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[Vormund]

The lack of CD-keys due to demand should really be mentioned in the news section of Steam, not a casual post on their forums.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I'm not home and won't be for another day to try this but does anyone know if any of these boxed retail games can be activated on steam? Crysis, Crysis: Warhead, Warhammer Online or Unreal Tournament 3?

Don't know about the others but Unreal Tournament 3 can NOT be activated on steam... which sucks.

After this sale I told myself I would not buy any more retail games because I much prefer having them through Steam. But then I walked into Target and there was Space Siege sitting on the clearance endcap for less than what Steam is charging. I went ahead and bought it (I liked the demo) and hoped that this really recent game would be able to be linked to my Steam account. No dice.

Still, a bargain is a bargain, and I'm not going to pay twice as much for a game for Steam convenience...which is why I am looking at a shelf full of PC games that I wish I had on steam but don't.

 

[dollartaco]

Just a heads up. At least try the Mount and Blade demo. I've tried it and loved the game, I'll buy it for sure. It's 50% off.

this

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

The lack of CD-keys due to demand should really be mentioned in the news section of Steam, not a casual post on their forums.

We know we've gone over this a couple times already. It still doesn't mean much to me.

Edit: I don't see it on their news tab but it still doesn't matter.

 

[Haeleos]

I don't know whether to get:

1)
World of Goo
Doom II
Ultimate Doom
Trials 2 Second Edition
Beyond Good and Evil
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

or

2)
Left 4 Dead

What to do...>_<

Left4Dead and Doom II/Ultimate Doom.

 

[CabbageRed]

What am I missing out on if I choose Civ3 over Civ4?

For me, the main difference is that Civ4's borders are created by your culture's influence rather than simply counting a few tiles away from each city. This way your is one cohesive blob rather than scattered circle and has a large effect on diplomacy since competing borders can expand/retract and more realisticly limit troop movement around non-allied nations.

 

[Fragamemnon]

What am I missing out on if I choose Civ3 over Civ4?

Civ3 is the Galactica 1980 of the series-all of the weight of the new features on top of the legacy Civ design sort of resulted in an awkward product that was a good game (because at its core Civ is amazing) but was in the end pretty forgettable.

Civ4 took the bold step to challenge literally every detail and minutae that defined the game to the players and reworked many of the details of the core game mechanics so that the game always presented the player with a clear and smooth progression from start to finish and had plenty of choices and challenges along the way.

Are you familiar with the series at all? If so I can go into much more painful detail. I think that Civ4 is pretty much the best turn-based PC strategy game made in the last decade, with only Alpha Centauri being near its equal in that time period.

 

[gregor7777]

Civ3 is the Galactica 1980 of the series-all of the weight of the new features on top of the legacy Civ design sort of resulted in an awkward product that was a good game (because at its core Civ is amazing) but was in the end pretty forgettable.

Civ4 took the bold step to challenge literally every detail and minutae that defined the game to the players and reworked many of the details of the core game mechanics so that the game always presented the player with a clear and smooth progression from start to finish and had plenty of choices and challenges along the way.

Are you familiar with the series at all? If so I can go into much more painful detail. I think that Civ4 is pretty much the best turn-based PC strategy game made in the last decade, with only Alpha Centauri being near its equal in that time period.

I'm a bit familiar with them, but it's been so long I'm fairly certain Civ 2 was my last and I just remember the general gameplay.

Thanks for the tip. I'll probably go for Civ 4.

 

[Grimm Fandango]

I thoroughly enjoyed the 360 version of Bioshock.

But for 5 bucks, should I get it again? Like any cool mods or whatnot?

 

[FatalT]

I'm thinking about getting Bullet Candy, Hinterland, Mount & Blade, and the Silent Hunter collection. The only ones I'm really on the fence about are Mount & Blade and the Silent Hunter games. I tried out Hinterland and really enjoyed what I played of it and Bullet Candy is only like $4 so I might as well get that (I love Geometry Wars-type shooters). I tried Mount & Blade but didn't really get into it but since it's half off I kinda feel obligated to pick it up and see if it gets better when you build up your army and start taking over castles. The Silent Hunter collection looks awesome because I've never played a naval combat game like it before.

Any suggestions? Does Mount & Blade get any better? I think I might pass on it but everyone talks about it being an amazing game once you get better equipment and an army.

Edit: Hrm, after reading some reviews on the Silent Hunter games I think I'll just download a demo and be done with it. I'm still on the fence about Mount & Blade though.

 

[Fragamemnon]

For me, the main difference is that Civ4's borders are created by your culture's influence rather than simply counting a few tiles away from each city. This way your is one cohesive blob rather than scattered circle and has a large effect on diplomacy since competing borders can expand/retract and more realisticly limit troop movement around non-allied nations.

tons and tons of stuff

-better diplomacy feedback
-more flexible government/civic choices
-city popcaps removed, city health system implemented
-exponential city upkeep curbs ICS and eliminates the awful Civ corruption system
- awesome, more flexible and better integrated natural resource system
- hugely important religion
- production queues that aren't retarded, unit supply changes that make armies more sensible
- culture system that is transparent and works
- great people system that is awesome and works


and on and on

I wish I could post the whole freakin' Civ4 manual. It's 200 pages long, and at the end there are about 15 from the lead designer (Soren Johnson) talking about the game. It alone should convince people to get civ4 over civ3 if given the choice.

 

[Fragamemnon]

I'm thinking about getting Bullet Candy, Hinterland, Mount & Blade, and the Silent Hunter collection. The only ones I'm really on the fence about are Mount & Blade and the Silent Hunter games. I tried out Hinterland and really enjoyed what I played of it and Bullet Candy is only like $4 so I might as well get that (I love Geometry Wars-type shooters). I tried Mount & Blade but didn't really get into it but since it's half off I kinda feel obligated to pick it up and see if it gets better when you build up your army and start taking over castles. The Silent Hunter collection looks awesome because I've never played a naval combat game like it before.

Any suggestions? Does Mount & Blade get any better? I think I might pass on it but everyone talks about it being an amazing game once you get better equipment and an army.

Mount & Blade is something that sort of hit me right from the get-go once I got into mounted combat. I don't think the RPG elements in the game are really meaty enough to make the game a deal-seller if you didn't get hooked on the combat.

As for Bullet Candy, skip it and go download Echoes for free, it is the best geometry wars clone on the PC IMO.

Warning on Hinterland-it's cool but really sorta shallow. I got my money's worth-it was oddly compelling and meshed well with my tastes-but even then I didn't think I was playing a very good game.

 

[Sinatar]

What am I missing out on if I choose Civ3 over Civ4?

The awesome. Civ III was a mess.

 

[Tendo]

As I've already explained if you would read my posts there has been other games that went down due to running low on keys and never came back up. If it comes back up great but they don't have a stellar record since none that I know of actually went back up for sale.

Edit: Steam dropped the ball with this sale.

Really? I know CoH ran out of keys but went back up. I had no idea games were pulled permanently. What games are gone?

 

[FatalT]

Mount & Blade is something that sort of hit me right from the get-go once I got into mounted combat. I don't think the RPG elements in the game are really meaty enough to make the game a deal-seller if you didn't get hooked on the combat.

As for Bullet Candy, skip it and go download Echoes for free, it is the best geometry wars clone on the PC IMO.

Warning on Hinterland-it's cool but really sorta shallow. I got my money's worth-it was oddly compelling and meshed well with my tastes-but even then I didn't think I was playing a very good game.

Sounds good. I'm going to pull the trigger on Mount & Blade and Hinterland. I liked the simplicity of Hinterland. What I really enjoy from it is the town building. I can see that the combat and loot-hunt is definitely shallow.

I did really like the combat in Mount & Blade but I didn't take too much time to learn what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go. If I actually bought it I'd definitely spend more time figuring everything out.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Really? I know CoH ran out of keys but went back up. I had no idea games were pulled permanently. What games are gone?

Only one I remember is rome total war but they were listing others on the forum. I just don't remember off the top of my head. If they did it for CoH then hopefully they will since unreal is a big name game. Now we just have to hope it's ironed out before the sale ends. :/

Has anyone heard anything about the payment problems with steam? I was looking the forum and a lot of people were complaining but no valve people addressing what was going on.

 

[Fio]

Everytime I read something about Civ4 awesomeness I almost cry. It belongs to a genre that I absolutely adore, it looks amazing and it screams polish. I bought the game and its expansion, I've tried twice to start playing it but I just couldn't figure out how to play it. It was like I wasn't in control. I have no problem with complex games or games that requires even excessive micromanagement, but I didn't get Civ4.

I'll try it out again sometime in the future, but the feeling that I'm missing out on an amazing game kills me.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Everytime I read something about Civ4 awesomeness I almost cry. It belongs to a genre that I absolutely adore, it looks amazing and it screams polish. I bought the game and its expansion, I've tried twice to start playing it but I just couldn't figure out how to play it. It was like I wasn't in control. I have no problem with complex games or games that requires even excessive micromanagement, but I didn't get Civ4.

I'll try it out again sometime in the future, but the feeling that I'm missing out on an amazing game is killing me.

Play the tutorial! It's got Sid in it and is pretty good.

After that, start a new game and dork around for 50-70 turns. Then stop and go read this:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=165632

Which is the best new player primer for Civ4.

 

[darkressurection]

I bought Bioshock because.... dude it is Bioshock for $5 US DOLLARS!

 

[Servbot #42]

A friend gifted me half life: blue shift and half lifepposing force because they were one dollar each so this sale that steam is having is pretty awesome. Oh and does anyone knows why take-two is being retarded and is preventing their catalog from being sold in certain countries? i was browsing steam and take-two isn't even listed there.It's not just steam tough, the stardock store also prevents me from buying take-two games from my location (i live in chile). It's just seems so dumb to prevent people from buying their games because i can't see what take-two gains from doing so.

 

[CabbageRed]

Ugh. I forgot that Beyond Good & Evil either has to be stretched to fit a widescreen monitor, or be a small box in the middle of the screen. How can you decide that your game must be viewed in widescreen and force letterboxing, but not offer a actual widescreen mode? Its like Stanely Kubrick and aspect ratios.

 

[TouchMyBox]

Ugh. I forgot that Beyond Good & Evil either has to be stretched to fit a widescreen monitor, or be a small box in the middle of the screen. How can you decide that your game must be viewed in widescreen and force letterboxing, but not offer a actual widescreen mode? Its like Stanely Kubrick and aspect ratios.

Go into your nvidia control panel, I'm not sure if you can with ATI, but you should be able to.

 

[Fio]

Play the tutorial! It's got Sid in it and is pretty good.

After that, start a new game and dork around for 50-70 turns. Then stop and go read this:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=165632

Which is the best new player primer for Civ4.

I've played the tutorial, at least 3 times. =/

I think that I'll really have to take some time and read the full manual.

 

[CabbageRed]

Go into your nvidia control panel, I'm not sure if you can with ATI, but you should be able to.

Do what, though? The only thought I've had is setting the drivers to Centered Timing and create a custom resolution that is larger than what my monitor can handle. The would create a zoom-like effect, except that I cannot imagine it actually working.

As it stands, I going with the "little box in the center of my screen" approach since at least the aspect ratio is maintained.

 

[GameGamer]

tons and tons of stuff

-better diplomacy feedback
-more flexible government/civic choices
-city popcaps removed, city health system implemented
-exponential city upkeep curbs ICS and eliminates the awful Civ corruption system
- awesome, more flexible and better integrated natural resource system
- hugely important religion
- production queues that aren't retarded, unit supply changes that make armies more sensible
- culture system that is transparent and works
- great people system that is awesome and works


and on and on

I wish I could post the whole freakin' Civ4 manual. It's 200 pages long, and at the end there are about 15 from the lead designer (Soren Johnson) talking about the game. It alone should convince people to get civ4 over civ3 if given the choice.

Any news on when a Civilization 5 might come out?

 

[ghst]

I've played the tutorial, at least 3 times. =/

I think that I'll really have to take some time and read the full manual.

if any game is worthy of a lttp: thread, it's civ 4.

Any news on when a Civilization 5 might come out?

when they think of something new to do with the series that doesn't compromise the perfection it's risen to.

not for some time i'd wager.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Do what, though? The only thought I've had is setting the drivers to Centered Timing and create a custom resolution that is larger than what my monitor can handle.

Open Nvidia's control panel.

Go To Display -> Change Flat Panel Scaling

Select "Use NVIDIA scaling with fixed-aspect ratio"

Works like a charm, and I know there is something similar for ATI cards because I have done it in the past. However, there may be all sorts of variables here. You might need to be:

A) Using an LCD or other fixed pixel display
B) Using a digital connection (DVI/HDMI)
C) Using the full drivers with all the bells and whistles and not the "lite" versions that they sometimes have up for download.

 

[CabbageRed]

Select "Use NVIDIA scaling with fixed-aspect ratio"

Oh, I see what you are going for. ATI calls it GPU Scaling, but I've already enabled it. The problem is BG&E-specific since is always letterboxed. So on a widescreen monitor you have the black borders on the top and bottom added by the game, while on the right and left you have black borders added by the GPU, aka: "little box in the center of my screen." Its a pity as the art direction deserves to be enjoyed in full.

 

[TouchMyBox]

Oh, I see what you are going for. ATI calls it GPU Scaling, but I've already enabled it. The problem is BG&E-specific since is always letterboxed. So on a widescreen monitor you have the black borders on the top and bottom added by the game, while on the right and left you have black borders added by the GPU, aka: "little box in the center of my screen." Its a pity as the art direction deserves to be enjoyed in full.

Ah, I understand the problem now. Not sure if there's anything you can do about that. (especially since I'm really not all that familiar with ATI drivers). But I had no problems playing that game at 1360x768 on my TV. You using 16:10 or 16:9?

edit: Actually, looking at this, http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/Beyond_Good_&_Evil I'm pretty sure I had the game stretched... Still looked tits though.

 

[Proc]

Just a heads up. At least try the Mount and Blade demo. I've tried it and loved the game, I'll buy it for sure. It's 50% off.

I can't get over how unique and awesome it is. The demo is so massive, I wonder if I even need more lol. I feel obliged to support this sort of game. Any reasons not to buy this?

We seriously need a must-buy off steam thread. Right now I'm going to stick to the 25%+ deals before I blow my entire holiday gift money lol.

 

[zombieshavebrains]

Man i need to stop going through all the demos and games. I don't need to spend that much money on games i won't really play.

I've decided on

• Left 4 dead
• Civ 4 pack
• Trials 2

 

[Javaman]

Civ3 is the Galactica 1980 of the series-all of the weight of the new features on top of the legacy Civ design sort of resulted in an awkward product that was a good game (because at its core Civ is amazing) but was in the end pretty forgettable.

Civ4 took the bold step to challenge literally every detail and minutae that defined the game to the players and reworked many of the details of the core game mechanics so that the game always presented the player with a clear and smooth progression from start to finish and had plenty of choices and challenges along the way.

Are you familiar with the series at all? If so I can go into much more painful detail. I think that Civ4 is pretty much the best turn-based PC strategy game made in the last decade, with only Alpha Centauri being near its equal in that time period.

Is there a tutorial built into either of the two?

Er. Nevermind, I just read your next post P

 

[Saerk]

I think I'm going to pick up

Bejeweled Deluxe -- $0.99
Heavy Weapon Deluxe --$0.99
Luxor 2 -- $0.99
BioShock -- $4.99
Titan Quest Gold -- $14.99 (same price as Titan Quest, and the expansion is also $14.99)
id Super Pack -- $34.99
Unreal Deal Pack -- $19.99 (doesnt seem to be available though)
Valve Complete Pack -- $74.99
XCom Pack -- $11.24

$144.17 (excluding Unreal atm)

Im thinking Ill nix the Valve Pack and just get the Orange Box since I really only want TF2 and CS Source. I own the original Half Life stuff, and I have L4Dead for the xbox. That'll save me like $50 I can put elsewhere. Maybe Company of Heroes or Warhammer. I haven't played either of those. People seem to like World of Goo. What makes it good?

 

[Fragamemnon]

I downloaded the X3 Terran Conflict rolling graphical demo and then proceeded to jizz in my pants.

However, reading up more about the game makes it look really intimidating-and this is coming from someone who plays operational level hex-based games all the time. I don't mind the steep learning curve or the purely sandbox gameplay ( I can make my own goals!), but will I need a suite of side web applications to perform the economic calculations necessary to enjoy the game?

Really tempted by it. Good god the game is gorgeous.

 

[Silencer]

Just picked up Company of Heroes Gold. What's the proper order to play the games? Should I install both and play the original followed by the expansion, or is Opposing Fronts one of those expansions that includes the original content plus the new stuff under one executable?

 

[Sinatar]

I downloaded the X3 Terran Conflict rolling graphical demo and then proceeded to jizz in my pants.

However, reading up more about the game makes it look really intimidating-and this is coming from someone who plays operational level hex-based games all the time. I don't mind the steep learning curve or the purely sandbox gameplay ( I can make my own goals!), but will I need a suite of side web applications to perform the economic calculations necessary to enjoy the game?

Really tempted by it. Good god the game is gorgeous.

X3 is a hardcore business tycoon game wrapped in a beautiful 3d space sim presentation. The actual space sim part of the game flat out sucks ass, absolutely god fucking awful. If you are looking for the most detailed interactive excel spreadsheet detailing the trading of space rum for space silk, then X3 is your game.

Just picked up Company of Heroes Gold. What's the proper order to play the games? Should I install both and play the original followed by the expansion, or is Opposing Fronts one of those expansions that includes the original content plus the new stuff under one executable?

Launch opposing fronts, enter the COH key and it all integrates into one shell.

 

[Silencer]

Launch opposing fronts, enter the COH key and it all integrates into one shell.

Ah, cool. Thanks.

 

[Fragamemnon]

X3 is a hardcore business tycoon game wrapped in a beautiful 3d space sim presentation. The actual space sim part of the game flat out sucks ass, absolutely god fucking awful. If you are looking for the most detailed interactive excel spreadsheet detailing the trading of space rum for space silk, then X3 is your game.

So basically, it's the kind of space sim that the Microsoft Excel team would make.

Sounds pretty good! I'll grab it later today.

 

[Everdred]

:lol Is anyone else regreting some of their purchases? I think I got caught up in the "its just so cheap!" and bought too much stuff. I think I'll only play 50% of the games I bought.

 

[RJT]

Im thinking Ill nix the Valve Pack and just get the Orange Box since I really only want TF2 and CS Source. I own the original Half Life stuff, and I have L4Dead for the xbox. That'll save me like $50 I can put elsewhere.

The Orange Box doesn't include CS Source. It's on sale though, for 10$ (bought it myself). OB is worth it for HL2 and Portal, so buy it and CS.

 

[Rewrite]

How did I miss this awesome thread!? I'm soooo buying some stuff. Thanks~

 

[itxaka]

Question:

I have Stalker and it run a bit like an ass. Does stalker clear sky run better?

Also, any good point and click adventures? I already bougth runaway 1&2 but want more!

EDIT: fuck fuck fuck, I just bougth the ID pack and Dark messiah of M&M D:

This sale is gonna kill me D:

 

[Supa]

Does anyone know if Steam itself and the games on it are all compatible with the 64-bit of Windows Vista? The Steam site only mentions it's Vista-compatible... and I'm not upgrading to a new PC until after the holiday sale is over, so if I'm picking up anything it'd be nice to know I can actually play it heh.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

I just re-bought Bioshock for PC (I already own the 360 version). Five dollars is too good of an offer to pass up, and I've been looking for an excuse to play through it again.

 

[Everdred]

Does anyone know if Steam itself and the games on it are all compatible with the 64-bit of Windows Vista? The Steam site only mentions it's Vista-compatible... and I'm not upgrading to a new PC until after the holiday sale is over, so if I'm picking up anything it'd be nice to know I can actually play it heh.

Yes it is. I run 64-bit Vista Business version and I have never had any issues.

 

[Supa]

Yes it is. I run 64-bit Vista Business version and I have never had any issues.

Awesome! Thanks for the quick answer.

Now to figure out what classics I want to play again.

 

[EviLore]

Picked up the strategy first pack, the unreal pack, and a few single games.

Now I almost look like I have a press account!

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Picked up the strategy first pack, the unreal pack, and a few single games.

Now I almost look like I have a press account!

[im]http://www.abjecthubris.com/images/steamgameslistdec2908.jpg[/img]

wooooooooooooooow, i don't know whether I should be impressed or not @_@

I wish I had all of those at the ready.

 

[Visualante]

EviLore you really should ask Valve if anyone has bought more games than you.

 

[RJT]

Picked up the strategy first pack, the unreal pack, and a few single games.

Now I almost look like I have a press account!

Evilore, can you include the best deals in the thread title? Some people might be missing the BioShock deal, and other amazing deals. And GAF needs a little more PC love...