[Les]

Originally Posted by timholt

Pardon my ignorance but; I have just pre-ordered the collectors version to get all the goodies as well as the game. As I (don't) understand from what I have read (but unable to find an answer to this question), will I have to down load and use Steam to access the updates to COD?

Also, I am assuming because the game can be downloaded - once installed from the disc it will not be necessary to use the disc again after the initial installation?

Nobody knows. That's the most honest answer. Even the developers, the Steam users, and the publishers public relations people don't know all the ins and outs and possible results of the combination of elements being put together for this release.

While a lot of the answers flying around are correct in themselves, they're all still predicated on assumptions about what the final form of the released version of the game will be.

What that means is, the only definite answers that can be given to your questions must first be prefaced with 'if'. But hardly anyone's doing that. Sure, a lot of the assumptions being made might turn out to be correct, but they're still assumptions.

Under these circumstances, wait and see is, imo, the best advice. That's largely being ignored though because people want to make decisions about what version of the game to get before it comes out.

All that said, here are my opinions.

No you won't have to use the disk again after installing the game from there. I say this because, as far as I understand, neither Steam nor SolidShield use that DRM method, and for other more sort of circumstantial reasons (eg. it's generally not done nowadays and there's been no mention of it among other things.)

As for whether or not you'll need Steam for accessing updates to the boxed version of the game, based solely on what we've actually been told and not what we otherwise 'know', no, you won't. The only official statements that have been made (and which still have to be taken with a grain of salt for the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph) state that the boxed version of the game only uses Steamworks for match-making.

Just to clarify that, Steamworks is a range of game development tools and features that game developers can incorporate into their games to enhance the functionality and usability of those games. 'Steam' is in effect a collective term for those separate features, and a term that's been co-opted by the end-users to refer in most cases to the DRM, online retail, publishing and community range of Steamworks tools.

So, again, going solely by what we've actually been told, while the downloadable version(s?) of the game will make greater use of the range of Steamworks features, and be what is generally known as a 'Steam game', the boxed version will only use a subset of the Steam tools that relate specificially to the online multiplayer matchmaking features of the game.

People are assuming you won't be able to use those built-in Steamworks matchmaking features without having a Steam account, and they may be right. And from the little I know of how it works, I'd say they probably are right. But they still don't know if it will be possible to play the game without using those Steamworks matchmaking features, either offline, or online using non-Steam third-party tools/programs.

The fact that Oleg has said you'll need Steam to play online does strongly suggest that even if you do use non-Steam third-party applications for online multiplayer gaming, you'll still need to install the Steam matchmaking features that are part and parcel of the games built-in multi-player functionality.

Even if that is the case though, it's still possible you'll be able to install the boxed version of the game (with it's built-in Steamworks matchmaking code) but not have to register with Steam or have a Steam account, or maybe (but I doubt it) have to install the rest of the Steam stuff until you're prompted to do so after trying to use the games default server browser.

I could be totally wrong, but I can't see why it can't be done like that. In that way it would be very similar to 'Yuplay' and 'Games For Windows Live'. Wherein you can play the game off-line without any interruptions, but as soon as you click in the menu screen to play the multiplayer online, you're prompted to sign up and make an account with 'Yuplay' or 'GFWL' before you can proceed.

The difference between that and what I'd ideally like to see (and in all likelihood won't), is that 'Yuplay' and 'GFWL' live install their little applications during the rest of your game's installation, whereas I'd like to be able to choose whether I install them or not. I'd rather be given a prompt when I try to play through the games built-in server browser, to re-insert the game disk and then install the 'Yuplay' or 'GFWL' or 'Steam' multi-player enabling software. I personally don't mind having the game install the version of the multiplayer code that must be there to make use of 'Yuplay' or 'GFWL' or 'Steam' should I decide to use them (if you can see the difference there), but I don't want those third party utilities being installed somewhere by default, just waiting for me to sign up with them.

Anyway, that's my take on it.

Nobody knows for sure. Just wait and see. And if you must speculate, make sure you have fun doing so.