The Valve and Steam Platform Discussion Thread

[Steamboat Willie]

Giving something a low score because of DRM or whatever is actually reviewing the product. Those should not be removed, and I don't think we have an example of Valve doing that.

Valve specifically said in the announcement that DRM would not be considered a legitimate reason for a negative review and would get the review hidden.

Q: I care about some things that I worry other players don't, like DRM or EULA changes. Review bombs have been about them in the past. Do you consider them unrelated or off-topic?

A: We had long debates about these two, and others like them. They're technically not a part of the game, but they are an issue for some players. In the end, we've decided to define them as off-topic review bombs.

 

[DalekFlay]

Well that's bullshit.

 

[Country_Gravy]

That's why you shouldn't look a Steam reviews and get all your gaming advice from the Codex.

 

[Alienman]

And never play anything again

 

[LESS T_T]

#10 - Totally Accurate Battle Simulator
#9 - The Elder Scrolls Online - Crown Packs
#8 - Forager
#7 - Total War: WARHAMMER II - The Prophet & The Warlock
#6 - Grand Theft Auto V
#5 - Anno 1800
#4 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
#3 - PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
#2 - Anno 1800
#1 - Risk of Rain 2

More like raining money. Wonder why they needed Gearbox to publish on PC.

Two big releases, Imperator and MK11, and two indie games are on the top. But like other big releases they have separated entries so...

#10 - MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
#9 - Imperator: Rome Deluxe Edition Prepurchase
#8 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
#7 - Imperator: Rome Prepurchase
#6 - Mortal Kombat 11
#5 - Imperator: Rome
#4 - Mortal Kombat 11
#3 - PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
#2 - Risk of Rain 2
#1 - Forager

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

That's why you shouldn't look a Steam reviews and get all your gaming advice from the Codex.

those trustworthy neutral positive reviews amirite?

 

[Sentinel]

I'm not sure anyone posted this before, but apparently Valve continues their open-source tirade, this time with a physics-based audio system with HRTF-based binaural audio free for anyone to use independent of Steam. Compatible with Unity, Unreal Engine, and available as a C API, compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS and Android.

It's from 2017, but got a pretty big update recently.

https://valvesoftware.github.io/steam-audio/downloads.html
https://steamcommunity.com/app/596420/allnews/

Beta 17: Dynamic Geometry with Embree
30 APR @ 12:06AM - LAKULISH
Starting with Steam Audio v.2.0-beta.17[valvesoftware.github.io], Steam Audio supports dynamic geometry when modeling all sound propagation effects, including occlusion, transmission, source-dependent reflections, and listener-centric reverb. At this time, this functionality requires the use of the Embree ray tracer, which is supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS. In addition to the C API, this functionality is available in the Unity plugin (as well as the FMOD Studio plugin, when used in conjunction with the Unity plugin).



(This video contains audio; you may have to unmute it to listen.)

In particular, Steam Audio handles rigid-body motion of objects, which means an object can move, rotate, or be scaled, and Steam Audio will update the acoustics appropriately. Deformable or breakable objects are not supported.

To use this functionality in Unity, first enable Embree as described in the documentation. Next, attach a Steam Audio Dynamic Object component to any GameObject that should be treated as dynamic geometry, such as a door. Configure the material properties of the dynamic object as needed, then click Export to export the geometry data to a file. Now, at run-time, when the dynamic object moves (either through scripting, physics, or user interaction), Steam Audio will automatically update acoustics to match.

You can also attach Steam Audio Dynamic Object components to prefabs, and export their geometry data to a file. In this case, not only does Steam Audio handle the motion of prefab instances, it also updates the acoustics when prefabs are instantiated or destroyed. For example, as the above video shows, as soon as a wall object is added to the scene, we start hearing reflections from it. Once four walls and a roof are added, we automatically have reverb.

NOTE: Steam Audio v2.0-beta.16 introduced a more limited form of dynamic geometry support in the Unity plugin. This feature only modeled occlusion and transmission due to dynamic objects, and involved using Unity's built-in ray tracer. While this feature requires less work in terms of geometry tagging and scene setup, the new functionality introduced in v2.0-beta.17 supports dynamic geometry when modeling the full range of acoustic phenomena.

 

[lophiaspis]

Why haven't they released their whole engine as open source already? So anyone could make and sell anything with no licensing fees, and add plugins for free or for profit. You would turn Steam into the biggest content creation network and take a bite out of Epic.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Bury me, my Love is a Text Messaging Adventure game about Nour, a Syrian migrant trying to find her way to Europe. Her husband Majd, who remains behind in Syria,

ah yes, I remember all those women who were seeking refuge in europe. It definitely wasn't hordes of men invading, just a bunch of women by themselves while their husbands stayed behind

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/half-life-VR-rumor-index/

There's a 1 percent chance Valve announces a Half-Life VR game this week
And a slightly higher chance it gives us details on its VR headset.

Predicting what Valve is and isn't going to do is a losing game, even with reliable information, so I'm giving myself a 1 percent chance of getting this completely right.

Valve is going to reveal the specs of its VR headset, the Valve Index, very soon, and we have good reason to believe it'll reveal some VR games along with it—one of which is rumored to be a Half-Life game.

Valve told me on April 1 that it was "targeting May 1st for pre orders and a full announcement" of the Valve Index. That plan may have changed (especially because the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal is also happening this week), but the announcement will probably happen soon, because Valve also told me that it wants to start shipping hardware in June. I've asked Valve if this Wednesday is still the big day, and will update this post if I hear back.

We also know for sure that Valve has been working on three VR games, which Gabe Newell described as full-sized games (as opposed to tech demo-like projects such as The Lab) in February 2017. "We think we can make three big VR games," Newell said at the time. "We think that we know enough now to do that, and we're going to find out if that’s the case. We're pretty sure that all the other game developers are going to learn positive or negative lessons from what we do, which is sort of where we have to be right now."

Valve didn't tell me whether or not it's going to announce any of those games when pre-orders for the Index open up, but that seems like the obvious move. I'd be surprised if one or more weren't bundled with the headset to drive sales.

Now for the Half-Life part of it: In November of last year, a source told UploadVRthat one of the three upcoming Valve VR games is a Half-Life prequel. At the same time, UploadVR's sources confirmed that leaked images of the Valve Index were the real deal, and that turned out to be true. The photos from November 2018 look just like the actual hardware that was revealed earlier this month.

Additionally, Valve News Network reported in March that "hlvr" and references to a shotgun appear in a Dota 2 update. Valve game files are full of references to other games, and that doesn't always mean anything, but it does strengthen the credibility of UploadVR's report from last year.

To recap, here's what we know for sure:

• Valve is going to reveal the specs of the Valve Index soon, possibly on Wednesday.
• Valve plans to start taking pre-orders at the same time as the announcement.
• Valve plans to start shipping the headsets in June.
• Valve has been developing three "big" VR games for at least a couple years.

And here's what we're speculating about:

• Valve will probably announce one or more of its VR games with the Index specs.
• One or more games may be bundled with the Index.
• One of the games is rumored to be a Half-Life game, though not Half-Life 3.

As always with Valve, there's a small chance it does what all signs suggest it's going to do, and a much bigger chance it throws us a curveball at 5 pm on a Friday evening—but I'm certain that I'm at least partially right about all this.

We'll be keeping an eye on the Valve Index Steam page this Wednesday to see if anything happens, whether it includes Half-Life or not.

 

[LESS T_T]

Announced. $499 for the headset alone, $999 for a bundle that includes base stations and controllers:
https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1059530/Valve_Index_Headset/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1059570/Valve_Index_Base_Station/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1059550/Valve_Index_Controllers/

No game announcement becuase Valve, but eh...



edit: oh yeah.. https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-vr-game/

Valve teases 'flagship' VR game coming this year

I only gave myself a one percent chance of being correct when I suggested that Valve might bolster its Valve Index VR headset announcement by also announcing the Half-Life VR game that's been rumored for a while, and I'm thankful for the 99 percent leeway I gave myself.

Instead of announcing one of the three "big" VR games we know Valve is working on, it highlighted some other, non-Valve games, and merely teased a "flagship VR game" coming later this year for SteamVR-compatible headsets (The Index and the HTC Vive, mainly).

I was making sense yesterday, right? I mean, if you're trying to sell a VR kit that costs a grand, of course you bundle an exciting game with it to get those pre-orders rolling.

Unless you're Valve.

At least I was right about one thing: "Predicting what Valve is and isn't going to do is a losing game, even with reliable information."

As for whether or not a Half-Life VR game exists at all, I think the evidence (which I run down in yesterday's article) is pretty compelling, but we'll have to wait a little longer to find out what this "flagship" game is, though the word does imply it comes from one of Valve's most beloved series.

Along with the Index announcement, Valve included screenshots of a controller tech demo called Aperture Hand Labs, so at least we know it's still messing around in the universe. Here's what that looks like:

I'll reiterate, however, that predicting what Valve is and isn't going to do is a losing game, even with reliable information.

 

[Morgoth]

"Flagship VR game"

Ricochet 2?

 

[Black]

Hell yeah, Artifact VR.

 

[Belegarsson]

That price though...

 

[lophiaspis]

Half-Life One-Half: Origins: Returns: Rise Of The Freeman. A thrilling VR walking simulator set in the corridors of MIT, explore the origin story of the famous hero as you struggle to pass deadlines and beat exams.

Nah it's most likely Portal.

 

[Solid Snail]

I hope the flagship VR title is also non-VR.

 

[Sentinel]

At a reveal event last week, Valve representatives said the Index's high cost (it's one of the most expensive headsets on the market) is due to the philosophy behind its development The Index is intended both as a high-fidelity, high-end headset for experienced VR users, and to remove hardware barriers for developers working in VR and increase the library of content available, rather than focusing on an affordable or low-barrier piece of equipment for users.

 

[J_C]

That price though...

Good luck getting VR mainstream with those prices (and this is not about just this one. Every VR set is overpriced.)

 

[Jenkem]

the price of the headset seems reasonable, it's the price of the controllers and base station that seems out of whack... ESPECIALLY the base station.

 

[Country_Gravy]

This will be the greatest gaming hardware of all time.

As long as it supports VR porn and comes with a fleshlight attachment.

 

[Sentinel]

Out of stock shortly after release.

 

[Dexter]

 

[Sentinel]

Top Sellers list is by revenue generated, so it's not very useful.

 

[Irata]

I had to laugh when I ran that "Are you ready for Index" program and the only reason why I wasn't ready was because I was running Windows (and I'm not running an older version).

 

[Jenkem]

I find it odd how much people here hate on VR but then I remember a lot of eastern europeans are here and they often have to choose between kasha and soap so I can see why such a high-end purchase would seem ridiculous