It seems Valve are quite serious about getting back into making games, as Campo Santo the developer of Firewatch has joined them.
Writing on their official website in a post, the team from Campo Santo confirmed that the news is true. They said they found that people at Valve share the same values that they do, so it became an "obvious match". Expanding on that, they said this:
We had a series of long conversations with the people at Valve and everyone shared the satisfaction we take in working with people whose talents dwarf our own to make things we never thought possible. Both sides spoke about our values and how, when you get right down to it, we, as human beings, are hard-limited by the time we have left when it comes to making the things we care about and believe in. They asked us if we’d all be interested in coming up to Bellevue and doing that there and we said yes.
They confirmed that their next game, In the Valley of Gods, is still being made and so it's now a Valve game.
Personally, I think it's great that Valve are bringing in some obviously talented folk to make games. Valve have a lot of resources and contacts that can help for sure. It should also mean they have good Linux support, since Valve are still committed to Linux gaming.
Since it will now be a Valve game, it will be interesting to see if In the Valley of Gods will make it to GOG. I wouldn't expect it to now, but maybe Valve will surprise us there.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Quoting: ShmerlQuoteIt seems very unlikely, but if we have to stop providing access to GOG services and GOG content permanently (not because of any breach by you), we will try to give you at least sixty (60) days advance notice by posting a note on www.gog.com and sending an email to every registered users – during that time you should be able to download any GOG content you purchased.
So they make clear, that you still will be permitted to use your purchases (backed up naturally).
Also, they point out this:
QuoteIf you would like us to delete your account please contact our Support Team here. Termination will not affect already existing rights or obligations of us or you.
I.e. you can close GOG account yourself, and still have the right to use your purchases.
Plus :
QuoteIn the very unlikely situation that we have to stop running GOG.com we'll do our best to give you advance notice, so that you can download and safely store all your DRM-free content.
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Quoting: Doc AngeloThis is how I see it: The games are neither owned by the user nor Steam/GOG. The developer/publisher is the only one actually owning the game in its entirety. If a developer/publisher releases a game without DRM, they are OK with you to back up this game and use it however you want for personal usage.
It's complicated. Full ownership can only be attributed to the publisher / creator or whoever holds the rights on this work. They give you partial ownership of it. I.e. you can use it, but you can't for example start making copies of it for others. Your ownership can extend to something like first sale doctrine, though it's a moot topic for digital goods.
But overall yes, you don't have complete ownership. However focus on DRM-free doesn't imply that you need full one (i.e. like copy to others). DRM-free simply means that the owner should not prevent / restrict you from using it, if you legally paid for it. So it means ability to back it up, not depending on any service existing / not existing and so on.
Last edited by Shmerl on 22 April 2018 at 8:16 pm UTC
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Quoting: Comandante ÑoñardoCan you move these games to another of your machines using an external HDD?
Yes you can. Get yourself informed before dumping rants.
To illustrate it: Apotheon. Comes with normal binaries (or the shell script). Double click these - game starts. No Steam client started beforehand, no Steam client starts in the background.
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Quoting: ShmerlThey quite clearly say a few key points here:
1. Steam and your Subscription(s) require the automatic download and installation of Content and Services onto your computer.
That precludes manual installation from the backup you referred to. I.e. doing it manually would be violation of their TOS.
2. This license ends upon termination of (a) this Agreement or (b) a Subscription that includes the license.
I.e. if your account is terminated or Steam closes down (both would mean end of the subscription naturally), you aren't allowed to install or use those games anymore.
All that fits into restriction on digital goods after purchase.
That's a license agreement. Not DRM. Besides: It says something about the initial download and installation. Nothing about backups.
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I think the term DRM generally only applies to technical measures that restrict the use of a product. Licenses and legal restrictions are a related but separate subject.
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Quoting: tuubiI think the term DRM generally only applies to technical measures that restrict the use of a product. Licenses and legal restrictions are a related but separate subject.I'd agree. Licenses and legal measures may be Rights Management, but they are not Digital. Although there are odd interactions--it has been pointed out that many lame encryption schemes exist not so much out of any hope of stopping anyone from accessing the encrypted content as to trigger massive legal penalties for the defeating of encryption in e.g. the DMCA.
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Quoting: tuubiI think the term DRM generally only applies to technical measures that restrict the use of a product. Licenses and legal restrictions are a related but separate subject.
If TOS requires you to use Steam to install the game, and then you go ahead and install it without it, DMCA-1201 and similar anti-circumvention garbage would treat it as a violation, which indirectly indicates that something like Steam is DRM because of that TOS. DRM was always about a combination of "measures" with legal garbage attached to them.
Last edited by Shmerl on 22 April 2018 at 9:17 pm UTC
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And this whole discussion is why, on the GOG forums, we refer to these games as "games you can play without the Steam client".
If you call them DRM-free, arguments ensue. Calling them "games you can play without the Steam client" accurately describes them, while avoiding the arguments.
If you call them DRM-free, arguments ensue. Calling them "games you can play without the Steam client" accurately describes them, while avoiding the arguments.
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Comandante Ñoñardo Apr 23, 2018
Quoting: hummer010And this whole discussion is why, on the GOG forums, we refer to these games as "games you can play without the Steam client".
If you call them DRM-free, arguments ensue. Calling them "games you can play without the Steam client" accurately describes them, while avoiding the arguments.
Well... Crysis 3 and Battlefield 1 are "games you can play without the Steam client", but they are not DRMFREE at all...
Seriously, I can accept DRM for subscription services like Origin Access, because the games are not yours (for 5U$D per month You can play a lot of games without actually buying them)... Valve must take a note of that.
I recommend DRM exclusively for Online Multiplayer games, because cheaters must be exterminated from the gaming world and DRM can help.. Lan multiplayers must be DRMFREE
But, infecting a SINGLEPLAYER game (like LIS or Fallout 4, for example) with DRM is something I don't accept...
When a company infect a SINGLEPLAYER game with DRM (call it Denuvo, Steamworks, Uplay, whatever) is because that company really doesn't trust in their consumers... And when a gaming company doesn't trust in Us, the consumers, it doesn't deserve our money... Is that simple..
It will be useful to have a list of Steam games for Linux that can run without the client running in the background...
This list doesn't help much because it has a lot of Windows only games..
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Cyba.Cowboy Apr 23, 2018
Quoting: ShmerlIt's just that some keep claiming that Steam isn't DRM. Arguments that explain how it is DRM were brought many times, so I'm not sure why this topic comes up every so often, but I guess some define DRM only in limited way, that's why they can think that Steam itself isn't one.
*Sigh*
Technically-speaking, Steam isn't DRM... It is an "ecosystem" and just like the Apple iStore or Google Play Store, you're effectively locked-in to that ecosystem indefinitely.
Admittedly, Valve Software have made some aspects of that ecosystem more appealing than they otherwise would be - such as the "buy it once, play it on any supported operating system" thing... But at the end of the day, you're still forced into Valve Software's ecosystem.
Yes GOG.com - my preferred game store (these days, I only buy from Steam if the game is not available through or not likely to come to GOG.com) - offers its games without any form of DRM... And that's important - but so is the advantage of not being locked into a proprietary ecosystem, in fact they're probably just as important as each other.
You can choose to lock yourself into GOG.com's ecosystem of course, with "Galaxy" or whatever they call it... But for the time being, this is optional and as far as we know, not likely to change in the foreseeable future.
In other words, the people arguing GOG.com over Steam above have a very valid point, but they have the terminology completely wrong...
Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 23 April 2018 at 2:41 am UTC
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