Free Valve Games For Debian Developers

So, can you install and run them without running Steam? I thought it was impossible for any games offered there. To provide DRM-free offerings Valve should address the installation / backup step first.

You install them via Steam, then you can copy them out of that SteamApps/common directory and play them without it.

I wasn't talking about Steamworks lock-in, which developers can avoid if they wish. It's bad of course. I was talking about requiring to run the client and connecting to the service to install the game. It's step 1 DRM, and no, Steam offers no packages outside the service. Sometimes you can manually copy stuff and reuse, but that's not an official support when the service provides a package (like HB and GOG do). Therefore I consider Steam to be always DRMed.

To clarify, it's not about a burden of logging in anywhere. It's about an ability to install (from a backup for example) and run the game without the service.

Using certain software to manage downloads and installation !=DRM. Using Steam to download a game doesn't mean it is DRMed even if it can only be downloaded that way. If a developer decided to only upload their DRM free game as a torrent you would HAVE to use a torrent client to download a game, that wouldn't make the game any less DRM free. In the case of DRM free games on Steam, Steam is simply a download manager. A game is DRM free independent of its delivery method. A developer could decide to sell usernames and passwords to a FTP server as its only delivery method and it would still be DRM free. With the games that are DRM free on Steam you can take the files Steam provides you and back them up and/or create installers and/or packages from those files that you could then proceed to install on any computer you want to. You could do this with any DRM free game on Steam including for example HL2(Yes it is DRM free I checked my self). 

Deja vu Shmerl ;)

What Kristian said. How is logging into Steam to download a game any different to firing up the browser and logging into my Humble account. Steam's easier for me and more convenient. Unless you want to psychically download the game with your mind or by magic (which also involves firing up your wand) then you're going to have to download it with something by logging in somewhere! And if it's a free download then you won't have to use Steam anyway.

As for the games - that's up to the game dev. Complain to them. I have backups of all releases of "Sir You Are Being Hunted" which all run from wherever they're backed up to without Steam running. It's that simple.

It is as much a burden as logging into a website to download rather than having a dedicated link to download.

I'm sorry, but that's stupid. On Desura, I can freely download even Windows-only games to play them with wine (as much as I hate the necessity). With Steam, I have to reinstall the whole Steam client in Wine because Linux-Steam won't let me download Windows-only games.
This is especially stupid when we're talking about AGS games: I can run them natively with an AGS build from the sources, but I would still have to install Steam in Wine to download them.

It is as much a burden as logging into a website to download rather than having a dedicated link to download.

I'm sorry, but that's stupid. On Desura, I can freely download even Windows-only games to play them with wine (as much as I hate the necessity). With Steam, I have to reinstall the whole Steam client in Wine because Linux-Steam won't let me download Windows-only games.
This is especially stupid when we're talking about AGS games: I can run them natively with an AGS build from the sources, but I would still have to install Steam in Wine to download them.

So because Steam doesn't make it super easy to do something the game developers haven't done (include the native ags) that makes Steam DRM does it? The desura client doesnt let you you download windows games.

Some people need to take off their tinfoil hats. I am getting bored with this argument here.

Steam by itself is a download client/browser that offers game developers a choice on DRM.

Linux-Steam won't let me download Windows-only games.

Maybe you could try this :
[https://github.com/dotfloat/steam-appmanifest](https://github.com/dotfloat/steam-appmanifest)

So because Steam doesn't make it super easy to do something the game developers haven't done (include the native ags) that makes Steam DRM does it?

I didn't say that. I don't care about the purely psychological distinction of whether it counts as DRM or not. I said that what you said, namely "It is as much a burden as logging into a website", is quite stupid, and demonstrated how it's more of a burden than that.

Maybe you could try this :
[https://github.com/dotfloat/steam-appmanifest](https://github.com/dotfloat/steam-appmanifest)

Oooh, that's interesting! Thanks. :)

ohh my... 5 pages of DRM debate.
if you dont like it then dont use it imo... simple as that.
i like to have a centralized software that keeps my games in sync and "prevents" multiplayer games from hackers, adds matchmaking, achievments, tracks game hours and what not..

i dont download games from humblebunde page usualy, because i hate to keep them up to date and following everything to see if there are new updates.

yes desura offers similar thing for game updates and has drm freee games, but its far from perfect.

yes its sometimes frustrating when servers are down and you cannot play, but i take that every time before some random sites to download games and keep them up to date.. those random sites might shut down and you loose your game if you have lost your backups also.


to the topic:
nice to see that they are giving their games to the ones who deserve them :)
thats how you build a community!

What Xpander said.

I love DRM-free as much as anyone, but I'd be pressing the game developers to provide DRM-free version rather than hounding the Steam service, because they're just providing the games to you, keeping them up to date and a bunch of other community features etc (if the dev chose to implement them) and Valve will likely never change that.

If Valve forced every game added to their library to be DRM-free, they would likely have a far smaller library and therefore less customers.
The change has to start with the devs themselves IMO. Steam is just another vehicle of distribution, albeit a very influential one, but there's only so much compromising they would do to their service.

if you dont like it then dont use it imo... simple as that.

As simple as if you think Steam is DRM-free please stop trying to shove that view down other's throats, at least be kind to us when we say we're waiting for a truly DRM-free Steam. It would even benefit you and others.

From arguments read here I get that some think using key codes and disk keys isn't DRM, just a minor inconvenience. Well, we certainly come from different places, that was called DRM in the 80s and 90s, maybe not so popular methods today but they were back then.

If Steam's DRM isn't a big inconvenient to you or you have found some easy ways around it, that doesn't mean it isn't DRM anymore. When Steam allows some way to buy and play games like HS or Desura do some of us will follow, that's all we want to say without being turned down.

What Xpander said.

I love DRM-free as much as anyone, but I'd be pressing the game developers to provide DRM-free version rather than hounding the Steam service, because they're just providing the games to you, keeping them up to date and a bunch of other community features etc (if the dev chose to implement them) and Valve will likely never change that.

If Valve forced every game added to their library to be DRM-free, they would likely have a far smaller library and therefore less customers.
The change has to start with the devs themselves IMO. Steam is just another vehicle of distribution, albeit a very influential one, but there's only so much compromising they would do to their service.

They don't need to force developers to go DRM-free, but at least they could label their games so you know what you're buying. I think they don't do that because they don't hold to any DRM-free promise.

If Valve wants to make a positive move, they should start offering DRM free games, rather than "free" games. That would be a welcome step. And it's time for them to address the issue of DRM anyway.

I bought Paranautical Activity from Steam and it's DRM-free. Unfortunately it not ported to linux as was planned...

Come on @Shmerl! I like your approach but don't be bigoted.

You know full well that the requirement to download a game via a download-service isn't DRM.
The question is whether you can run and save the game without the parent-service running and yes you can do so with a lot of steam games. There's even a growing list of DRM-free steam games out there.

They are even distrupting the whole business by opening up the consoles.
Now they honor debian devs, basically saying they consider them family and all you have to acknowledge is how you're butthurt that your perceived white knight in the game turns out to be a wimpy chicken, not risking a cent of their revenue for your rescue?

They don't need to force developers to go DRM-free, but at least they could label their games so you know what you're buying. I think they don't do that because they don't hold to any DRM-free promise.

I agree, this is the main reason why I am not a Steam user. I tried some of the DRM-free games lists out there, but they are incomplete and inaccurate.

Well folks we do have a wiki http://www.gamingonlinux.com/crowdfunding/

If anyone wants to they can feel free to create a DRM free games on Steam list.

I wouldn't expect them to give out DRM free games because Steam.

Why? In many cases developers have no objections to DRM-free distribution (and sell the same games on HB and GOG DRM-free for example). It's only Steam service limitations prevent DRM-free options from being offered. So as I said - it's time for Valve to address that. And that would be welcome. Offering games at no charge but with DRM? No, thanks.

That's just your opinion, I play Dota 2 a lot and you can only buy items to change your look, narrator, skin or currier, nothing which gives you advantage over other players.

@Hamish [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derogatory](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derogatory)

DRM wasn't what the news was about, you're all off on a tangent and my statement is derogatory? You have to be British... (there's your derogatory)

I perfectly know what that word means.

I agree that this whole DRM debate was not what this news was about, and it is actually off-topic, but your comment quickly devolved into a very cheap shot.

Although, my comment about starting fires can apply to many posters in this thread, of various stripes.

And no, I am not British. Care to clarify that one?

The desura client doesnt let you you download windows games.

No, but Desura does, thanks to the fact that you can download games straight from the webstore. I for one really do appreciate this feature, and do find Steam lacking for not having it, although I do agree that that in of itself is not DRM; that being said, I hate having to install unnecessary software just to get where I need, and I am very glad Desura offers this.

They don't need to force developers to go DRM-free, but at least they could label their games so you know what you're buying. I think they don't do that because they don't hold to any DRM-free promise.

Well, on this front we are still waiting on Desura to get their act together; Humble Store already qualifies, although I wish they would make it so that you could apply a DRM-Free filter like you can for platforms when scrolling through their catalogue.

Steam by itself is a download client/browser that offers game developers a choice on DRM.

While also providing them with their own DRM service to hook into. Not quite the same as having it all be the developers choice.

Hamish, it is the developers choice, Steam offering up their own doesn't mean a developer has to use it. It is a matter of simple fact that it is a developers choice to use DRM on Steam or not.

And really people, this article is nothing to do with DRM, it's about free games, take a chill pill guys?

For those who compared Steam client with browsers - you are wrong. Is Steam client open source? Even if it doesn't need to connect to the server to reinstall a backup (which I doubt, it most probably does need to connect to the server), where can you get that client if Steam goes bust? It's closed and proprietary. So if Steam closes down you lose the service and the client. So comparison with the browser goes out of the window.

If you wish to continue debating DRM there is a forum post for that:
http://www.gamingonlinux.com/forum/topic/456

This is an article about debian developers getting free games, shadap already!