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[Fusilli Craig]

Without competition the sale prices on Steam would likely go up and quality of service would go down. Monopolies are never good for an industry.

^This. Xbox Live Gold set a new standard and has since stagnated because neither Sony nor Nintendo have made a real effort to match them feature for feature. Admittedly, Sony has flipped the table to some degree with Plus and XBLG now seems like more of the paygate it has always been but the point remains... competition is good for all.

Awesomenauts Soundtrack: R7AYG-JHI7J-R87FE
Don't redeem it unless you're willing to lay your woman (or man) down to Froggy G's theme.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Is there any way to get a Dota key besides dropping the 30?

GG sale is awesone

I have like 20 sitting in my inventory, and you can buy them for 1cent a piece in the marketplace.

The $30 price on the storefront only fetches you a few extra items.

 

[HoosTrax]

Is there any way to get a Dota key besides dropping the 30?

GG sale is awesone

Get one for free here.

(DOTA2 is free, the $30 thing is a bundle that comes with some cosmetic items)

 

[vidcons]

How dope is Omerta? It sounds cool and retarded.

 

[Megasoum]

There's also a gazzilions keys for sale for like 2 cents on the steam marketplace.

 

[NarcissisticJay]

list

THX!

 

[Blablurn]

I still have DOTA 2 keys for free if someones wants one

 

[dirtywhirlwind]

Also, Luxor Evolved.... is it complete garbage?

I have like 20hrs recorded on Steam. Definitely my favorite Luxor/Zuma version and it has a more arcade feel to it. It kinda tries to be neon crazy but doesn't succeed very well in that aspect. Still a fun game despite that.

If you're not completely opposed to the very definition of a time waster I would recommend buying it.

 

[NarcissisticJay]

I still have DOTA 2 keys for free if someones wants one

If you don't mind. Steam is Narcissisticjay904

Possible to get an invite to the Gaf group as well?

 

[nexen]

How is competition occurring thanks to those?

Developers and publishers set their own prices. Steam isn't a store, buying quantities of inventory from developers and publishers, using loss-leaders to sneak people in, etc. They're a consignment boutique--a space where independent sellers are competing amongst each other in exchange for a cut going to the middle-man.

Hell, Steam allows for free Steamworks keys. Developers can literally give away tens of thousands of copies of their game for free if they want. Or resell those keys, basically limiting Valve's cut further. So you get competition from places like GMG, who basically do nothing but make money by claiming some of that middle-man cash. Since they can meaningfully reduce their margin in exchange for volume, they can attract customers. And they do it within the framework of Steam, because Steam isn't a conventional store, it's a consignment boutique. GMG is basically acting like an agent on behalf of one of the sellers inside the consignment boutique.

Do uPlay or Origin take less than 30% of a cut from developers?

I'm honestly not sure what you are driving at. I don't know uPlay well enough to comment about it, but Origin is definitely a direct competitor to Steam, albeit not a very good one.
If Origin managed to capture the PC DD market in a bigger way you can bet it would put pressure on Steam to improve its user experience and reduce its margins.
As it is already the user experience with Steam has been fairly stagnant over the last few years, imho. Very little is done to improve the client or storefront. They seem to be more interested in competing against the console market with in-roads like big-picture mode and controller support.
Anecdotal, but sale prices seem to be increasing slowly as well.

Just because it isn't a traditional marketplace doesn't mean it isn't impacted by traditional economics.

 

[Sblargh]

How dope is Omerta? It sounds cool and retarded.

It is worse than I would like. It's also braindead easy, as long as you have the time to waste, it is basically impossible to lose, you never feel like a gangster being hunted by the police or competition, you just feel like the luckiest capitalist in the world buying everything for no consequence.

I really can't recommend it.

 

[InfectedZero]

http://www.steamcompletionist.net/ this is cool

 

[nexen]

http://www.steamcompletionist.net/ this is cool

I'd be terrified to log into that with my steam password.

 

[Nillansan]

Wow, just read that the Fez creator is total asshole. Maybe I should wait til it's on sale when I buy it

Buy it for Renaud, he had to endure Phil Fish for 5 years and, as I have mentioned before, he was the one who managed to realise Fish's vision.

 

[Gintoki]

I'd be terrified to log into that with my steam password.

The site uses steam's API, just like steamgifts.

 

[Wok]

http://www.steamcompletionist.net/ this is cool

For once, this kind of website could be useful. By blacklisting games, you do not need to create a secondary Steam account just because one game is crappy. You just blacklist it and hide it from the grid view. Managing the backlog is made really easier.

 

[Bomber Bob]

Buy it for Renaud, he had to endure Phil Fish for 5 years and, as I have mentioned before, he was the one who managed to realise Fish's vision.

YES, Renau is a cool guy

 

[KarmaCow]

nvm

 

[1-D_FTW]

Without competition the sale prices on Steam would likely go up and quality of service would go down. Monopolies are never good for an industry.

It's been the opposite. Ever since publishers started running their "competitive alternatives", sale prices on Steam have gone in the crapper. Since, as Stump rightly points out, Steam is just a consignment shop. And it's competition to the proprietary uplay/Origin that publishers would rather you buy from.

 

[RionaaM]

Since a lot of people complained about not jumping into La Mulana for a dollar; Groupees is doing the "Build a Greenlight 2" bundle:

http://groupees.com/bagb2

It doesn't come with a La Mulana key, does it? My wallet is glad.

To Fez or not to Fez... What should I do?

 

[nexen]

It's been the opposite. Ever since publishers started running their "competitive alternatives", sale prices on Steam have gone in the crapper. Since, as Stump rightly points out, Steam is just a consignment shop. And it's competition to the proprietary uplay/Origin that publishers would rather you buy from.

I disagree with this assessment. Steam prices have gone up but Steam does not have real competition yet. If there were real competition the market forces would tend to drive the prices down, all other things being equal.

To me this is really an odd thing to argue against. It is not exactly a new or controversial revelation that (real) competition is always good for the consumer and monopolies behave badly. I do not see any ways in which Steam is a different enough animal to be immune to this.

Consignment shops obey the laws of the free market as well. If a consignment shop is selling the same product as a retail store and the retail store undercuts them, offers better service, or both - the customers will react. The loss of revenue will put pressure on the consignment store to find a way to lower prices and improve their service. If they continue to fail to compete, they will eventually go under.

 

[Nillansan]

Gunpoint is officially announced for a Steam release someday. We already knew this thanks to the Steam registry leak.

I am very pleased to see that it is nearing completion.

 

[Wok]

Since a lot of people complained about not jumping into La Mulana for a dollar; Groupees is doing the "Build a Greenlight 2" bundle:

http://groupees.com/bagb2

Okay, but I fail to spot a game as good as La-Mulana in this bundle. Darkout is not my type of game, and it is the only one which looks (to me) both deep and polished. Has someone tried any of these games?

Edit: I was not counting Ichi, because I had already bought it several times. This one is interesting for the puzzle lovers.

 

[1-D_FTW]

I disagree with this assessment. Steam prices have gone up but Steam does not have real competition yet. If there were real competition the market forces would tend to drive the prices down, all other things being equal.

To me this is really an odd thing to argue against. It is not exactly a new or controversial revelation that (real) competition is always good for the consumer and monopolies behave badly. I do not see any ways in which Steam is a different enough animal to be immune to this.

And I don't understand what you're talking about when talking about user experience. Steam constantly upgrades. Every year they distance themselves further and further. And it's not because Valve is worried about today's flavor of the week (GFWL, then Origin, then uPlay).

It seems like every six months or so we'll get Steamworks, Steam Workshop, Marketplace, Community Guides, etc. It's astounding how the service continues to evolve.

Meanwhile, it the competition's camp, we get absolutely zero innovation. Maybe exclusives meant to force you to the service, cause, well, that's the only way they can get customers using it.

GFWL showed what strong competition does. It allows developers to choose shitty alternatives that are inferior in every single way possible (for the end user), but are chosen for completely non-game related reasons.

And why doesn't Steam rest on its laurels even though the competition totally sucks (yet will hang around by obtaining exclusives), because they realize nothing is guaranteed to them. And if you want to keep the PC an attractive platform, you need to have a user experience that doesn't reside in the keyboard gaming ghetto.

You seem to be talking about both things here. I don't agree with you on the pricing angle (since a stronger uPlay or Origin IMO will result in higher prices), and I certainly don't agree with the other angle. Valve is about building the PC platform. The rest of these are just soul suckers who do the bare minimum as they mine the territory for whatever profits they can strip mine from it. I for one would welcome some real competition, just tell me who it's going to come from. Because nobody else seems remotely interested in the PC platform. Just what they can get from it.

 

[toddhunter]

Meanwhile, it the competition's camp, we get absolutely zero innovation. Maybe exclusives meant to force you to the service, cause, well, that's the only way they can get customers using it.

I've never used uplay, but the origin streaming feature is pretty nice. Well it would be if it worked, which it didn't for me. But it isn't like steam's stuff has always worked either.

You seem to be talking about both things here. I don't agree with you on the pricing angle (since a stronger uPlay or Origin IMO will result in higher prices), and I certainly don't agree with the other angle. Valve is about building the PC platform. The rest of these are just soul suckers who do the bare minimum as they mine the territory for whatever profits they can strip mine from it. I for one would welcome some real competition, just tell me who it's going to come from. Because nobody else seems remotely interested in the PC platform. Just what they can get from it.

Valve is all about making money. It might be long distant memories of the half life 2 launch, but I still don't think they are all as cute and fuzzy as people make out. The difference is they are actually really smart about what they do which means they do things that works out for gamers...who then spend that money.

 

[drizzle]

Quoting for the new page.

[GamersGate Spring Sale] - full list of Steam activated games:

Dont forget "elder-geek.com" coupon for extra 5% discount.

 

[CaptainZombie]

Without competition the sale prices on Steam would likely go up and quality of service would go down. Monopolies are never good for an industry.

I see Green Man Gaming, Gamersgate, Amazon, etc. as competition to Steam as Valve is primarily offering a feature rich client.

 

[Nabs]

I've never used uplay, but the origin streaming feature is pretty nice. Well it would be if it worked, which it didn't for me. But it isn't like steam's stuff has always worked either.

Origin streaming is not very good. It probably didn't work for you because you didn't have a viewer. Try loading your twitch page before launching your game.

 

[toddhunter]

Origin streaming is not very good. It probably didn't work for you because you didn't have a viewer. Try loading your twitch page before launching your game.

Really? Strange.

Not a big deal because I use other software anyway, but it is still a nice feature. No doubt valve will offer something similar soon as part of their xbox 720 integration or something.

 

[InfectedZero]

Gunpoint looks fantastic! so many great games coming out!

 

[Grizza]

Pre-ordered Fez. It's been a while since I've pre-ordered anything. I've been wanting to play it forever, and $9 isn't too bad.

 

[NarcissisticJay]

so does the gamersgate spring sale follow the same rules as steam?

only buy daily til the last day?

 

[toddhunter]

Pre-ordered Fez. It's been a while since I've pre-ordered anything. I've been wanting to play it forever, and $9 isn't too bad.

Me too, interested in the fuss.

 

[xelios]

so does the gamersgate spring sale follow the same rules as steam?

only buy daily til the last day?

Some deals are weeklong, but the sale lasts two weeks so I expect those will change (?). I'm not even completely sure what is weeklong vs the duration of the sale. I don't really know what advice to give due to that. Anyone know?

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Really? Strange.

Not a big deal because I use other software anyway, but it is still a nice feature. No doubt valve will offer something similar soon as part of their xbox 720 integration or something.

720 integration? Huh?

 

[cicero]

Dont forget "elder-geek.com" coupon for extra 5% discount.

Unless you bought the Bethesda New Year Collection or the Borderlands 2 Four-Pack from them and got the 20% compensation discount applied to your account after they reversed the purchases. That "elder-geek.com" coupon doesn't stack.

 

[cicero]

Some deals are weeklong, but the sale lasts two weeks so I expect those will change (?). I'm not even completely sure what is weeklong vs the duration of the sale. I don't really know what advice to give due to that. Anyone know?

During previous sales I have noticed that certain deals in the main deal sections haven't always stayed for the entirety of the sale. Not sure why. I pretty much stick with the "wait for a daily deal" mantra though, unless it is heavily discounted and looks like a pricing error that is. Who could forget that wonderous Bethesda New Year Collection or the Borderlands 2 Four-Pack. I spent hours clicking on the purchase buttons to get those sales to finally go through!@#

 

[drizzle]

Some deals are weeklong, but the sale lasts two weeks so I expect those will change (?). I'm not even completely sure what is weeklong vs the duration of the sale. I don't really know what advice to give due to that. Anyone know?

If something looks too cheap on Gamers Gate, buy it. They'll either give you the game for much cheaper than it was supposed to or give you a year long 20% discount.

That's the only advice I can give..

 

[Joe Molotov]

Okay, but I fail to spot a game as good as La-Mulana in this bundle. Darkout is not my type of game, and it is the only one which looks (to me) both deep and polished. Has someone tried any of these games?

Edit: I was not counting Ichi, because I had already bought it several times. This one is interesting for the puzzle lovers.

Don't forget that La-Mulana was a bonus in the previous bundle. There's still two bonuses left to be revealed in this one.

 

[Dio Brando]

just pre ordered Fez, hope i did something right. heard good things about the game itself.

 

[NarcissisticJay]

been wanting to grab magika, I know its been $2.50 before on steam but I dont recall the price of the bundle.. is $15 about right?

 

[mrgone]

Don't forget that La-Mulana was a bonus in the previous bundle. There's still two bonuses left to be revealed in this one.

I don't think there's much incentive for La-Mulana to be a free bonus again now that it's both greenlit and (recently) launched. I'd expect it to be part of a Humble or Indie Royale bundle somewhere down the line, though.

 

[Salsa]

I don't think there's much incentive for La-Mulana to be a free bonus again now that it's both greenlit and (recently) launched. I'd expect it to be part of a Humble or Indie Royale bundle somewhere down the line, though.

he's refering to the fact that it could be another strong game like la-mulana, not that la-mulana will show up again

 

[mrgone]

he's refering to the fact that it could be another strong game like la-mulana, not that la-mulana will show up again

Oh, right! Shit. Sorry Joe!

 

[RionaaM]

just pre ordered Fez, hope i did something right. heard good things about the game itself.

Nice one. I want to do the same, though I don't know when I'll get to play it. But it's a game I really want, so maybe I should get it, collaborate with Salsa's quest and once it's done go back to my shiny brand new 3DS XL?

Yeah, guess I can do that.

 

[jediyoshi]

Saints Row 4 preorder bonuses popped up for "major retailers", gonna guess it lands on Steam somehow

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...58667724184410&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

edit: ow, beaten by a thread

 

[JaseC]

Quoting for the new page.

[GamersGate Spring Sale] - full list of Steam activated games:

Don't forget "elder-geek.com" coupon for extra 5% discount. -- Thanks drizzle

<snip>

Cheers. I bought Alien Spidy, Dollar Dash and the Showdown Effect DDE.

 

[wilflare]

you guys buy games... (consume and play them) like.. slice bread.

EDIT: GG site seems down.. GG :/

 

[zkylon]

ok, put all my hats on sale, let's see if I can make 10 bucks to buy fez.

or papo & yo, can't decide on one. tho I feel like fez will last a bit longer, I need a longer game.

 

[graywolf323]

anyone interested in possibly doing a 2-pack of Omerta?