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Any upside/downside to buying & playing an MMO via Steam?

DelCabonDelCabon Member UncommonPosts: 258
in The Pub at MMORPG.COM
Over the last couple years I have been buying most of my single player and co-op games via Steam. Personally I have come to enjoy the perks of using this platform like the trading cards, curators, levels, friends groups etc.

However, I have been hesitant to buy an MMO on steam even though it would be nice to get the rewards. My concern is potential conflicts with mods, folder paths and connection issues. A single player game I can just reset, pause or quit. An MMO, not so much.

Should I steer clear of Steam for MMO's? Am I just being too critical? Can anyone provide some insight? Thanks.

Del Cabon
A US Army ('Just Cause') Vet and MMORPG Native formerly of Trinsic, Norath and Dereth. Currently playing LOTRO. 

Comments

  • AtmaDarkwolfAtmaDarkwolf Member UncommonPosts: 353
    Unless u have to, don't bother.
    Like what you listed, there also other issues, like payment for example, (unless in states) values are usually quite a bit more than the actual 'cost' (IE 20 bucks American might be around 26ish Canadian, but steam might charge 40 bucks just to make sure they make profit, it gets worse with other currencies)

    Also said payments have to be made though steam, so if u are buying ingame currency for a cash shop, u may have to wait for a while, risk it just not 'registering' you bought any, (IE go though support but would have to be steam side, etc)

    So really, i'd say for the most part, for any MMO i would avoid steam completely if possible.
    DelCabon
  • parpinparpin Member UncommonPosts: 220
    i play eso and rift via steam and never had problem with steam, as matter of fact you can use money you have in your steam vault to buy stuff for the mmos you have,it does not make big difference, i play gw2 without steam and no problem as well, so in my opinion buy it through steam because it is fine with steam as well.
  • FinvegaFinvega Member RarePosts: 260
    And if you haven't replaced computers since using Steam, you will really like easy game re-installs.
    Octagon7711
  • ElsaboltsElsabolts Member RarePosts: 3,476
    Excellent sight, highly recommended
    " Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Those Who  Would Threaten It "
                                            MAGA
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    nah .. it is great. Steam handles everything. Some games (like SWL) links their accounts with steam so you don't even have to separately log in.
  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    Easy to buy dlc and expansions.  Haven't really had any problems with it. 

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • k61977k61977 Member EpicPosts: 1,526
    DMKano said:
    Depends on a MMO

    Some MMOs require you to play through steam (example - Black Desert Online)

    other MMOs don't - you can just use the game's launcher to log in directly and bypass Steam


    So it depends on a game.

    My preference is to avoid double logins as much as possible - so logging into steam, then logging into game's launcher - yeah no thanks. 

    I just skip Steam all together for MMOs - just my 2c
    Not sure which MMO's you played through steam but you don't have to log in twice for any that I have played. 

    Neverwinter, Rift, Secret World, ESO....all log straight in when you launch from steam because the games are connected to your steam account.
  • k61977k61977 Member EpicPosts: 1,526
    Overall if you already use steam for other games then pretty much no brainier, just use steam for them also.  There is no logging in multiple times etc... If you already use steam you can use the steam wallet for in game transactions in most.  Never had to wait more than 5 mins for any transactions myself, can't speak for others.  Game updates are handled without you having to do it yourself so no waiting if you haven't logged in since update happened because it is done for you.  It is just a platform to have all your games in one place.  Makes changing computers really easy all installs in one place, also do not have to keep a record of your game keys if you have to reinstall.

    If you don't already use steam there is no reason to install it just do what you have always done.  Some people like it some don't.

    Phry
  • MendelMendel Member LegendaryPosts: 5,609
    One of the difficulties of using Steam is tracking future (and skipped) DLC from a game you purchase there.  Steam is great for managing products, like Crusader Kings II or ESO, but you can't easily monitor Steam for sales on DLC for those products.  I'm not allowed to set up a Wishlist entry for CKII: Legacy of Rome or other DLC because the base CKii product is already in my Steam Library.  Basically, I have to resort to manually searching / selecting for CKII to see any DLC for it.

    With ESO, not all DLC content is listed and sold through Steam.  To me, that sort of defeats the purpose of a retail store like Steam, because you end up purchasing 'parts' of the same game from different places.  Potentially makes tracking sales and getting customer support (installation and refund issues) more difficult than they should be.  Annoying.

    Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.

  • CazrielCazriel Member RarePosts: 419
    There's no real downside.  Some developers will require you to have an account with them as well.  Sometimes Steam simply redirects you to their native launcher where you need their credentials to log in.  Usually the Steam page will tell you this.  If you're not hassled by this, then it won't matter to you.

    The only other issue to consider is your CPU.  Steam is a hog.  So are a lot of MMOs.  Having Steam sucking up your resources and an MMO client doing the same might be a drag on your gaming experience.  
  • DelCabonDelCabon Member UncommonPosts: 258
    Thanks much for all the feedback. I forgot about the refund option. I think we have a winner :)

    Del Cabon
    A US Army ('Just Cause') Vet and MMORPG Native formerly of Trinsic, Norath and Dereth. Currently playing LOTRO. 

  • maskedweaselmaskedweasel Member LegendaryPosts: 12,195
    I will say though, it seems like almost every time I start steam it wants me to update.  It's almost like there's a steam update every few days.  Then again, I don't use steam everyday, so I guess it depends on how often you play. You may never experience that problem.



  • PhryPhry Member LegendaryPosts: 11,004
    I don't think i could be without Steam at this point, most of my games are on it and its always running when my PC is turned on, there are a few MMO's i have through Steam, i can't say that there is a downside to that as i haven't had any problems, thats not to say that there haven't been any problems with games, when GFWL shut down several games stopped working, but the community posted patches that 'fixed' the games in question.
    Steam refunds are a great feature, but imo so is the Steam community itself which can be a very useful source of help and information.
  • jmcdermottukjmcdermottuk Member RarePosts: 1,571
    DMKano said:
    Depends on a MMO

    Some MMOs require you to play through steam (example - Black Desert Online)

    other MMOs don't - you can just use the game's launcher to log in directly and bypass Steam


    So it depends on a game.

    My preference is to avoid double logins as much as possible - so logging into steam, then logging into game's launcher - yeah no thanks. 

    I just skip Steam all together for MMOs - just my 2c

    You have to play BDO through Steam? Is that a NA thing because in the UK I bought BDO as a standalone game and I can still log in without Steam. Unless this is a new thing that happened in the last few weeks. Nope, just tried it and I can still log in, no Steam.

    Steam though, yeah. If I can get a game without going through Steam then I tend to not use Steam for that game. I'm not a fan of any pf these front end platforms be it Steam, Uplay, Origin or whatever. Then again I'm completely paranoid and have a "Big Brother" complex.
  • PhryPhry Member LegendaryPosts: 11,004
    jmcdermottuk said:
    DMKano said:
    Depends on a MMO

    Some MMOs require you to play through steam (example - Black Desert Online)

    other MMOs don't - you can just use the game's launcher to log in directly and bypass Steam


    So it depends on a game.

    My preference is to avoid double logins as much as possible - so logging into steam, then logging into game's launcher - yeah no thanks. 

    I just skip Steam all together for MMOs - just my 2c

    You have to play BDO through Steam? Is that a NA thing because in the UK I bought BDO as a standalone game and I can still log in without Steam. Unless this is a new thing that happened in the last few weeks. Nope, just tried it and I can still log in, no Steam.

    Steam though, yeah. If I can get a game without going through Steam then I tend to not use Steam for that game. I'm not a fan of any pf these front end platforms be it Steam, Uplay, Origin or whatever. Then again I'm completely paranoid and have a "Big Brother" complex.
    There are effectively 2 versions of BDO, one you buy through Steam, and one you don't, tbh, i live in the UK but i play on the NA servers, but i don't have the Steam version of the game, though i did consider getting it. There is no segregation however in the game, Steam players play alongside none Steam players, the only difference is the 30 day starting period where you have access to the Olvia growth channels, there are 2 types, one of which is for Steam players. :/
    Octagon7711
  • TillerTiller Member LegendaryPosts: 11,485
    Elsabolts said:
    Excellent sight, highly recommended
     
    SWG Bloodfin vet
    Elder Jedi/Elder Bounty Hunter
     
  • anemoanemo Member RarePosts: 1,903
    Final Fantasy games are a damn pain to navigate their 5 websites, that if I were to get a new key I'd buy through steam just to not have to bother with their BS.

    Refunds for likely crap games.

    Biggest negative,  being that steam can ban you from games that normally wouldn't need steam.

    Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.

    "At one point technology meant making tech that could get to the moon, now it means making tech that could get you a taxi."

  • AkulasAkulas Member RarePosts: 3,029
    Multiple fail points is one downside. Slightly reduced performance in game may be an issue from my personal experience. If there is an option to switch back to a non steam version then there is nothing lost but with some games unless you want to create a new account your stuck with the steam version.

    Something like Riders of Icarus is ok to get through steam but something like Black Desert Online I wouldn't.

    A plus side is if you are dealing with a shitty company eg: Ankama it's rather easy to go through steam for a refund.

    This isn't a signature, you just think it is.

  • AsheramAsheram Member EpicPosts: 5,078
    jmcdermottuk said:
    DMKano said:
    Depends on a MMO

    Some MMOs require you to play through steam (example - Black Desert Online)

    other MMOs don't - you can just use the game's launcher to log in directly and bypass Steam


    So it depends on a game.

    My preference is to avoid double logins as much as possible - so logging into steam, then logging into game's launcher - yeah no thanks. 

    I just skip Steam all together for MMOs - just my 2c

    You have to play BDO through Steam? Is that a NA thing because in the UK I bought BDO as a standalone game and I can still log in without Steam. Unless this is a new thing that happened in the last few weeks. Nope, just tried it and I can still log in, no Steam.

    Steam though, yeah. If I can get a game without going through Steam then I tend to not use Steam for that game. I'm not a fan of any pf these front end platforms be it Steam, Uplay, Origin or whatever. Then again I'm completely paranoid and have a "Big Brother" complex.
    I think he was saying if you bought BDO on steam you had to go through steam to launch it and then go through BDO launcher at least thats how I interpretted it. I purchased BDO directly from the publisher so I dont need to go thru steam to access it either.
  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    maskedweasel said:
    I will say though, it seems like almost every time I start steam it wants me to update.  It's almost like there's a steam update every few days.  Then again, I don't use steam everyday, so I guess it depends on how often you play. You may never experience that problem.
    Steam's default is to auto update itself and every game you own.  You can change those settings.  Sometimes if you add third party mods they will be overwritten by the updates so you can disable updates.  If you haven't run Steam in awhile you can have a lot of updates waiting.

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    I find it incredibly easy. My games are in one place.. they update in one place.  If I ever delete it, I don't have to worry about searching 30 different places with different passwords.  Mods, docs, game forum's are all right there.  I'm sure ppl have issues, but mine have been minor.  The few times I've had issues, they refunded my money within a very short time


    I'm a.steam fan.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    DMKano said:
    Depends on a MMO

    Some MMOs require you to play through steam (example - Black Desert Online)

    other MMOs don't - you can just use the game's launcher to log in directly and bypass Steam


    So it depends on a game.

    My preference is to avoid double logins as much as possible - so logging into steam, then logging into game's launcher - yeah no thanks. 

    I just skip Steam all together for MMOs - just my 2c
    I've had to log into a few games twice because they have a separate launcher that starts up the game.  Only had to do it once as the launcher remembers my information and isn't required again.

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

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