[Steam] Thread XXXIIII: My god, it's full of refunds!

[Hiro Protagonest]

I just hate that Steam doesn't email me if a wishlist game is part of the sale, and I don't know it's happening. I don't check the store very often, so I might miss one.

I actually got an e-mail this sale for the games on my wishlist.

I ended up buying a good number. Darkest Dungeon, Banished, Civ 5, Kingdom, Half-Life, and One Finger Death Punch.


Kingdom is a neat little game. A sidescroller with only three buttons: left, right, and down (the "interact" button). You have to run around as the king or queen and order everything to get done, and you also have to spend gold to do so, so it's got both time and resource management, but it's not very difficult at either. There's only one resource (gold), and while it has elements of RTS, it's hardly a true RTS action-wise. Once you figure out a build order after a couple failed attempts, executing it requires you to pay attention but doesn't require any real skill beyond that. Basically, you have to build stuff and equip archers I almost beat it! I ended up getting too close to a battle and lost the crown! If I want to actually beat it, I'll have to retread the exact same steps up to that point. And that takes hours.

While it's not really more than a flash game mechanically, the pixel art is beautiful (ignore the black bars, that's just my monitor).

Spoiler

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[Morph Bark]

Heck, a game that was actually ON my wishlist was on sale, and they didn't put it on my recommended games list anywhere!

I've never had a problem with that, because you can just go to your wishlist and see things there. Valve should put more effort into optimizing their recommendations system though. Luckily, it's no longer an issue for me.

... Then again, it might be for those that are actually nice to others and buy games as gifts, but come on, who's really that generous? Everyone but me? Oh well. I just hate that Steam doesn't email me if a wishlist game is part of the sale, and I don't know it's happening. I don't check the store very often, so I might miss one.

There are quite a few places on the internet where people gift each other games, especially around Christmastime. GOG's community is especially crazy about it, though they will of course gift games more often from GOG itself (or Steam games from bundles).

If a game on your wishlist is on sale, you should be getting an email. As in, that's how the system works, so there might be something wrong here that you might want to contact Steam's support for.

[Sean Mirrsen]

There's http://www.steamgifts.com/ , too.

In non-sale Steam news, because the sale on it ended already - Total Annihilation, the best RTS since 1997, is now available on Steam courtesy of Wargaming.net. I'm told it's essentially the same as the GOG.com release, but I haven't tried that, so I wouldn't know. What I do know is that it works flawlessly on my Windows 8 tablet, everything from 1920x1080 resolution to the music track selector that could only be improved by having fade-in instead of sharp cuts. I've played Supreme Commander, I've played various versions based on the Spring engine, and good old TA somehow still delivers the most fun out of all of them.

[DigoDragon]

I just hate that Steam doesn't email me if a wishlist game is part of the sale, and I don't know it's happening.

It does for me, but often the sale only lasts a few hours. So, if I don't check my messages daily, I can miss them. It's alright though, I pretty much exhausted my gift money now so I can't be buying anything until my birthday. Gives me time to finally finish these other games sitting pretty in my library that haven't been touched.

[AdmiralCheez]

Huh. Well, I guess I'll have to contact Steam support at some point. I wonder why it works for regular sales, but not the big ones. Doesn't seem like it should do that.

[Lunix Vandal]

Just give me a damn shorthand list, Steam. I'm far more likely to find a game I want if they're all compressed onto a list that I can quickly peruse it.

For me, the link to the search-by-tag/category/price/etc. catalog is about 3/4 of the way down a fresh reload of the store page. Sounds like what you're looking for ...

Spoiler: Store page layout

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- Links bar and Steam Winter Sale header
- Tiles for the 9 "Featured Deals"
- Link to Discovery Queue
- Tiles for 15 "Highlighted Deals"
- "10XXX titles on sale," link to the catalog (on the right)
- Tiles for 4 games from wishlist
- Tabs for top 16 New/Popular/Upcoming/Under $10/Under $5
- Ad for Steam Hardware
- Infinite wall of tiles

You're right, though, that that link should be easier to find or made an option to be your default front-page view. C'mon, Valve, not everyone likes the "Windows 10 Start Menu" look.

[Duck999]

I got a few (3) games off of Steam sales. One was Aperture Tag. It didn't work. This is the second game I've got recently that begins to launch then crashes. I refunded the game successfully, but does anyone know why games that should be working aren't?

[Forbiddenwar]

I got a few (3) games off of Steam sales. One was Aperture Tag. It didn't work. This is the second game I've got recently that begins to launch then crashes. I refunded the game successfully, but does anyone know why games that should be working aren't?

Who says they should work? Steam doesn't require a product to work before selling it.

Although in this case, you didn't buy a game, but a mod to a game. So there is a thousand and one reasons why it doesn't work.

[Duck999]

Who says they should work? Steam doesn't require your product to work in order to sell it.

Although in this case, you didn't buy a game, but a mod to a game. So there is a thousand and one reasons why it doesn't work.

Steam does, after all, reserve the right to take away any of your games at any time. The mod clearly worked fine for other people judging by good reviews. Also, the same thing happened with magic circle. Same with Cave Story +, which has worked on one out of three computers I have tried it on.

[Krade]

So I know we just kinda rag on Steam now due to how awful it is, but how 'bout them games, huh? I sure do like 'em.

Anyone else playing Armello? I'm really enjoying it and it scratches that "Board-Game-Itch" quite satisfactorily. It has some win condition balance issues though. There's 4 ways to win and one of them is almost impossible (I've only managed to pull it off once in 40+ plus games).

[Pendulous]

Last Steam game I played for the first time was Trials Fusion, so I guess I can talk about that.

Physics games are hard. But this game is still pretty fun. Some problems I have with it though. No bike upgrades. Everything is aesthetic. And a lot of it requires real money to purchase. Which also means the specific challenges in each stage are meaningless if you don't care about what your bike looks like.

Some stages are impossible to complete without a specific bike. I found one I couldn't do until I switched to the ATV.

If there was more incentive to try, outside of getting enough medals to continue, and a way to customize your bike's stats, it would be so much more fun. I haven't tried any user-created tracks yet, but I imagine that adds a lot more gametime.

[Nilehus]

Picked up Dying Light from the sale. It makes you work for it in the beginning, but it is amazing. Story is pretty generic, but gameplay is smooth, and lets you do some pretty cool things.

One of my favorites is still chucking a knife at an enemy's head, then while they're staggering, dropkicking them to the ground, pulling the knife out, and finishing them. I don't care how many times I do it, it still feels badass.

[factotum]

Good luck doing that when you've gained a few levels and the regular enemies become that much more powerful...

[Forbiddenwar]

Just finished A Story About My Uncle. Pretty game. Sometimes very frustrating. But the grappling puzzle platforming felt very well done and original.

[Nilehus]

Good luck doing that when you've gained a few levels and the regular enemies become that much more powerful...

I'm already at that point. Survivor level... 16? 17? It's why I'm so thorough. Been interrupted way too many times picking into police vans.

I mean, my customized machete has a >50% chance of decapitating an average biter, but I want to save it for big enemies. Even with all the various skills to extend weapon life, it's easy to burn through one real quick.

[Rawhide]

STEAM SALE CARD TRADING TIME!

#	Card	Have?	Spare?
1	Santa's Workshop	YES
2	Zippy's Demise	YES	YES
3	Holly	YES	YES
4	Twinkle	YES
5	The Black Ice Boys	Need
6	Sending a Message	YES	YES
7	Taffy	Need
8	You Better Watch Out	YES	YES
9	You Better Not Cry	YES	YES
10	Guess Who's Coming to Town	YES
11	Redemption	YES

[Teln]

Picked up Killing Floor 2 with my Christmas gift card after giving it a whirl during their last free weekend. Having a blast, and so far the pubs aren't too bad--although I do hate it when my team keeps running off to the far end of the map while I'm staring at the pod deciding what to buy.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Good day,

I was hoping I could get some help with a prospective purchase I'm considering. I am interested in the XCOM 2 digital package pre-purchase, priced $75. I have enough gift cards for GameStop that I will be able to purchase it for about $10. However, I am having trouble pre-paying for it with the many gift cards (the order goes through, but it seems to only include the credit card I would like to use only for the final $10).

So, my question to people more familiar with Steam/Firaxis is: is it likely the digital package will change prices or go away entirely if I wait until release day? Or is it likely to stay around at the same price point? I am not sure if this is a pre-purchase special price, or just an example of this "season pass" concept I've been hearing about.

Alternatively, should I bite the bullet and go to a physical location? (In my current case, that might involve crossing international boundaries, so I'd rather not)

Thank you,

Grey Wolf

[Krade]

It looks like it's just the game + all planned DLC for less than those things sold separately (plus the soundtrack which doesn't seem to be offered otherwise). So if you were planning on getting all the DLC, it's definitely a better way to go than buying a la carte.

I don't think "Digital Deluxe Editions" usually go away after launch. It probably also won't change price. But as I do not have an inside line to the Firaxis marketing department, this is all really just conjecture based on past trends. So I'm probably right, but I make no promises.

[Rawhide]

Good day,

I was hoping I could get some help with a prospective purchase I'm considering. I am interested in the XCOM 2 digital package pre-purchase, priced $75. I have enough gift cards for GameStop that I will be able to purchase it for about $10. However, I am having trouble pre-paying for it with the many gift cards (the order goes through, but it seems to only include the credit card I would like to use only for the final $10).

So, my question to people more familiar with Steam/Firaxis is: is it likely the digital package will change prices or go away entirely if I wait until release day? Or is it likely to stay around at the same price point? I am not sure if this is a pre-purchase special price, or just an example of this "season pass" concept I've been hearing about.

Alternatively, should I bite the bullet and go to a physical location? (In my current case, that might involve crossing international boundaries, so I'd rather not)

Thank you,

Grey Wolf

The XCOM 2 Digital Deluxe version appears to be a just a collection of a) the base game, b) a season pass like thing (with some rather disappointing looking packs) that they are not calling a season pass (which implies there's likely to be much more DLC not included, maybe a full blown expansion), and c) the soundtrack. The Digital Deluxe version is not likely to go away. What will go away, however, is the pre-order bonus available for the pre-purchase of any edition. It will almost certainly return as a paid option, though.

[Yana]

So after the winter sale, I found myself with Borderlands 1.5 and its season pass. Would anyone be interested in playing it with me at some point?

[Geno9999]

So after the winter sale, I found myself with Borderlands 1.5 and its season pass. Would anyone be interested in playing it with me at some point?

I'm interested, haven't really played much besides as Nisha and Athena anyway.

[Fri]

I don't know where else I could ask this. I already asked the steam support, but so far they're not really helpful, so I'm wondering if you guys have experience about this.

Consider there are three person, Alice, Bob, and Charlie.

Alice live in South East Asia, Bob lives in Europe, Charlie lives in United States.

Alice cannot gift to Bob in Europe because region restriction, this is clear.

Charlie can gift to both Bob and Alice.

My question is, for example if Charlie gift X game to Alice, can Alice gift that specific X game to Bob?

[Rawhide]

I don't know where else I could ask this. I already asked the steam support, but so far they're not really helpful, so I'm wondering if you guys have experience about this.

Consider there are three person, Alice, Bob, and Charlie.

Alice live in South East Asia, Bob lives in Europe, Charlie lives in United States.

Alice cannot gift to Bob in Europe because region restriction, this is clear.

Charlie can gift to both Bob and Alice.

My question is, for example if Charlie gift X game to Alice, can Alice gift that specific X game to Bob?

From experience: Once a game has been bought as an inventory item, that inventory item is locked to the region where it was bought (including no region restrictions, if bought in a region with no restrictions for that particular game). The game can be passed even to someone in a region that cannot activate it (e.g. Germany), as the region restrictions only come into play when they try to activate. It can pass through as many hands as need be, and it keeps the original restrictions (or lack thereof).

However, if activated to your account, you cannot buy a new copy with the original restriction. New gift copies will always be in your region, even if you activated a copy from another region.

So, assuming that nothing has changed and your scenario is correct, Charlie could gift a game to Alice, who doesn't activate it and gives the unactivated gift item to Bob. But, if Alice activates it, she can't buy a new one to give to Bob.

[Fri]

Thank you, that's exactly what I need. I guess to make sure, I could buy a 50 cent game and try to pass it through multiple people as this scenario.

[Landis963]

I'm trying to wrangle my Steam Controller, specifically for Dungeon of the Endless, but the problems I'm having are endemic to playing any of my mouse+keyboard games with just the controller (I don't have a mouse handy, just in case you ask). How exactly do I get it so that wonky things like (in DotE's case) left mouse button defaulting to right trigger instead of, oh I don't know, the A button don't happen? Is there a place in the options where I can set up a default config? Any pointers as to what I should do with all the buttons once I'm there?

[Lunix Vandal]

I'm trying to wrangle my Steam Controller, specifically for Dungeon of the Endless, but the problems I'm having are endemic to playing any of my mouse+keyboard games with just the controller (I don't have a mouse handy, just in case you ask). How exactly do I get it so that wonky things like (in DotE's case) left mouse button defaulting to right trigger instead of, oh I don't know, the A button don't happen? Is there a place in the options where I can set up a default config? Any pointers as to what I should do with all the buttons once I'm there?

In Big Picture mode with your Steam Controller turned on, navigate to a game and choose Manage Game => Controller Configuration. From that menu you can customize any button on the controller -- including remapping the touchpads and joystick, changing the level of haptic feedback, and enabling the gyroscope.

Choose Browse Configs (X) to check what layouts have already been uploaded to Steam -- the "Gamepad" and "Gamepad with Camera" options in the Templates menu generally mimic the XBox controller's layout. Newer and more popular games generally have a pile of user-made layouts in the Community section as well.

Once you find or tweak a layout to your liking, use Export Config (Y) to save it. Once you've exported a layout, it will appear in the Browse Configs menu under "Your Other Games" when you open Controller Configuration for another game.

[Landis963]

In Big Picture mode with your Steam Controller turned on, navigate to a game and choose Manage Game => Controller Configuration. From that menu you can customize any button on the controller -- including remapping the touchpads and joystick, changing the level of haptic feedback, and enabling the gyroscope.

Choose Browse Configs (X) to check what layouts have already been uploaded to Steam -- the "Gamepad" and "Gamepad with Camera" options in the Templates menu generally mimic the XBox controller's layout. Newer and more popular games generally have a pile of user-made layouts in the Community section as well.

Once you find or tweak a layout to your liking, use Export Config (Y) to save it. Once you've exported a layout, it will appear in the Browse Configs menu under "Your Other Games" when you open Controller Configuration for another game.

And what should one do with all the buttons? Obviously right pad is camera and left pad is movement (unless you want to use the joystick for that purpose), the A button is equivalent to the left click, and the B button is equivalent to "back", but what does one do with the triggers, bumpers, and clickers? Not to mention, of course, buttons X and Y? I'm just looking for a good way to allocate all those resources in ways that work for the grand majority of games (because the default certainly doesn't work).

[Lunix Vandal]

And what should one do with all the buttons? Obviously right pad is camera and left pad is movement (unless you want to use the joystick for that purpose), the A button is equivalent to the left click, and the B button is equivalent to "back", but what does one do with the triggers, bumpers, and clickers? Not to mention, of course, buttons X and Y? I'm just looking for a good way to allocate all those resources in ways that work for the grand majority of games (because the default certainly doesn't work).

As I said, for the "grand majority of games" that already support a controller, the "Gamepad" or "Gamepad with Camera" templates will start you off well, since they match the XBox setup for which most games in the last ~5 years were designed (and will most often prompt those games to switch from having keyboard prompts on-screen to having XBox prompts that match your controller).

For games that don't have built-in XBox controller support, you have to consider on a game-by-game basis what buttons you need. For a wholly mouse-driven game like AdVenture Capitalist or Papers, Please, that may mean you only need a touchpad to move the mouse and one button to left-click. On the extreme other end, my XCOM 2 layout uses both touchpads, the joystick, one button for each different key you need to move and select your soldiers, and -- because I ran out of buttons -- holding the left grip pad turns the "mouse" touchpad into a pop-up menu of the hotkeys for psi powers, special attack skills, grenades, and evac. There is no "one best layout" that will work for everything.

[Landis963]

game-by-game basis

I was afraid of that. I get your point about things that already have controller support (like, say, Bastion), but I get the feeling that for some games (like Dungeon of the Endless) I'd need to double-bind a few things to make them all work correctly. I need to write down the major key shortcuts, which reeks of homework.