Triton users to get replacement copy of Prey

Can someone warn DocWho for Spamming around?

On topic:
If Steam offered patches to allow users to run the files without them, there would be no more copy protection (And Steam wouldnt mind, since they would be gone)...

That docfagwho has been doing that crap all day.

I played this crappy game it sux.

Thanks DocWho for that enlightening comment. I have seen the light. On topic, this is the perfect example of why digital distribution, in my mind, kinda bites. What happens in 20 years when I rehook up my Xbox 360, and "Xbox Live Arcade" is long gone? No more Marble Blast for me? I guess if the robot ninjas get to us first it wont matter anyway, but still.

I think digital distribution is the way to go. However, we need a provider or two that provides the digital distribution for ALL companies.

Valve should market other publishers to use Steam. Split Steam off into it's own company and turn them into a Distrubution vendor.

I just don't want to end up with 20 different apps and logins for each publishers distribution method.

Steams works well for me. I reinstalled XP and it was nice just logging into Steam and downloading Half-Life 2. It sure beats messing with 5 CD's.

Saboola: What happens if you try to play "Marble Blast" when you're not connected to Xbox Live?

(I dont have an X360, so I dont know), but I suppose the same would happen unless Microsoft patches a removal as well.

Though I assume that in this case, Xbox 720(or whatever they call it) will allow for backwards compatibility for XBLA titles...

saboola:

You do not require any kind of host-connection or authentication to enable a downloaded XBLA game. It resides on the hard drive once you've purchased it and is a stand alone piece of functioning software. Disconnect your 360, turn it on and you'll see. Of course if you delete it and want to download it again and there's no one to download it from ... well there you go.

You are indeed right. After some research I see that indeed you dont need to authenticate against live to play arcade. The license is associated with the local console, and of course drive. My point is mute, at least on this count :). However, its still valid that while physical media can break or get lost, it will never go bankrupt and close shop.

This is why a game in hand is worth more then two having to connect to the web...

digital distrubition....yeah right

Steam already has an "offline" mode. And a "backup" utility. If Steam shutdown, you could back all your games up and use them in offline mode. Valve is very well off and I don't see it happening anytime soon, but if it were to happen, they would probably patch Steam automatically to ensure no problems with the above "offline mode" and "backup" utilities, if they don't already work now. Of course I think you need to login at least once after installation, so they would perhaps just remove any login authentication and assume you used the backup utility to save the games to disc or whatever.

Steam has measures in place to cope with this problem already and it's nature allows them to patch all the Steam clients in the world immediately to deal with any unforseen problems.

SupaDave (#5) -

Valve DOES market Steam to other publishers. Introversion recently released its game Defcon via Steam, and soon, Double-Fine Productions will be putting up Psychonauts for purchase and download via Steam.

Not to mention Bloodrayne and Blood Rayne 2, Advent Rising...several publishers have put their games on Steam.

Oh yeah....Dark Messiah of Might and Magic as well--and that's an Ubisoft game!

Man, this is kinda sad for me. I don't really have any attachment to Triton, never used it myself, and I don't really like digital distribution that much, but when I was working at QuakeCon 2006 I did meet OBWANDO and he showed me and a friend all about Triton. It was fun night hanging out up on the NOC and talking about distribution software, we even compared Triton to Steam and things. So, I guess it's sad since I know the guy and I hate to see his product fail, but you guys probably don't really care... :P