Egosoft Wants To Bring Games To Steam On Linux

[shmerl]

Well, just for a couple of games I wouldn't register on Steam. But if they have an easy way to filter games by DRM free criteria - I don't mind much, since there might be more in the future.

[Kristian Joensen]

As far as DRM free games on Steam goes there aren't a whole lot, but id Software has a bunch of games on there that have had their source code GPL'ed and in those cases you can buy the games from Steam and download alternative DRM free binaries. A couple of games that are supposed to be available on Steam in a DRM free form where mentioned earlier in this thread. But Steel Storm: Burning Retribution is one example, it uses the Darkplaces engine which is based on id's release of the Quake 1 source code.

Edit:

So in other words it is a game with a GPL'ed codebase.

[shmerl]

Steam while doesn't require it, doesn't discourage it as well. I don't mind supporting developers who avoid DRM for sure. Actually I simply don't buy any games with DRM at all. Is there an easy way to find DRM free games on Steam (i.e. those which you can use without the client running)? But if I'd to choose between GOG and Steam, I'd go to GOG first.

[entropy]

I see. Still, I'd rather support distributors who don't encourage (or even strongly discourage) any DRM usage. For example GOG doesn't accept games with DRM at all. They simply only sell DRM free games. Humble Bundle also are DRM free. These are kind of distributors which I like to support. Even though GOG didn't get to shipping Linux games yet. (Feel free to vote for it).

Now, that we know Steam does not require DRM:
Why don't you support developers which don't enforce DRM on us instead?

[Kristian Joensen]

I know about GoG, I have a couple of games on there.

[shmerl]

I see. Still, I'd rather support distributors who don't encourage (or even strongly discourage) any DRM usage. For example GOG doesn't accept games with DRM at all. They simply only sell DRM free games. Humble Bundle also are DRM free. These are kind of distributors which I like to support. Even though GOG didn't get to shipping Linux games yet. (Feel free to vote for it).

[Kristian Joensen]

I'm not sure 100%. If it works for distribution only - then there is nothing wrong there. May be someone who uses Steam regularly can clarify. The impression I got from other people is that it's not just a distribution channel, but in order to run games you need to run the client (which is DRM).

As someone who has Steam running all the time with 138 games attached to my Steam account, I will put it like this it is a games(and recently software in general) distribution platform that also happens to provide DRM and community features. The DRM features are optional for the developers since obviously as any other download service it will gladly download .exe's that don't use Steam's DRM related functions. However most games do use it for DRM(if not the vast majority) as well.

But the thing is among gamers Steam's DRM is well respected as it is seen as the least intrusive and often is combined with other features such as achievements and multiplayer matchmaking and the like. Steam's DRM does not limit installs or the like, nor does it require constant connection to the internet, the problem is that SOME games on Steam use other forms of more intrusive DRM either instead of or in addition to that provided by Steam. There is even a community maintained online list of all games with 3rd party DRM on them. Steam has an offline mode so that if you lose your internet connection you can still play your games, it also has a feature that allows you to back up your library of games to DVD's and the like.

About the only restriction Steam's DRM provides is the inability to play a game on multiple systems simultaneously. But you can install a game on as many systems as you like. I actively boycott any game that requires a constant online connection and/or has hardware authentication and/or limited installs/authentications and/or uses Microsoft's Games For Windows Live or EA's Origin for their DRM. But I will more than happily get a game that uses Valve's Steamworks so long as there is no 3rd party DRM.

Edit:

To clarify for games using Steam's DRM, yes you do need Steam running in the background and it will be launched when running the games executable. But it is pretty lightweight and totally unobtrusive and offers a number of features such as community chat.

[n3wu53r]

I'm not sure 100%. If it works for distribution only - then there is nothing wrong there. May be someone who uses Steam regularly can clarify. The impression I got from other people is that it's not just a distribution channel, but in order to run games you need to run the client (which is DRM).

Here is the situation. Games made by Valve themselves use Steam works DRM. Developers of other games can choose to use this DRM, their own/third party DRM or no DRM at all. AFAIK (I have not done this myself), with some games, like Dungeons of Dredmor and Steel Storm, you can copy the files over from the steam directory and run them on a machine without steam. As a matter of fact. Before Steam Linux beta, if you buy the Windows versions of these 2 games, linux binaries were in the directory and you could copy them to Linux! However Steam specific features like achievements will not work. I have heard for some games Steam is a dependency and you do need the client.

[entropy]

I'm not sure 100%. If it works for distribution only - then there is nothing wrong there. May be someone who uses Steam regularly can clarify. The impression I got from other people is that it's not just a distribution channel, but in order to run games you need to run the client (which is DRM).

I guess it is possible to distribute games completely without DRM on Steam, but developers happily make use of the offered options of DRM:
Either authentication via Steam or 3rd-party DRM - but none is actually really required to publish on Steam.

IIRC, Steel Storm provided a native Linux binary via Steam for years.
You could just run it from the folder without running Steam, which didn't even exist on Linux back then.

[gilboa]

All I can say is....


YEY!



EDIT: By the way, you can disconnect the Egosoft games from Steam by downloading and running an Egosoft supplied binary.