Trion launching its own "Steam", to discover hardcore lesser known games

[Stormwaltz]

Gamersgate does the, well, I don't know what they do.  Overseas?

I feel they specialize in hardcore Euro strategy and sims, as one might expect from a company that spun out of Paradox.

[Scold]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

It sounds like they're aiming for the opposite effect.  As steam becomes less and less regulated, Glyph is (I think?) supposed to provide a curated, high quality library only.  Like what Gog.com is turning in to.

Luckily for me, the Internet provides a metric fuckton of "curated, high quality" lists of games that I can buy on Steam. Hell, Steam even offers Metacritic ratings right there on the frickin' page! There is absolutely nothing saying "I will only buy curated, high-quality games on Steam" other than my own inability to control myself during Steam seasonal sales.

DRM-free just means I have some shit to keep track of on a hard drive if the service doesn't exist in five years. Since I have zero faith that Trion as a company will even exist in 5 years... no thanks? Meanwhile, I'll bet anyone here a hundred dollars, inflation-adjusted, that I'll still be able to download all my games in my Steam library a decade from now.

[keeprai]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

[Margalis]

There are a lot of good games that don't make it to Steam because of Greenlight bullshit.

Steam is the single worst platform in terms of getting a game on it as a developer. The single worst. Once you do get a game on it that's usually great for business, get getting on it is a complete clusterfuck. As a developer it's really frustrating because there's basically no process at all and the timetable is anywhere from a day to infinity.

It's also in a weird place where it's essentially curated but in an awful way.

Edit: I think there's room for a digital distribution platform on PC that is developer-centric in terms of the submission process. Just have a simple process and give devs a timely yes or no answer on whether you'll carry their games and developers will use it.

Hartsman said the new platform came about after developers requested it and gamers showed interest too.

I can believe this. As a developer there is currently no good way to distribute games on PC. That sounds like an insane statement but it's the truth.

[Kageru]

Yeah, considering the previous distribution method was "imminent death of PC Gaming" Steam has a lot of karma built up. Developers will alternate between crying for more curation, less delays and less costs and valve are slow.

Alternatively.... Trion who?

[Teleku]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

Bot I'm assuming?

But yeah, I don't believe in the 'highly currated store' model having any chance.  All of the successful competators to steam specialize in some niche over steam.  The niche they are advertising for this is hard to find/unknown indy games.  Which had better mean 'indy games I can't just go buy on steam' if they want to have any chance.  Though again, I don't have a lot of faith in that specific category of games.

[KallDrexx]

Luckily for me, the Internet provides a metric fuckton of "curated, high quality" lists of games that I can buy on Steam. Hell, Steam even offers Metacritic ratings right there on the frickin' page! There is absolutely nothing saying "I will only buy curated, high-quality games on Steam" other than my own inability to control myself during Steam seasonal sales.

I ... err.... there are people that think metacritic scores are relevant O.o

[Hoax]

Even if you don't the user reviews and tagging system along with being able to see how much any friend you have has played the game or if even any own it means that you have more than enough information to make informed purchase choices on steam.

[Ingmar]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

Bot I'm assuming?

It was a coherent on topic statement, I don't see how it's anything but a normal first post.

[Goreschach]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

Bot I'm assuming?

It was a coherent on topic statement, I don't see how it's anything but a normal first post.

It was a coherent on topic statement.

[Senses]

I love steam.  It is probably the only thing in the last 10 years that has come along that changed the way I play games.  A new service might indeed be great but I really don't see Trion doing it.  They have a host of half-ass endeavors in their wake and I don't know why they can't just spend their time finishing a good game instead.

[Teleku]

Steam early access level of Indy bullshit is the lowest level of gaming Im willing to go.  I don't even want to think about what sort of games can't even meet the bar to make it onto steam in early access form, and they are offering a whole platform to give me exactly that. Uhhhh....

Bot I'm assuming?

It was a coherent on topic statement, I don't see how it's anything but a normal first post.

It was a coherent on topic statement.

Am I being subtly trolled by you guys?  If so it’s flying way over my head.   

[Merusk]

You're reading too fast. Goreschachs joke it that it's not a normal first post (as Ingmar stated) because it was a coherent on-topic statement instead of some rambling rant or weird self-intro.

Tangent aside:  Why do I care about this or other devs' inability to get on to Steam, as a consumer?  There's lots of products that don't make it in to other storefronts I might be interested in.  If only there was a way to market yourself these days instead of being beholden to central resellers.

[Teleku]

Ah, ok.  Then I guess my original point was missed.  Which was:  Go look at the third post of this thread.

[Ingmar]

Oh, lawl.

[Scold]

Luckily for me, the Internet provides a metric fuckton of "curated, high quality" lists of games that I can buy on Steam. Hell, Steam even offers Metacritic ratings right there on the frickin' page! There is absolutely nothing saying "I will only buy curated, high-quality games on Steam" other than my own inability to control myself during Steam seasonal sales.

I ... err.... there are people that think metacritic scores are relevant O.o

The metacritic score itself? Not so much. Being able to read a bunch of different reviews from both amateurs and pros in a single click from the Steam page? Yes, pretty fucking relevant.

[HaemishM]

The metacritic score itself? Not so much. Being able to read a bunch of different reviews from both amateurs and pros in a single click from the Steam page? Yes, pretty fucking relevant.

This. I don't take Metacritic as a be-all end-all... but if I see a bunch of 70's or less from the "journos" and lots of 0-6's from people, I can be well-assured the game is probably goat balls. I'm looking for the general tone of the writeups and the scores which I grade on the curve.

[shiznitz]

I generally agree with Haemish but I have enjoyed some games with sub-70 metacritic scores like the recent reboot of Jagged Alliance.

[Sky]

70s don't bother me as I can put up with more jank than a 'reviewer'.

Now if it has 50s and low user scores...

And as I learned recently, metascores can move into lulz territory after a few years (splinter cell is not a 90+ game today).

[HaemishM]

Well, generally, I only look at those Metacritic scores if it's something I'm on the fence about. "Is this really worth $5 when I already have so much else to play?" 

[tazelbain]

Curation isn't a feature I value in an online store front unless its a tangible benefits like Humble Bundle.  This is "I am going build Amazon but with only the best stuff"  Inevitably the best isn't really the best stuff and I'd rather decide for myself.

[HaemishM]

Amazon's claim to fame wasn't built on having the best stuff, but having ALL THE STUFFZ for cheaper than everywhere else. Steam has partly built its success on also having all the stuff (or most of it) and having sales that make it cheaper than everywhere else. It's periodic sales have forced other online vendors to have regular sales as well just to compete.

[tazelbain]

Eactly what I was saying( or failing to say). "We are Steam but with 'big selection' replaced with 'our good taste'." is repelling.

[Sky]

I would think a curated games store wouldn't stock Trion's games. Maybe Rift. So there's that.

[KallDrexx]

Luckily for me, the Internet provides a metric fuckton of "curated, high quality" lists of games that I can buy on Steam. Hell, Steam even offers Metacritic ratings right there on the frickin' page! There is absolutely nothing saying "I will only buy curated, high-quality games on Steam" other than my own inability to control myself during Steam seasonal sales.

I ... err.... there are people that think metacritic scores are relevant O.o

The metacritic score itself? Not so much. Being able to read a bunch of different reviews from both amateurs and pros in a single click from the Steam page? Yes, pretty fucking relevant.

Except those reviews aren't on the steam store page (only the overall metacritic score) so I'm not completely sure what the advantage having the score on the store page is (from your original post).

[palmer_eldritch]

When I am thinking of buying a game on Steam I generally click on the "Read critic reviews" link beneath the Metacritic score. Then you go to a nice page with the reviews you want, without making the effort of typing "Bioshock Infinite reviews" in a searchbar.

[Lantyssa]

Amazon's claim to fame wasn't built on having the best stuff, but having ALL THE STUFFZ for cheaper than everywhere else. Steam has partly built its success on also having all the stuff (or most of it) and having sales that make it cheaper than everywhere else. It's periodic sales have forced other online vendors to have regular sales as well just to compete.

Apple and the iStore seem to do okay.

Not that they've got the clout of Apple or I think it's a good idea, but sometimes the market does reward things we don't think it should.

[Numtini]

Apple's a closed shop though. Apple users buy Apple devices and get software from Apple stores.

[HaemishM]

^ That ^. Which is also one of the reasons the Kindle has become the eBook standard - closed system and a huge library in conjunction with discounted pricing.

[Margalis]

Tangent aside:  Why do I care about this or other devs' inability to get on to Steam, as a consumer?  There's lots of products that don't make it in to other storefronts I might be interested in.  If only there was a way to market yourself these days instead of being beholden to central resellers.

Because in theory you're missing out on good games that don't happen to be on Steam.

Steam is not like Amazon, it does not have "all the stuff." It's semi-curated in a way that is really haphazard.

[schild]

Because in theory you're missing out on good games that don't happen to be on Steam.

That's a list of games I can count on one hand.

[Merusk]

My thing is, as a consumer, I don't care. Really, I don't. Not one bit. Sorry.

Here's what you're arguing to me;  It's ridiculous that Wal*Mart sells plastic adirondack chairs when people could be buying designer Torsa chairs there.  WalMart should carry those chairs, not the crap from China. People don't know what they're missing.

[KallDrexx]

I care less about what I'm missing that isn't on steam and care more about what I'm missing because steam is overloaded with crap I don't care about and browsing the categories seems like a waste of effort more and more these days.

[Kail]

My thing is, as a consumer, I don't care. Really, I don't. Not one bit. Sorry.

Here's what you're arguing to me;  It's ridiculous that Wal*Mart sells plastic adirondack chairs when people could be buying designer Torsa chairs there.  WalMart should carry those chairs, not the crap from China. People don't know what they're missing.

It's not a view I agree with, but it's definitely an opinion I hear a lot lately.  There's a lot of whining about how Steam has "gone to shit" because they carry more games, a lot of people who feel that Valve guarantees the quality of games on Steam or that when a company sells a shit game it somehow reflects on Steam overall.  I've come across more than a few comments about how many "crap games are getting through greenlight" or how Steam is "infested with early access shit".  It's not a sentiment I agree with personally, but it is out there, and apparently Trion is going to try to sell things to it.

The question is, can Trion win that market, though, and I'm not sure they can.  They'd essentially be trading on their reputation as game connoisseurs, and I don't know that they've earned that reputation.  If I didn't read these boards, I don't think I'd even have heard about or remember the Defiance MMO, and their only other title is generic MMO also-ran #507.

[Margalis]

I care less about what I'm missing that isn't on steam and care more about what I'm missing because steam is overloaded with crap I don't care about and browsing the categories seems like a waste of effort more and more these days.

I tend to agree, which is why I said "in theory" above.

Steam is curated but it's curated very poorly. So it's kind of a worst-of-both-worlds thing. Something being on Steam doesn't mean that it's good, and something not being on Steam doesn't mean that it's bad. It has all the problems of both curated and non-curated storefronts.

The tag system is also hilarious useless. It's the same fucking games for all tags. Like, you click on 8 different tags and they all point to GTA and Skyrim.