News - Why Battlefield 3 won't be making an appearance on Steam

[Rob_B]

Thirdly, it's overcomplicating things. When I want to run a game, I go to Steam. I don't want to have to start up another piece of software solely for 1 or 2 others - I'll just stick with the ones on Steam. Maybe that comes across as lazy, but I like order and consistency on my PC.

Desktop>Double click icon = game
Steam>Double click icon = game



With your moving around then yes, Steam is great, disc take up little space in the grand scheme of things but I understand that it's easier to not carry any excpet if you backup your Steam folder to DVD not HDD (if you were mad like that)

Origin doesn't need to run in the background unless you want to patch (but I think you can do that the old fashioned way anyway?) Steam patching is great, probably the most useful feature I think Steam has, but not something I'd boycott a game for.

After saying all of this does anyone know if you can uninstall Origin but keep your game install? I seem to think you can?

[HalloweenJack]

congrats EA you`ve actually sunk this game into the ground - the reason why BF2 is still popular? the 35 million subscribers to steam.

COD will kill this sadly.

[Rob_B]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...ood-reason.ars

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...-off-steam.ars

[HalloweenJack]

Taken from a comment on http://games.on.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=187037

Hi, my name is Charlie. How may I help you?
[REDACTED]: I have questions regarding the new Origin store.
Charlie: yes sure
[REDACTED]: Are the games on the store repackaged to remove the activation limits (SecuROM, Solidshield, etc)?
Charlie: I am sorry but unfortunately not, you can install the game maximum for 5 times
[REDACTED]: Well that's lame. No effort whatsoever.
[REDACTED]: Second question: Will future games on the store include activation limits (BF3, ME3, etc)?
Charlie: I am sorry but we do have any recent update about this.
[REDACTED]: Well that pretty much ends any hope I had that the Origin store would mean a removal of activation limits on titles purchased there. Such a waste of rebranding effort when you're not even going to shed stuff that is known to be unpopular.
Charlie: I apologize for the inconvenience experienced by you.
[REDACTED]: It's not your fault. Someone high up in the company obviously didn't take rebranding 101.
[REDACTED]: But on that track, I'm just going to make a note here for reference. If you're going to run a store and try to compete with Steam, use the model that Steam uses 99% of the time (games are tied to the account, not the PC).
Charlie: Thanks for the suggestion
Charlie: I will forward
Charlie: this suggestion to our senior team
[REDACTED]: Hope they take it on board as there's money to be made in removing activation limits.
Charlie: ok
Charlie: Is there any thing else that I may assist you with today?
[REDACTED]: Do I get an email transcript of this convo?
Charlie: yes
Charlie: after this chat
[REDACTED]: Good.
[REDACTED]: That's all I wanted to say.
[REDACTED]: Thanks for the help.
Charlie: Thank you for contacting me at Electronic Arts. Have a nice day !
Charlie: Bye and take care!
]REDACTED]' disconnected ('Concluded by End-user'

[Lemonaids]

I can let BF3 slide because I like CoD:MW better but if Mass Effect 3 isn't on Steam imma gonna be raging :<

[tickleonthetum]

I never have and never will use any form of download service! If it doesn't come on a physical disc then I won't buy it. Also I won't buy any game that only lets you install it X number of times.

The only people who these draconian copy protection methods hurt are the legitimate buyers, the pirates hack out all the code for iot anyway within hours of launch!

When are these companies going to wake up and realise this!

SecuROM is a con perpetrated by Sony against Publishers like EA. Copy protection does not reduce copying, it just puts off legitimate buyers.

[OilSheikh]

You can't resell digital downloads! No one wants to buy a CD Key.

That's why I always get physical discs.

[Terbinator]

You can't resell digital downloads! No one wants to buy a CD Key.

That's why I always get physical discs.

Physical copies don't completely avoid that problem though such as games that have to be activated on Steam.

[aidanjt]

Desktop>Double click icon = game
Steam>Double click icon = game

I doubt someone who likes consistency is going to want 2158098230592809 shortcuts cluttering up their desktop and killing their login times with the OS having to load up all those icons. It'd be a job in itself to minimise all windows and go hunting around the desktop for shortcuts.

[aidanjt]

Physical copies don't completely avoid that problem though such as games that have to be activated on Steam.

Or has run out of EA activations.

[jim]

With your moving around then yes, Steam is great, disc take up little space in the grand scheme of things but I understand that it's easier to not carry any excpet if you backup your Steam folder to DVD not HDD (if you were mad like that)

I just redownload them if I need to, unlimited internet connections on all my PCs thankfully.

[Noxvayl]

But I can download any game + install it if I have a capped internet connection I don't want to/cant tie up for hours on end which a large amount of people do, I'd say many times more than people who don't, people on here & most gaming forums are not an 'average' consumer.
Excessive resources & space, a DVD box? Oh come on...for the very few with 4000 games then yes, I'll give you that, but they're a tiny, tiny, tiny minority.

My arguement isn't that DD is rubbish but that if it isn't on Steam people cry on as though someone has just burst into their home and shat on their couch.
It's life, no-one is owned anything. You sometimes get what you want, sometimes you don't. It's EA's product, let them decide how to sell it, boycott it if you wish, thats a good thing to do if you believe so strongly about it but, in my opinion, it's no big deal and I doubt highly that I'm in the minority.

Thanks for ignoring half my post...

Excessive resources & space refers to the waste generated by distributing DVD's compared to digital distribution. It's quite sad that we still have DVD's being created and distributed when we could quite easily do without them altogether and save precious resources that we can't afford to waste.

I realise that you weren't saying DD is rubbish, but you were saying that Steam/DD is not as good as people claim... I merely pointed out that DD (Steam, Desura, Impulse and Origin) are far more useful than physical copies. I didn't say anything about releasing a game on limited platforms or how EA should distribute BF3. Where you get that from I do not know...

[Hicks12]

understand the view points in favor of steam but guys we are missing something key here, bf3 is available on every other DD site, take direct2drive for example where you dont need any crappy software slowing down the pc (steam is such a resource hog from what i experience daily) so it is valve being stubborn blame them for wanting to restrict patching process or whatever.

And for the other points,
1. steam always more expensive until sales after like a year
2. steam has gone down a few times
3. steams sync is good but steam is blocked at plymouth uni leaving me with useless offline mode.
4. being on steam wont fix servers etc, if its a valve game it would have a pretty solid server listing etc supported, hopefully ea havent used gamespy again... thats what screwed them over.
5. i use skype for IM, dont really use steam chat other than for Counter strike source .
6. VM users pretty much have to avoid certain times if on lower tarrifs (like me.. )
7. I wish i could afford 4000 games .

[Noxvayl]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...ood-reason.ars

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...-off-steam.ars

Enjoyed those articles... The first basically boils down to EA wanting to spam their customers and Valve saying no.

The second sums up the entire saga. Valve put time and effort into the community and as such they are repaid with loyalty. EA quite simply don't, as long as they continue to crunch numbers and neglect the gaming community they'll continue to attract the kind of negative publicity they have from this.

[Hicks12]

valve are most likely the lesser evil but they are still an evil , they wont refund on games at all.. basically customer support is as bad as ea but atleast if you dont buy it off steam you have a chance of being able to resell it, look at greenmangaming thats what steam SHOULD be doing.

Sorry valve

[ShavedApe]

I dont understand the big deal with steam, dont get me wrong I use it but if i buy it from origin ill just add it as none steam game and still launch it from steam. Statement like "if its not on steam im not buying it" seem a little silly to me just my opinion btw. I doubt EA or DICE are running scared at statements like that either since pre orders are up 10x that of bc2. Ill be buying it and I am certain most of my friends will too regardless of were they have to buy it from.
I dont really understand how people can make such a big fuss over it being on origin and not steam at this point none of us know if origin will be a requirement to play and its not like its not been done before how many complained about half life 2 I wonder and look at us now...