55 replies to this topic

[mindnoise]

Cougar, on 25 October 2017 - 02:55 PM, said:

When has that happened?

it startet 2 years back

https://9to5mac.com/...pring-cleaning/

https://arstechnica....-outdated-apps/

if you did not back up you apps you cannot redownload them and they won't appear in your purchase history anymore, too.
Happened to macOS-apps, too.

So far Steam has not done anything like this.

[Spike]

DirtyHarry50, on 26 October 2017 - 05:57 PM, said:

It's easy to move an existing Steam library or any part thereof wherever you want....

I did not write about moving a steam library. I wrote about moving a game application and running it from where I currently decide to move it to.

Edit: Also, steam really needs to remove those old games that no longer work with current systems. Yet they still show them as able to buy like they would work.

[Cougar]

mindnoise, on 26 October 2017 - 06:11 PM, said:

it startet 2 years back

https://9to5mac.com/...pring-cleaning/

https://arstechnica....-outdated-apps/

if you did not back up you apps you cannot redownload them and they won't appear in your purchase history anymore, too.
Happened to macOS-apps, too.

What Mac Apps? I still have my copy of Neverwinter Nights 2.

It's reasonable that apps that no longer work be removed from the store. I was aware of that, but I didn't know that Apple removed them from your history. That's not good. Something to keep in mind before the 32-bit apocalypse hits macOS.

Spike, on 26 October 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

I did not write about moving a steam library. I wrote about moving a game application and running it from where I currently decide to move it to.

If you move it via the Finder, press "install" and choose the new location in your other library, Steam will detect it without redownloading.

Unfortunately, macOS doesn't have an app like Steam Mover. Valve should definitely add this option in the GUI.

[DirtyHarry50]

Spike, on 26 October 2017 - 07:03 PM, said:

I did not write about moving a steam library. I wrote about moving a game application and running it from where I currently decide to move it to.

The answer I bothered to write out for your consideration addressed doing what you said you wanted to do: move a game application, etc. Creating a steam library wherever you want this game application to reside is exactly how you do that. The disk space required per library aside of that game application is minuscule. You can then run it from this location, etc.

At any rate, it is clear to me you've got a thing about Steam and that's fine. You have every right to hate anything you want to including me although I hope you'll give me a pass this time. As for Steam, I am totally cool with throwing Gabe, Valve and Steam under the bus. I think what I do of them which is not all good but I have zero interest in selling or defending Steam to anyone. I'm tossing this in purely for clarity.

[Spike]

ugh.

Anyway, as I already wrote and will write again here, steam requires the games to be run from specific locations. MAS games however, I can move, organize and run where I want them (which obviously includes outside a steam library).

[DirtyHarry50]

Spike, on 26 October 2017 - 11:48 PM, said:

ugh.

Anyway, as I already wrote and will write again here, steam requires the games to be run from specific locations. MAS games however, I can move, organize and run where I want them (which obviously includes outside a steam library).

Um, what we have here is a failure to communicate. We are describing doing exactly the same thing. You could think of a Steam library folder which contains what it takes to run a single game (or more) as being somewhat similar to a macOS .app folder that contains the elements to run an application. In either case, you move these folder sets wherever you want and ultimately you wind up with the same thing: an app running from wherever you put it.

In fairness, I am mindful of the fact that a macOS game not bound to a client can just be moved in Finder and done. Doing this in Steam requires more steps than it should as noted above. As I said though, I brought it up simply to address the fact it is easily doable not to argue that it is better than what you prefer somehow.

[Cougar]

Spike, on 26 October 2017 - 11:48 PM, said:

ugh.

Anyway, as I already wrote and will write again here, steam requires the games to be run from specific locations. MAS games however, I can move, organize and run where I want them (which obviously includes outside a steam library).

We’e just trying to help, dude. I thought the main issue was that you wanted an easy way to maintain libraries on a SSD and hard drive, which is easily achievable.

[Spike]

I gave a bad example trying to illustrate the point of steam requiring the game to be at specific locations. Wow, that was a bad example.

[Laurensvo]

DirtyHarry50, on 26 October 2017 - 05:57 PM, said:

33% of respondents reported using MAS. Did you have some further, specific question regarding the MAS that hasn't been addressed?

Point taken. Is it fair to say that if people were given a choice, Steam is better then MAS, as thats the impression I'm getting from most people?

[jeannot]

From my perspective, here's the platform this does better for different aspects:

Catalogue: Steam (in particular, games may require steamworks and multiplayer may not work on the MAS version of a game)
Number of supported OSes: Steam (macOS, Windows, Linux)
Number of computers authorised: MAS (no limit AFAIK), Steam limits the number of PCs you can use (to five I think)
Price: Steam, generally (not counting Steam sales)
Privacy/DRM: MAS (DRM aren't really noticeable, and it's easier to play offline)
Quality of the client app: depends. The MAS behaves better IMO than the godawful Steam app, but updates sometimes don't work well and searching apps is very poorly implemented. At least it doesn't have be launched to play.
Community: Steam (if you care about it). Game center is a joke.
Ability to move apps anywhere: MAS
Ability to update apps once you moved them: Steam

Personally, I mostly use Steam. I still have games from the MAS, but only those that were not available on Steam.

[DirtyHarry50]

Laurensvo, on 27 October 2017 - 10:20 AM, said:

Point taken. Is it fair to say that if people were given a choice, Steam is better then MAS, as thats the impression I'm getting from most people?

I think Jeannot broke it down pretty well. As I said earlier though, I always thought that keeping my options open was a good thing. I really think you should look at and try the various options if trying to keep most stuff under one roof is something you care about. I think that winds up being limiting but to each their own. Sometimes the MAS has titles you don't see on Steam. So even with a preference for Steam, the MAS has goodness to offer of its own. The same can be said in a big way for GOG and you need not use their client if you don't wish to. I would recommend it though for convenience in installing your games, etc. A nice thing about the GOG client btw is that once installed, you can run the game with or without the client as desired. GOG is a really good store that should not be missed. You can find some great classic games there setup to run on Mac, stuff that goes way back.

At the end of the day, while it is always cool to hear what other people prefer and why or what they hate and why, nobody can tell you what you ought to like best or if multiple choices are best or just one is best or whatever. That's your call.

[Laurensvo]

Thanks. The problem with Steam is that I've heard a lot of bad things about it. Do you think Steam will ever fixed the cliënt ? That's the one reason I hesitate using Steam.  However, the Mac AppStore seems to have less games because of it's restrictions that it places on developers. GOG would be great, but I don't think Feral or Aspyr have there games released on GOG. I also don't know if having a mixture of games from different sources slows down the mac or has any unattended consequences.

Yes, I know that nobody can tell me what to do, but I don't know what to do.  I guess the reason for asking here was to see if it was unanonymous, but it seems people have mixed opinion about the different cliënts. Back to square one.

[Spike]

What I got from all the posts is also that people have mixed preferences, but we all agree on one thing, buy from all of the stores. Theres no unattended consequences.

[jeannot]

Your priority should be to get the games you want and play them the way you like. That the steam app is clunky is really secondary matter. It does the job. And having games from different sources isn't an issue at all.

[ipickert55]

Spike, on 28 October 2017 - 01:46 PM, said:

What I got from all the posts is also that people have mixed preferences, but we all agree on one thing, buy from all of the stores. Theres no unattended consequences.

Well, I prefer to only buy from gog because of the voting with your wallet thing. But in general i think everyone is saying you should find out for yourself. The only way you can know what you like is if you try it.

[Mr Pink]

I prefer the Mac App Store.
If it's only available on Steam or requires a Steam account, I won't get it.

[Laurensvo]

Mr Pink, on 29 October 2017 - 08:25 AM, said:

I prefer the Mac App Store.
If it's only available on Steam or requires a Steam account, I won't get it.

Really? Despite the limitations?

[Mr Pink]

Yes. I haven't felt any limitations to be honest.
I'm not really interested in multiplayer aspects of games anyways.

[jeannot]

I find curious that you deprive yourself of some games just because you don't like the distribution platform.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

jeannot, on 29 October 2017 - 02:14 PM, said:

I find curious that you deprive yourself of some games just because you don't like the distribution platform.

There are so many games out there that you'll never lack games, no matter what setup/platform you choose..