Thorton_AP

I'm willing to bet the conversations will have the standard 6 options (well, probably 5 and investigate) much like Mass Effect does.

I just saw an article yesterday (it was linked and I don't remember what it was called) indicating that digital distribution accounts for 42% of PC game sales. The top 5 were Steam, Direct2Drive, Blizzard, <something else I can't remember... it wasn't Impulse which surprised me>, and Battle.net Yes, Blizzard.com and Battle.net were separate entities. What constitutes a dominant market position? As clearly evidenced by Steam's current library of games, a game does NOT need Steamworks in order to be on Steam. Developers opt in to use Steamworks for SOME reason. If they want to be on Steam but not use Steamworks, this option is available to game developers. Admittedly I don't know what direct benefits there are to using Steamworks, but I'm going to go out on a limb that there is at least SOME value for game developers using Steamworks. To reiterate: You do not need to use Steamworks to use Steam. Yes, there are no alternatives to Steam for some games. There are no alternatives to Good Old Games either for some games, near as I can tell. Scrounging up rare copies on ebay that often don't even exist is not a viable alternative IMO either. Ask the developers that decide to use Steamworks instead of just using Steam as a DD method. There the ones deciding that they want more than just Steam as a distribution service.

Steamworks is the DRM. If this is where you're going, then it probably wouldn't be much of a stretch to twist anything into an anti-monopoly arrangement. Exclusivity arrangements exist for games a lot. There's also licensing issue (you're not getting a D&D computer game unless Hasbro is involved, for example. I think at best, you'll get a split like GamersGate did. GamersGate split off (voluntarily I believe) from Paradox Interactive. Though obviously the concern that devs using Steam will result in funding Valve games doesn't seem to be a very legitimate one, given they keep doing it.

Games like Oblivion have the best story elements at the beginning IMO.

Ah, so people are worried about Steam eventually dominating the market?

This is the difference between the various classifications of supernova isn't it? How many solar masses for this to be the case?

This is true and why I think the whole ordeal was retarded. In many cases it is. Just as in (much rarer) cases, people will need to use Mac OS or Linux. Especially if you're dealing with the non-computer savvy (i.e. most of the world). Let's not kid ourselves, Microsoft's bundling of IE is only an issue because of their market dominance. I can see how this may pass because of this. Doesn't make it any less retarded. Steamworks is an opt-in process that game developers appear to like. Maybe the other DD platforms should make their DD platforms more appealing to game developers so that they will use it?

Given that it seems (since Amentep also brought it up) you are cued about potentially seeking help from the Mage Circle during your interactions with Connor, I retract my previous statement. From a personal roleplaying point of view, my character felt he didn't have the time, so ultimately I was satisfied with the outcome.

Yeah I actually like when choice isn't actually available a lot of the times in RPGs. You go to a completely different person, and they'll consider it a positive that you weren't railroaded into something bad happening if you didn't go to the Mage's Circle first though. /shrug

If you went to the Mage Circle first, then you went to the Mage Circle first. If you don't know about them, and decided to still walk away from Connor in the hopes of finding something else, I'd say you bought into a standard RPG convention of "There's a good chance nothing will happen if I don't do anything right now." I.e. metagamed based on your previous experience with RPGs.

The situation is very different as Steam/Steamworks is not required for a game to be distributed. Game developers are choosing to utilize Steam. This is akin to getting mad at Starforce for other game companies using it for their DRM. Or getting mad at a game company for using a disc check. All of these things are things you cannot legally get around. With Microsoft they are shipping a widespread OS that is essentially required to own for most people, and queuing people to overlook competitor internet browsers by preloading their own. The comparison would be stronger if games were deemed virtually essential (like an OS), and if Valve was the biggest player in the gaming arena. Game developers aren't being blind sided by Steamworks requiring a connection to Steam in order to be used. They're making a conscious choice to use it over other services. No game requires Steamworks to be integrated into it in order to be run.

I went to Redcliffe first in my game. I had no idea that I could count on a different plot area to save Connor while I had to deal with it. The unfortunate thing is that they don't make you choose there (as they should have), but unless you've already been to the Mage Tower, it's a pretty baffling roleplaying decision to not do something. Pretty much metagaming IMO. I wouldn't be surprised if people typically clear out an area before moving on to the next, if they can. I did the same in Alpha Protocol as well.

Actually the story does get a lot better once you're past Saudi Arabia.

Please tell me you are joking that you actually feel this is a monopoly situation. EDIT: LOL! "Shady dealings" indeed. It's not like game devs and publishers are being coerced into including Steamworks into their games and not having the option of using other Digital Distributors anymore XD

That is kind of funny given people's ostracizing statements regarding Bethesda's perspectives on it.

What about Flemeth's picture posted here makes it "Dragon Age Anime?"

So basically your post was irrelevant and pointless then? My bad. Unless you didn't actually know that 20,000 preorders would add up to a sizeable amount of money for the seller. But I'll admit my skepticism.

I'm typically of the mind of "Imagine that instead of making System Shock 2, they decided to make a remake of some other game instead"

Hmmm, could be continuing to limit your access to prevent spammers? Since I own Steam games it's hard for me to verify sorry

What game are you attempting to add?

The original was also very hard.