Steam with Disc Version

[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?

I too purchased the collectors version. After reading your post, timholt, I'm now wondering the same thing. Only a few days to go and I guess we'll find out. Can't wait.

[Space Communist]

Well there's nothing about the game being on steam that prevents it from being patched manually. The only question is whether or not Oleg and crew decide to release patches as file downloads as well as updates through steam. Certainly that was the case in IL-2, but obviously it was only added to steam much later. It's not clear whether or not running the disc version through steam would need the disc in the drive. Generally steam would not require it, however this game does not use steam DRM, but this solidshield business, so I really don't know how that works. Oh and most likely you will need to use steam to register the game to play it at all, though after that you could possibly play without loading it. Certainly you can play without being online

Anyway once it's on steam there isn't much reason to patch anything manually. If for some reason you really don't want an update you can disable automatic downloads.

[timholt]

Thanks SC. I managed to find some more info and it definately looks like Steam is a requirement to run it, so I may as well go and register now I guess

[Feuerfalke]

It seems that you need STEAM anyway. At least for playing online.

[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.

[Thee_oddball]

Originally Posted by Les

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.

.

Peer To Peer Multi-Player Authentication/Authorization verifies the unique ID of a user (their SteamID), determines if that user is allowed access to the game

https://partner.steamgames.com/documentation/api

[Les]

Originally Posted by Thee_oddball

Peer To Peer Multi-Player Authentication/Authorization verifies the unique ID of a user (their SteamID), determines if that user is allowed access to the game

https://partner.steamgames.com/documentation/api

Yes, that's quoted from the section pertaining to the peer to peer feature of Steamworks.

All we've been told though is "The game only uses SteamWorks for match-making..." The section pertaining to that Match-making feature is also listed on the page you linked to.

It seems highly likely one will require the other, and I have no doubt using any of these features will in fact require having a unique Steam ID.

But the question remains, in my mind at least, whether or not a boxed version of the game can be played offline, leaving the built-in multiplayer features effectively unavailable. Or put another way, the question remains whether setting up a Steam account will be required whether one decides to use the built-in multiplayer features or not. And I haven't seen an answer to that.

Which leads to the other question of, if an active Steam account isn't required until after you try to play using the built-in multiplayer browser, can you decide to never use the built-in (Steam integrated) multiplayer browser and use a third party application which lists game servers that don't require Steam ID's and which themselves aren't connected to the Steam service?

The Steam downloaded games I've played (offline only) in the past, haven't required me to sign up with the online services included in the game (Yuplay and Games For Windows Live) unless I want to use those services. They have installed themselves automatically along with the rest of the game, but they have remained unactivated and all their features have remained unused, beyond the pop-up that asks me to register with them and activate an account with them if I want to play online. The question remains whether or not the boxed versions of CloDo will work the same way. I haven't tried to play online with any of those other games by using separate third party server-browsers and by-passing the built-in ones, so I don't know anything about that.

[JAMF]

Originally Posted by Les

The Steam downloaded games I've played (offline only) in the past, haven't required me to sign up with the online services included in the game (Yuplay and Games For Windows Live) unless I want to use those services.

For Dirt, GfWL was needed, or else progress isn't saved.

[Les]

Originally Posted by JAMF

For Dirt, GfWL was needed, or else progress isn't saved.

GFWL was included in GTA4 as well. With that, there were only some things that weren't saved. You could still do basic game saves and get through the game without GFWL, but you couldn't save the sorts of things that would have to be kept on the GFWL cloud service. (eg. you couldn't save a collection of stolen cars in a virtual garage in-game, only the car you were using at the time when you did a regular game save).

Steam also uses a cloud-type service, but I can't see why it would be essential, even for saving your progress through a campaign. If they've integrated Steam achievements and ranking up etc. you'd obviously need a Steam ID to have that data saved on the Steam cloud, but I can't see why it would be compulsory. And again, those Steamworks features are distinct from the match-making feature, which is the only Steamworks feature that's been confirmed as being part of the boxed version.