are not more than $5 at the max.

You do understand that Steam must maintain an enormous number of servers and bandwidth to host all the games it sells? These are not free. The box, the cd and the shipping are not more than $5 at the max.

That might well be, but give me 1 good reason why the European prices are so much higher than the American ones?

I really couldn't get on with Stream, when I played the game it took ages for the game too play. Might of been my computer but its not that old.

I'll stick with FM08 for now and when I buy a new computer see what its like on there

That might well be, but give me 1 good reason why the European prices are so much higher than the American ones?

Because taxes are much higher in the EU than in the USA.

I hate Steam and will never use it again.

Buy the disk and activate via Uniloc.

I agree with you here. I alos activate via Uniloc.

Steam is great, why not use it? i have tons of games here... never had problems? yes its expensive but i like the way i collect my games.

You do understand that Steam must maintain an enormous number of servers and bandwidth to host all the games it sells? These are not free. The box, the cd and the shipping are not more than $5 at the max.

Google has zilions more servers the steam accross the world and all its services are free. Money join Google via adv banners.

Steam do the same but it charges zilions of euros more, it must be closed by the authority to prevent usurery.

Steam, the thieves' nest.