10 réponses à ce sujet

[Bundin]

I'm pleased to see the game added to the Steam catalogue, and I'm leaning towards getting it through that service. However, there's a few questions I would like answered first because of experiences with other games I bought through Steam, including Mass Effect.

I have had some minor issues with delayed patching with games like Company of Heroes. Steam games differ from retail so any patches need to be pushed through Steam. This adds a validation phase to the distribution process which can lead to delays. DA:O uses a launcher though, so I would like to know if any patches need to be rewritten for Steam, or that the launcher will take care of things.

Getting the Mass Effect DLC installed on the Steam version was a painful process. "Bring Down the Sky", which seems similar in size/scope to DA:O DLC, initially could not be installed on Steam versions. Owners had to wait for Bioware to create a Steam-friendly version of the installer. It never got distributed through Steam, so it requires a separate download/install (with a free error message thrown in) which is unusual for Steam games. The reason Bioware gave for these issues was that the game never was designed for Steam. DA:O has only recently been announced on Steam, so I'm wondering about these issues again. I would like to know if all (future) DLC will also be available on Steam, and if not, will the installation process conflict with Steam?

Finally, I'm wondering if Steam will interfere with community-build mods/content.

tl;dr: 
- Are patches handled through Steam or through the launcher?
- Will Steam lead to delays for patches or DLC due to their validation/distribution process?
- Will DLC be available through Steam or require separate installs?
- Does Steam conflict with community-created mods/content?

[MrGOH]

DA:O will be patched through Steam according to a dev post on the main site. Also according to the dev post, the DLC and user mods will be 100% compatible with the Steam version - you will still be able to download DLC through in-game menus. DA:O was built with an eye towards digital distribution, while ME1 was not - I think that makes all the difference.

[flem1]

I think you're likely to have a patch delay, yes.

[Bundin]

MrGOH wrote...

DA:O will be patched through Steam according to a dev post on the main site. Also according to the dev post, the DLC and user mods will be 100% compatible with the Steam version - you will still be able to download DLC through in-game menus. DA:O was built with an eye towards digital distribution, while ME1 was not - I think that makes all the difference.

This is the information I could find on the "old" forums, I'm pasting it here so others won't have to search. Indeed, patches will be handled through Steam, but nothing is said about DLC so far.
Nested quotes don't seem to work so everything below is the original post:

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Posted 10/14/09 17:45 (GMT) by Derek French

Posted 10/13/09 08:26 (GMT) by Torias

I would like details in terms of patching.

If I buy a physical retail game, will patches be handled by a bioware built autopatching system?

We haven't announced anything yet, but there will be downloadable, standalone patches for Dragon Age: Origins for the PC.

If I buy it through steam, will patches be handled by the same bioware built autopatching system, or will any patches have to pass through valve and be steam-i-fied and the patched via steam?

All DA updates for the Steam version will come via Steam. It is the most straightforward way of delivering it.

What of beta patches (which bioware has made available in the past)? Will there be any way to apply beta patches and roll backs to a steam version?

No idea, as we haven't even started looking at any of this yet.

And the toolset? It's a separate download, would I download that via steam, or manually from the bioware site?

Separate download from the BioWare community site, regardless of your retail version.

Modifié par Bundin, 15 octobre 2009 - 10:41 .

[Torias]

There will probably be a short patch delay, but since DA is not a multiplayer game, that wont be much of an issue. (In a multiplayer game, a patch delay can block you from playing with people you normally do, for Dragon Age there shouldn't be much of an impact).



As far as DLC goes, I believe that because it is available from within the game itself, that the DLC will function the same regardless of the distribution method.



I'm personally leaning towards the digital deluxe collectors edition via steam...



I haven't seen it listed on steam yet... Is it visible on the coming soon list for Americans? Or is it just not listed in the steam store yet? Thanks ;-)

[Bundin]

It's listed on Steam at the moment, but no price is available yet. So you can't actually buy it for now.

Modifié par Bundin, 15 octobre 2009 - 10:44 .

[Torias]

Bundin wrote...

It's listed on Steam at the moment, but no price is available yet. So you can't actually buy it for now.

/me double checks


oooh so it is....

exciting!

/me books in some annual leave from work for the day after the release ;-)

[MrGOH]

DLC assertion came from a different thread. He didn't say it would work 100% - I just assumed that, apologies. But it is available in-game regardless of version and since Warden's Keep comes with the digital Deluxe version, it stands to reason its supposed to work with the download versions.

Posted 08/26/09 14:07 (GMT) by Fernando Melo

Posted 08/17/09 17:49 (GMT) by appleyum

Lack of inconvenience? After I install the game I have to go online to purchase the add-on (from another store) and install it. It's no longer buying from one store and one time install for the whole thing. I am talking about a game on it's release date not a game with expansion packs.

Actually all the DLC will be available to buy and download from within the game itself - regardless of which game edition you buy, including digital - think of it like the 360 Marketplace.



As new content comes out after launch, it'll show up in the DLC store (assuming you are connected to the internet - think of this like checking for patch updates, etc) and you can view the DLC description and buy/download from within the game itself.



You can also just keep on playing while its downloading, you can view the d/l progress anytime, and once it has completed the installation the new area/quest etc is 'there' to play like any other game area.

[Chillwill]

Patches will need to be edited by steam so there could possibly be a couple days delay but in reality all that needs doing is copy/pasting a little of steams old code from the old .exe so it really shouldn't take any time whatsoever.



However dlc's and player made modules don't change the main .exe file they are just module files and therefore should be compatible with all versions of the game regardless where or how you buy it.

[K3m0sabe]

I find it strange that this close to the release of the game Steam still hasn't publicized the availability of Dragon Age trough its service. No front page, nothing. The only way one knows that the game is even on steam is trough the search function, even then theres is no price listed.



Anyways, ill be buying it trough D2D or trough the EA store, both of which are digital download.

[Torias]

K3m0sabe wrote...

I find it strange that this close to the release of the game Steam still hasn't publicized the availability of Dragon Age trough its service. No front page, nothing. The only way one knows that the game is even on steam is trough the search function, even then theres is no price listed. <br />
<br />
Anyways, ill be buying it trough D2D or trough the EA store, both of which are digital download.

They are probably waiting until the price is listed and they can accept people's money before they start publicising it on the front page and the news updates when you sign in....