Steam: Pinball Arcade Fans Group

[shimoda]

How about not needing to sign into steam to play. I want a legal can version that doesn't have to connect to the Internet to play pinball.

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

I think Farsight is having their website overhauled and will put the game up for sale there. Still unconfirmed.

 

[superballs]

I think Farsight is having their website overhauled and will put the game up for sale there. Still unconfirmed.

I would love this. It would be great for the purchase price to go entirely to farsight

 

[kimkom]

I would love this. It would be great for the purchase price to go entirely to farsight

Yeah, I think this would be a popular option. No doubt there are an awful lot of hoops to jump through in order to allow FarSight to sell TPA on their website though.

 

[night]

I know this might sound stupid but I have no idea what Steam is. For pete's sake, what is it?

 

[warh0g]

I know this might sound stupid but I have no idea what Steam is. For pete's sake, what is it?

Head to http://www.steampowered.com and check it out. It is Valve's (http://www.valvesoftware.com) digital distribution and DRM platform for PC & Mac, they are also pushing hard on Linux.

 

[night]

Head to http://www.steampowered.com and check it out. It is Valve's (http://www.valvesoftware.com) digital distribution and DRM platform for PC & Mac, they are also pushing hard on Linux.

So, you download the steam application, and from within this steam app you can play and buy games, correct? How is this different from buying iOS or Mac/PC games then?
And no TPA on steam (yet) I see.

 

[shimoda]

I would much prefer to buy directly from farsighted to avoid connecting this to steam. I don't have a problem getting online with steam, but don't like that I couldn't play pinball in a cabinet and have something else going on on my computer or tv.

 

[warh0g]

So, you download the steam application, and from within this steam app you can play and buy games, correct? How is this different from buying iOS or Mac/PC games then?
And no TPA on steam (yet) I see.

You can compare it to buying games or apps in the Appstore or Google play I guess, you can log in on your Steam account on any computer and download and play the games, but only one Steam login can be active at any one time. The seling point for developers to release their games in my opionion is the DRM protection, built-in community support which increases sales and also Valve's "Steamworks" that can be integrated into games for online functionality, anti-cheat and (I think) community created stuff.

Edit: They also regularly do different type of sales, bundle packs, pre-order offers and so on. Steam Summer/Winter sale is the Bonanza when you can buy some software companies entire back catalog at a hefty rebate (I bought a tons of games during these sale-sprees)

 

[warh0g]

I would much prefer to buy directly from farsighted to avoid connecting this to steam. I don't have a problem getting online with steam, but don't like that I couldn't play pinball in a cabinet and have something else going on on my computer or tv.

They must release the software with DRM protection and Steam offers this plus it has a huge install base. I have two Steam accounts, one for my gamin pc and one for my HTPC, that is allways an option even though it might be slightly impractical

 

[night]

But do you physically own the games, are they d/l to your computer or is it cloud based?

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

But do you physically own the games, are they d/l to your computer or is it cloud based?

You generally don't own software even when you have the physical disc in your possession. It's licensed to you.

For most Steam games of any size, the software is downloaded onto your computer. There is a cloud-based part for game save data and so forth.

 

[Edan-Grossman]

You download the games to your pc, but you can install them on as many computers as you want just as long as you sign in online.

There is an offline mode to, you just log in online as normal, click "Steam" in the upper left corner, and then click "go offline". You will then be able to play your games offline. When TPA gets its cabinet support, you can set it offline so you wouldn't have to worry about your cabinet being connected to the internet.

 

[night]

Perhaps I'll have to try it and see how it works, thanks guys.

 

[sotie]

win7 support is a must as well as customizable controls and multi display options for cabinets, that's what I'm after. I hope that they also allow outputs for force feedback motors.

Hi everyone btw

Agree. Maybe I've missed it but I've only seen discussion of Win8. I hope Win7 isn't left out.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Agree. Maybe I've missed it but I've only seen discussion of Win8. I hope Win7 isn't left out.

The intent is for the PC version to support Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. Windows 8 may be getting a special flavor due to the Windows app store. Presumably the other platforms must wait for Steam support.

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

I know this might sound stupid but I have no idea what Steam is. For pete's sake, what is it?

One of the largest digital distribution systems for PC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(software)

Edit: Sorry, didn't see others already explained it.

 

[Jeff Strong]

In addition, it has community features such as a friend and chat system which makes it easier to play with your friends, so it's sort of like having PSN or Xbox Live on your computer.

 

[bavelb]

In addition, it has community features such as a friend and chat system which makes it easier to play with your friends, so it's sort of like having PSN or Xbox Live on your computer.

Sort of, but better, as the developers dont have to go through cert every time they have an update, DLC or patch (the biggest hurdle, as FS experienced, is actally being allowed ON ). Plus steam have vastly superior deals for consumers, compared to sony and MS.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Sort of, but better, as the developers dont have to go through cert every time they have an update, DLC or patch (the biggest hurdle, as FS experienced, is actally being allowed ON ). Plus steam have vastly superior deals for consumers, compared to sony and MS.

Good points