I actuallly have a huge amount of games on steam but I hated the platform until I was forced to install it for civilization V. Then I started hating it less, than in the following weeks there was a big summer or fall sale, I can't remember which on and I noticed all the game half price and now I think its cool. I am just concerned about the fair share that developpers should get. I just hope the fate of video games will not follow the fate of hollywood cinema.

You could always use Gamergate(and DotEmu, but they have a smaller library than GOG) as well, they don't require a client either.

THQ have some good titles like saints row . If I could get them client free, DRM free on GOG I would even if they were full priced. I can see how someone who is 100% online would like steam but as I play 100% offline I can tell you it's just a pain. I let it go online 2-3 times a year for updates and so far I've only bought a few of valves titles (Hl2, episodes 1+2,portal 1+2 , TF2, cstrike, garrysmod and both left 4 deads). The closest thing to a non valve title I bought would be dead island, and it doesn't even work right offline.

for me, buying a non valve game on steam is always a big gamble since its not easy to know how crippled it will be in offline mode. source engine games have a set of shared console commands so I can usually trust them to work, but sometimes I can't. Take for example TF2.

I bought it on one of the cheap sales so I could use the content in Garrysmod, and I figured sooner or later someone would make some bots so I could get some use out of it. a year or so later they added the items/inventory. in "true offline mode" (offline mode, no internet connection) this screen is inaccessible. I got a few preorder bonuses but I can never use them. to make matters worse every huge update adds content and fills up the hard drive with hats and guns I'll never see or use. and then there's the whole shenanigans with readying steam for offline mode.

I have to start each and every program in the library in online mode and then tell it to go to offline mode then start each and every program again to "verify" there's no problem. that's around an hour or so of my eventing I cant get back, depending on how fast my computer is feeling.

Sorry for the rant guys, but sometimes it feels like I'm the only one who uses offline mode.

back on topic, I think it would be great to see not just THQ titles on GOG, But also 2k games back catalogue. I made wish-list for it in the site features section, but it fell off the first page. and I know what you mean OP, I joined in April 2012 and haven't bought a game anywhere else since.

Good question would like to know myself but too lazy to read up on it as I'm still trying to figure out what a paladin is..

It's safe to say that steam is one of the main causes of greenhouse effect.

That sounds very over the top and only the case if you come from a completely fresh install where you don't have any games installed nor played. The needing to run them before offline mode is to finish off the install, which happens the first time you start up the game after installation. Updates, assuming they are finished should work fine in offline mode without having done that. (far as I'm aware at least)

Because there are a bazillion awesome games not sold on GOG.

Why? I had to install the client to disable it, the website asked for an email confirmation on each and every login.

From what I've read, as soon as Steam has registered a patch, you have to launch the patched version of the game while online for it to be playable offline again.

If this is correct, it could lead to the situation where he goes online to apply patches, then goes offline and then none of the patched games will run. If I recall correctly, it even does this if it registers there is an update but doesn't download/apply it.

NOTE: It says it in Steam's own FAQ on Offline Mode:

I do notice I have a few games in my library now that say the update is paused, so I imagine those are waiting for the update to be finished by starting the game. Actually scratch that, after clicking resume update it asked me to update to the new content system so those are probably exceptions and clearly visible as needing an update.

I haven't had problems running games in offline mode before due to an update though. Maybe if it registers one and hasn't downloaded yet but that's rare in my case since they're usually done before I even notice there is one.

In general, my library updates itself and stays 100% in the library, which is why I'm assuming the above. The cases where it isn't seem to be in yellow and say something like 'update paused'.

If you're offline the patch won't factor in anyway. If you go online to patch then you're already online and can launch the game once at that time.

How is this an issue?

That is very similar to my story. After Boycotting Steam for the better of six years I was accidentally suckered into it after my copy of DOW II arrived. After thinking "well, I bought the game. And I'm always online anyway, I might just give it a shot". For maybe a year I pretty much ignored the platform only buying the occasional cheap indie game on it. Then I was travelling a lot professionally and noticed the benefits of having my games digitally available everywhere I went.

I fully embraced Steam after countless indie and small time developers have stated how great Steam is for them. The final "nail in the coffin" for me was when Tim Schafer praised it and it got the DF games on the PC.

I still don't like Valve as a game developer, but they have been incredibly beneficial for gaming in general. Steam by itself pretty much broke the big publisher hegemony on PC gaming and gave Indies a chance to thrive. Which by itself has influenced big publisher greatly again, as they could use indies to assess innovation in gaming "risk free". I've been playing PC game for nearly twenty years now, and gaming has never been better.

For me personally, I care more about developers and publishers than about gamer sensibilities, therefore the DRM part isn't bothering me at all. Considering the shit we had to live with ten years ago, it is a lot better. And my initial complaint against Steam about needing to"be online for install" really sounds weird to complain about nowadays ...

But it's not true either. I tried that several times, and DirectX and other bullshit installation runs perfectly fine in offline mode. I download some indies on my gf laptop, go to offline mode and then I run them for the first time, and they always work. And it works not only for indie games, because when I visit my parents, I preload some games and go to offline mode too.

It doesn't work only if there is some update scheduled but not yet installed.

Doesn't Steam needs online activation for every install?

What do you mean? You activate your game when you redeem your key.

I may download a game, go to offline mode without EVER running it, and it will install and run just fine in offline mode.

As long as it's completely downloaded (game name with white font), you can play it. I know, I did that just yesterday...