How to avoid Steam as much as possible

[audioave10]

I don't hate Steam...but I'd like the option to buy retail and just use the disc DRM that's included. Auto-updates can ruin mods that are installed and I'd like a choice in that also. Offline play doesn't always work on the games when you log in to Steam again to play. I'd also like to play the game when I buy it and not have to play when Steam can finally catch-up to the first - day downloading crowd. I don't play online so its a service that's not "needed".

Again...not a hater, but I just miss having choices.

[jburrowes]

If Bethesda went with Steam to help cut down on piracy, well, who can blame them?

 

When I found out that the boxed version used Steam I nearly just bought it directly from them - or Direct2Drive - but I decided I wanted the map and "manual," Both are available online though so I guess I really just wanted to reward Bethesda for a game that, while it has more than a few annoying aspects, is worth paying for.

 

So far as compromised account go all I can say is that I've bought quite a bit online and only once, thirteen years ago, had a phony charge show up on my statement. A quick call to the credit card company saw it removed.

 

Would they do the same today? I hope so. I always pay my balance down to zero; they never have to nag me for payment; so I hope they'd still take my word for it when I say "I didn't authorize that purchase," After all, they just suck the money back from the other party in such a case.

[meesles]

The Steam TOS is pretty ugly. You don't actually own the game if you buy it. Technically, it is a subscription service. You're a subscriber. You don't own the game.

 

And this:

 

Either you or Valve has the right to terminate or cancel your Account or a particular Subscription at any time.

 

I just have a big problem with this in principle. And they set it up like they are immune from screwing you over. They can do anything to your account. They intentionally set it up to avoid all the consumer protections they can.

 

Would you buy clothes if the store owner reserved the right to "take them away from you at any time for any reason"' date=' assuming it was possible under the law? There's good reason it isn't allowed. And then when you said something about this policy, someone tells you "stop whining, just don't do anything that could piss the store owner off"

 

By the way, to use something that you bought is not a privilege, it is a right (legally too), that the people behind Steam are trying to circumvent.

[/quote']

 

I think you'll find that in this day and age, few companies don't protect themselves against consumers at least as well as Steam does. The reason they need to do this is BECAUSE of people like you who complain about privacy and things you believe are rights and raise hell for no reason at all.

 

And it's a privilege to play games on this platform, and be able to install them across multiple systems. If you were to burn down the clothing store, they would sue you for your money that would be worth more than then clothes you got, the same as if you break Steam's rules and cause problems for other users.

[finiras]

The Steam TOS is pretty ugly. You don't actually own the game if you buy it. Technically, it is a subscription service. You're a subscriber. You don't own the game.

 

And this:

 

Either you or Valve has the right to terminate or cancel your Account or a particular Subscription at any time.

 

I just have a big problem with this in principle. And they set it up like they are immune from screwing you over. They can do anything to your account. They intentionally set it up to avoid all the consumer protections they can.

 

Would you buy clothes if the store owner reserved the right to "take them away from you at any time for any reason"' date=' assuming it was possible under the law? There's good reason it isn't allowed. And then when you said something about this policy, someone tells you "stop whining, just don't do anything that could piss the store owner off"

 

By the way, to use something that you bought is not a privilege, it is a right (legally too), that the people behind Steam are trying to circumvent.

[/quote']

 

I think you'll find that in this day and age, few companies don't protect themselves against consumers at least as well as Steam does. The reason they need to do this is BECAUSE of people like you who complain about privacy and things you believe are rights and raise hell for no reason at all.

 

And it's a privilege to play games on this platform, and be able to install them across multiple systems. If you were to burn down the clothing store, they would sue you for your money that would be worth more than then clothes you got, the same as if you break Steam's rules and cause problems for other users.

 

Right! Consumer protections should be torn down to protect the corporations from the consumers.

 

It doesn't even say anything about breaking any rules, they could close your account on a coin flip and you'd have no recourse.

 

You are equating breaking Steam's rules with burning a store down. REALLY.

[GrandAusterity]

If you want to have as little interaction with Steam as possible, install the game and verify it through Steam. Once that is done go to your firewall, find Steam, and block it from accessing the internet. Next time you try to play the game it should have an option to play in offline mode. Steam won't connect to the internet. You only have to log in to Steam for the initial install, but after that it's not required. I did the same thing with Fallout: New Vegas and Total War: Shogun 2.

 

I detest Steam. I understand why a lot of companies use it, but that doesn't mean I like it. The bottom line is I shouldn't have to use it if I don't want to. I'm sure the Steam apologists will come up with something about how it's so great. That may be, but I still don't like it nor do I want it. But like a lot of other issues in life you have to wade through the crap you don't want to get what you do want.

[Seekirus]

Steams only needed to activate the game and patch. You can play the game without steam via launching the game through the tesv.exe

this is found in the steam install direction > steamapps > common > skyrim

just make a shortcut to the tesv.exe or something

 

nvm person above me said it =D

Edited November 13, 2011 by Seekirus