Tynan, Why not use Steam as a distribution point?

[gibbsman]

Hey Tynan,

First let me say thanks for such an awesome game. Absolutely love it.   I know that sometime in the future it likely will be on steam, but I'm just wondering why you don't use it as a distribution point for the game now? Stonehearth and a few others have done this and it works out great. It's not on the store, no forums, etc, but all updates are handled through steam. I'd much rather have steam auto update rather than continually downloading new updates, especially all the minor a-e updates of a new alpha.

Again, thanks for such an amazing game and for being so active on the forums and with the community! It's highly appreciated!

[Fernbhoy]

https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=7498.0

that's why

[gibbsman]

I understand that, but still doesn't explain why he couldn't send out steam keys to those that bought before Nov 2014 and still let it update from there. I'm not sure how stonehearth does it differently though. You buy it through a humble widget and get a steam key. All updates are done through steam although it's not for sale on the steam store.


From the stonehearth FAQ: (http://stonehearth.net/faq/)
How do I buy and install the game?
For now we are just selling the game through the Humble Bundle. To buy go to  http://stonehearth.net/store/  and fill out the widget there.

You’ll receive an email with instructions for downloading and installing the game. There are three ways to install the game.

Download and run the Windows installer
Download and unzip the game to install it manually
Retrieve your Steam key from your Humble Bundle page and install the game through Steam.

[elStrages]

He probably could when the game was released and could get steam key to 'give away' but now every tom dick and harry has splashed free rimworld key for steam around, valve has put its foot down and said no. It the company who owns the selling platform says you cant do something then your pretty much bust.
  But as for a distribution point. What the other companies are doing is selling the game with a steam key which means steam will see a profit from this. as they would require a % for maintenance of servers for download mirrors and such a like, what Tynan will probably so is direct sale from steam.

[milon]

Personally, I wouldn't want RimWorld to auto-update.

Each release breaks save compatibility, which would mean a loss of every single colony I've got going if it magically updated one night.  It's really REALLY easy to manually update when I'm ready.  I like the current system that doesn't kill my colonies before I do. 

[christhekiller]

Personally, I wouldn't want RimWorld to auto-update.

Each release breaks save compatibility, which would mean a loss of every single colony I've got going if it magically updated one night.  It's really REALLY easy to manually update when I'm ready.  I like the current system that doesn't kill my colonies before I do. 

You can go back to previous versions through steam I believe

[Goo Poni]

Last I checked, Steam doesn't allow you to backdate, only opt out of updating. I think there is one fairly recent game that actually puts all it's old versions into the Steam betas so you just opt into the "beta" for the older version you want.

[REMworlder]

Downloading off SendOwl is pants-on-head easy. And DRM free! I wish more games could be set up like it.

When it comes down to how Tynan spends time, I'd rather see sick new features than a redundant distribution point for the alpha.

[null]

Downloading off SendOwl is pants-on-head easy. And DRM free! I wish more games could be set up like it.

Fully agree here, it's always annoying when I can't buy and play a game because it's only available for rent with Steam DRM.

[gibbsman]

Fair enough. Good to see other peoples points of view. I like having the DRM free version and downloading off send owl is very easy, no doubt. I just like to have it auto update when the little releases come out instead of having to check my download link every so often to see if a new download is available.

I appreciate everyone's comments and points of view. Thanks!

[TheSilencedScream]

Spark-noting what I've said before, my only real opinion is this: there is no reason to avoid a Steam early access release, other than Tynan simply not wanting to. I'm not trying to bash him for it; it's his game to do with what he wishes, and I'll respect that, but I can't find a reasonable argument against it... and I say this while knowing that, with my date of purchase, I likely won't be receiving a Steam key.

-Afraid of DRM?
That's fine, there's no reason for him to get rid of the current means of downloading.

-Afraid of auto-updates?
Either turn them off or, as above, simply continue using the current means of downloading. Just because Steam IS a distributor doesn't mean it's the SOLE distributor.

-Afraid of Early Access?
Why, exactly? Yes, I know people are cautious of them. Yes, I know that people have been burned by them in the past. But what do those EAs have in common? Lots of activity over the first two to three months, little communication from devs, no clear sign of what's being worked on or if there's any progress at all - none of which are the case with RimWorld (the game's Alpha 1 was released just shy of a year ago, Tynan is on the forums daily, and the changelog is updated every work day for him).


Releasing on Steam would bring more customers, more revenue (through Steam and directly, as there are many others who want DRM-free), more attention, more modders (and their mods!), and - potentially - more ideas. Tynan has borrowed and modified from the community, such as Haplo's power switch on Jan. 15th.

To put it more bluntly: no one really loses out here, especially if Tynan keeps doing as amazingly as he has up until now.

[StorymasterQ]

Releasing on Steam would also attract people with... something I would term "common sense deficiency". People who would buy the game then bash it for every finicky thing that doesn't suit their fancy.

At the current rate, Rimworld is garnering enough traction to gain recognition while keeping those people relatively minor in the community. Which is why the forums are mostly civil (although I see it slipping away at times).

I for one would prefer we keep the game 'under the radar' of those dipsh-...I mean, people with "common sense deficiency", and keep it civil for longer. Tynan isn't strapped for funds so there's no tangible gain on that front, either.

[TheSilencedScream]

...And?
I apologize, but I fail to see your point. Everything - and I mean, every little thing - has critics, even ones that don't know their head from their ass.

Verdun, Project Zomboid, Don't Starve Together, Space Engineers, The Long Dark, Prison Architect, The Forest, The Escapists, 7 Days to Die, Kerbal Space Program... these are all Steam EAs which have garnered positive reception from the Steam community. Again, as with anything, there are lots of trolls - I recognize that - but beyond adding a few forum moderators, what else would be needed? These others succeeded, so why wouldn't RimWorld?

The pros greatly outweigh the con, in my opinion.

[REMworlder]

Everything suggested is lots of work for very minimal gain. Time opportunity cost is very real with only one developer.

RimWorld is coming to Steam when it's retail ready, and the target consumer who'd enjoy RimWorld isn't going anywhere. RimWorld modding is already robust and easy to do. Putting an unfinished game on Steam doesn't serve any significant long-term goals.

[Haplo]

In my opinion putting an unfinished game on steam early access is a way for developers who need an early income. It has the huge disadvantage to generate a hype for a game in a much too early stage. You get the new customers and a hype when the game is unfinished and with that you'll only attract a percentage of the potential customers. Also you need a reduced price on steam to even attract a percentage of the potential buyers. And then later when the game really is finished, the hype is gone and you are there without any more interested buyers. That is in my opinion the worst case for a developer / firm.
The early access on steam is a rather easy solution for customers to get a game at a reduced price, but not that good an idea for a firm to make the most profit from your goods. And the more profit this firm makes in the long run, the more likely it is that there will be something after RimWorld