I can verify that. It just happened to me today. Steam calling home, interesting.

Earlier, it was - what happens if my internet goes down for a long time. Nowadays, however, with mobile internet, it is no longer the case. While I can't download a game with it, I can get the game working again if the offline mode stops working.

Now, two things:

1. Lazy developers - are 10GB patches ever justified if there is no new content? This has become a problem for some of my friends who are unable to buy some Steamworks games, even on DVD, because they will end up paying as much as the game itself in bandwidth costs. Not everyone has cheap bandwidth. I hope Stardock won't go down this path. Keep patch sizes reasonable.

2. Firewalls - Currently, I am back in college to do my Masters, and unsurprisingly, Steam can't be used in here, although they don't mind us downloading 1080p vids from Youtube @ 50mbps. So, no Civ5 or Galciv 3 for me. Admittedly, it is a very specific problem and I do not expect devs to change their decisions because of the small number of people who face this problem.

EDIT: I should add that I love steam whenever I have a reliable and inexpensive internet connection

I should add that Stardock can go with the option that Paradox Interactive uses for its Steam games- require internet connection (and Steam) for first time activation and then Steam is not required except to update the game.

That was caused by an older patching mechanism that replaced files, and the files being huge so any change required redownloading the whole thing. Steam can do delta patches now, so it shouldn't happen unless the patch really is that big.

Witcher 2 buyers were hit pretty hard by that. Removing the DRM was an 80KB patch on one service and a 5GB one on Steam.

Not really, Steam's updater is a system service and doesn't use the client's offline mode setting.

Firefox and Chrome use the same update method, among many other applications.

So you like to insult me too?

How nice to know, moron.

What I hate about steam is simple..

If my kids want to enjoy a steam game, I need to purchase additional copies for them. Given the price of most games, I will not do this, and it short changes the household. I don't know anyone with families that will purchase multiple copies of most games, so the developer simply loses out on revenue in EITHER case, so why not be family friendly in the first place?

DRM-Free versions of games are a godsend, and I purchase them routinely, simply because I can use them 'within' my household as I see fit to use them. It's not abused, but it makes it a whole lot easier to enjoy products. Developers that support DRM free almost always get purchases from me. Dragon Commander for example, I was so impressed with their DRM-Free AND Steam support, I purchased copies for friends to help support their cause.

Steam is very limiting to families.

Nope.

http://store.steampowered.com/sharing/

@korbano

You have made it very clear all you want is to PIRATE THE GAME. That's it. You already made it crystal clear that you think piracy is ok because "what happens in my home is no one's business". Don't even try to come here and complain about Steam with that level of intellectual dishonesty.

The 'opinion' of a pirate like you deserves no quarter and has no place in a legitimate discussion about Steam or DRM-free gaming. You only dislike Steam because it makes it harder for you to pirate the game. Not because you want to 'share' it with your family. 

What in the fucking world are you talking about?

He has given no indication of if he's pirating the game or not. Where in the hell does it say OH INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY? You sound like a fanboy in a rage that he hates one aspect of Steam. Do you know how he lives? All I see is that he wants sharing with his family and friends like a physical copy. Your assumption making isn't going to get you far regardless of which side you're on.

Good reply. I don't really need to say much else.

Friends? No... But I have 3 kids that play games, and I would be lying if I said I didn't expect to at the very least, be provided with a method allowing them to enjoy a game I purchase.

Actually he has. See post 47: https://forums.galciv3.com/449023/page/2/#replies

He said flat out "I should be allowed to install extra copies in my house no matter what the license says", which is piracy. Physical copies don't legally allow this either, by default. The publisher has to say "go ahead and use multiple copies at once if you want to" before its okay, otherwise it's not.

He then admitted to doing it with Office, which has a license that doesn't even come close to allowing it. Shockingly, this hasn't done a lot to convince Stardock of anything.

If he was asking for a license change to allow it instead of a DRM free version that's easier to pirate, he'd have more credibility. Original Sins of a Solar Empire did allow what he want, they said flat out "go ahead and play by LAN in your house with one license, we don't mind." Which is a highly family friendly thing of them to do... but they don't have to do it. The sense of entitlement that you can just do it anyway 'because' isn't helping the cause whatsoever.

(Also note that Family sharing will let you put it on multiple computers in the house and let people use it, just not at the same time. Exactly how you'd have to use a physical game with disk checking: one person at a time. More simultaneous users = more licenses required.)

@Korbano dont expect a pass because you want to pirate the game

want 3 copies

BUY THREE COPIES

steams ability to "inconvenience your piracy" is not in any way shape or form an actual "criticism"

If I was going to buy three copies of a game I'd want a little discount.  I mean okay, Steam does have some pretty cracking sales, I will admit, but a multi-buy discount could lead to greater customer satisfaction and reduce the temptation to pirate.

Some games have 4 packs that allow for a discount which 'generally' works out to getting 1 copy for free.

I wouldn't miss steam if it went down, I use manipulation to get whatever I want free.

Then again it would piss so many people off who invested hundreds into the system, I don't blame you for worrying about steam due to the legal documents provided. Basically steam can shut down anytime they wanted to, but I assure you they are making too much money to even consider doing such an action.

If your worried about steam, everybody is because they put so much money into the system.

Also, my worry about steam is the hackers taken it over, you know people who has the technical skills to get whatever they want free. Imagine if steam had to deal with hacker attacks, they can probably leak cash from your PC every time you buy something.

Then you got the email thieves who try to get into your email forcing you to jetson and destroy the entire bank of emails, which could cripple people with terrible memories.

Then you got to worry about your mommy and daddy cutting off your internet because you are a lazy fat ass who never leaves the computer

Then you got to worry about your cash reserves if you live alone, because if you cannot pay the bills you lose the internet+ steam access

Then you got to worry about people stealing your steam account, I looked a steams codes and it seems like something any hobo can hack into if they got the knowledge to do it.

Then you got to worry about the computer viruses if you download resulting in all your files being deleted forcing you to re-download every go damn steam game you ever owned.

Then you got to worry about getting your bank account robbed because you were stupid enough to allow spy programs to record every digit you typed. Then you cannot buy steam Galactic civilizations III because all your money got robbed.

Then you got to worry about your life, because playing too many games is considered anti social and you won't get a girlfriend till your 30 because you stay on the internet to begin with.

Agreed, and I take advantage of Multi-Buy.

The idiot that keeps screaming piracy is an idiot, nothing more, nothing less.

Don't be an idiot. I've probably spent more on software over the years then you make at your job.

All I am saying is, start to factor families, or many will keep rejecting steam based on this premise. I purchased Office2012, and indeed installed it on several computers. It's quite LOGICAL to assume EVERYONE would do this. Nobody is that much of a nerd to buy 5 copies for a home. Steam gets money from me (at times) merely because of multi-pack discounts, and deep steam sales. Otherwise I generally avoid using Steam, and seek out DRM free versions.

Only in the software field are customers treated like criminals. If I buy a Pizza, everyone in the home eats it, will be start putting license agreements on Pizza? Give me a break. It's like saying that 52" LCD TV I purchased can only be 'watched' by 1 person.. This is greed, and it has to stop. The fact is, corporations want to license, tax, and charge for EVERYTHING, and meter everything. This is why some localities you cannot collect rain water, they can't meter it. This is why Sears catalogs started to be printed on glossy paper, everyone was using them as toilet paper. There have been proposals to upgrade cable boxes with cameras to 'check' the number of people in the room, and anything over 5 would invalidate the viewing of particular movies.

This nonsense has to stop, software included. I PAY for my stuff, but don't expect me to adhere to draconian DRM and Licensing Schemes. 

Note: I am not calling every developer that uses steam greedy. Steam makes the MOST sense in so many aspects. However if a developer can accommodate families (multi discounts, drm free versions, etc), then I really respect that, as it mitigates huge complaints most have with steam. Steam themselves need to end their draconian usage policies, and let me authorize my kids to use my steam account within the same IP cluster, it's long overdue.

Personal attacks are the weapons of the intellectually lazy and intellectually dishonest. Employed by those who have no real arguments and thus must resort to them

It is not. Because that is ILLEGAL

You want 5 copies, buy 5 copies. Or purchase Office 356 which allows 5 copies to be used simultaneously. Which is even more ironic that you apparently 'have spentmore on software over the years than you make at your job' yes you don't want to buy those copies of Office. Want to install it on 5 computers, do whatever you want. BUt don't pretend it's not piracy just because you made up your own rules "inside your home"

I'd love a Bugatti but I don't steal one from the dealership just because 'that's logical'. It isn't. It's stealing. And making 5 copies of a piece of software where the license doesn't support it is stealing. You can pretend it's not. But that's not how reality works. It's piracy. Period

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neapolitan_pizza

Yep because a Neopolitan Pizza is a TSG protected food in Europe. Less stringent than other food protections but yes you can't call something a Neapolitan PIzza unless it adhere to specific rules of ingredients and quality. There are German Purity laws for beer as well as legal requirements for various foods like champagne which can only be called that if it's made in the Champagne region in France. Otherwise it's called 'sparkling wine'. So yes if you slap "Champagne" on your bottle and you try to sell it, that's a violation of EU law.

You may not liek the software agreements, but don't pretend that violating them is somehow 'ok'.I'ts not. And don't attempt to justify your own piracy by couching it in some kind of 'oh I want family sharing' nonsense. Wnat 5 copies, buy 5 copies. Want 5 cars. YOu gotta buy 5 cars too. So don't pretend this doesn't apply to 'physical' goods either.

Steam already offers 4 packs for many games if devs want it. Which gives you 4 copies for the price of 3. Not to mention stuff goes on sale on steam all the time.

DRM free versions are not there to enable your 'home piracy'. That's now why devs make drm-free versions.

Classy. When you have to resort to trolling this pathetic, you've already lost.

And hey, if you actually make that much money you can afford to follow the license terms and buy multiple copies. Course you already said you don't do that, so you know.

By "many people" you mean you and a few people here. Steam is overwhelmingly #1. The market has accepted it. Developers WANT their games on Steam, to the point that not having your game on Steam is a huge problem for them. Here's someone actually in the industry (and thus knows far more about the subject than you do) who says it flat out: http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/article/why-a-successful-indie-game-that-cant-get-on-steam-isnt-a-successful-indie

It really doesn't matter if its logical. Go read the license agreement. It's piracy.

So you come in here whining that the game is on Steam, and want Stardock to spend more money in development to put on a platform that makes it easier for you to pirate it, on the grounds that you should be allowed to pirate it because you think its okay.

For some reason, you seem to be the only person surprised that this strategy isn't working. Why would Frogboy spend more of his money to make it so that you can more easily rip him off? On what planet does that make any sense whatsoever?

Total BS. Ever see those "backpacks must be left at the door" signs? That's treating everyone like a shoplifter. In fact, they're trying to pass a law where I live to make EVERYONE pay for gas in advance of pumping, because gas theft has become such a big problem. Treating all gas buyers like criminals.

This happens all the time in real life. The only difference is that you try to rationalize it away in the case of software as some kind of personal slight.

Here's the problem Had you come in and just said "Sins of a Solar Empire let multiple people in the same house play together over LAN in the license terms, will Stardock be doing the same thing in Galciv3?" you'd have had a perfectly rational argument. It was a highly friendly thing of them to do in the past, and maybe they can be convinced to do it again for all kinds of good reasons.

Instead you came in ranting and raving about the evils of Steam and how you don't like it because you want to pirate a few copies of the game and Steam won't let you. There is exactly zero chance of that working. None.

See, here we go. Stick with this and leave the rest out, and you'll get a lot more support. Myself included. It was great when they did it in Sins, and made it easy to show people the game.

Steam's getting Family Sharing, which will let people share libraries so someone else can play your games in the house (but not simultaneously). So that part is already being done. To get local multiplayer, Stardock will have to not disable it.

I totally recommend you call Microsoft, give them your name and address and tell them that.  It is quite logical that they will gladly just give you another 4 licenses.

Ya think .....

I go for Office 365 Home Premium, covers five people for £7.99 a month, all up price covering all 5. Gets upgraded to latest MS Office as time goes on, everyone gets the full deal equating to full price Office Professional, their own legal copy. Also covers mobile devices in the family.

Hell at £1.60 a month per person for the equivalent of the latest office pro as it rolls out every 2 years, they got me for life ..... and more importantly its legal, and in the long run cheaper than upgrading for a single licence full price package as it come out every 2 years - and it covers five people .... beats the hell out of paying full price up front for just one licence, let alone five licences.

No Brainer ...

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/productID.286445200

You know what I do, I just install steam and everything on a drive that can be unplugged to computer to computer. This allows me to have access to steam on any computer on this earth without breaking the law, because it is classified as part of a computer.

if steam goes out of business, oh well, just rinse out the trash and fill it up with stuff more important then games.