What's with the constant Steam key requests?

[Matchstick]

Forgive my ignorance, but why do so many people request Steam access for this game?
Aren't they aware RW can be bought through SendOwl?  Or would buying it on Steam add or do something extra I'm not aware of?  If so, what?

[I know what Steam is: I've got an account and bought a couple of things through it, but don't see it as much more than another game-purchase system.]

Am I missing something?  [This is an honest question, I'm not trying to troll    ]

[TheVoidDragon]

Forgive my ignorance, but why do so many people request Steam access for this game?
Aren't they aware RW can be bought through SendOwl?  Or would buying it on Steam add or do something extra I'm not aware of?  If so, what?

[I know what Steam is: I've got an account and bought a couple of things through it, but don't see it as much more than another game-purchase system.]

Am I missing something?  [This is an honest question, I'm not trying to troll    ]

It's more than just another way to purchase games. Lots of people like to have all their games in one location, and Steam does things like track how long you've played for, automatically update, easier to keep track of things with the community stuff etc. There's no difference with the game itself but some people just find it more convenient to have games on Steam.

[Matchstick]

It's more than just another way to purchase games. Lots of people like to have all their games in one location, and Steam does things like track how long you've played for, automatically update, easier to keep track of things with the community stuff etc. There's no difference with the game itself but some people just find it more convenient to have games on Steam.

OK, fair enough, and at first I figured it would be something like that (convenience, basically).
Then I read somewhere that it's possible to add other games to a Steam account.

I don't know how it's done, but I've seen a few people mention this, so it seems credible.
If true, we're back to my original question: why is a Steam key such a big deal?  Just buy RW normally, then add it to your Steam account.

I understand it's an extra step, but surely that doesn't explain why so many people complain about it.  [And some get pretty upset, too.]

[JimmyAgnt007]

Im very big into Steam, but I dont mind things being the way they are now.  It is easier to keep the game updated with Steam.  Tynan I think will say something about moving to Steam after his break and after the next alpha.  The whole reason he took this big long break is because hed never be able to get away with it if the game was on steam.  As soon as that happens the game will be exposed to a massive number of people and thats going to take a lot of effort to deal with.

[akiceabear]

People dislike the idea of paying one price now and only getting SendOwl, when they could pay the same price later and also receive a Steam copy. The difference is convenience, which is worth something for many people.

[RemingtonRyder]

If it's not possible to give everyone a Steam key, there will be some other way of automatically updating e.g. a launcher. Obviously, it wouldn't have Workshop.

[moglus]

Mostly i think it's just that a lot of us (myself very much included) HATE the manual updating and sendowl. Games owned on a steam account automatically updates when a new update is available, and since i use my steam account all the time i'll instantly see it when a new update is released, unlike the current system where i only find out by chance a couple of days, sometimes weeks, after release.

[JimmyAgnt007]

It would be nice to have workshop support. 

[moglus]

It would be nice to have workshop support.

^^^^ That as well!! steam workshop integration would be such a great feature for Rimworld

EDIT: Btw JimmyAgnt007 that was your 666th post.........................

[JimmyAgnt007]

The downside is the massive effort on Tynans side to get that all working.  I would understand if he didnt do it right away. 

[TLHeart]

One other thing steam adds, that send owl does not do is regional pricing. At sendowl everyone pays the same price.

[Korben Dallas]

So how do I know if there has been an update recently? Do I need to just keep checking the forums, I haven't played in awhile but recently started up again.

[TLHeart]

So how do I know if there has been an update recently? Do I need to just keep checking the forums, I haven't played in awhile but recently started up again.

Last update was at the end of August 2015... next update won't be until Tynan Returns. He took a 6 month vacation.

Sendowl will send an email to the address you provided when you first purchased the game.

[skullywag]

The game also has an update checker in the top left of the main menu that will alert you when an update is available, when it says theres an update you go to the sendowl link, easy!

[Korben Dallas]

Ah ok, good to know. Thanks people.