I'm planning on buying KSP...

[KulaKicker]

So I'm definitely going to be getting KSP very soon, but I'm not whether I should buy it from the KSP Store or if I should get it through Steam...

If anyone could help me decide what would be the best buying option, it would be much appreciated!

[Johnno]

If you click advanced search top right corner you can then search 'thread titles' and put in steam. There's heaps and heaps of threads about it.

Here's a recent one (page 2 of general discussion): http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/46073-Steam-or-Site

[TooManyErrors]

The KSP Store is for easy management of KSP versions and easy modding.

Steam is for easy and automatic updating.

Just choose which one is best for you.

Also, Squad gets more money if you buy it from the KSP Store.

[Levelord]

Also, Squad gets more money if you buy it from the KSP Store.

I recommend buying from the KSP store for that reason. Steam provides nothing for the game (not even proper DRM) so I can't see money justifiably going to Steam for doing nothing with the game. Unless you are the cartoonishly lazy type that can't even be bothered to update on those few occasions once every 2 months or so then I guess you can go get the Steam version.

[annallia]

To be fair levelord steam does have the game in its store which helps a little in the way of advertising.

[regex]

Not to mention that Steam has more bandwidth and that those of us who transferred from the SQUAD store are doing the people who stay a service by updating through another medium. Best option, IMO, is to buy through SQUAD and then transfer to Steam.

[Levelord]

Not to mention that Steam has more bandwidth and that those of us who transferred from the SQUAD store are doing the people who stay a service by updating through another medium. Best option, IMO, is to buy through SQUAD and then transfer to Steam.

Actually, that's a pretty clever idea. I recommend this too.

[Beeman]

I thought you couldn't transfer a purchase to Steam anymore...like, I thought that was only available to people who bought the game before it was available on Steam. But I guess I wouldn't know >.>

Either way, Steam saves SQUAD bandwidth money and you get the nifty in-game overlay to use for chatting or browsing the internet if your computer doesn't like minimizing things. You can also take screenshots and save them to your Steam account...which is just nice.

But the reason Steam doesn't function as a DRM for KSP is because SQUAD removed that functionality. So you can disable automatic updating or even just copy your KSP folder out of your Steam install directory and mod it up, even hang onto that ancient version of the game in case a new update breaks your saves or mods or something and run it without a problem.

[FenrirWolf]

The transfer option was for people who bought the game before Steam was even an option. New purchases are locked to whichever one you get it from.

[FITorion]

Not to mention that Steam has more bandwidth and that those of us who transferred from the SQUAD store are doing the people who stay a service by updating through another medium. Best option, IMO, is to buy through SQUAD and then transfer to Steam.

I don't think steam transfers are still offered... or if they are... they are for people who bought before steam was an option.

If you already use steam... then why not use it for KSP as well? It automatically updates for you. No dealing with the over crowded KSP store on update day. And while it isn't available yet I fully expect that the cloud storage of saved games will be available. Steam is not acting as DRM for this game which is great. Once you download it through steam you could play with out needing steam to be running.

As for the money aspect... Steam takes a cut... but they provide the bandwidth for updates that squad then doesn't have to pay for. KSP store... they get all the money but have to pay for the bandwidth everyone soaks up on update day. I honestly don't know which way is better financially for squad.

[Skorpychan]

I bought it on Steam because I like having everything easily downloadable with a couple of clicks, auto-updated, and accessible through Steam itself.

[Torham234]

I always buy a hard copy if its available, and if its not I try and buy a version that is independent of anything else. Steam is a great platform, I am just not sure if it will still be around in 10 - 20 years time. I have plenty of old games that still work on my modern hardware, but I also have few witch I am unable to run because they sported an online verification DRM and the companies have now closed down...

[Sean Mirrsen]

Not being sure if a platform will still be around in 10 years is no reason to not buy a game for the platform now, you gotta admit. Especially a game not really dependent on said platform.

I've posted this in other threads like this, and I'll say it again. I see absolutely no reason not to use Steam for a game like KSP. It is not tied to DRM, will never have achievements, can be modified and copied anywhere at will, and you get easy on-time updates without hassle, and without pulling bandwidth from Squad's server. Plus Steam allows you to give more money to the developer if you want - just buy a bundle of game copies as gifts and give them out to friends, or just raffle them off. It's a win-win for everyone, with no drawbacks to be seen.

[Anton P. Nym]

I'm trying to recall the title of an indie game I was following, whose developer actually asked folks to buy from Steam one week instead of his site; he said he saw more direct revenue from his site, but that a volume of Steam sales would raise the title on the sales charts and generate buzz in the industry, thereby generating more sales (on both platforms) and helping him out more. (Might've been FTL, but I'm not certain.)

I think it's a wash between the two options if Valve and Squad both know what they're doing, and I'd go with the option that makes the most sense from your perspective. I went with Steam for the convenience of automated updates and having one less password to remember.

-- Steve

[EmissionGeneration]

This solution is easy. Buy from Squad store so they get more profit to go towards making our game much more enjoyable, and then simply "Add a Non-Steam Game" to your Steam library". I run all of my Games through Steam, whether they are bought in there or not. It's a way to keep all of your Games in order and easy to access.

Non Steam Games also give you this option:

and you get the nifty in-game overlay to use for chatting or browsing the internet if your computer doesn't like minimizing things. You can also take screenshots and save them to your Steam account...which is just nice.

[RoboRay]

To be fair levelord steam does have the game in its store which helps a little in the way of advertising.

Yeah... putting the game on Steam is huge from a visibility standpoint, especially when it gets showcased as part of a Steam sale or other promotion.

Look at Valve's cut of the purchase price as advertisement and distribution (bandwidth) expenses. There's no doubt that Squad has come out ahead, overall, by putting KSP on Steam.

[annallia]

I always buy a hard copy if its available, and if its not I try and buy a version that is independent of anything else. Steam is a great platform, I am just not sure if it will still be around in 10 - 20 years time. I have plenty of old games that still work on my modern hardware, but I also have few witch I am unable to run because they sported an online verification DRM and the companies have now closed down...

I have this issue with old games as well, one of the companies I purchased a few games from sold/merged to another company and no longer had the license for some of the games. Now I have the activation keys but because I don't have a physical copy or even a digital copy (I figured if I ever wanted it I could re-download it at the time) I cannot get the game again because the keys only worked with the special license given to the company that I had bought it from so even if I found a download of the game somewhere I cannot activate it.

That and I dislike steam so I bought from Squad.

[Cartz]

I have this issue with old games as well, one of the companies I purchased a few games from sold/merged to another company and no longer had the license for some of the games. Now I have the activation keys but because I don't have a physical copy or even a digital copy (I figured if I ever wanted it I could re-download it at the time) I cannot get the game again because the keys only worked with the special license given to the company that I had bought it from so even if I found a download of the game somewhere I cannot activate it.

That and I dislike steam so I bought from Squad.

You do realize that buying from Squad means you are much more likely to repeat the same experience again right?

I mean, I don't want to hate on Squad, they've made an absolutely amazing game that I love. But if I had to choose which of two companies stand the best chance of surviving long term, I'm taking Valve/Steam over Squad any day of the week.

I 100% guarantee that one day, the only place you will be able to get this game legally is through Steam's servers.

[Levelord]

You do realize that buying from Squad means you are much more likely to repeat the same experience again right?

I mean, I don't want to hate on Squad, they've made an absolutely amazing game that I love. But if I had to choose which of two companies stand the best chance of surviving long term, I'm taking Valve/Steam over Squad any day of the week.

I 100% guarantee that one day, the only place you will be able to get this game legally is through Steam's servers.

So... because you think SQUAD will be less capable of lasting as long as Steam, your solution is to give SQUAD less money...

Okay...

[Anton P. Nym]

So... because you think SQUAD will be less capable of lasting as long as Steam, your solution is to give SQUAD less money...

And cost them less in bandwidth. As I said above, assuming Squad aren't idiots who negotiated a totally raw deal (as I do assume) it should about break even for them in the long run.

-- Steve

[Sean Mirrsen]

Whether or not buying on Steam gives Squad less money in the long run is still up for debate in this case. What with the money saved on bandwidth, and not even taking the extra money from Steam exposure into account. Of course, if you bought it during a sale or something you would give less money. On the other hand, if you really want to give them more money, you can just buy more of the game - again, on Steam, where it's much easier.

[Levelord]

And cost them less in bandwidth. As I said above, assuming Squad aren't idiots who negotiated a totally raw deal (as I do assume) it should about break even for them in the long run.

-- Steve

It could be argued that if SQUAD had the money paid to them directly, they would have been able to cover the costs of purchasing servers to solve the bandwidth problem themselves. Which also adds to the future infrastructure of the development team when they want to add DLCs and possibly make new games.

[Zeblote]

It automatically updates for you.

This, exactly this is the reason why I will NOT buy this game on steam - I like having control over what happens to my game folders. No stupid auto-updates that silently break everything and then I sit there spending hours figuring out why something randomly doesn't work anymore.

[annallia]

You do realize that buying from Squad means you are much more likely to repeat the same experience again right?

I mean, I don't want to hate on Squad, they've made an absolutely amazing game that I love. But if I had to choose which of two companies stand the best chance of surviving long term, I'm taking Valve/Steam over Squad any day of the week.

I 100% guarantee that one day, the only place you will be able to get this game legally is through Steam's servers.

I doubt the cost of bandwith for my download is more than whatever cut steam gets. You do have a point however when it comes to updates, eventually that extra cash will be negated from that. However your premise is still flawed to a point. Now that I have learned to keep a backup copy I am in the same position as I would be going through steam and at that point it would make no difference. Without Steam isn't going to make any updates for KSP, so with Squad gone whatever my last backup was will be the latest version of the game. And has the added bonus of me not needing steam.

[UbioZur]

This, exactly this is the reason why I will NOT buy this game on steam - I like having control over what happens to my game folders. No stupid auto-updates that silently break everything and then I sit there spending hours figuring out why something randomly doesn't work anymore.

You do know that steam offer you an option to not automatically update any game? In fact any software I know of always offer the choice to automatically update or not. And you can also revert to the previous version on steam for KSP.