Rage will use Steamworks
Bethesda has confirmed that the upcoming shooter Rage will use Steamworks as its PC platform. The announcement was made via Twitter.
Bethesda has confirmed that the PC version of id Software's upcoming shooter, Rage, will use Steamworks as its platform. The announcement was made via Twitter earlier today.
"Since folks are asking," the Tweet said, "We can confirm that Rage will use Steamworks on PC."
Launched in early January 2008, Steamworks is a development and publishing platform for PC games that gives devs access to all components of the Steam client, including digital rights management, authenication tools for peer-to-peer and server multiplayer games, voice communication, achievements, and more. Being Steamworks specific also means the PC version of Rage can be purchased from any distributor and added to a Steam account.
As the platform has evolved, it has been made more robust with the addition of elements such as Steam Cloud support, which allows game saves to be stored in the cloud and accessed on any computer with proper account credentials.
In August 2010, a placeholder page for Rage appeared on the Steam store, leading some to believe that the game would use Valve's Steamworks platform. Bethesda quickly shot the rumor down, saying the game's appearance was in indicative of any decision regarding platform. Rumblings began going in the other direction when the official Rage website was updated to include the Games for Windows logo, pointing at the possibility of Games for Windows Live, a competitor to Steamworks, would be the platform of choice for id Software.
Comments on the announcement within the Shacknews community have been positive, but the decision to launch Rage as a Steamworks game brings to mind what could have happened if history was slightly different.
In July 2008, id Software announced it had entered into a publishing agreement with EA to release Rage via its EA Partners program. During the summer of 2009, id Software was purchased by ZeniMax Media, the holding company that controls Bethesda Softworks, taking Rage with it. With recent changes to how games are patched and how new content is made available on Steam, EA has since opted to focus on offering its upcoming titles on its own digital platform, Origin.
Had ZeniMax not purchased id Software, things may have been different today.
-
Shacknews
replyXav de Matos posted a new article, Rage will use Steamworks.
Bethesda has confirmed that the upcoming shooter Rage will use Steamworks as its PC platform. The announcement was made via Twitter.-
[deleted]
-
-
Steamworks means the retail games require steam as well - mandatory.
-
I love Steam but I love choices more :(
-
Fantastic
-
-
-
-
-
Thank you. Now someone in Dallas go punch Tim Willits in the arm.
-
This is awesome, I wonder if GMG will get it
-
SO glad it will be steam, and not GFWL or Origen.
-
"Had ZeniMax not purchased id Software, things may have been different today."
Had Carmack not accepted the ZeniMax offer, things may have been different today.
Also .. no mention of my tip ?-
Also
Games For Windows = resolution standards , win7 compatability, Saves go into My Documents\My Games folder
Games For Windows LIVE = Steam equivalent-
Never use = with GWL and Steam ever again.
-
where's my lol button
-
-
Yeah, I'm aware of the differences between GFW and GFWL. I even mention both in this story.
-
Quite possibly one of the most demented things uttered. Ever.
-
-
I remember Carmack talking about this back in QuakeCon 2009, mentioning that Id could have easily chosen to be acquired by Activision or EA. Two years later, EA's waging a digital distribution exclusivity war using their own questionable platform, and Activision has directed all their FPS development houses to make Call of Duty stuff. What a lucky break indeed.
-
-
And Black Ops, but they haven't announced what they're doing for MW3. It's sort of traditional to announce DRM very close to release date, since the contracts have to be finalized (from what I've been told in past scenarios), but there's still the nagging thought that Activision will want to launch its own Battle.Net equivalent for Call of Duty. Elite could have been that service, and probably still could be, but Activision is currently positioning that as a premium paid service, and not as a mandatory login.
-
-
-
I saw this on Twitter. I didn't see that you tipped us.
-
Well ... it would be nice to be checking i send them sometimes ... there's new WiiU hardware details ...
Anyways about that Zenimax acquisition of id , I just don't like how the media tells that - because it sounds to me like the BUYER just picks what he will buy and the ones that's gonna be acquired has no resistance.
Then again im not an english guy so ... idk how that sounds for others.
-
-
-
AWESOME!
-
Not gonna buy it until it shows up on Origin, bastards.
-
i hate u
-
-
There's usually a tiny Steamworks logo amongst the usual ones on the back. It's sneaky, though, I agree.
-
I bought Supreme Commander 2 on release day, still in the plastic wrap, and looked it over once while in GameStop and then multiple times after opening it and finding the Steam Registration Code sheet in with the manual. Steam, Steamworks, and Valve don't appear anywhere on the packaging. They aren't even mentioned in the copyright on the case or the sleeve. They both read:
"(C)2010 Square Enix, Inc. All rights reserved. SUPREME COMMANDER is a registered trademark of Square Enix, Inc. SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co. Ltd. GAS POWERED GAMES is a registered trademark of Gas Powered Games Corp. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, ATI, the ATI logo, AMD Athlon, AMD Phenom, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Alienware and the Alienware logo are registered trademarks of Alienware Corporation. Supreme Commander 2 uses Kore. (c) 2008-2009 Kore Virtual Machines Inc. (and its licensors). All Rights Reserved. See www.Kore.net."
The closest the box even comes to mentioning Steam is the same, ambiguous line under both the minimum and recommended system specs "Internet Connection with Cable / Broadband"
-
-
-
-
Well that's good to know. I think Rage also has the same pre-order bonuses regardless of retailer, so if any of them offer a better price, it's a no-brainer choice.
-
GAME just announced a collector's edition with comics and making of DVD. I coulda swore I saw something with a dumb plastic wingstick before. http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/rage/news/game_secures_rage_collectors_pack.html
-
Welp, as much as I like id and am looking forward to Rage, this doesn't feel like a collector's edition kinda event for me. So any variations there are off my radar. :-)
-
-
-
Games for Windows logo on a website isn't indicative of Games for Windows Live support. They are not the same thing.
Most Steamworks titles also have Games for Windows branding.-
Bad Xav, no biscuit!
-
Yeah, I'm just making a point that is similar to the Steam argument from 2010. Just because the game appeared on Steam doesn't mean anything.
Also, there's a big difference between Games For Windows and Games for Windows Live. One is the branding and one is the platform. -
-
Yes, Internet. I am aware! See how I wrote that sentence? (Added notes to show my distinction)
Rage website was updated to include the Games for Windows logo (NOTE: the brand), pointing at the possibility of Games for Windows Live (NOTE: the platform), a competitor to Steamworks, would be the platform of choice for id Software....
Also, it clearly states "pointing to the possibility." Again, to run parallel to the previous report from 2010 regarding Steamworks.
-
-
-
Instant buy. Love iD; love what they are doing with rage.
-
Steam purchase day 1. Thankyou id Software.
-
-
Fucking bomb. I preordered for the Quakecon pack discount and this is just butter and gravy to go with it.
-
Well this was pretty obvious. All Bethesda games seem to use steamworks now which is great.
Best thing about this is I can now buy the game from any other store and activate it on Steam for much cheaper considering its $90 on Steam in Australia :(-
Fucking Bethesda and their Australian prices. I wish iD found a better publisher.
-
-
No Dreamcast, no buy.
-
I hope the steam achievements aren't broken like they are in New Vegas.
-
Fuuuck yes!
-
Screw it. Pre-ordered.
-
i cant understand why people dont like Steamworks... i prefer games to be on Steam than any other digital platform.. i agree that it would be better altogether to dispense with 'online authentication' of games.. but as we are moving ever closer to having internet everywhere (irrespective of the speed) i do not see that option going away in a hurry... my brother uses Origin and likes it but i do not share his opinion.. i am a Steam fan (although i hated it 6 years ago) and i absolutely loathe the GfWL service and support.. worst one i have ever seen.. i dont think even MS are sure of what they want to achieve from it.
-
-
which is fair enough.. i dont buy games on launch day either... and of all the digital retailers Steam has the most generous sales regularly.. i bought Stalker and its sequel for just 3 quid !!! how can any retailer beat that.. not to mention cloud saves, almost unlimited PC installations.. Though Valve are developers and Steam is a publishing platform, they know what the gamers want.. unlike Activision, who chase porfits no matter what.. and EA to an extent, who i feel are slowly slipping into their old shoes again.. Ubi's DRM sucks.. compared to these guys, Steam is just a minor culprit...
-
-
-
-
-
steam cheap? realy? o lawd..
On the steamworks issue, i dont like the way pc games turn into p2p console crap
Steam is a good platform yet i dont like steamworks
-
-
People who want to resell games really need to let go of that idea because it's going to be extinct soon. Once consoles go all-DD it's over. If you're not sure about a game just wait until it becomes cheap. The price you'll pay is probably the same or less than what you would have had when the game's been resold, plus you still get to keep the game.
-
-
-
-
-
-
"When was the last tiem you resold a Steam game anyway?" - Never it doesn't work?
If you mean when was the last time I wanted to then extremely often.-
-
They still don't really let you at retailers, and they've been tied to accounts for quiet awhile. Still if the question was, "where was the last time you've wanted to" I still say like all the time.
-
-
-
reselling games is a shady practice. you never own the game, just a write to play your copy of it. its in most game EULAs.
-
write -> right. oops.
-
Learn to wright mate!
-
-
-
-
I don't like how it starts Steam every time I want to start the game.
-
You can't understand why people don't like a form of DRM?
-
Other than the reseller complaints, I think there's two prongs of it:
- People who have always been against Steam and refuse to buckle even when Steam becomes an incredible and indispensable service. They're just diametrically opposed to the idea of running a program to run their other games (which, back when it was just something required for Valve games, was an understandable if not valid complaint). Truth be told I sometimes fall into the "what happens if you want to play it in 20 years but ____ is gone?" category but even then I still like Steam.
- We're still in the phase where Steam is entering into new audiences and territories. Civ5 was the first Civ game to be Steamworks and the Civ community was up in arms about it. These are the same guys who didn't like the fact that Civ4 did a CD check because they didn't want to take their discs with them in their laptops, take the battery hit for them spinning up, etc. Many of them went out and re-bought the Civ4 Complete DVD because it removed the disc check (and then they were pissed when the BtS patch did it anyway). RAGE is the first id Software game to use Steamworks. It would be like if you were determined to collect all the Star Wars soundtracks on vinyl just to keep your old collection going but the Episode III soundtrack is CD-only. Steam literally didn't exist the last time a first-party id Software game shipped. It's going to blow some old-schooler's minds. -
I resold some games in the past. It was never worth the time, hassle or money, and I always ended up missing having the game from my collection. I don't buy every new game that gets released, so when I buy new, I know that want to play it.
Also used game selling is a bad practice IMO, since the developers don`t see money from the second purchase.-
So vehicle manufacturers, home appliance manufacturers, furniture craftsmen (etc.) all should see money when their product is resold? The market just doesn't work that way. You could argue that those other items are in a degraded state from being used, whereas games don't work that way.
Don't mistake my message - I want game developers to get compensated for their idea and content. They do that by selling the game to the first buyer. They should make enough money on that sale that any subsequent selling by the original buyer doesn't materially affect the bottom line.
In other industries, manufacturers typically limit their services or warranties offered to the second buyer. For example, if I buy a car from a dealership, then sell it to a friend, the friend will usually not have the same warranty that I did (if any at all). I wonder if the game industry could learn anything from that model.-
Thinking for two more seconds on this - I'm wondering if DLCs would be a good method for achieving this second buyer thing. All first time buyers (assuming you can validate them, which gets back to DRM) could have access to the DLCs for free or a reduced rate. All second-hand buyers would have to pay full price.
It *might* work, but it seems to me that vendors would lose money with that strategy. They're giving away content to people who probably would've bought it anyway, and second-hand buyers who are clearly price sensitive won't appreciate having to fork over the same amount of money as first-timers.
Back to the drawing board.
-
-
-
-
Not buying anything from steam because of the EUR / USD currency lock. Games are cheaper about everywhere else.
Example: 49.99 EUR on Steam, 34.99 EUR on Play.com. Play.com has free shipping, and I get the physical discs. What gives?-
-
Yeah just found Rage for 27 EUR on a site in my country. Hope I can do like Left for Dead 2, and register it with steam later :)
-
Ausies use www.ozgameshop.com - back to retail for better prices, say bye bye to rip-off regional prices
Rage Anarchy Edition for $39.99 with free delivery.
-
-
-
-
-
That makes buying the PC version much more appealing.. but I'm still torn on which platform to get Rage. First of all, it's an id game, how can I not play it on the PC?! Plus I'm sure the graphics will be better on the PC.
But, with all the driving in the game I'm not all that interested in driving with a mouse and keyboard, or pulling out the gamepad just for those moments. Decisions, decisions. Of course since I'm posting this on the shack, I'm sure everyone will tell me PC.-
Buying an FPS on anything other than a PC is just silly...
-
I can understand the appeal to play an FPS singleplayer game on the console while lying on your comfortable couch. Multiplayer wise though I'm in full agreement with you.
-
-
-
