July 4th - 2011 - Doom3 $5 on Steam

[lost_soul]

@Baddcogg: I'm curious how you feel about a system like Windows XP. It requires the user to activate within thirty days of an install, or it locks them out, completely. XP is also being dropped in less than three years, so this will be an issue relatively soon for people. In your opinion, should MS be obligated to release an unlock patch at the end, or should they just tell people they must upgrade to keep using their netbooks or older PCs? This is like the Steam situation, but the XP will likely happen much sooner.

 

It'll be interesting to see if Thief 1 still works on Windows 8 the way it does in 7, which seems to be a case of simply setting processor core affinity.

 

You sir, obviously have no NVIDIA video cards. I tried Thief Gold on my modern system a wile ago under Windows with a GTX 460 and I got the dreaded black screen of doom on mission start. I know about DDFix, but that causes other trouble: specifically the game minimizes on video playback! I've begun running T1/2 in Wine now. The load times kind of suck, but the stability is great and it doesn't freak out if I upgrade my video drivers.

Edited July 5, 2011 by lost_soul

[Baddcog]

I'm not a fan of it either but I accept it. What can you do?

 

I bought Vista instead of XP because I thought it would be the new/better os. It sucked and they basically gave up on it right away, I felt very burnt.

 

Unfortunately I had to buy Win7 to get rid of it. I tried Linux several times and like Mint a lot. Unfortunately I couldn't use it for some things and found it too limiting. Which in it self is very much the same problem. If I want to use certain programs I'm locked into Windows.

Just as I am locked into Steam if I want to play certain games.

 

But it certainly sucks more when your OS is the limiting factor and I've felt burnt/frustrated with Windows a lot while I've never felt that way about Steam. Without the OS I can't use my computer, without Steam I can't use some games.

[jdude]

In terms of progress which Badcogg is talking about I have to agree. I don't think steam even offers games which are only compatible with Windows 2k. IIRC that O/S isn't even supported by Microsoft anymore. So this leads me to believe that the steam platform updating requirements is a null issue.

 

As for connection issues, I've never experienced any but I see how if I did it would make me mad. I noticed that sometimes if I had limited connection activity Steam wouldn't work properly, but when I completely disconnected my internet (as it didn't work anyway) it would log in offline fine.

 

As for the greed thing, I don't think valve is greedy at all. In fact the opposite. They've released countless updates for their products which I've loved, released tons of free stuff, PAID community contributors, they offer kick ass compensation and benefits for employees and possibly the best deals on games anywhere. Just check out the sale they have right now! Yes they are rich but I'm rooting for them as long as they keep operating so nicely.

 

Lastly, go but Doom3 if you haven't for TDM

[Partol]

You sir, obviously have no NVIDIA video cards. I tried Thief Gold on my modern system a wile ago under Windows with a GTX 460 and I got the dreaded black screen of doom on mission start. I know about DDFix, but that causes other trouble: specifically the game minimizes on video playback! I've begun running T1/2 in Wine now. The load times kind of suck, but the stability is great and it doesn't freak out if I upgrade my video drivers.

 

What? I have a GTX 580 (270.61 drivers). Thief Gold is installed and running perfect in windows 7 32-bit.

There are plenty of instructions on ttlg.com forum to install and run Thief 1/2/gold on windows vista and 7. I used some old vista instructions on ttlg.com and it worked in windows 7 too. installed mods are: wide-screen fix, ddfix, DarkLoader, and Thief Enhancement Pack.

 

I LOVE steam. No more cd's/dvd's for me. If a new game is released and not available for digital download, then I will not buy it. I have several large heavy bags full of old cd's/dvd's. Dont want more.

 

I never once had a problem playing off-line in steam. When your computer starts, and if internet is not working, you must wait a few minutes and then it will prompt "start offline mode?". That's the only inconvenience.

 

Steam prices are sometimes high ... which is why I wait until there is a sale. 300GB of steam games are installed on my PC and they all run fine, except for 2 games (Total War: empire and Gothic 3 with mods). These 2 games sometimes crash and I believe it's related to the 2GB ram limit in 32-bit OS. Empire - Darthmod is running 100% stable so far. Gothic 3 is almost 100% stable now, after trying several 32-bit fixes.

 

Threads like this lead me to wonder ... what kind of people are on this forum? Seems people here are all poor. Have old or cheap hardware and old OS. complain about spending £€$5

 

GTX 460 1GB vram should be an excellent graphics card for TDM (and overpowered for Thief Gold). My GTX 580 is overpowered for TDM and Thief Gold. I bought it because I like to play in 3D vision (although openGL games such as TDM do not work in 3D Vision). I still love TDM, even in 2D.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Partol

[lost_soul]

Many of us just try to get the most mileage out of things we buy. For example, going with an mp3 player that has expandable storage and fifty hours of battery life so we won't have to replace it in two years, even when the effects of aging start taking their toll on the battery. We do lots of research before we buy almost anything, which means we find fantastic performing products that sometimes cost a fraction of what "mainstream" things do. For another example, I showed a friend who makes several grand a month some headphones I got for $25, and he couldn't help but go order them immediately.

 

For one more example, rather than spend crazy amounts on DVR systems, we just add a TV card to our computers for a fraction of the price and have a cheaper solution that is totally under our control. These are just some examples.

[SneaksieDave]

[Baddcog]

Yeah, I hear ya lost... I try not to re-buy stuff either. Just about everything I own is aging. That doesn't mean I cling to it, 'the good old days'.

 

My TV isn't flatscreen (it's an old hand me down), My computer doesn't have TV, I watch a few edisodes of comedy central shows on the internet, that's about it.

 

But still, did you hang onto your commodore 64, or did you grow out of it? Like i said before, most of my games get a play through. Very few actually stand the test of time. Sure there are old games like Return to Wolfenstein that I could enjoy playing again at some point, but then again, will I? Would I rather not play a new game?

 

But expecting a company to continue to service the commodore 64 because a few people still get excited about them is a little out of hand. Face it, XP era games and software is getting pretty old, we've all got a pretty good life out of that stuff, and we'll probably see the same lifespan out of Win7/Steam...

 

So again, all this discussion over a $5 sale that is no longer going because some people just can't except how digital media is going, well...

 

What's more to say, you can fight the future of digital media, and you will loose. You can use XP and very old games for the rest of your life if you want. You can scour ebay/gamestores for old copies of Doom3. Or you can just buy it for a measly $5 on steam when it's back on sale and most likely have no issues.

[lost_soul]

I bought many games a decade ago, sold them and ended up rebuying them because I missed playing them. It would have been better if I had just kept them.

Edited July 7, 2011 by lost_soul

[SneaksieDave]

did you hang onto your commodore 64

Yes!

 

(don't know for sure it will still boot up though; it's in a box somewhere)

(and it can all be virtualized anyway so there's little point)

[Shadowhide]

i was banned on ttlg because of piracy propaganda (Date the ban will be lifted: 17th Jul 2011, 00:00)

[Mortem Desino]

No doubt. Piracy is a stupid choice.

[Baddcog]

"How can I respect your crime when all you criminals whine" Corrosion of Conformity

 

-----------

Pretty sure if you read their forums rules it will state the obvious (if you have ever read almost ANY forums rules).

DON'T TALK ABOUT PIRACY.

 

Most likey we also have the same rule but have been lienient on you thus far.

 

Thing is most forums don't want to get shut down because someone feels the need to brag/discuss their criminal deeds. Stick to what the forums are about.

 

I find it funny that you post that here. Are we supposed to have pity on you? I asked you not to talk about it here so you go and talk about it there and got served.

I applaud TTLG for their decision. Maybe you'll learn from it and wont have to be banned from these forums too.

 

TDM forum is about a thief like mod to be used with a LEGITIMATE copy of Doom3.

[New Horizon]

Most likey we also have the same rule but have been lienient on you thus far.

 

Yup, we have been rather relaxed about it. Personally, I would have deleted the post and banned SH for a week or two. Mainly because we don't need to look like we promote piracy.

[Midnight]

i was banned on ttlg because of piracy propaganda

Hmm, there's a lesson in there somewhere...

 

 

 

[jdude]

Piracy is not something to brag about. Even the jacked up prices of new games are relatively good prices when you think about the costs of other media such as movies and music. You can get a movie which is 1-2 hours long for 20 dollars in the theater or when it first goes to home video. A video game new tends to cost around $40-$60, but usually the minimum time for that game is ~10 hours of gameplay. Some like oblivion exceeded 300 hours for me but only cost $60 new.

 

Price per hour of movie: $ 10 - 20

Price per hour of game : $ 4 - 6 minimum

Price per hour of oblivion: $.20

 

The game industry is not ripping us off yet imo`. I think Kane and Lynch Dog Days showed that movie length games will not cut it in this market.

[jdude]

Whoops double post, no delete post button?

[Shadowhide]

No doubt. Piracy is a stupid choice.

not really

[New Horizon]

not really

 

It's the ignorant choice, how about that then?

[Shadowhide]

It's the ignorant choice

why ?

download game,play it,than buy it if you like it

like i did with gta4

Edited July 8, 2011 by Shadowhide

[Baddcog]

Either way I think the point is we don't care what you do with your personal life, just don't talk about/encourage pirating stuff here.

 

/conversation.

[Xarg]

The only thing piracy does is insulate the pirate from buyer's remorse on a bad product. Anyone saying they pirate games to teach the devs a lesson about making crap games are full of shit. Did you steal it then email the dev/publisher to tell them why you didn't buy it? Didn't think so.

 

That said, I wish more games would release demos, and not a demo of the 1 good level in the game either :/

[Bikerdude]

That said, I wish more games would release demos, and not a demo of the 1 good level in the game either :/

Yeah, this is happening less and less theses days - which is very short sited of the devs. It only happened to me once, where I have bought a game without playing the demo and regretted it after. And like some I have to admit to downloading a game to see if it was worth my hard earned cash. I've bought only a handful of games per year, this is down to the fact there aren't any that many quality, good gameplay/story, properly beta tested games release anymore. Of the top of my head this year I think only Bioshock2, and Stalker: call of pripyat and a borrowed copy of Metro2033 (refuse to buy new games that require internet activation)

[jdude]

I tend to heavily rely on reviews or past experiences when buying games. For example I loved Fallout 3, so Fallout NV was a sure thing to get, or that I'll be getting the new Oblivion for sure. I also frequent many review sites when I'm thinking of buying a game, IGN, Gamespot, GamersHell or random Googled ones.

 

Ironically one of my largest game purchasing regrets was Dragon Age. I haven't put much time into it, but it just isn't the sort of game I enjoy. I also didn't enjoy the newest Wolfenstein too much I guess, if I had listened to the reviews rather than rely on ID fanboyness I think I wouldn't had got it.

[lost_soul]

I'm more of a Youtube guy myself. It is nice to have access to video reviews done by human beings, as opposed to companies who may or may not be on the payroll. I found

review very informative and thorough. He gives examples of the linear level design and problems with the game without going on an angry rant.

 

I'll never buy a game without at least trying a demo first.

Edited July 9, 2011 by lost_soul