The Valve and Steam Platform Discussion Thread

[rusty_shackleford]

Anything not VR would feel like a downgrade after Alyx. Not sure how you continue Gordon's story in VR but that's up to them to figure out. I really hope that bit about Valve's negative outlook on PCVR isn't true.

It sucks that Facebook is acquiring everyone worth a damn in the VR space but there's so much room for innovation and weird experimentation, they could spend the next twenty years buying anyone who makes something interesting. Yeah, it sucks that a whole bunch of studios that made interesting PCVR games are now stuck developing shit for Facebook's proprietary untethered ARM devices but I'm not sure if I'll ever miss them.

Even if I did, there'll be an emulator to account for Facebook's bullshit somewhere down the line.

VRcuck cope posting

 

[ADL]

VRcuck cope posting

A rating isn't enough for this

 

[rusty_shackleford]

VRcuck cope posting

A rating isn't enough for this

Vrcucks have to wear a vr headset to see a reality where they aren't jokes.

 

[OSK]

Looks like Steam is coming to ChromeOS very soon: https://www.androidpolice.com/official-steam-for-chromebooks-support-could-launch-this-month/

LinuxSupport++

Hopefully this results in Google providing direct support to Proton.

 

[Poseidon00]

VR is based and the best way to experience an rpg, actually.

 

[pakoito]

Hopefully this results in Google providing direct support to Proton.

I've been in Big Tech long enough to know they won't. There's no real benefit for them as they don't need the core gamer demographic, and I wouldn't be surprised if they worked against it because it threatens their walled garden model.

 

[OSK]

Hopefully this results in Google providing direct support to Proton.

I've been in Big Tech long enough to know they won't. There's no real benefit for them as they don't need the core gamer demographic, and I wouldn't be surprised if they worked against it because it threatens their walled garden model.

Normally I'd agree with you. Google in particular likes to benefit from from Linux, and open source in general, while giving as little back as possible. Just looking at gaming in particular, Google Stadia runs all their games on Linux servers and I don't think I've seen anything come out of that to benefit Linux gaming at all.

I think this situation could be different. Google wants to take over the PC market like they have the mobile one. They've been following the same footsteps Microsoft took to make Windows the most used desktop operating system. Microsoft aggressively attacked schools with free or reduced hardware running Windows. Those children grew up only knowing Windows. When those children entered the workforce, employers were pretty much forced to use Windows because that's what the entire workforce was trained on. Google has already made tremendous headway into schools by undercutting Microsoft with cheap Chromebooks. Instead of one or two computer labs, elementary schools now have a cart of Chromebooks for each classroom. The pandemic helped bring those Chromebooks out of schools and into children's homes. Now Google needs to make sure those children continue to use Chromebooks as they get older. They do that by creating beefier Chromebooks and expanding their uses. I think gaming is a key piece for them to get right to keep those children on Chromebooks as they become teens and young adults. I don't think Google would be satisfied with just having Android games running on their Chromebooks. The easiest route to get serious gaming on their machines is via Proton with Valve's help.

Google has already shown they have enough muscle to get developers to release Vulkan versions of their games for running on Google Stadia. If Google can just get developers to release Vulkan builds of their games, that alone is a pretty large boon to Linux gaming. But the rumors are that there is going to have a Chromebook compatibility rating, just like what Valve is doing with Steam Deck, and that's going to be done with a dedicated team at Google. Hopefully that's not just QA, but also development directly to Proton to help ensure big titles run on their machines.

Even if Google never directly supports Proton, at the very least, the combined market share of Linux, the Steam Deck, and Chromebooks might start forcing developers to start caring about how their games run on Linux.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/3104663180636096966

December 3rd Update


Four more titles have been added to the list of Proton enabled BattlEye games. The complete list of supported games is now:

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
ARK: Survival Evolved
Arma 3
DayZ
Unturned
Planetside 2

Wonder if the real reason Valve delayed the Steam deck was to give developers of popular games with anticheat more time to get their games working on proton. The difference in games that work on linux in singleplayer vs multiplayer is massive due to anticheat. There's only 1 singleplayer game in the top 100 singleplayer games that doesn't work. Top 10 with multiplayer included has 6 games that don't work.

 

[OSK]

The reason we've been seeing BattlEye games adding support is that the developers just need to fire off an email: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/...on-linux-including-dayz-arma-3-now-supported/

EAC requires an SDK update.

 

[Dexter]

Jeri Ellsworth interview of how Valve stalked her to recruit her for their hardware lab back in ~2010, about how Abrash (who she calls her "Arch Nemesis") stabbed her in the back and shut down AR efforts, then left for Facebook with various VR people and how that decision led to the HTC Vive etc. and talking about how Carmack came by and the VR group shared all their shit with Oculus, also lots of anecdotes about Gabe, also basically called Zuckerberg a dickhead that behaves like he's royalty with all his handlers and security at one point: https://voicesofvr.com/1021-magical...ic-journey-from-valve-to-castar-to-tilt-five/

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110/view/3021345321166094345

Steam Labs Experiment 13: Store Hubs
Browse every niche of Steam with powerful new views



With Steam Labs Experiment 10 last December, we introduced dozens of new genres, categories, and tags to our store’s navigation. Today we're launching Experiment 13, where we’ve revamped these destinations, or store hubs, with powerful new tools for browsing, filtering, and exploring deeper into each category.

When you join the experiment from the Steam Labs page, you will find that every category and tag page on the store has been updated, introducing these new layouts and features to hundreds of niche destinations throughout. You'll encounter these pages by exploring the "Categories" drop-down in the store menu, or by clicking on tags from a game's store page.

Including new ways to browse every niche of Steam

Rich Recommendations Carousel
The most notable feature of the new hubs is the carousel of featured games right at the top of the page. Much like our previous design, this area features new, top-selling, and discounted titles through the lens of our recommendations system which takes into account the games you’ve played, your friends' recommendations, and the curators and developers you follow. The new carousel features more metadata about each game, including tags, release date, and review score, plus a large presentation of the game’s micro trailer, a feature which you may remember from Steam Labs Experiment 1.

Spoiler

Recent & Upcoming Events
Keep up to date on the latest news, updates, and events happening in games across Steam, niche by niche. Within each hub, you'll find a section featuring in-game events, recent updates, and news posts from the developers of games you play, those you wish for, or those which are recommended for you.

More Personalized Recommendations
Our tag-driven recommendations are also listed for you on the new hubs, making it easy to discover titles tagged similarly to the games you've been enjoying.

Items from Your Wishlist
Relevant items you've added to your Wishlist are now conveniently displayed on every Store Hub.

Powerful Sorts & Filters
Our new content hub design features powerful new filtering tools which we first introduced with Steam Labs Experiment 12. This new section allows you to sort by new and trending, top selling, top rated, or discount amount. And you can filter by features, tags, or your own shopping preferences like language support or whether to hide some of the games you've already discovered.


Try it out, then let us know what you think!
To join this experiment and try the new Store Hubs, just visit the Steam Labs page and click on "Join The Store Hubs Experiment" for Experiment 13. It will redirect you to one of the updated hubs so you can start exploring right away.

Join the Experiment


Once you've joined the experiment
, you can find just the thing you're looking for, such as upcoming co-op survival games, the new and trending atmospheric, story-rich, open world games, the top-rated roguelike space games, current deals on third-person, single player action games, or whatever your thing might be.

You can also check out an example of the themes these new hubs enable. Our Space Hub demonstrates this theming in action.

Have a feature request in the new hubs? Spot a bug? Want to express your thoughts? Join us in the discussion forums. We'd love to hear what you think.

 

[El Presidente]

Apparently Steam got banned in China

https://www.thegamer.com/steam-banned-china-christmas-day/

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Apparently Steam got banned in China

https://www.thegamer.com/steam-banned-china-christmas-day/

Best Christmas present in a long time.

 

[Infinitron]

The limited Steam China version is still running. Not so surprising, presumably they created that for a reason.

 

[Baron Dupek]

 

[Lhynn]

Apparently Steam got banned in China

https://www.thegamer.com/steam-banned-china-christmas-day/

Best Christmas present in a long time.

While i find the whole situation funny, i have no clue why you be hating on steam, its easily the best alternative.

 

[Dexter]

Top Selling Games of 2021: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/BestOf2021?cc=us

Spoiler

Top Selling VR Games of 2021: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/BestOf2021?cc=us&tab=5

Spoiler

Most Played Games in 2021: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/BestOf2021?cc=us&tab=3

Spoiler

Top New Releases in 2021 (by month): https://store.steampowered.com/sale/BestOf2021?cc=us&tab=2

 

[OSK]

How is Team Fortress 2 still pulling in so much money?

 

[Caim]

How is Team Fortress 2 still pulling in so much money?

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Sure do love 600kb patches grinding out near a gig and a half god DAMN it. I realize that's better than downloading a 1.2 gig lump but it still drives me up the wall every time a game fixes precisely one Grimoire-sized micro issue and gets my hard drive grinding like wild.

 

[LESS T_T]

Nice QoL additions from today's beta client update. Yeah probably the major motivation behind these additions is Steam Deck, but still good for desktop: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/4515423468952376216

Steam Beta Client - January 31st

The Steam client beta has been updated with the following changes:

Library

• Game details screen will now show disk space required for games that are not installed

Steam Input

• Improve handling of changes to controller calibration, rumble on/off settings, etc when offline.

Steam Cloud

• Add sync status to App Details page in Library
  
• Add manual retry of Cloud sync for an app by clicking the above status if failed
  
• If disconnected from Steam on game exit, queue sync for next time we re-connect
  
• Fix to properly track file changes for games which use AutoCloud when playing offline
  
• Improve game launch process when offline (remove most instances of long timeouts)
  
• Update sync failure / conflict dialogs

 

[Infinitron]

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/3104662546564716821

Steam Promotions Calendar, Discount Tools and Policy Updates
Details on sales and events for the first half of 2022, and new tools to help schedule and plan for them

Hello Steam game developers!

We know that being able to plan ahead is really important for running your business. Today we have news of a few items we’ve designed to help schedule and manage pricing discounts.

First, we’re announcing some new policies around the timing of discounts. These will be taking effect on March 28 and are intended to make discount eligibility more predictable and allow for more participation opportunities throughout the year.

We're also excited to announce the beta availability of new tools for managing participation in available opportunities across your portfolio of products.

Last but not least, we’re sharing the next six months of Steam’s promotional calendar, featuring dates and themes of upcoming sales and events.

Let's dig into the details

Discount Policy Changes Coming
Starting March 28, 2022, we'll be shortening the required cooldown period between discounts on Steam to four weeks (28 days to be exact) from the previous six week term. This means there must now be just 28 days between the end of one discount and the start of the next discount. Moving forward, all discount opportunities will be subject to this same 28-day cooldown period, with the only exceptions being our four major store-wide seasonal sales: Lunar New Year, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

For more details, please see Discount Rule Changes documentation.

New Bulk Discounting Tools - In Beta
Starting today, we're opening beta access for all developers to a new bulk discounting tool for managing participation in promotional events. This tool is a centralized place where you can see all the promotions for which your game(s) qualify. It offers options to filter for specific games and events, register for participation, and set discounts. This new tool will also flag when a game is eligible for promotional events that are within the discount cooldown period, so you can easily view timing tradeoffs and make decisions about event participation.

You can also create custom discounts, and add multiple games to be offered at the same time. For those with multiple games on Steam, we hope this will make it much easier to set up things like simultaneous custom discounts on all your games, or sales on a base game and all its associated DLC.

Check out the new tools

Promo Calendar 2022
Here is our official promotions schedule for the first half of 2022. There are a number of themed sales coming up that may or may not apply to your games. For each event, we will be sending out invitations to eligible games, generally 2-3 months ahead of time. In the meantime, consider which of your games might be a fit for each event. Remember that you might have to make some tradeoffs if a game is eligible for two sale events that are within 28 days of one another.

Check out the full promotional calendar and more details here: https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming_events

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will there still be sale events that accompany other physical and digital festivals?

A. Absolutely! If you have been invited to participate in a Steam sale event organized by someone outside of Valve (eg. physical events such as PAX or Gamescom; regional events such as a Made in France sale) you'll just need to consider whether that event works for the discount cooldown timing on your game. It's also fine to participate in events like that without being on discount.

Q. Will these new discount cooldowns apply to curated promotions too?

A. Yes, discount cooldowns will apply to promotions like Daily Deals, Midweek Madness, Weekend Deals, Weeklong deals, publisher weekends, and any custom discounts. Any discount applied to a game must have 28 days between the end of one discount and the beginning of the next discount. The only exceptions to this cooldown are the four major seasonal sales: Lunar New Year, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

 

[Alphard]

Tl dr? What chaned about discounts?

 

[Syl]

Tl dr? What chaned about discounts?

4 < 6

 

[Alphard]

Tl dr? What chaned about discounts?

4 < 6

Yeah thanks, i have stopped reading there. I got the shortening of period between discounts, but then there is another WOT.