Valve Funds Glassy Mesa Development For Better Driver Performance

[curaga]

I don't think Valve provides statistics, or indeed searchability or even a mention on whether Steam itself is required. The only games where I've heard of that option being chosen have been small indie ones. That would point to something like 99.5% of Steam games requiring it.

[Calinou]

Valve is indeed rocking, one of the few companies that is contributing to the world and needs our support.

They don't contribute as much as they should; they don't need your support either.

[Kivada]

4 Reasons why you should learn a bit more about how DRM sucks before sounding naive.

1) Downloading a .flac file would allow you to copy it to a CD-ROM and run it on a separate offline computer Steam games do not allow this because their executables check against the Steam service which needs authentication online before it runs the game.

2) After reformatting your existing computer (you have done this before right?), your .flac file would still work without requiring you to contect Steams servers for "reactivation". Steam games do not allow this. You will need to contact Steam's servers for "reactivation".

3) If / when Steams servers go down, running a .flac file would be no issue because it does not contain DRM. Steam games however do contain DRM and require reactivation. Any reactivation is going to be hard if Steams servers are down.

4) Offline mode for .flac files will always work because they do not require an internet connection to authenticate. Offline mode for steam games is not a solution because people occasionally have to reformat their computer (or do not put gaming machines online) thus Offline mode cannot be enabled because this would circumvent Steams DRM.

If people do not understand how DRM works and what constitutes DRM, then they are part of the problem and not the solution. This means, like the DRM providers, they should also be shot.

I've done all of these things, backed up the tracking cookie, Steam didn't care that I was using a different comp.

Your complaints are much ado about nothing, Valve has already stated that in the unlikely event of them going out of buisness they will kill the need to log in. Valve is not Microsoft.

[chris200x9]

4 Reasons why you should learn a bit more about how DRM sucks before sounding naive.

1) Downloading a .flac file would allow you to copy it to a CD-ROM and run it on a separate offline computer Steam games do not allow this because their executables check against the Steam service which needs authentication online before it runs the game.

2) After reformatting your existing computer (you have done this before right?), your .flac file would still work without requiring you to contect Steams servers for "reactivation". Steam games do not allow this. You will need to contact Steam's servers for "reactivation".

3) If / when Steams servers go down, running a .flac file would be no issue because it does not contain DRM. Steam games however do contain DRM and require reactivation. Any reactivation is going to be hard if Steams servers are down.

4) Offline mode for .flac files will always work because they do not require an internet connection to authenticate. Offline mode for steam games is not a solution because people occasionally have to reformat their computer (or do not put gaming machines online) thus Offline mode cannot be enabled because this would circumvent Steams DRM.

If people do not understand how DRM works and what constitutes DRM, then they are part of the problem and not the solution. This means, like the DRM providers, they should also be shot.

You do know all of that is true if you buy a DRM free game, I don't get why steam is so bad because it lets the developer choose what to do with their game/software? Why do you hate choice?

[ua=42]

I'm more interested in the fact that they are claiming a 15%-22% improvement. If this works for all the drivers this is a pretty major speed boost.

[zanny]

4 Reasons why you should learn a bit more about how DRM sucks before sounding naive.

1) Downloading a .flac file would allow you to copy it to a CD-ROM and run it on a separate offline computer Steam games do not allow this because their executables check against the Steam service which needs authentication online before it runs the game.

2) After reformatting your existing computer (you have done this before right?), your .flac file would still work without requiring you to contect Steams servers for "reactivation". Steam games do not allow this. You will need to contact Steam's servers for "reactivation".

3) If / when Steams servers go down, running a .flac file would be no issue because it does not contain DRM. Steam games however do contain DRM and require reactivation. Any reactivation is going to be hard if Steams servers are down.

4) Offline mode for .flac files will always work because they do not require an internet connection to authenticate. Offline mode for steam games is not a solution because people occasionally have to reformat their computer (or do not put gaming machines online) thus Offline mode cannot be enabled because this would circumvent Steams DRM.

If people do not understand how DRM works and what constitutes DRM, then they are part of the problem and not the solution. This means, like the DRM providers, they should also be shot.

Only if games are using Steamworks. Amnesia does not, for example - it is basically the humble bundle version, and you can copy / paste the Amnesia directory under SteamApps/common and run it anywhere.

Natural Selection 2, in contrast, does use Steamworks binary verification.

I try to avoid the latter, but just by distributing a game through Steam does not mean the game is using the DRM.

In the end it is not whether or not you have the client installed that will persuade developers and distributors to stop using proprietary bullshit. It is money that talks. So I gave $50 to 0ad, and I have gotten all the proprietary games I now run for less than $5. And I only buy them to show platform sales figures.

This fall, when GoG comes out, I intend to re-buy any FOSS engine game released there just on principle.

[ChrisXY]

Unfortunately the games descriptions never mention if they require Steam or not.

That actually sounds like a good idea for a feature request.

[stqn]

Only if the developer chooses to do so. Faster Than Light is one example where you can use the game fully without using steam after downloading it with steam.

Unfortunately the games descriptions never mention if they require Steam or not. I’ve never seen it anyway. And I think many games with achievements and most games with multiplayer do…

That being said I’m not on a crusade against Steam. It’s fairly unobtrusive DRM (if it is), still works when the net is down (at least it did when I lost my internet for 2 weeks recently). I buy DRM-free games (i.e. Humble Store) when I can, but Steam is convenient and my life does not depend on being able to play every single one of the 130 games in my library .

[omer666]

If people do not understand how DRM works and what constitutes DRM, then they are part of the problem and not the solution. This means, like the DRM providers, they should also be shot.

Well I understand DRMs and I'm okay with them. Come on, these are closed source software anyway. What would it change?

[ChrisXY]

4 Reasons why you should learn a bit more about how DRM sucks before sounding naive.

1) Downloading a .flac file would allow you to copy it to a CD-ROM and run it on a separate offline computer Steam games do not allow this because their executables check against the Steam service which needs authentication online before it runs the game.

Only if the developer chooses to do so. Faster Than Light is one example where you can use the game fully without using steam after downloading it with steam.

2) After reformatting your existing computer (you have done this before right?), your .flac file would still work without requiring you to contect Steams servers for "reactivation". Steam games do not allow this. You will need to contact Steam's servers for "reactivation".

Only if the developer chooses to do so. Faster Than Light is one example where you can use the game fully without using steam after downloading it with steam.

3) If / when Steams servers go down, running a .flac file would be no issue because it does not contain DRM. Steam games however do contain DRM and require reactivation. Any reactivation is going to be hard if Steams servers are down.

Only if the developer chooses to do so. Faster Than Light is one example where you can use the game fully without using steam after downloading it with steam.

4) Offline mode for .flac files will always work because they do not require an internet connection to authenticate. Offline mode for steam games is not a solution because people occasionally have to reformat their computer (or do not put gaming machines online) thus Offline mode cannot be enabled because this would circumvent Steams DRM.

Only if the developer chooses to do so. Faster Than Light is one example where you can use the game fully without using steam after downloading it with steam.

If people do not understand how DRM works and what constitutes DRM, then they are part of the problem and not the solution. This means, like the DRM providers, they should also be shot.

You say "steam games" and that steam is bad therefore, but it's not the fact that they are distributed through steam, it's the fact that the developers choose to use the optional drm steam provides.