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Which Features Should Steam Improve/Implement?

Deleted member 23212

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Oct 28, 2017
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One of the biggest hot topics at the moment is the Epic Game Store. One of the biggest arguments for the storefront wars is that it will force Steam to improve their own client. Well, I'd like to use this thread to discuss which features we would like to be improved or added. These are some of mine:
  1. Improve the messaging system to maybe have sone features that Discord has. This would also coincide with improving the mobile app to accommodate these features
  2. More ways to sort your game library
  3. Make regional gifting easier (like come on, if I'm gifting a game but the regional prices are different, at least give me the option to pay the higher price of the two to gift it)
  4. Better integration with YouTube or Twitch by allowing me to record videos and then have them uploaded to my account, or something like that.
Those are some I can think of. What about you?
 
Hektor

Hektor

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Oct 25, 2017
9,884
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A way to record the last 5 minutes of gameplay like nvidia shadowplay and what the consoles have
 

Deleted member 49574

User requested account closure
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Nov 12, 2018
454
Norway
Update the flipping mobile app. its not been updated since 11 Jun 2016 on iOS

Let me block developers/publishers

edit: They actually have a option to ignore creators but it only works if they have a creator page
 
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Unicorn

Unicorn

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 29, 2017
9,752
Family share not fucking up. Have to re-set it up every so often. Also some games don't allow it.

Make joining games easier - probably more on devs.

Don't make me feel guilty refunding a game because I want to see if I can run it first.

Big picture mode not sucking.
 
Ge0force

Ge0force

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Oct 28, 2017
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Games suggested on your personal store page should get a thumbs up and thumbs down button, making it easier and more attractive to let Steam know what you like and what not.
 
Mozendo

Mozendo

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Oct 25, 2017
2,245
Pacific North West
1. Let me customize the way I see stores, I don't care about curators at all, it's just garbage cluttering the page. Remove the the update games and the devs and publishers you may know garbage too.
2. I want old chat back, I don't want a shittier version of discord, or at least give me the option of banning people by the Steam User ID just like how certain chat bots did before the new dumb update, as far as I know there's no way to ban someone who isn't in chat.
3. Get rid of the Recent news section.
 
Htown

Htown

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Oct 25, 2017
11,377
Daoko said:
You are right. I just checked.

they added option to ignore creator but it only works if the creator has a page.
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yeah, I knew I had used the option before somewhere

turns out I have THQ Nordic's games set to ignore after their 8chan bullshit

unfortunate that they don't have a space to do it outside of the publisher/developer page, which makes it difficult to ignore smaller developers who haven't put one up yet
 
GhostTrick

GhostTrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,546
Here's a few features I'd love to see:

1. Streaming local coop games online (By that I mean allowing a friend far away to play a local multiplayer game with you via streaming).
2. A Big Picture Update with skins support.
3. Downloading games icons and banners with all your games so that they appear when you're offline.
 
spineduke

spineduke

Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
8,809
Most of the stuff I want is coming - UI client refresh, library improvements, algorithm engine upgrade.
 
Jakisthe

Jakisthe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,801
A "play this next" recommender. It could take a look at your library, what you most recently played, various user input settings ("I like taking a break from time to time" vs "I like completing a series all at once"), and make a suggestion regarding how best to tackle a backlog.
Or even just a "recommend my a random game from by backlog based on everything I've ever played" button.
Heck, a "random I played backlog game" button could do, as I realize this is a pretty involved feature.

I feel like their forums could also be organized better.
 
daninthemix

daninthemix

Member
Nov 2, 2017
5,044
Steam already has the most full-featured client by a country mile. That doesn't really factor into discussions about the EGS. It's more about the developer's cut and then usually also some tail-end discussions around curation (and Steam's lack of, etc).
 
Dr. Ludwig

Dr. Ludwig

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,543
Adding a tabbing feature in the main application would improve the actual user experience tremondously for me.

The opening of new pages with middle mouse button isnt ideal.
 
Liam Allen-Miller

Liam Allen-Miller

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,922
Shibuya
Unicorn said:
Don't make me feel guilty refunding a game because I want to see if I can run it first.
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IMO they already bend over backwards to not make people feel guilty:
"You can request a refund for nearly any purchase on Steam—for any reason. Maybe your PC doesn't meet the hardware requirements; maybe you bought a game by mistake; maybe you played the title for an hour and just didn't like it."

Don't feel bad! I know it's easier said than done, but you're not doing anything wrong!
 
mxbison

mxbison

Banned
Jan 14, 2019
2,148
Better store browsing

Ways to sort your library

Try to fix the download speed problem many people still have. I have a 50mb connection and sometimes download with 100kb, tried all the suggested fixes and never have this problem anywhere else.
 
Resiverence

Resiverence

Member
Jan 30, 2019
517
The terrible mobile app first pls

Its like something out of 2010, please kill it and give it a redesign.
 
708

708

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,358
Sandbox mode like itch.io
Some sort of online local co-op like Parsec
Something like Cheat Engine with the ability to share tables with other users
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,257
I would wish for:

- A Steam Input Global Profile that creates a controller with all Steam features on a Windows level without having to start an app through Steam
- Steam Input adding a proper battery-indicator for every controller
- Even more custimization of gyro-axis so you can easily map emulators like Dolphin with Wiimote controls
- Making it possible to pass-through the native Dualshock 4 input to a game while wireless
- Skins for Big Picture
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,257
spineduke said:
then you want a different app, not Steam
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Huh? I know apps like DS4Windows exist and do what I want but they pale in comparison to what Steam Input allows you to do. I fail to see how it wouldn't benefit Steam and all Steam users if they had a "Global Profile" for Steam that is active at all times unless a game you're launching through Steam has a profile which then of course would override the global one.

I mean technically this already exists in form of the Desktop Configuration but it still doesn't work reliably like with games running off Origin where you have to rely on external tools like GloSC for Steam Input to work for example.
 
Pargon

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,249
  • Integration with UWP games (Xbox Game Pass). Let me add them to my library, bring up the overlay in-game, and use my Steam Controller.
  • Watched directories to automatically add non-Steam games might be nice. Integration with non-Steam clients and being able to link those accounts would be even better, but I don't really see that happening.
  • Allow me to opt a game out of auto-updating, and make it easy to roll back to previous versions in the GUI. Have it launch in offline mode unless the latest patch is installed.
  • Hide "hidden" games from family sharing. I have a ton of 'junk' games on my Steam account from bundles which are hidden from my normal view, rather than completely removing them from the account, and just recently found out that shared accounts see them all. I'd actually prefer that family sharing could be managed via an opt-in list for games rather than sharing the entire account by default.
Daoko said:
Update the flipping mobile app. its not been updated since 11 Jun 2016 on iOS
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I believe this is because they would also have to remove features (purchasing) to meet newer App Store guidelines.
I think this is also the sticking point for the Steam Link app. Even though you could not purchase Steam games via the Steam Link app, you could still purchase them via the Steam app and then play them via Steam Link.

Burt said:
anime genocide
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steam-content-filters4wjvi.png


Skyfireblaze said:
Huh? I know apps like DS4Windows exist and do what I want but they pale in comparison to what Steam Input allows you to do. I fail to see how it wouldn't benefit Steam and all Steam users if they had a "Global Profile" for Steam that is active at all times unless a game you're launching through Steam has a profile which then of course would override the global one.

I mean technically this already exists in form of the Desktop Configuration but it still doesn't work reliably like with games running off Origin where you have to rely on external tools like GloSC for Steam Input to work for example.
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I've had good success recently using OSOL with non-Steam games that require a launcher rather than GloSC which I could never get working reliably - though I haven't tried it in a very long time.
I agree that having a global profile which allows the controller to be seen as an XInput device would probably be the easiest solution for widespread compatibility from an end-user point of view.
 
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spineduke

spineduke

Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
8,809
Skyfireblaze said:
Huh? I know apps like DS4Windows exist and do what I want but they pale in comparison to what Steam Input allows you to do. I fail to see how it wouldn't benefit Steam and all Steam users if they had a "Global Profile" for Steam that is active at all times unless a game you're launching through Steam has a profile which then of course would override the global one.

I mean technically this already exists in form of the Desktop Configuration but it still doesn't work reliably like with games running off Origin where you have to rely on external tools like GloSC for Steam Input to work for example.
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This is pedantic, but no, exporting the functionality out of Steam doesn't really benefit Steam. I get your frustration with other launchers, but thats not really on Valve to fix.

Pargon said:
  • Allow me to opt a game out of auto-updating, and make it easy to roll back to previous versions in the GUI. Have it launch in offline mode unless the latest patch is installed.
  • Hide "hidden" games from family sharing. I have a ton of 'junk' games on my Steam account from bundles which are hidden from my normal view, rather than completely removing them from the account, and just recently found out that shared accounts see them all. I'd actually prefer that family sharing could be managed via an opt-in list for games rather than sharing the entire account by default.
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these are both really good ideas, for family sharing, it would be nice to control what games are shared
 
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Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,257
spineduke said:
This is pedantic, but no, exporting the functionality out of Steam doesn't really benefit Steam. I get your frustration with other launchers, but thats not really on Valve to fix.
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That's a point I can accept and agree on yeah you're right. It's especially frustrating because it seems to be solely caused by Origin's way of launching games. It's one of the reasons why I don't mind UPlay at all and even buy games on Uplay, the launcher is unobtrusive, has many great features by itself and if you add a Uplay game to Steam it works hassle free with Steam Input, both overlays stay intact and I want to give Ubisoft bonus-points for adding a manual Dualshock / XBOX icon-prompt toggle in the latest Assassin's Creed games.
 
.exe

.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,473
Combined tag exclusion. Like "visual novel AND sexual content" or "puzzle AND sexual content". I don't want to exclude all from any of these tags, but specific combinations like these usually result in games that I don't like. This would make browsing so much more hassle-free.

Also, remove the limit on the number of curators/developers/publishers you can ignore.
 
Skyfireblaze

Skyfireblaze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,257
Pargon said:
  • Integration with UWP games (Xbox Game Pass). Let me add them to my library, bring up the overlay in-game, and use my Steam Controller.
  • Watched directories to automatically add non-Steam games might be nice. Integration with non-Steam clients and being able to link those accounts would be even better, but I don't really see that happening.
  • Allow me to opt a game out of auto-updating, and make it easy to roll back to previous versions in the GUI. Have it launch in offline mode unless the latest patch is installed.
  • Hide "hidden" games from family sharing. I have a ton of 'junk' games on my Steam account from bundles which are hidden from my normal view, rather than completely removing them from the account, and just recently found out that shared accounts see them all. I'd actually prefer that family sharing could be managed via an opt-in list for games rather than sharing the entire account by default.

I believe this is because they would also have to remove features (purchasing) to meet newer App Store guidelines.
I think this is also the sticking point for the Steam Link app. Even though you could not purchase Steam games via the Steam Link app, you could still purchase them via the Steam app and then play them via Steam Link.


steam-content-filters4wjvi.png



I've had good success recently using OSOL with non-Steam games that require a launcher rather than GloSC which I could never get working reliably - though I haven't tried it in a very long time.
I agree that having a global profile which allows the controller to be seen as an XInput device would probably be the easiest solution for widespread compatibility from an end-user point of view.
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Sorry for the double-post, I missed your post initially and if I edit my previous one now you won't be notified I replied. Well while I agree spineduke that it really isn't on Steam to fix this it would atleast make things pretty straight-forward. And interesting, I had the opposite experience, GloSC works pretty reliable for me while I tried OSOL recently with Burnout Paradise and could never get it to work at all.

EDIT: Oh daxy saved me from double-post shame :P
 
Xiaomi

Xiaomi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,237
The dream is for steam to add some kind of universal remote play for games with local but not online multiplayer. Kind of like GGPO's old client but for Steam games, where both people could run the game on their systems but share inputs.
 
ProstatePuncher

ProstatePuncher

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
5,800
Fixing the Family Sharing bug that has existed since it was implemented would be smashing. The shared Library will just disappear on its own. Only way to bring it back is to re-do sharing, or open a game that you've got installed from that persons Library. This is why I've got Binding of Isaac installed from my friends library. I never play it, but its always there in case it bugs the fuck out again.
 
pswii60

pswii60

Member
Oct 27, 2017
26,897
The Milky Way
They should overhaul Big Picture Mode, it's way overdue and they've been promising it for ages.

Also make it easier to launch games from other launchers, eg Epic and UWP. The fact is that if they do that, then it'll encourage people to stick with Steam as their first port of call and main launcher. There's too much tinkering to make it work properly at the moment, especially in BPM - eg UWPHook works nice but Steam loses focus when the game has finished which has consequences when you want to launch another game from the controller.
 
flyingman

flyingman

Banned
Apr 16, 2019
1,678
Most of stuff here posted is useless / niche features here. Since big UI/Messaging improvements already showcased and coming in summer.
 
Griffith

Griffith

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,585
Better tools for curators.
Curated sales and storefront.
Enforce some basic standards on the software they sell, higher than "it reaches the main menu without crashing".
 
ThereAreFourNaan

ThereAreFourNaan

Member
Nov 8, 2017
13,461
Oheao said:
One of the biggest arguments for the storefront wars is that it will force Steam to improve their own client.
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I'm happy to talk about what I want Steam to improve, but that's... not accurate. The inverse, namely that EGS needs to dramatically improve it's client is very widely discussed, but the idea that Steam needs to improve it's features to stave off Epic is not really a point of discussion at all. The Valve side of thing is almost exclusively discussing things like revenue sharing, discoverability, and curation.

Anyway, I want some small things improved, like:
  • Fixing the thing where you click on your own profile and it says you don't have permission to view it. It stays up for a second or two before reloading and working, but is bizarre and slightly annoying.
  • Controller support for navigating menus outside of big picture mode.
  • Give much more precise in-game time counters. Or at least have options for precision. The difference between 2.1 hours and 2.9 hours is pretty big proportionally!
 
InfinityDOK

InfinityDOK

Member
Dec 3, 2018
2,653
Keep developers on their platform...

-Steam big picture needs an update
-Allow me to choose which window my game launches in
-be able to sell used game keys
-simplify and change game sharing to be similar to Xbox (two user can play the same game at the same time when the game is shared)
-doing first time start set up when installing the game not when I decide I want to play and have limited time to play.
-start a rewards program like Xbox store, PS store, Nintendo shop, Uplay
-improve your customer support
-built in streaming tools for twitch, YouTube and other platforms.
 
ZKenir

ZKenir

Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,475
Let me get free DLC without having to "purchase" them one by one and without automatically launching the game after I do so.

I hate this with a passion.

Edit: for games that offer extra content like wallpapers, artbooks and music would be nice if I could download that stuff without having to download the whole game.
 
BeI

BeI

Member
Dec 9, 2017
6,130
Playnite functionality. The multi-launcher future is here to stay it seems, so maybe they could make it so your Steam library is automatically populated with other games that are on your machine from other launchers. Then of course allow overlay support so that you can have access to more features (like full controller support) than you'd likely have elsewhere.

If you can launch every game easily through the Steam interface, and gain features from doing so, it could help keep more people interacting with Steam's ecosystem than that of other launchers.
 
Zelent

Zelent

Banned
Mar 12, 2019
33
Steam should try to be more like the Epic Game Store.

I'm serious... take out all the trash games... de-clutter the interface... introduce better sales... develop some good exclusives (Half-Life 3!)
 
Sean Mirrsen

Sean Mirrsen

Banned
May 9, 2018
1,159
BeImonkey said:
Playnite functionality. The multi-launcher future is here to stay it seems, so maybe they could make it so your Steam library is automatically populated with other games that are on your machine from other launchers. Then of course allow overlay support so that you can have access to more features (like full controller support) than you'd likely have elsewhere.

If you can launch every game easily through the Steam interface, and gain features from doing so, it could help keep more people interacting with Steam's ecosystem than that of other launchers.
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That already works. The overlay I don't quite remember (never use it), but controller support works that way, and instead of automatically adding everything it lets you add anything that is registered as installed in the OS (i.e. via GOG standalone installers), it even lets you add multiple games in one go. It probably doesn't poll other multi-game launchers, but if other launchers register the game in the OS list like Steam does, the same principle will work.

InfinityDOK said:
-be able to sell used game keys
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And that is going to drive developers off their platform. It's a user-facing feature, and very much not a developer-facing one.
 
Tregard

Tregard

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Oct 27, 2017
5,221
Something I'd really like would be the return of 'Quick Launch' from the 360, where you could instantly jump from one game to another.
 
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