Other platform holders develop good games. I much rather have steam develop big games year after year. They have the tech and money to develop high end PC exclusive games buy yay soundtracks I guess...
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Why nobody bothers to improve their game platforms, while Steam improves despite being THE leading platform (Valve revamped soundtrack feature)
- Thread starter Arthands
- Start date
I just went into music details and saw that like almost all of the Jackbox Party Pack(first game)'s voice files are listed as music. Wonder if I did something wrong on my end?
It's an "old style" soundtrack (from before this change). New soundtracks appear in the library with their track selection, etc so there's no weird stuff with audio files (you can still of course open the folder where the soundtrack is stored and copy it to another device, etc)
Half-Life: Alyx on Steam
Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity’s only chance for survival.
Dota 2 on Steam
Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has...
Counter-Strike 2 on Steam
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.
Artifact on Steam
Artifact now features two games: Artifact Classic, the original Dota 2 trading card game, and Artifact Foundry, a special edition with streamlined gameplay, new cards, new single-player content, and an improved new player experience.
Dota Underlords on Steam
Hire a crew and destroy your rivals in this new strategy battler set in the world of Dota. Introducing Season One: Explore White Spire and earn rewards on the Battle Pass. Pick from several different game modes, play on your own or with friends, and take advantage of crossplay on PC and mobile.
This is the old system, and it'll show all music files it can find within any Steam folders. You can turn this off here if you don't want any random files (such as those voice files):
Valve iterates like crazy. People are providing summaries here that are showing some highlights rather than every single thing, and how something simple blows up into something huge. By your logic, Valve should do nothing at all - they got the money and no share holders to push them
Instead, they are constantly putting out all sorts of updates, dev tools, hardware and even games - - - all with a core of 350 people vs all the other collosal game companies. Furthermore:
Disregarding the platform bait (and the minimal argument presented in the OP) - OP is right - Steam is putting out so much and iterates like crazy, with more tools and features with genuine big impact utility and benefits, all year round for over a decade.
Feel free to go through every tiny update below, which is only as far back as 2013 to date:
Steam :: Steam Client Beta :: Events
The only thing good that's come from EGS is Valve re-communicating their previous announcements specifically for the "Valve do nothing" crowd:
Year in review 2019 - https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/1697229969000435735
Year in review 2018 - https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/1697194621363928453
Top of my head things that have happened in recent memory that I've found useful:
- Steam Store > Steamworks > Client refresh 2010 (catagorise, customise library - but pretty bare bones) > wishlisting > Family Sharing (multi-device and non-local devices) > Soundtrack purchasing and playback > BPM > Discoverabilty Update (Store refresh), Discover Queue, more genre filters > Tags Updates, Tag Search > BPM overhaul > User reviews updates > review funny marker > recent reviews update and highlighted view > review helpful modifier > review histogram analyser > review bomb identifier / searching > recommender updates > wishlisting update - filters, sorting etc > Chat client update > Library update, incorporates enhance catagorising, collections, game hubs, tag searching within library > improved soundtrack support as unique form of app
- In-home Streaming (2012), with rather ridiculous update speed > Steam Broadcasting > Steam Link hardware > Steam Link integrated into Samsung TVs > Link App (Mobile) > IHS to Remote Play transition, introducing Remote Play Anywhere (user cloud) > Remote Play together (online co-op, in local multiplayer games)
- Steam Controller (2013 prototype, 2015 release) > SCAPI > Steam Input - steam's solution for massive controller support (consoles or otherwise), ridiculous levels of customisation > touch control support on mobile devices applied to Steam Remote play and Steam Remote play anywhere > expanded to VR
- Steam Linux (2012) > Supports SPIR-V and Linux dev > Valve funds Vulkan development > Secretly funds Wine Dev (which folks can't prove but theorise on) > 3 years later confirms it, reveals Proton - playing Windows games successfully with big improvements over Wine emu, and integrated into Steam > rapid progress to reduce overhead, support for VR etc
- VR experimentation (2010/11) > supports Oculus > splits, brings SteamVR, Lighthouse, co-develops Vive > simultaneous dev of OpenVR > donates OpenVR to Khronos Group to develop OpenXR for standardised VR - supported by all vendors, including consoles > near Daily updates to SteamVR, expanded features utility, SteamVR Input > Knuckles > ridiculous number of refreshes and changes within SteamVR, interface, support for Rift, new headsets, new controllers, cameras, overlay, SteamVR Home, Avatars, desktop theatre changes etc > Index > further changes heading towards SteamVR 2.0, overhauled UI replacing BPM, performance enhancements
- The Lab > Destinations > SteamVR Home > Moondust > Hand Lab > Half-Life Alyx (soon.tm)
I could go on and on if I remind myself of all the other connecting tools and features.
VS other game platforms consoles included, it really is in a league of its own, and is a huge reason that PC remains my primary platform, as they have added so much additional value and utility to the games I already own, and continue to improve both to serve themselves, customers and the platform - including its competitors!
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how is it any different from listening to movie soundtracks?
OP uses the soundtrack thing as an example for Steam constantly improving
"But I don't even like soundtracks"
"Why would I buy soundtracks when I could listen to them on some other service?"
"Music is bad"
"Why would you listen to soundtracks when you could listen to *some other music*"
Kinda missing the point folks
You just get some MP3s, why does it matter where they come from
"But I don't even like soundtracks"
"Why would I buy soundtracks when I could listen to them on some other service?"
"Music is bad"
"Why would you listen to soundtracks when you could listen to *some other music*"
Kinda missing the point folks
What's the difference between buying it on Amazon or Steam?
You just get some MP3s, why does it matter where they come from
One reason I can think of would be convenient streaming to Echo devices. You can do it with files from alternate sources (music that isn't in your Amazon digital library) but last time I looked it seemed cumbersome to set up (so I didn't bother!)
I'm not opposed to soundtracks being purchasable on Steam though: the more options the better.
you missed:
" The other clients are having updates all the time"
" EGS proves competition is good"
"who cares about music when [insert very specific steam complaint]"
I mean, streaming isn't for everyone due to bandwidth issues, and Spotify isn't worldwide. More than that, though, this allows devs to sell music on the same store where the game is, decreasing friction for consumers. Less clicks to buy something = more chance of selling something.
More relevant than saying "Oh, but Spotify" is why anyone would choose Steam over Bandcamp, which has a sizable number of videogame composer's works on it, and takes only 15% on digital sales. But, again, it requires users to know Bandcamp exists, find the soundtrack, and purchase, so 70% of a sale on Steam is better than 85% of 0 on Bandcamp.
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OP
OP
they offer some advantages:
Buying certain soundtracks on Steam will have the associated game unlock the tracks in-game. you gets multiple quality of the tracks, bigger selections, doesn't require a subscription service and most importantly, you keep local copy of the music files onto your PC, allowing you to transfer to and play on any music players and platforms you want.
Wait till you hear that part where nearly no other digital gaming platform has start to even offer soundtracks.
I hate the Steam music player and lack of ability to stream / download direct to my phone - so it isn't close to being ideal yet - but that they are taking it more seriously, encouraging high quality / lossless audio formats to be included, is HUGE for me, and it look likely they will step into the direction I want.
But I do think your laser focused on this point, which is fair when other gaming vendors aren't even trying.
Steam has such a ton of features I simply use so regularly, and importantly, they keep finding ways to add more value to both new purchases and your existing library, to encourage you to keep choosing Steam over a competitor.
No complaints from me on that front, but it starts to look laughable looking at other gaming services being just stagnant
My best guess, but probably horribly wrong: being a privately owned company gives Valve the freedom to add a ton of little things just because they find them interesting, or they simply think people will like them. Other - i.e. publicly traded - companies have to justify spending the time and money on things that may not directly lead to increased revenue.
If I listen to music with lyrics I get distracted while reading or working. It's not an all or nothing thing.
Honestly I prefer most of the other launchers because they're less bloated. Steam has so many features and I don't need 80% of them. Like the controller support has given me numerous issues over the last year where it intercepts my controller and messes things up, and then if I want to change anything I have to launch into big picture mode for some reason?
Steam sometimes feels like a piece of software that more and more stuff is just bolted onto in a way I don't enjoy.
Origin is weirdly my favorite launcher. Nice UI, super fast downloads, has the essential features like cloud saves, and it's easy to get into my game. That's all I really need.
Steam sometimes feels like a piece of software that more and more stuff is just bolted onto in a way I don't enjoy.
Origin is weirdly my favorite launcher. Nice UI, super fast downloads, has the essential features like cloud saves, and it's easy to get into my game. That's all I really need.
You use steam to buy them, not listen to them. You can listen to them on any player of your choosing (including Spotify). You can't buy stuff through Spotify. These are completely different things, not equatable in the slightest.
I guess you're talking about PC because you can buy soundtracks to some games through the PlayStation store.
OP
OP
Not just PC but gaming platforms in general. Playstation store offer soundtracks, but they only offer bare-bone format and features for soundtrack, many missing details info for people who have no idea what they are getting for buying the soundtrack, not to mention the significant lesser selections. Playstation store may be in the second place, but that doesn't mean they are close to what Steam has to offer.
i do agree there's still room for improvement, I just pinged one of the valve staffer some suggestions so hopefully they will listen.
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You do realize Spotify isn't available in every country right? And I don't see what is wrong with having options.
If a developer manages to sell even one soundtrack on Steam, they'll make far more than if they had put it on Spotify.
Basically this.
Some fun streaming info. Last time I checked (a couple years back now so it could be different) a single Spotify stream, on average, was worth less than (USD) $0.004 (closer to 0.003 than not) and that isn't even taking into account the things surrounding the money like contracts. Spotify (and most other streaming services) are convenient but the amount of time a single person would have to spend streaming a single artist content to even buy them a coffee is pretty massive - taking averages of said coffee being about $3.50, an average stream worth about $0.0035 - it would be between 50 and 60 hours of streaming. That's without taking into account that what any one stream is worth on Spotify changes quite a bit depending on the who, where, what and how much's surrounding said stream.
TL;DR, if you like an artists' music please go buy their album on Bandcamp, iTunes, Steam etc - maybe buy some merch, or a vinyl LP, or chuck a donation their way, or see a couple of their live shows - because they comparatively make fuck all from you streaming their stuff.
It's the better it's ever been both in aesthetic and usability.
I've never been so comfortable navigating my library of 1000+ titles back and forth than since this last redesign.
And it STILL performs better than the EGS (being quicker to load etc) despise the latter being a barren wasteland in terms of features.
A mix of factors.Green man Gaming tried that and it didn't work out
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I'm not sure why they stopped though i'd guess it was the lack of publisher support
Among them, because it turned out that despise claiming the contrary, basically no one gave a shit about reselling their digital games, when they devalued so quickly.
After a while it was clear that most people preferred getting a Steam key (which is most of what GMG still sells these days) that having a "tradable" copy on the horrendous GMG client. One that devalued of 90% of its price or more minutes after the purchase, anyway.
Is there a way to remove the soundtrack stuff from the store? I like going through the que to see things and now it's filled to the brim with soundtracks.
I can understand that people out there like a lot of the stuff they have added but I wish I could turn most of the features off. Community features, this new soundtrack stuff, streaming, the achievements and cards. If I had my way it would just be the store, my library and a friends list. Of course I'm an old and can understand why people like the features, just none of it is really what I want and in some ways actively makes it worse.
I can understand that people out there like a lot of the stuff they have added but I wish I could turn most of the features off. Community features, this new soundtrack stuff, streaming, the achievements and cards. If I had my way it would just be the store, my library and a friends list. Of course I'm an old and can understand why people like the features, just none of it is really what I want and in some ways actively makes it worse.
Sign In
In the client, click on your username, then Store Preferences.
From there, you can add the Soundtrack tag to the list of excluded tags - which should remove them from your queue - as well as set Live Broadcasts to be hidden. Achievements and Cards will still show, but they're not exactly shoved in your face like the Soundtrack listings and live broadcasts.
Sign In
store.steampowered.com
In the client, click on your username, then Store Preferences.
From there, you can add the Soundtrack tag to the list of excluded tags - which should remove them from your queue - as well as set Live Broadcasts to be hidden. Achievements and Cards will still show, but they're not exactly shoved in your face like the Soundtrack listings and live broadcasts.
Hey! Thanks!
Epic store, IMO, looks great. But a lot of that comes at the price of less functionality/information. They have a lot less games that they're trying to give exposure to, and its clean look is largely due to not actually providing enough information about games
Neat. I've never really used the soundtrack feature at all, but I'll check it out. I like what they've been doing with the SteamVR UI as well. Much better design than previously.
I actually put effort into learning how the new Steam library is, and to my surprise I'm dumping playnite for it, even after being meh on it at first. I'm just adding all my non-steam games to it now.
I actually put effort into learning how the new Steam library is, and to my surprise I'm dumping playnite for it, even after being meh on it at first. I'm just adding all my non-steam games to it now.
Thinking about Amazon versus Steam again, the latter at least has sales on its content. In my experience Amazon never does sales on their digital music, though it is often possible to get the music added to your digital library cheaper through AutoRip, by buying the CD version instead. In fact, I think most of the music in my digital library is through AutoRip!
Really?
I think it looks horrible and clumsy to browse EVEN ignoring entirely its lack of options and features.
Hell, even putting aside any comparison with Steam, among the other competing clients It used to be topped in shittiness just by the Windows Store... Then again the new Xbox app came, arguably making it drop dead last in term of UI.
I mean, worst case scenario is that you now have another option that you won't use.
But, for example, the Disco Elysium soundtrack is not on Amazon or Spotify and that's my soundtrack of the year (and I will also happily give the devs of the game some more money)
Well yeah:
But I'm not opposed to buying a soundtrack on Steam if that's the only place I could get it either.
OP
OP
Its 2020 and almost no other gaming platforms else has any proper soundtrack feature in any form. Thats' the lol part. Sony has one messy soundtrack system on PS Store, and Epic's one might as well doesn't exist.
btw, there's game gifting on Steam too.
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What do you mean by that picture, want to explain that because it's for sure whooshing over my head whatever you're saying or implying.
Astroturf. Implying the OP is astroturfing and either works for Valve or is being paid to say positive things about Steam.
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Steam over the years has grown to have a LOT of game soundtracks (stupidly implemented as game DLC). Steam making these more accessible to purchase and leaning into supporting them for real is a great thing. It really makes sense to have the soundtrack for purchase on the same place you buy the game... and generally developers will discount them at the same time as the actual game.
A fair amount are available in FLAC too!
Edit: Recommendation:
Brigador - Vol. I on Steam
A sonic experience that sets the tone for a world gone wrong, where the impulse to fight grows to become our first instinct. The initial compilation of twelve tracks focus on the intensity of gameplay and the urgency of survival.
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