Steam
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|
| |
| Steam | |
|---|---|
| Original author(s) | |
| Developer(s) |
Valve Corporation |
| Initial release |
September 12, 2003[1] |
| Written in |
C++ |
| Operating system(s) |
Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7[2] |
| Platform(s) |
PC |
| Size |
41.5 megabytes |
| Available in | |
| Development status |
Active |
| Type |
Content delivery, Digital Rights Management, Social networking |
| License | |
| Website | |
Steam is a content delivery, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications service and platform developed by Valve Corporation for digital entertainment. It is currently used to digitally distribute and manage games including all of Valve's releases to date.
Steam also replaces WON, the original authentication framework for Half-Life multiplayer games and a number of other now largely or entirely defunct titles.
Contents |
[edit] History
Steam's development began at an uncertain date prior to 2002. Prior to 'Steam', its codenames were 'Grid'. It was revealed to the public on 22 March 2002 at the Game Developers Conference, and was presented purely as a distribution network: no mention of purchases was made. During his presentation, Gabe Newell claimed that "consumers [could] purchase and start applications faster than if they install them from a CD" and cited the "[elimination of] the overhead costs of traditional physical distribution" (GameSpot quotes). To demonstrate the ease of integrating Steam to a game, Relic Entertainment had created a special version of their then-unreleased game Impossible Creatures (Relic has not had any further involvement with Steam).
Two future Steam components — 'Tracker', now Friends, and the server browser, had actually been released prior to the GDC presentation, along with the Counter-Strike 1.4 beta on February 27 2002. These components and their VGUI display engine were eventually to be integrated into the main client.
This possibility was poignantly highlighted by the legal battle between Valve and their publisher Vivendi Universal Games, where VUG argued that Steam was an attempt to circumvent their publishing agreement. However, on November 29, 2004, Valve announced that the courts had granted their motion of summary judgment in this case.
The client application, Steam version 1.0, was first made available for download in 2002 during the beta period for Counter-Strike 1.4. At that time, it appeared to be a method of streamlining the patch process common in online computer games. Installation and use of the Steam program was mandatory for CS 1.4 beta testers, but Steam remained an optional component. Some time after CS 1.5 was released, Steam and WON users were allowed to play against each other on the same servers. Later, Steam version 2.0, complete with a new VGUI2 interface previously only seen on the Tracker component (which then became Friends), was released along with the Counter-Strike 1.6 beta. In late 2003, Steam was revealed as a replacement for much of the dated framework of WON and Half-Life multiplayer and also as a distribution system for entire games.
Valve's Doug Lombardi announced in October 2004 that Half-Life 2 required activation via Steam in order to play the game. When Half-Life 2 arrived at some stores earlier than its intended release date of November 16, Valve reported that their contract with Vivendi prevented them from activating the Steam authentication servers until the 16th.
Recently, Valve has been negotiating contracts with several publishers and independent developers to release their products on Steam, typically with a pre-order discount of 10% off their MSRP. Rag Doll Kung Fu and Darwinia are two recent examples, and Canadian publisher Strategy First announced in December 2005 that it would be partnering with Valve for digital distribution of current and future titles.
On Friday, March 24 2006, Valve has implemented a column under the "My Games" tab in which it states the Metacritic score (metascore) for each of the game. The Metascore is calculated through an average of the scores given to it by other critics, such as IGN.com and Gamespot.com.
[edit] Valve Cyber Café Program
Steam has also allowed Valve to run a subscription-based cyber café program the Valve Cyber Café Program, which is the only legal way for a cyber café to offer Steam-based games. There are two pricing models, a flat-rate per-client fee each month or the upcoming 'Valve Time Tracker' system that offers a pay-as-you-go model.
[edit] Program benefits
In addition to what is offered by the regular Steam client (see above), the Cybercafé program:
- Is cheaper in the short term
- Gives access to all participating titles from the Steam library, including new releases, for a fixed fee
- Gives access to the Cybercafé Administration Server (CAS)
- Updates are downloaded once to the server then distributed to clients via LAN
- Licenses can be used on any computer on the premises
- Stores a customer's saved games and configurations as a permanent profile
- Free tournament licenses
- Promotional materials
- Account protection against bannings and thefts
- Priority support
- Optional entry in the Cyber Café Directory
[edit] Program drawbacks
- The flat-rate fee model can end up more expensive in cafés where Steam games are not often played.
- Not all games can be offered. Not all of Valve's clients agree to café distribution, and currently only around half of the Steam library is available.
[edit] Notes and references
- ↑ Steam Client Released. Valve Corporation (September 12, 2003). Retrieved on February 3, 2008.
- ↑ What is Steam?. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
