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[Oreoleo]

Max Payne 1 and 2 are $2.50 each at GFW. If I bought this would I be able to run it from Steam? I like using the Steam feature and running non-steam games from it.

I think you could run them on Steam via the add non-Steam game feature, but I just wanted to quote this to tell you that the Max Payne bundle has been on sale on Steam for $3.74 at least a couple times, so the potential for a better deal than GFW's is certainly possible, especially with the Summer Sale right around the corner. That said, it's only a buck and Max Payne 2 is friggin awesome so you can't go wrong either way.

 

[Princess Skittles]

What exactly is a wishlist used for? Is it just so you can organize all the games you want to buy and keep them as a list? There's no added benefit of adding a game to a wishlist, right?

My friends and I use them to gift stuff from time to time.

Someone just gifted me my Top Five for helping them move. <3

 

[InertiaXr]

I don't know why there isn't an auto buy feature on your wishlist. Set a sale price and if something goes on sale Valve buys it for you automatically.

Because some people would get upset when all of a sudden they have multiple small charges in late June or early December that they were not anticipating; especially if you have a rather large wishlist you could 'auto-buy' well over $100 worth of stuff without too much trouble. Plus those games could end up getting a steeper discount in a daily deal during the sale.

 

[Stallion Free]

Btw speaking of Max Payne 1/2 the latest Nvidia drivers has flawless pillarboxing to maintain 4:3 images with lack bars on the side now. The game never had a widescreen fix and pillarboxing support used to be shoddy as fuck on both brands. Now you can play the game perfectly.

 

[drhankmccoyphd]

What's the over/under on the summer sale starting tomorrow?

 

[StuBurns]

Because some people would get upset when all of a sudden they have multiple small charges in late June or early December that they were not anticipating; especially if you have a rather large wishlist you could 'auto-buy' well over $100 worth of stuff without too much trouble. Plus those games could end up getting a steeper discount in a daily deal during the sale.

You wouldn't be forced to use the feature. The wishlist doesn't seem to currently serve any function whatsoever. Steam doesn't even notify you when something on there is on offer.

 

[DarkChronic]

Hm, I better go make a wishlist.

 

[Narag]

Btw speaking of Max Payne 1/2 the latest Nvidia drivers has flawless pillarboxing to maintain 4:3 images with lack bars on the side now. The game never had a widescreen fix and pillarboxing support used to be shoddy as fuck on both brands. Now you can play the game perfectly.

Is there anything special I need to do to enable it and does it work for all 4:3 games?

 

[cicero]

What exactly is a wishlist used for? Is it just so you can organize all the games you want to buy and keep them as a list? There's no added benefit of adding a game to a wishlist, right?

I use it to keep track of the 150+ games/DLC that I am somewhat interested in or want to get eventually. It is the quick and easy way to do that. Friends can always gift you games off of your wishlist too, and last year Steam used the wishlist of the users to pick the free games they would give users who won their "Steam 2010 Great Treasure Hunt Sweepstakes".

 

[Stallion Free]

Is there anything special I need to do to enable it and does it work for all 4:3 games?

Works for all old 4:3 games that never got widescreen hacks. Just open Nvidia control panel and go to "adjust desktop size and position" on the side bar.

 

[Narag]

Works for all old 4:3 games that never got widescreen hacks. Just open Nvidia control panel and go to "adjust desktop size and position" on the side bar.

Thank you kindly.

 

[plc268]

You wouldn't be forced to use the feature. The wishlist doesn't seem to currently serve any function whatsoever. Steam doesn't even notify you when something on there is on offer.

Well you're right, Steam should send you an email if a certain game went below a certain threshold... but an autobuy system would lead to all sorts of problems and headaches that I doubt Steam wants

Btw speaking of Max Payne 1/2 the latest Nvidia drivers has flawless pillarboxing to maintain 4:3 images with lack bars on the side now. The game never had a widescreen fix and pillarboxing support used to be shoddy as fuck on both brands. Now you can play the game perfectly.

It's amazing how terrible some of the drivers are for pillarboxing. Even a couple of years ago, I could do it fine, but I can't seem to find the option for ati/amd (or at least I thought I did, but it never works).

Not only that, most monitors used scale resolution correctly, nowadays most monitors I use just fill the entire screen, no matter what.

 

[Wazzim]

How long will the summer sale last once it begins?

 

[InertiaXr]

You wouldn't be forced to use the feature. The wishlist doesn't seem to currently serve any function whatsoever. Steam doesn't even notify you when something on there is on offer.

It would probably be a significant amount of work to get it working and I'm not sure how many people would use it. I agree it would be a cool feature to have, and I do think you should get some kind of email if you want when games on your wishlist go on sale.

The wishlist was an integral part of I believe the last Thanksgiving sale, they gave away your top 10 games to 3 people every day of the sale. Also Valve uses it for market research as said above to see what games people want, but are unwilling to spend current price on.

 

[Corky]

How long will the summer sale last once it begins?

I'd like to know this aswell, something tells me 7 days perhaps.

 

[Oreoleo]

How long will the summer sale last once it begins?

A week or week and a half. I'd bet money that the last day will be the 3rd or 4th. So it's a matter of when it starts more than anything.

 

[Corky]

A week or week and a half. I'd bet money that the last day will be the 3rd or 4th. So it's a matter of when it starts more than anything.

What's so special about 3rd/4th?

 

[Wazzim]

What's so special about 3rd/4th?

4th of July, US holiday.

 

[drizzle]

What's so special about 3rd/4th?

 

[Oreoleo]

4th of July, US holiday.

Also, the 4th is a Monday and every major sale has ended after the weekend, so.

Not to mention last year's sale ended on the 4th. It's basically the only logical conclusion to come to.

 

[Corky]

4th of July, US holiday.

What's special about 4th of July? Really?

You never saw Independence Day, the movie?

Oh fuck I'm dumb. I've even lived in the states and celebrated it ...

 

[drizzle]

Oh fuck I'm dumb. I've even lived in the states and celebrated it ...

I've edited my reply ever since to better answer your question. I hope it helps you remember.

 

[Corky]

I've edited my reply ever since to better answer your question. I hope it helps you remember.

haha it sure does, I still feel stupid though.

 

[DarkSoul520]

I feel like a veteran having been through the last Summer sale and last 2 Christmas sales. Oh, and that Thanksgiving sale.

Now that I think about it, how many Christmas sales has there been? I've been on Steam such a long time but I think I only remember there being 2 Christmas sales so far.

 

[Oreoleo]

I feel like a veteran having been through the last Summer sale and last 2 Christmas sales. Oh, and that Thanksgiving sale.

Now that I think about it, how many Christmas sales has there been? I've been on Steam such a long time but I think I only remember there being 2 Christmas sales so far.

I think there was one in 2008 as well (Which would make 3). At least that's what my purchase history suggests

 

[drizzle]

I feel like a veteran having been through the last Summer sale and last 2 Christmas sales. Oh, and that Thanksgiving sale.

Now that I think about it, how many Christmas sales has there been? I've been on Steam such a long time but I think I only remember there being 2 Christmas sales so far.

The first Xmas Sale I can find a report of is from 2007 on the Stick of Joy website.

So I guess 4 Christmas sales? They got bigger and bigger every year. 2009 was the big big one. 2007 and 2008 were like, hey, there's a couple games on sale. It wasn't an event we expected the entire year.

 

[shintoki]

2007 was when Steam finally got good. 2008 was when most of the sales started to get big, with 2009 being the bandwagon year.

 

[DarkSoul520]

I think there was one in 2008 as well (Which would make 3). At least that's what my purchase history suggests

Damn, that far back? I think I remember it a bit, but it isn't as fresh in my head as the last 2.

Also, interesting question to everyone, how did you hear about and join Steam?
Personally, I was just getting into PC FPS around the end of 2004. While browsing through the internet I found articles about a game called Counter-Strike. Went on ebay and bought it, not knowing anything about Steam. When I installed the game from Disc, no servers would show up so I looked it up. Found out I had to download Steam and input my CD-key. And through a sheer amount of luck, the CD-Key was for Half-Life Platinum, which gave me HL, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, CS, DoD, and Ricochet. I ended up not downloading any of the other games for quite some time because I was obsessed with CS, but I will never forget when I first downloaded Half-Life and that opening music started. So ominous and beautiful.

It has been quite a delight so see how Steam has grown over the years. I remember when Ragdoll Kung-fu was first added to Steam and everyone was confused on why a non-Valve game was added to Steam. And the friend's list, oh that never working friend's list.

 

[Oreoleo]

And the friend's list, oh that never working friend's list.

Hahaha, kids these days don't know how easy they've got it with their community pages and groups and comments and whatnot. Like you said the friends list basically didn't work, ever, back in the day. The first time I saw a friend actually appear online was a huge "Oh shit!" moment for me.

I registered for Steam the day before the HL2 release, even though I didn't get the game until Christmas. But like you I was able to register my Half-Life Adrenaline Pack CD key and got Blue Shift and Ricochet for free

 

[Varna]

Decided to try out EVE online. Always looked cool to me, but I never gave it a chance. I actually don't even know what the gameplay entails. I know it's not a typical mmo.

 

[XeroSauce]

Decided to try out EVE online. Always looked cool to me, but I never gave it a chance. I actually don't even know what the gameplay entails. I know it's not a typical mmo.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=433839

 

[spicy cho]

Decided to try out EVE online. Always looked cool to me, but I never gave it a chance. I actually don't even know what the gameplay entails. I know it's not a typical mmo.

I would have to try EVE if the recent hacker attacks ended up wiping out everyone's accounts so everyone had to start fresh. Can't see myself having any fun with it now though.

 

[Cardigan]

Hahaha, kids these days don't know how easy they've got it with their community pages and groups and comments and whatnot. Like you said the friends list basically didn't work, ever, back in the day. The first time I saw a friend actually appear online was a huge "Oh shit!" moment for me.

I registered for Steam the day before the HL2 release, even though I didn't get the game until Christmas. But like you I was able to register my Half-Life Adrenaline Pack CD key and got Blue Shift and Ricochet for free

Oh the memories... I wasted so many hours trying to chat with my friends on Steam. It used to be the biggest piece of shit back in the day but fortunately it outgrew its ugly stage.

 

[MNC]

EVE is awesome. Just follow the flow of the universeeeeeeeee~

 

[Princess Skittles]

2007 was when Steam finally got good.

The Orange Box was when Steam finally got good.

That was in 2007, but.. I think the clarification is just.

 

[DarkSoul520]

I registered for Steam the day before the HL2 release, even though I didn't get the game until Christmas.

I remember buying my Half-Life 2 copy real cheap online only to find out when it came in the mail that it only had the 5 discs haha. Having to upgrad to 512 MB RAM to play that game was a big deal to me back then since I never really had worked on computers like that. Now its like second nature to me.

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

You guys are reminding me how I hated Steam for so long. Man, it was such a buggy piece of shit.

The turnaround of Steam has got to be one of the most amazing 180s in software history.

 

[GDJustin]

Re: sales and backlogs and buying just for the sake of buying:

In my experience, steep Steam sales have resulted in some poor impulse purchases - definite opportunities where I should have shown some restraint and saved some money.

But, the opposite has also been very true. I have purchased games I wouldn't normally have given a shot, and ended up absolutely falling in love. Diamonds in the rough are abound, on Steam.

The two cancel each other out. I bought Men of War for $5.09, and already know I'll never play it again, after ~1 hour with it. Ditto Gothic collection ($8.25), AI Wars ($15), etc.

BUT... I bought Tropico 3 for $5 and spent literally 38 hours with it, loving every second. Mount and Blade for $6, and 25 great hours put in. The king is Galcon Fusion, which I put 20 hours into (I loved the multiplayer) for $2.50.

 

[Palette Swap]

Hahaha, kids these days don't know how easy they've got it with their community pages and groups and comments and whatnot. Like you said the friends list basically didn't work, ever, back in the day. The first time I saw a friend actually appear online was a huge "Oh shit!" moment for me.

I registered for Steam the day before the HL2 release, even though I didn't get the game until Christmas. But like you I was able to register my Half-Life Adrenaline Pack CD key and got Blue Shift and Ricochet for free

I'm pretty sure Friends did work at launch (sep 2003), I remember playing checkers with a couple of guys from SA, the day it went online, while waiting for shit to happen. IIRC, I was waiting for my extra stuff from HL1 to download because by registering your HL1 you got the add-ons for free.

In the end, it was mostly playing checkers. Did they get rid of that?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

The two cancel each other out. I bought Men of War for $5.09, and already know I'll never play it again, after ~1 hour with it.

This PAINS me, but to each their own.

 

[PedroLumpy]

Decided to try out EVE online. Always looked cool to me, but I never gave it a chance. I actually don't even know what the gameplay entails. I know it's not a typical mmo.

Eve University, check em out.

 

[MRORANGE]

The Orange Box was when Steam finally got good.

That was in 2007, but.. I think the clarification is just.

I think L4D in 2008 really helped push Steam as a service, probably the best games to utilize of all of the features that steam provided such as drop in co-op with friends and stat tracking.

 

[Derrick01]

How long will the summer sale last once it begins?

I'm going with 2 weeks, with both Sundays being a "best of" day for the top deals of the prior week like they did with winter.

 

[Borgnine]

But, the opposite has also been very true. I have purchased games I wouldn't normally have given a shot, and ended up absolutely falling in love. Diamonds in the rough are abound, on Steam.

This. Far Cry 2 = complete waste, Droplitz = gem.

But after 2 Christmas Sales and a Summer Sale, I think I've got it down. I'm going to try for all diamonds this time, I think I can do it.

 

[Corky]

Alright.... I'm going to bed gaf and when I wake up there better fucking be news about the sale.

 

[thefil]

But, the opposite has also been very true. I have purchased games I wouldn't normally have given a shot, and ended up absolutely falling in love. Diamonds in the rough are abound, on Steam.

Best part of Steam. With such a low purchase barrier during sales, you can try stuff you normally wouldn't. Most recent diamond for me is Nimbus.

 

[Aselith]

I don't know why there isn't an auto buy feature on your wishlist. Set a sale price and if something goes on sale Valve buys it for you automatically.

Because they want you checking everyday so you buy other stuff. That's partly why they do sales. Driving traffic.

 

[Htown]

Works for all old 4:3 games that never got widescreen hacks. Just open Nvidia control panel and go to "adjust desktop size and position" on the side bar.

Do you need to have the GPU handle it, or the display?

 

[cicero]

One unexpected result of cheap sales, at least for me that is, has been the tendency for friends to gift you games, "special" games, like "Bad Rats"... I actually tried to play through that, all out of some misplaced sense of guilt.

Re: sales and backlogs and buying just for the sake of buying:

In my experience, steep Steam sales have resulted in some poor impulse purchases - definite opportunities where I should have shown some restraint and saved some money.

But, the opposite has also been very true. I have purchased games I wouldn't normally have given a shot, and ended up absolutely falling in love. Diamonds in the rough are abound, on Steam.

The two cancel each other out. I bought Men of War for $5.09, and already know I'll never play it again, after ~1 hour with it. Ditto Gothic collection ($8.25), AI Wars ($15), etc.

BUT... I bought Tropico 3 for $5 and spent literally 38 hours with it, loving every second. Mount and Blade for $6, and 25 great hours put in. The king is Galcon Fusion, which I put 20 hours into (I loved the multiplayer) for $2.50.

I have done quite a bit of future buying for the new PC I intend to build at some point, so I have yet to play a huge backlog due to that. The impulse buying I have done has been because the games were incredibly cheap, which really lessens any impact buyers remorse might have had. The only real regrets I tend to have would be buying titles that were also on GoG like Arx Fatalis/Jagged Alliance 2/Port Royale 2/Space Rangers 1+2, and the small amount of games that I paid full price for that went on steep sales.

I ended up paying $2.18 for that Gothic Bundle because of a several minute long pricing glitch that I jumped on.

 

[Drkirby]

Btw speaking of Max Payne 1/2 the latest Nvidia drivers has flawless pillarboxing to maintain 4:3 images with lack bars on the side now. The game never had a widescreen fix and pillarboxing support used to be shoddy as fuck on both brands. Now you can play the game perfectly.

My Monitor has Pillar box support built in as an option, so I have never had that as a problem.