Mars icecream 57 Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Many articles contain false information about DRM, if the game is available on Steam they seem to be marked as using Steamworks DRM by default. The Steam client by itself isn't DRM and is only required for downloading the games. For example Running With Scissors doesn't use DRM in their games (Postal 3 is owned and developed by by Akella): http://steamcommunity.com/app/401680/discussions/0/357287304428353574/ ( UPDATE: RWS deleted the DRM paragraph and at least Postal Redux can no longer be played without the Steam client) Every RWS game article claims otherwise. The Shovel Knight page also had the same issue, I contacted the developer and the PC version was confirmed being DRM-free on Steam. (UPDATE: Steam API is used). I think the unknown icon should be used instead of guessing. Steamworks DRM is easy to test, just close the Steam client and try if the game launches without. Edited April 12, 2017 by Mars icecream Vetle and Mirh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirh 103 Share Posted May 30, 2016 http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/topic/1075-analysis-why-steam-isnt-drm/ http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/topic/1640-availability-steam-drm/ Indeed I still wonder why the decision change months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars icecream 57 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/topic/1075-analysis-why-steam-isnt-drm/ http://community.pcgamingwiki.com/topic/1640-availability-steam-drm/ Indeed I still wonder why the decision change months ago. Can you TL;DR? Can I mark Steam games with no DRM as DRM-free? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirh 103 Share Posted May 31, 2016 So.. in the first discussion I won after plenty of effort. Garrett (nor soeb or mairoskillax for as much as I know) didn't dare to read the actual discussions, and for a reason or another he/they didn't get the not intrinsically DRM-ed or DRM-free nature of steam. And I guess, in a modesty rampage, they thought like asking for clarifications would have lead to flaming like in the first thread. For as much once you are 10 years old, it shouldn't be so hard to read sentences like "sometimes it can, sometimes it isn't" TL;DR Wait for somebody to confirm or deny my allegations, hoping everything will be fine then. Mars icecream 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird 54 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I don't like it at all. It's silly. Steam games should always have the Steam icon since Steam client is always required to download them. GOG/Humble don't require any client. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars icecream 57 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 I don't like it at all. It's silly. Steam games should always have the Steam icon since Steam client is always required to download them. GOG/Humble don't require any client. I think there should be a new paragraph that tells if a client is mandatory for downloading: How could this information be harmful to anyone? I own several laptops and I'm not allowed to install Steam on my work machine, but the games aren't directly forbidden. When the game isn't using Steamworks DRM, I can move the files over. It would be extremely helpful to have this information at hand, I rather buy from Steam than from GOG because of latter's non-existing refund policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Share Posted June 1, 2016 Essentially, Steam is just a client where the games are listed and distributed, so that you can download and access them, similarly to what GOG does, the difference is that they both use a different distribution method, on Steam you have to login into a client, and on GOG you have to login on their website in order to download each game separately, it is up to a developer to implement any extra DRM measures, so if a game is not tied to any DRM system, other than your Steam account, then it's DRM-free. The Steam client itself is not DRM, it is simply used to share any purchased games among its users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirh 103 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I don't like it at all. It's silly. Steam games should always have the Steam icon since Steam client is always required to download them. GOG/Humble don't require any client. And where is the DRM part in here? Please, read the first thread before answering. I own several laptops and I'm not allowed to install Steam on my work machine, but the games aren't directly forbidden. This doesn't really make much sense. Unless you meant that you have no admin privilege to install steam [service], but technically all resolves in asking: why did they limit you in the first place? I rather buy from Steam than from GOG because oflatter's non-existing refund policy. To be honest I think they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbird 54 Share Posted June 1, 2016 DRM being the client itself. Have fun downloading the games without Steam installed. The games themselves being DRM-free is meaningless if you need the client. Same applies to Origin. The games may not need it, but you need it anyway to DL them. Only compromise I'm for is the DRM-free versions of Steam/Origin etc.icons, but using the regular DRM-free icon? Hell nah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirh 103 Share Posted June 1, 2016 And as said multiple times in the other thread: what's your definition of DRM then? Something that's forced on you (following some criteria) or something that limits your rights? Mars icecream 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetle 19 Share Posted June 1, 2016 It's possible to download Steam games without using the Steam client. Here's one solution: https://github.com/SteamRE/DepotDownloader. I wouldn't consider the Steam client DRM. Mars icecream and Mirh 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars icecream 57 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 This doesn't really make much sense. Unless you meant that you have no admin privilege to install steam [service], but technically all resolves in asking: why did they limit you in the first place? Installing Steam (the client is mentioned) is forbidden by my workplace's ToS. To be honest I think they have. They only refund "non-working" games, if you don't simply like the game you won't get your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marioysikax 89 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I (and few others) have been stating games that do not require Steamworks to work in note field of availability with "Can be run without Steam." and reference of at least who tested it. This way info is there and if there will be changes in future, garrett can easily mass edit those to that new standard way of representing that information. Because there has been so much fighting about this issue I have seen that being the best approach for now. As long as information about this is somehow available in article and I'm informed what's good way to represent that, I do not mind. It's possible to download Steam games without using the Steam client. Here's one solution: https://github.com/SteamRE/DepotDownloader. I wouldn't consider the Steam client DRM. Once again, Vetle comes with information that nobody else was aware of. Vetle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirh 103 Share Posted June 2, 2016 We can state "Can be run without Steam" to emphasize that even more, and why not even on Origin or uplay, if it happens. But what we were discussing in the first place, afaik, was whether the good old unlocked padlock icon could apply or not. And just for the records, not requiring steamworks isn't technically enough to be DRM-free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars icecream 57 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 We can state "Can be run without Steam" to emphasize that even more, and why not even on Origin or uplay, if it happens. But what we were discussing in the first place, afaik, was whether the good old unlocked padlock icon could apply or not. I found out that even Mirror's Edge doesn't apparently use DRM on Origin, or there is no .par file that is Origin's equivalent to steam.dll. I'll trying moving the files to another computer, maybe it really is DRM-free. Now you can grab the entire Syberia series from Steam for 3€, but I don't necessarily want to buy if Steamworks DRM is used: http://store.steampowered.com/sub/8224/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts