Trading is now live, as if you don't get all your stuff from fellow PA people or from SteamGifts.com
Coping With Steam: Reinterpreted Artistic Commentary on Our Shared Affliction
Most Frequently Asked Questions
1. Steam's search tool is cumbersome and not very informative. Is there a website, other than Steam's, I can go to find out what's on sale?
2. Can I register this copy of (Insert Game Here) on Steam?
Here's a list of games you can register on Steam. You can always add a non-Steam game to your Steam games list, so that people can see you playing it. You can also use this to add your own shortcuts with fake names to your Steam games list to make it look like you're playing Episode 3. Hilarious
3. If I buy a game pack that already includes a game I own, can I gift that game?
Not usually. You're welcome to ask in this thread, although if you Google it it'll probably be answered even faster.
4. Why isn't __Insert Game Here__ available in my horrible little corner of the earth?
Many Steam games might be unavailable in your country if you have the temerity to live outside of the United States. This is not Steam's fault. Regional game availability is determined solely by the publisher, who should be the source of your ire. Gifting works regardless of region so you might find some helpful person in North America who can gift you the game.
5. How do I get an invite to the Penny Arcade Steam group?
The most convenient way is to just post a link to your Steam profile page (getting one of the swank signatures described below makes it easy) and ask for an invite.
Some Words on Gifting
If you receive a game or pack via a gift or a contest,
remember to thank that person either through a PM or by announcing it in the thread. We are classy gentlemen and will act as such.
Steam's new gifting features allow you to store up games in your gift bank when you purchase them, instead of having to email yourself the gift link. It'll be an option during checkout.
An Important Word on Contests
If you decide to run or participate in a giveaway contest for gift copies of games, please remember that all entry submissions must now be made via PM. The forum mods have stated that pages of the thread being filled with pictures, videos, etc. submitted as contest entries will lead to such contests being banned. So please, for the sake of the thread – take it to PMs.
Helpful Stuff
Steam Price Guide
Do you have the misfortune to live somewhere other than America? Steam hates you! Luckily,
this cool website with prices for Steam games all around the world is here to help, so you can know if you want to ask an American friend to buy the game for you or not.
AUSTRALIANS!!!!
You need this program.
It reconfigures your Windows IPSEC settings (run it as an admin) to block out all but the servers which don't count towards your download quota on Steam. Now supports a bunch of ISPs through a graphical interface.
Basically guarantees you won't add to your download quota with Steam.
150KB/s
Download TCPview:
TCPView
Then, use TCPview to close all Steam TCP servers (this is important, NOT the UDP ones, just the TCP ones). Steam will then reconnect to a different server, which will hopefully get you a better speed. If you don't go faster in a couple of seconds, retry until you get a speed you like.
This shit totally needs to go into the OP, I've tipped this to so many people already.
Cool Community Add-Ons
Steam Signatures
With such a cool service, someone must have done some extra things to build on it. The forums have one such man, who made some super cool Steam signatures.
Suds is his name and killing is his game. Except for the killing. The signatures automatically use backgrounds for the games and the correct icon. Pretty neat, and they're 100% free!
Sample signature:
Steam Calculator
You can also use a script on
his Steam Calculator page to see how much your Steam account would be worth if you had taken advantage of some obscure, arcane combination of special deals that nobody could ever have taken advantage of. Or something sort of like that.
Steam Roulette
Having trouble picking a game out of your burgeoning [strike]backlog[/strike] gamebank to play? Let VicWhiten's
Steam Roulette decide! Just type in your Steam community ID (easier if you set up a custom URL on your Steam profile page), and Steam Roulette will read your library and randomly pick one game every time you hit "Spin the Wheel!" It even connects to Steam to allow you to install or start the game with a single click.
What's all this about serving "The Newell?"
It started with this comic:
And now it is our unofficial official motto.
Posts
Did anyone want to get in on something like that sometime?
Why you so great?
There's active groups for Battlefront 2 and Jedi Academy.
Yep, we just got the servers back up. Join the groups, polish up your armor and get your saber fired up. We should start having events again soon.
Does anybody know if people still play Call of Duty 1 online?
But you have Steam
And hopefully $10
Instead...TERRARIA ESSAY GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!
PM me an essay of 10 words or less why you love the PA community here.
You have until I get home from work (aka ~5:30PST).
Judgement is summary and completely subjective to, well, whatever I feel like when I get home.
:shock:
Be right back, off to buy a million copies.
Oh Em Gee
Relic did allow this with the recent Space Marine/Warhammer bundle. If you bought it and owned any of the other games, you could gift the rest.
And while more people are jumping onto that bandwagon, you should pretty much always assume you're not getting gift copies
This is amazing.
This was said before in that "WTF is Rock of Ages" video, but I'm really impressed that ACE Team manages to have these neat, quirky ideas for games, and then actually turn them into genuinely good games.
Now I'm pretty much convinced that they're just that awesome
oh my. I LOVE me some jedi academy. Can I get an invite to that group.
*runs off to find his disks....
Hard Reset is insanely awesome from the demo. The menus are incredibly well done.
This. It's always the exception to the general rule of "Your extra copies will disappear."
If they won't, there will be a big notice on the game's store page that it won't. They use it as a selling point, so it's not hard to find.
No, none of the Monday Night Combat items. It's tricky to pick which games I'm looking for, since I don't know how much the TF2 stuff is worth. Feel free to check out my inventory and wishlist, though (link in the sig). Saints Row: The Third and Dead Island are at the top spots.
Ah, I had no idea. :oops:
zombies
if Kid Casual still has that copy, I may be joining you
I'll just add the required "are those worth anything" question, because the random Russian dude who won my Darksiders giveaway on Steamgifts noticed I had the essential accessories and was pestering me to trade him something for them and I had no idea how high to set the bar.
They're not terribly super rare so they don't go for much, but people like them because they look really good painted.
Sometimes games that don't end are a bad thing. Well, no, not really. But finding time for them when you have a 20 month old is difficult.
PSN : Bolthorn
At that price, I'd have been a fool not to. A fool, I say!
....it's so shiny ....
Does the in game friends list work from my steam friends list?
You mean that 10% off sale that ended when the game was released?