You guys might want to head over to RockPaperShotgun.
They're in the middle of a Live blogging session with Valve doing a presentation. Some really interesting stuff, Valve are focussing the talk on the PC industry in general, and why they feel that impressions that it's dying stem from incorrect information and stuff.
Basically refresh the webpage as it's being posted:
They're focussing it on Steam and TF2, but Gabe Newell said that this is basically because Steam is their experience and to remember there are other distribution systems out there.
Wow. Some intersting revelations about where they're taking Steam:
15.06. Now we have John Cook, a developer on Steam.
There have been 114 updates to Steam since it was released in 2003.
Steam is working on: Driver auto-updating, a system-requirement checker, calendar functions, and “official” communities. This last one is exposing their tools to all other game developers. It lets developers’ customers get in touch with each other.
They also want to improve direct sales, presenting prices in local currency, updating the recommendation engine so people can more easily recommend games to each other, and tidying up the shopping cart.
15.08. Steam customers take it for granted that they can access their games from any PC. They no longer have to dig around for the DVD.
“Now their game-generated data can come too.”
15.11. Valve are announcing Steamcloud.
Save games and configs are to be stored by the Steam back-end. Half-Life will be the first to do this, with Counter-Strike remembering your key config. Left 4 Dead will ship with this too.
If you’re offline it caches the data locally, and then uploads it as soon as it can. They will keep those save games forever. “You can uninstall Half-Life, then come back to it two years later and finally finish Xen.”
It will be free, to both developers and customers.
subedii on
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augustwhere you come from is goneRegistered Userregular
They also want to improve direct sales, presenting prices in local currency
OH GOD NO I just hope this doesn't mean that 1$ will be 1€
Eh? Why should it be? I realise that's how many stores do it, but Steam already has the option for different pricing for different regions, it just displays the currency in $ still. If they let people see the price in the local currency, it's just going to be a currency conversion of that.
Whilst some companies have been ridiculous in their regional pricing, I'm glad that most seem to have kept a "one price for all" in place.
I hope the new Meet the Class vids aren't just slapped together from voice files.
Meet the Scout was good, but not as good as the others.
We’ve just seen Meet The Sniper. The best I can do for you is tell you it’s fantastic. It’s possibly the funniest so far. Start looking forward to it.
Also, Steamcloud, awesome. I'm glad they're finally getting around to it.
RandomEngy on
Profile -> Signature Settings -> Hide signatures always. Then you don't have to read this worthless text anymore.
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augustwhere you come from is goneRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
It's just really obvious Meet the Scout was slapped together from existing taunts.
I have a feeling the other movies will be the same, because they don't have the VO work for them.
“The number of connected people we aren’t selling our products to dwarf the number of console gamers out there.â€
I ask him how Steamworks aligns with The Gaming Alliance. Gabe explains that Valve aren’t a part of it, but agree with their goals. They support what they want. He adds that he thinks shipping products is more important.
“Wrath of the Lich King will have a larger impact for the furthering of the PC than PC hardware developers getting together and agreeing the PC should be doing better.â€
I couldn't help but laugh at that one. He seems more than a bit disparaging of the PCGA, but frankly, so am I, I don't think they're going to even try to achieve anything useful.
I wish I could get a question to the RPS people, namely: the manual for TF2 currently consists of an engineer field guide to the sentry gun. Are there plans to extend that?
Tamin on
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augustwhere you come from is goneRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
Everything in Meet the Scout I've heard by listening to the voice files in TF2.
The others were actual interviews with voice over work done specifically for them.
I wish I could get a question to the RPS people, namely: the manual for TF2 currently consists of an engineer field guide to the sentry gun. Are there plans to extend that?
I would guess at probably not.
Really though, what information would it have other than a basic rundown of the classes and gametypes? Most of the information is given in-game, heck they even have tutorial video intro's.
Yeah, I know. But the presentation is the fun part. Also, right now, it's slightly misleading to call that a 'manual', as it's limited to one part of one class.
"The aluminum bat is built by GRAY Industries for the expressed purpose of hitting baseballs; however, some of the more psychopathic among us have begun using it for harm. We at GRAY Industries do not condone this."
I wish I could get a question to the RPS people, namely: the manual for TF2 currently consists of an engineer field guide to the sentry gun. Are there plans to extend that?
Wow, never noticed that. This is a good manual
TychoCelchuuu on
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SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
edited May 2008
I just noticed in Steam that it now says "1 Extra Copy" next to HL2 and Episode 1 instead of "1 Gift" or whatever it said before. There's also an "update" column next to the "gifts" column. Has that always been there?
The update column appears to be a new one, oh and I can't confirm that Extra Copy thing, for me it has always been the same, "1 Gift" (but maybe that's because I have Steam in another language)
Steamcloud sounds awesome. The only reason I still have Psychonauts installed despite not having played it forever is because I don't want to lose my save.
I actually have a folder on my computer where I store the save files of games that I've uninstalled. Nearly a gig of game saves, all in the off chance that I will one day want to play Giants: Citizen Kabuto or Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force again and not want to start from scratch.
Everything in Meet the Scout I've heard by listening to the voice files in TF2.
The others were actual interviews with voice over work done specifically for them.
Uh, so was Meet the Scout. You're assuming because you found the .wavs in the TF2 .gcfs pre-release of the video that they weren't done specifically for the vid? All kinds of shit finds its way into those auto-updating .gcfs. When the CSS beta was released in '04, months before HL2, it had the entire HL2 script in there.
“Achievement design for multiplayer games was the land of unproven assumptions,” Walker adds. Achievements are a way for Valve to talk to their customers, to encourage them to play a certain way.
“Achievement design for multiplayer games was the land of unproven assumptions,†Walker adds. Achievements are a way for Valve to talk to their customers, to encourage them to play a certain way.
.................................................
Then what the crap were they trying to do with the Medic achievements?!
The only thing holding me back from getting Mass Effect PC is the fact that I don't know if I'll be able to keep my saves for the next one. If it came to Steam and they could guarantee it'd work on MEPC 2, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
“Achievement design for multiplayer games was the land of unproven assumptions,†Walker adds. Achievements are a way for Valve to talk to their customers, to encourage them to play a certain way.
.................................................
Then what the crap were they trying to do with the Medic achievements?!
What I'm saying is, do they really want medics to, for example.... get an Uber, and then ignore everyone on your team on the off-chance they'll end up bonesawing five guys before they die??
Posts
For anyone's or just Grim's?
Anyone's, I was watching my own demos.
Awesome, I should check out mine.
They're in the middle of a Live blogging session with Valve doing a presentation. Some really interesting stuff, Valve are focussing the talk on the PC industry in general, and why they feel that impressions that it's dying stem from incorrect information and stuff.
Basically refresh the webpage as it's being posted:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1834
They're focussing it on Steam and TF2, but Gabe Newell said that this is basically because Steam is their experience and to remember there are other distribution systems out there.
Gabe is a WoW Nerd. Who knew? :P
Steamclouds is amazing even though I don't see how I will use it
Meet the Scout was good, but not as good as the others.
Eh? Why should it be? I realise that's how many stores do it, but Steam already has the option for different pricing for different regions, it just displays the currency in $ still. If they let people see the price in the local currency, it's just going to be a currency conversion of that.
Whilst some companies have been ridiculous in their regional pricing, I'm glad that most seem to have kept a "one price for all" in place.
Also, Steamcloud, awesome. I'm glad they're finally getting around to it.
I have a feeling the other movies will be the same, because they don't have the VO work for them.
Heresy!
Meet the Scout was excellent.
Though it actually brings a question to my mind:
Say all 8 classes are standing in a row, and an engineer builds a sentry. Who does it target first?
I couldn't help but laugh at that one. He seems more than a bit disparaging of the PCGA, but frankly, so am I, I don't think they're going to even try to achieve anything useful.
Would be funnier if I hadn't already heard it, see.
Uh, did I watch a different version to the one you did? Because I remember him talking a lot more than the other guys in the "meet the" videos.
Scout's full of himself.
The others were actual interviews with voice over work done specifically for them.
I would guess at probably not.
Really though, what information would it have other than a basic rundown of the classes and gametypes? Most of the information is given in-game, heck they even have tutorial video intro's.
"The aluminum bat is built by GRAY Industries for the expressed purpose of hitting baseballs; however, some of the more psychopathic among us have begun using it for harm. We at GRAY Industries do not condone this."
or something.
Wow, never noticed that. This is a good manual
I'm pretty sure nothing he says while standing in front of the "Meet the Scout" screen is from the game, except the "Woo!" at the end. o_O
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Steamcloud sounds cool 8-)
Uh, so was Meet the Scout. You're assuming because you found the .wavs in the TF2 .gcfs pre-release of the video that they weren't done specifically for the vid? All kinds of shit finds its way into those auto-updating .gcfs. When the CSS beta was released in '04, months before HL2, it had the entire HL2 script in there.
.................................................
Then what the crap were they trying to do with the Medic achievements?!
No no no no NO no no no no.