steam or direct download

[crestofawave]

hey guys,

been loving the demo, so can’t wait to get into this properly, my question is is there a reason apart from not needing to log on to steam to play, which in itself is great, to get the direct download over steam?

do the mods work better for the direct version, also how about updating the direct one?

cheers for your time n help

[nohelmet]

With the direct dl you can download any version I think, so you can go back if you don't like an update. Steam gives you fewer choices. Steam will count your play time for you though, so you can brag.

[regex]

Steam doesn't limit you in any way when it comes to KSP, it is merely a delivery device. I have many installs separate from Steam that were all spawned from my Steam install and never have to load up Steam when playing KSP.

[mikegarrison]

If Steam is convenient for you, I suggest using it.

It will by default automatically update your version, so if you are concerned about this you may want to turn that off. You can keep as many local copies of the game as you like, however. You can mod it as you like. You can run it offline.

[Red Iron Crown]

Welcome aboard!

My standard advice for Steam vs. Store is: If you are already invested in Steam and like it, use Steam. Otherwise the Store is fine.

[rabidninjawombat]

Honestly the only difference with installing and playing via steam is that it tracks your hours played.... (even though in my case its more than i wanna know with how many hours ive dropped into it )

[Alshain]

Honestly the only difference with installing and playing via steam is that it tracks your hours played.... (even though in my case its more than i wanna know with how many hours ive dropped into it )

It also has built in screenshots that you can immediately upload rather than going through imgur, etc. and a built in overlay to access the web anytime without alt-tab. It also always works while the store users are constantly posting threads here on the forums about how the store isn't working right after a release.

[rabidninjawombat]

It also has built in screenshots that you can immediately upload rather than going through imgur, etc. and a built in overlay to access the web anytime without alt-tab. It also always works while the store users are constantly posting threads here on the forums about how the store isn't working right after a release.

Good point! And also true, (though i dont use any of those features)

[crestofawave]

haha ok its about even then, thanks for your input guys, ill probably use the direct one as i don’t always want to open steam or run it in offline mode, as it still interferes with the other comp if its running steam.

looking forward to going to space

[mrclucks]

The only difference I've notice is the delay of version upgrade(which is only a few hours) ie: steam downloaded 1.03 when the forum was talking about 1.04, but I tried it a few hours later and got .4.

As for the different versions, I always copy the vanilla version of the ksp folder so I can play a different version if I wish

[PB666]

Welcome aboard!

My standard advice for Steam vs. Store is: If you are already invested in Steam and like it, use Steam. Otherwise the Store is fine.

I have both (the steam game was given to me). I don't use the steam account. I don't like the ad stuff, and when I am offline, the game takes an hour to load. When I finish my new build there will be no steam on my machine, so sorry steam, they screw up. The most annoying thing was when the game would crash, a steam advertising pop-up would suddenly appear. The other game crashes far less frequently.

[Red Iron Crown]

I am surprised to hear your experiences differ so greatly, PB666, it was my understanding that the actual software delivered by both platforms was identical.

[Padishar]

haha ok its about even then, thanks for your input guys, ill probably use the direct one as i don’t always want to open steam or run it in offline mode, as it still interferes with the other comp if its running steam.

looking forward to going to space

As RIC said above, you don't have to run Steam at all in order to run KSP. I bought the game via Steam but I haven't played it through steam for a long time (I originally bought 0.22 just before 0.23 was released and ran those via steam but once 0.23.5 was released I started running it separately). I copy the entire "Kerbal Space Program" folder from the steam folder into C:\KSP with a name that indicates the version number and purpose of the install, e.g. just after an update I create C:\KSP\Clean_1.0.4 (or whatever) which is a complete copy of the install. Then I copy that to create several different installs, Current_1.0.4 (my normal game), Dev_1.0.4 (an install specifically for mod development tweaked to allow debugging of mods in VS), RO_1.0.4 (an install for realism overhaul) etc.

When a new update is released I run steam, tell it to delete all game content and then reinstall it (this results in a full download rather than an update but it ensures you get a totally correct install). Then I create the new Clean_<version> and Current_<version> copies (and other copies when appropriate mods are updated). This allows me to continue playing old modded versions until the mods are updated for the new version.

[cantab]

To clarify: The KSP files you get will be identical where-ever you buy it. A corollary is you can run it through Steam or not through Steam where-ever you buy it. (By adding KSP as a non-Steam game if needed).

Advantages of Steam:

* Steam integrity check is handy if you have a possible corrupted file, no need to download the whole thing again.

* Already in Steam, no need to add it yourself.

* Steam refund policy.

Advantages of Store:

* No need to install Steam.

* All your money goes to Squad, there's no middle man.

* Demo doesn't get clobbered by the full game. I like to have the demo available too, if only to let others know what's in it.

Edited August 21, 2015 by cantab
Removed untrue advantage

[Red Iron Crown]

Squad's servers tend to get overloaded when a new KSP update is out.

This seems to have gotten much better in the last few updates. They still don't have anything like Steam's infrastructure, but I don't think it's as much of a differentiator as it once was.

[Alshain]

* All your money goes to Squad, there's no middle man.

This is questionable. Squad has to pay for the bandwidth for you to download it from their server, or they pay Steam a fee. One way or another, all the money doesn't go to Squad.

[sal_vager]

Squad uses Amazon ECS for the store release now, so it scales with demand, the last two updates didn't see the chaos of previously.

There's also GoG.com, they are working on allowing their own installers to update your games so you don't have to download it in full, and GoG Galaxy will also offer this feature.

[cantab]

I stand corrected.

[PixelClef]

Steam:

- FPS display

- Counts hours

- Social achievements

- Summer/Winter sales

Squad Store:

- No automatic updates

For some people (myself included), the automatic updates provided by Steam are a benefit. However, most people play KSP with mods. Having the game autoupdate with mods is apparently a recipe for pain and frustration, breaking mods at unexpected times and possibly even trashing saves in the process. My recommendation, having been exposed to both, is to lean toward purchasing directly from Squad. If you purchase from Steam, it's not generally clear that you can launch KSP without Steam, but you can. This can help you mitigate the issues associated with autoupdates.

[soulsource]

It's not the question if an automatic update will break your savegame, it's more a question of when this will happen. Once you've opened a savegame in a newer version of KSP, it'll be a pain to make it loadable in an older version of the game again. Also, as we've seen with the game-breaking self-heating bug of 1.0.4, there are sometimes updates that are so broken, one cannot play them at all. Therefore it's best to wait a few days after an update is released, and first check if other players are running into serious issues before updating oneself.

That's why I recommend to use the KSP store instead of Steam. Full control over updates, and access to the previous version of the game. (And if you are a new player: I'd rather play 1.0.2 with edge highlighting disabled, than 1.0.4 with parts overheating without any reason...)

If you want to use Steam, I'd recommend to copy the KSP installation folder to a different location (where the Steam auto-updater cannot find it ^^) and run the game from there. That's possible, as KSP doesn't have a copy protection [citation needed]. Also, it's probably a good idea to keep a copy of different game versions around, just in case you want to downgrade (for instance if you installed 1.0.4 and realized just a few hours later that it's not normal for your batteries to overheat during the Munar night...).

[godefroi]

One big difference is that when updates are released and forum users are complaining about overloaded download servers, Steam users don't notice because they're too busy playing the new version.

[Tex_NL]

...

My standard advice for Steam vs. Store is: If you are already invested in Steam and like it, use Steam. Otherwise the Store is fine.

Can not disagree. But personally I wouldn't even touch Steam with a ten foot pole.

Steam:

- FPS display

- Counts hours

- Social achievements

- Summer/Winter sales

Squad Store:

- No automatic updates

...

FPS display? I don't need that to tell me my game lags.

Count hours? Who cares?

Achievements? KSP doesn't use any kind of achievements.

Sales? Once I've bought the game I won't buy it again.

No automatic updates? I count that as a pro. I decide when and if I update my game. Not Steam!

[DocMoriarty]

It's even sold on GOG now, which i prefer anyday over Steam. They have a client like steam which is completely optional though. And DRM-free. I actually buy a lot of Games from GOG these days.

[Ignath]

I would suggest picking it up on STEAM, as it's 33% off right now ($26.79 USD)

[crestofawave]

ha, well got it on steam, a sale is a wonderful incentive!! just a quick question save another thread, i heard its better to start in sandbox mode, get used to the game then start a career, is that true?