Steam yet again

[Vector1]

I am totally new to Steam therefore the following “stupid” question/s. First of all – How does steam work once a game has been bought and installed. Can I obtain a hardcopy of the game? If I format my HDD, how do I back my game up – meaning do I have to re-install from steam using my CAP? Is there any known local steam “agent” who does not affect my CAP? I just d-loaded Team fortress 2, it took me 3 ½ hours and not sure if there are any updates, which would probably be another gig or 3. Or could I just copy the entire directory using that as a b-up. Your help would be appreciated.

[JollyJamma]

Game license stays on server regardless of PC or local. Either buy the game online or retail and enter in the key.
If you buy a game retail it comes with the install disk ex updates.
Data can be backed up but it doesn't always work nicely. You can export your game files using the STEAM interface.
If you have mates with the games get them to give you the files. You can import the files without the key and it'll just not run until you do.

Hope this gives some answers.
TF2 is updated all the time and it's sitting at 10gigs for now.
It's painful with all the hats.

[D3PART3D]

I am totally new to Steam therefore the following “stupid” question/s. First of all – How does steam work once a game has been bought and installed. Can I obtain a hardcopy of the game? If I format my HDD, how do I back my game up – meaning do I have to re-install from steam using my CAP? Is there any known local steam “agent” who does not affect my CAP? I just d-loaded Team fortress 2, it took me 3 ½ hours and not sure if there are any updates, which would probably be another gig or 3. Or could I just copy the entire directory using that as a b-up. Your help would be appreciated.

Steam can make backups you can burn to cd/dvd or just keep on a separate HDD. As Jolly says it doesn't always work very well but it works most of the time and is better than having to dl all over again. AFAIK, both mweb and WebAfrica have steam servers now, I'm on uncapped so I wouldn't know if mweb depletes your cap but WebAfrica accounts will not be depleted.

Some people just ignore Steam's backup function and just copy their entire Steamapps folder to another drive which is easier but takes up more space.

[senile]

Why didn't anybody tell me you can't sell your Steam games?

[DarkStar]

Had you read the Steam Terms & Conditions (or at least did some research) it states that once a game is tied to your account, is there forever.

Not even Valve themselves will remove the game license.

[senile]

They should at least put a warning on the package. I won't buy a Steam game ever again because my terms and conditions are that I want to sell it after I've used it. I literally played 10 minutes of Black Ops before chucking it in the bottom drawer, might as well have chucked it out the window since it's useless now.

[D3PART3D]

I won't buy a Steam game ever again

You sad, sad human being.

[Siemens]

lol, I guess that means he wont buy any PC game ever again. Wait till he find out about the other DRM out there in the world that is 10000x worse

[hamin_aus]

Why didn't anybody tell me you can't sell your Steam games?

Why didn't you ask
I assume nobody told you because it should be implicitly understood that registering a game under your name on a digital platform like steams means it is non-transferable. It has already been pointed out to you that this is stated in the terms and conditions you click through when setting the game up, but that bears repeating.
Wanting it written big on the box puts you in the same class of evolutionary dead-ends as people who get burned after microwaving their dinners and cry about there not being warnings on the box that says the trays will be hot after being heated...

my terms and conditions are that I want to sell it after I've used it

lulz
I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure a seller's terms and conditions concerning the distribution and resale of their Intellectual Property are legally binding while any terms and conditions a buyer has is about as binding as a squirt of KY gel.

I won't buy a Steam game ever again

At least you came to the logical thing to do when you do not like a service. You don't support it.
I also dislike Steam and managed to go years without an account, it wasn't until Dawn of War II that I bit the bullet and gave Steam some of my hard-earned cash. I still don't like doing it tho, I am also of the opinion that once I buy a game I should not be tied to the supplier or the internet in order to use it.

[senile]

Rustypup, I completely agree with you - but really who reads the full terms and conditions before buying a game? Had I known that Steam's games are like Holiday club subscriptions I would never have bought it in the first place.

lol, I guess that means he wont buy any PC game ever again. Wait till he find out about the other DRM out there in the world that is 10000x worse

You guessed wrong. And why is DRM worse? You can uninstall and sell the game after you used it. Did you even... nevermind.

[Siemens]

You guessed wrong. And why is DRM worse? You can uninstall and sell the game after you used it. Did you even... nevermind.

With steam you can at least reinstall the game countless times on your pc. With most of the other DRM you only have 3 installations meaning you can't use the games let alone sell them again.

Also if it wasnt for Steam I dont know where PC gaming would have been today. It's the best thing that has happened to PC in a long time. It may not reflect that way in SA but globally Steam kept PC gaming alive.

[senile]

With steam you can at least reinstall the game countless times on your pc. With most of the other DRM you only have 3 installations meaning you can't use the games let alone sell them again.

I'm the kind of guy who installs a game one time only. No problem for me then.

[rustypup]

Rustypup, I completely agree with you

no you don't. you completely agree with hamin_oz

for the record, if anyone had bothered to read their packaged EULA on any software purchased within the last 8-10 years you would know that you were purchasing a non-transferable license, not a piece of kit you can pass on when you get bored.

that they've started strong-arming this is petty, but there it is.

steam was initially a pain in the behind for me, but i've pretty much quit purchasing hardcopy entirely.. steam/gog/gamersgate/d2d specials and the gifting mechanisms is perfect for a lazy sod like me... that and being able to sync games via the cloud + install your game on multiple machines, (for the most part - some like the borderlands DLC still come with install limits :/ ) , beats the heck out of having to deal with brick-and-mortar stores...

[hamin_aus]

Rustypup, I completely agree with you

no you don't. you completely agree with hamin_oz

You take that back!!!!

[KillerByte]

I am in love with Steam. It allows me to not have boxes filling up my cupboard and everytime I get a new game I eagerly look to see if it is a Steamworks title. When I have my game on Steam i am guaranteed that I will be able to access it whereever I am in the world. All my possession can get stolen but they can't take my Steam games.

Plus the real benefit is that developers can give their titles away for a fraction of the on-shelf retail price because there are no logitstical or transport costs associated with online distribution. When you can buy Bioshock 2 for R35 while its still on sale for R300 in some shops then I can see nothing wrong with Steam.

My PC games are special to me. I could never bring myself to selling one of them. I have three copies of Battlefield 2; the original CD version, a Deluxe DVD version with Special Forces and then a Steam version with all teh expansions. I can't even bring myself to give my CD version to my cousin.

[Stuart]

All my possession can get stolen but they can't take my Steam games.

That's a little sad

[Siemens]

Wait till someone steals your steam account

[KillerByte]

All my possession can get stolen but they can't take my Steam games.

That's a little sad

Yes it is. I left out the s at the end of possessions. I really hate spelling mistakes.

[Siemens]

Lol even with the S it's sad.