Don't you think it will turn waye a large portion of their base though?
If the cards weren't limited in Spawning then their wouldn't be an issue here.
I have a ton of TF2 items so I might not be the best to talk though.
Having a finite amount of cards is definitely best for Valves pockets since it will ensure that it doesnt take a big effort to keep the prices somewhat high. If the cards were not limited or they could get all themselves, people wouldnt use the auction house, ESPECIALLY since there is more than one level, which means you'll never max it out just with non-money trading. Its definitely intricately designed to lure everyone to the auction house.
I left Half Life 2 running on my PC all night, didn't drop any card. It seems somehow that steam knows if you are actually playing it.
Also sold my first card for $1.00 Alyx Vance
Nah, I had all games idle in the background for my cards. For HL2 I went ingame though instead of idling in the main menu.
Edit: I hate you, ominous Valve entity, for doing this to me.