Yes, and they're lying scumbags for making that claim. They can say all they want but all it does, it confirm that they're unreliable and to be avoided when possible.

I mean, think about their claim for a moment. Whose games do they sell? Some are theirs, but 95% of all games on Steam are from others. Do you REALLY think the other parties, who relied on Steam protecting their game (since it's DRM itself), would suddenly allow all their titles to have the main protection stripped away? Suddenly, Duke Nukem Forever would have no client behind it to verify the game and it would turn into a GOG game.

Only an idiot would think Valve could do this so only an idiot would believe what they're saying has any real value. In reality, they'd get sued to hell if they even TRIED making all those games work without Steam. In reality, you'd simply lose them all.

Gabe said that years ago... but at the time the only Steam games were Valve ones, since then its mostly Steam forum mods who said that. If it was written in the EULA then it might have some "weight" (it's actually the exact opposite that is written in the EULA) but in it current state it's nothing more than a drunkard promise.

Yes, exactly. At the same time, Gabe said Steam would offer prices half of retail ones because of lower overheads and we all know how that turns out *rolls eyes*

Sorry if I sound aggressive but so many people get sucked into Steam by the kind of bullshit Kabuto just posted which, with a few moments of thought, can be shown to be false.

It's the same story when you consider Steam sells subscriptions meaning they have full control over what you do unlike licenses.

Pro-Tip: Don't pay $80 for video games. Even fancy schmancy pre-order versions that contain a box load of useless crap. What Stinging Velvet fails to comprehend is that the more he buys stuff at ludicrous prices from outfits that support and use the same DRM he loathes -- cough cough EA and Deadspace -- the more they will have carte blache to implement any DRM they want.

Moaning about it on a forum while shelling out your money for inferior products at inflated prices isn't going to win the battle for you. I'd think common sense would intuit that.

Don't like DRM? Don't buy products that use it. Practice what you preach or shut the hell up. Talk is cheap. The constant pontificating of principled stances on internet forums means nothing so long as you keep putting money in their pockets. Or just be like me, accept reality, and only buy stuff deeply discounted. Either way: pick a side. Get off the fence -- you can't have it both ways.

No, they haven't. The only post that a majority of Steam fans are going by is one made many, many years ago and has since disappeared from the forum. The post mentioned they had tested the system, but did not say it would be employed system wide should things take a turn for the worse. So essentially, no official claim by a Valve employee has been made. It is generally the community and moderators, who do not work for Valve, that continue to spread this.

The problem with such a patch would be the agreements made with third party publishers. This is speculation of course, as none of us are privy to the contracts between Valve and publisher, but I cannot imagine they would enjoy having their games freed from the service with no restriction.

I do not see Valve going anywhere any time soon though, especially with how rampant the fanboyism is on other forums, but I am still cautious of putting all my eggs in one basket that is controlled by another company.

Does everything in your home have a utility function or are you being a massive hypocrite?

I answered this in the other thread... DRM is irrelevant. I bitch about Steam because I don't want one company/store/platform taking over PC gaming. That is my main issue with it, people not looking elsewhere and the growing need for every PC game to be on Steam to find an audience.

A simple that's incorrect usually does the trick. Do you somehow feel superior by broadcasting how I'm such an idiot twice in the same sentence no less?

It's also not out of the question valve could possibly negotiate with major partners if whether they would truly care if the drm is stripped well well well past its main selling window.

I think my calling you an idiot is nothing compared to you telling nonsense that might lure people into a false sense of safety when using Steam and ending up losing hundreds of dollars worth of games. Which do YOU think would sting more?

I spend a lot of time on forums warning people about potential hazards of Steam and its ilk (although Steam is the most dangerous by far) and if they decide to buy games knowing the risks, that's fine. But when people like you come along to repeat the same myths I've been trying hard to get rid of, it does tick me off.

Plus, it IS out of the question they could negotiate anything like they promised. At most they'd get the older games released like that and maybe a large part of indie games - but what about the games that use integrated Steamworks that need Steam servers to function?

There are four ways that could all turn out.

1) Valve say "oh sorry" or just say nothing at all and never patch the requirement out, due to lawyers or whatever else telling them not to.

2) The "patch" is only for Valve games, due to not getting permission ahead of time for anything else.

3) Permission to do this is in every Steamworks game contract and Valve "patch" only Steamworks games.

4) Permission to do this is in every Steam publisher contract and every game sold through the service is "patched."

Of the four I would bet number one, the total customer screw, is the most likely. I don't say that as a Valve "hater" or Steam "basher," it's just common for companies to say one thing and then when the shit hits the fan they can't follow through. If Steam goes down that likely means Valve is going down and the lawyers or piecemeal buyers would be able to stop them from doing whatever they wanted. I guess what I am saying is you just can't count on such a thing, and their terms of service guarantees no such thing. It is possible though, of course.

I don't worry too much about it honestly, people are always there to make sure the games of the past are still playable. If Valve doesn't do it then others will (and already have, really).

So what, I'm interfering with your crusade against steam?

Someone needs to relax.

No you're interfering with me trying to make sure people know what they're getting into - I do the same with DRM and anything else where people are being deceived. The fact you posted that, shows you were one of those deceived before as well.

People know what they're signing up for when they use steam. They don't need you to hold their hand. You see, I wasn't deceived at all. I really don't care that much on what happens because by the time steam closes, my games on it will probably be over ten years old or not compatible with new hardware. I may want to play them in ten years, but I won't feel like my money was stolen. Most people on steam also live in the present. Instead of worrying about a service shutting down in ten plus years, they decide to buy and play in the present.

Just stop whining and relax. People can make decisions on their own. Besides, never say never.

A lot of people really do think a universal unlock would be forthcoming should Valve shut down. So I would have to disagree that people signing up for Steam know what they're getting. Most have likely never thought it through. If they have they believe in said universal unlock.

It's simply not true, they're nearly 100% likely to be in liquidation (i.e. bankruptcy) if they go down, they won't own their own assets. Anyone releasing said unlock would be facing serious prison time. It never existed, the only disgusting part about the whole thing is that Gabe really may have claimed they'd do that. That either says he's naive (unlikely) or evil (likely).

You see Red_Avatar, that's what a calm refute post looks like. No need to wage war on someone you disagree with because as I and many have found in the past, leads to nowhere.

I see where your going, but it's not the only steam closing scenario. Companies shut down services or support but it doesn't mean they're going bankrupt. Valve could simply "retire" or move in another direction in the future.

i'm waiting for the reviews before i decide to buy it.

i'm very conflicted about whether to buy it or not.

i don't know if i should be excited about it or not.