dutchy45 Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 I've been enjoying a demo version and want to buy the game. I can either buy it in the store or thru Steam. What are the differences, both pro and con? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 (edited) There is no difference in the game itself KSP Store: -Servers tend to get overloaded when a release is made. -Theoretically, all of the money goes to Squad and none to Valve, or so they say, though with server costs to maintain the store download, I really doubt it matters. Steam: -Automatically updates whether you want it to or not (you can copy it out of the Steam installation folder though) -Severs are very reliable, no wait to download. -Only known way to obtain pre-release versions, this may or may not change in the future. GoG: -Unknown Edited May 13, 2016 by Alshain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbal101 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 GOG: - no DRM - no alphas/betas provided, only latest stable (currently its 1.1.2) - any release takes between 1-3 days to appear, because of GOG's own QA - can be seen discounted sometimes - fast direct download any time as usual - previous versions available via Galaxy client Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 I just want to point out, none of the distributions have DRM, and all of them can be seen discounted from time to time, usually all of them at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Kerbal101 said: Steam is DRM for content delivery and management. Fullstop. How bad the exact game depends on Steam DRM API is up to the concrete developer. In particular case of KSP, they went to not bind it with Steam DRM, but Steam is a DRM. Incorrect. Steam can be DRM if the developer chooses to use it as such. Squad does not, which means you can copy the game out of the Steam folder and use it completely independent of Steam. Above all Steam is a distribution platform, and has a DRM capability in it, but it in itself is not DRM. Edited May 14, 2016 by Alshain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbal101 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 1 minute ago, Alshain said: Incorrect. Steam can be DRM if the developer chooses to use it as such. Squad does not, which means you can copy the game out of the Steam folder and use it completely independent of Steam. "Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation offering digital rights management (DRM), multiplayer gaming and social networking services." WP:EN Nuffsaid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Kerbal101 said: "Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation offering digital rights management (DRM), multiplayer gaming and social networking services." WP:EN Nuffsaid. Your quote supports everything I just said. It is a distribution platform, and it offers DRM. It is however, not DRM and KSP does not use the offered DRM. Edited May 14, 2016 by Alshain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbal101 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Alshain said: Your quote supports everything I just said. It is a distribution platform, and it offers DRM. All my quotes supported what you said, except that you want to whitewash the DRM function, which is essential part of Steam. Squad can pull any version from your machine via Steam. This is why they (logically) used Steam for Beta testing (as many other developers do). I read complaints from people unable to access 1.0.5 anymore because Squad (accedentially?) increased the current release, thus older 1.0.5 became unavailable anymore. Steam's DRM function controls what user can run what version of what software. Steam can pull any version from your machine, regardless of what you have to say or who you are. Only publisher and Steam carry the decision over your access to the game. It provides per-user access, detailed user metrics, full content management (control). GOG is completely anti-drm and powered by trust. You download software from GOG, nobody can force you to remove it, except regular law enforcement. It has nothing of this above for the very clear reason. It does not control the users and expects them to pay back with fairness. Any further discussion is derail of the thread, which I hereby quit. If you have a different opinion, have it, post it. I am here not to influence people, but to express mine and good is it. Edit: a fine thread on Steam. Edited May 14, 2016 by Kerbal101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 (edited) Only the copy in the Steam folder. Steam will only distribute the latest version, the KSP store is the same way. If you make a copy away from the Steam folder, Steam can do nothing about it. It will only overwrite the copy in the Steam folder with the newer release. This functionality is not even in the definition of DRM though, that's part of a distribution platform. Do you know what a DRM is? A DRM prevents you from making unauthorized copies of a product. KSP has no such functionality, in Steam or otherwise. You can copy it to your hearts content, and you can give it away to friends and such, but I don't recommend you do that and it's illegal... it's not that expensive. Edited May 14, 2016 by Alshain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerbal101 Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 3 minutes ago, Alshain said: Do you know what a DRM is? A DRM prevents you from making unauthorized copies of a product. DRM = inofficial Digital Restrictions Management, official Digital Rights Management. WP:EN article. Software logic that restricts user rights in accordance to various (typically proprietary) licenses (EULAs). Includes monitoring, reporting, collection, removal operations - on - user data, license and content db. CP = Copy protection. WP:EN article. Software logic that restricts specific case in EULA - inability to make a copy or run it in unauthorized environiment. Includes only methods to manage the concrete running copy of software. Anything outside of this, is already in different class -> DRM. By functional range in restriction/right DRM is much bigger/wider than CP and is focused on user, not on media. Usually CP is part of DRM, but CP itself can be optional - for example, the user data and account access are managed and overwatched, but the concrete title is not checked for typical CP functions. The basic distinction is that DRM manages users and licenses (it requires accounts), where CP only tries to limit the run/use environment of an exact copy without any accounting/metrics/fingerprinting of user identity (it requires no accounts). WP:EN: "The term is also often related to, and confused with, the concept of digital rights management. Digital rights management is a more general term because it includes all sorts of management of works, including copy restrictions. Copy protection may include measures that are not digital. " Example of DRM: Steam, Origin, Aladin hardware drm, Securom Example of CP: Starforce, Safedisk, generic manual keywording or generic media checks Okay, I am out, now really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alshain Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 Your source is a Wikipedia page? Sorry, need a little more concrete than that. Wikipedia is notoriously inaccurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoDex Posted May 14, 2016 Share Posted May 14, 2016 A few off-topic posts from this thread discussing how stable (or not) 1.1.2 is have been removed. Please direct your discourse on that subject to already-existing threads. I would also like to personally point out that, as a primarily Steam user, I have not experienced DRM issues with KSP. I have maintained multiple installs across different computers without an internet connection, and have had no trouble playing the game. So DRM shouldn't be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maltesh Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 As a KSP Store user, the last few releases, in my experience, haven't caused a the painful download bottleneck on the release date that was frequent in the 0.20-0.90 days. I've been able to go to the store link and download the newest .zip version in a single attempt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p1t1o Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Well I'm guessing SOMEONE had a bad experience with a steam purchase...oh dear. Steam pipes games directly into my house whenever I want them, faster than anyone else, more securely than anyone else and almost always cheaper than anyone else. What a crappy service. On 5/14/2016 at 9:38 PM, Kerbal101 said: Steam's DRM function controls what user can run what version of what software. Steam can pull any version from your machine, regardless of what you have to say or who you are. Only publisher and Steam carry the decision over your access to the game. It provides per-user access, detailed user metrics, full content management (control). I'm almost certain that this is almost complete garbage. Pull any version from my machine? A) what? Are they integrated with Microsoft now? and B) Then something that happened to me the other day should have been impossible. Dislike steam all you want but don't push misinformation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vrana Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 (edited) On 14.05.2016. at 10:38 PM, Kerbal101 said: Squad can pull any version from your machine via Steam. This is why they (logically) used Steam for Beta testing (as many other developers do). I read complaints from people unable to access 1.0.5 anymore because Squad (accedentially?) increased the current release, thus older 1.0.5 became unavailable anymore. Steam's DRM function controls what user can run what version of what software. Steam can pull any version from your machine, regardless of what you have to say or who you are. Only publisher and Steam carry the decision over your access to the game. It provides per-user access, detailed user metrics, full content management (control). None of this is true. It is so for some games but not for KSP on Steam. Case in point: I have EVERY version of KSP from .24.2 to 1.1.2 still installed on this computer. Some of them in multiple copies (for different mod configurations). They all still run. I have the Steam version of KSP. Additionally i have KSP Edu version of .90 (never updated) installed on the same computer. This version has nothing to do with Steam and this horrible DRM beast never complained. People who "lost" access to old versions did so because they failed to save these versions and they allowed (mind the "they" and "allowed" parts, we are talking about options i have to turn on) Steam to automatically update their single installation of KSP. I keep KSP on manual update (since .24.2) and am capable of easily preserving old versions. But hey, it seems like you aren't really interested in how Steam works so my post is more for the benefit of people who might otherwise be misled by your posts. Edited May 17, 2016 by Vrana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanamonde Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Well, there's your answer, Dutchy45: all KSP purchase outlets are evil and people are willing to fight to prove it. Just choose one and start having fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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